Miriam Stewart-Kroeker, a cellist with the KW Symphony was devastated when she heard the news of the symphony’s bankruptcy last year, wondering if she would have to move her family away from KW so she could continue working. She and her fellow musicians decided to take a stand and fight for the symphony, and last month the debts were annulled. The symphony is back on its feet, but it can never be the same. Stewart-Kroeker and board chair Bill Poole speak about their experiences with the bankruptcy and their thoughts on how they can move forward in a new way that’s more inclusive than ever.
The theme of this year’s CAFKA (Contemporary Art Forum Kitchener and Area) festival is ‘Stay with Me’. Tara Cooper, CAFKA’s Chair of Programming and Board Director, explained,
“In a way, it came out of our last biennale, which was during the pandemic two years ago. And the idea was literally just to stay with me, the idea of being together but also the idea of giving room for the things that are uncomfortable or hard to talk about.”
Tara also talks about the history, some of this year’s unique artworks within the exhibition, and what it takes to produce the exhibition.
CKMS news also talked to the Director of Cultural Services at the Region of Waterloo Helen Chimirri-Russell about how the Region approaches funding arts organizations, such as CAFKA.
CAFKA runs until Saturday July 22, 2023, and you can find information on exhibits and shows at CAFKA.org.
On Friday, July 21, 6:00–7:30 pm, join CAFKA for a walking tour of Stay with Me installations in the Kitchener exhibition zone. Admission is free. Meet in front of Kitchener City Hall (200 King Street West, Kitchener) at 6pm.
The music on today’s show is called “Maple Music” by Godmode courtesy of by Expectantly Maple Music on YouTube. This music is copyright free and used with gratitude.
