The Work in Culture (WC) program prioritizes hands-on mentorship, inclusivity, and professional artistic development of members with the goal to simultaneously implement a stabilized funding stream. 

Inter Arts Matrix recently finished renovating our studio space and acquiring new technology to support a range of artistic programming. These renovations and equipment acquisitions were funded by significant grants from Canada Cultural Spaces Fund and Ontario Trillium Foundation in response to the lack of affordable arts spaces in the Waterloo Region. This marks the first time in the history of our organization that we have a space that is regularly programmable. Yet, like many arts organizations across Canada, we are currently strategizing on diversifying our earned revenue for long-term stability given the changes in current arts funding. We want to ensure our new space is an active, inclusive, well-frequented part of the regional arts ecosystem, while also providing programming opportunities that support our organization’s mission and mandate of fostering the production and development of new work in interdisciplinary art. 

The Work in Culture Program will support 12 emerging and established artists to make use of professional space, to develop their artwork, and to gain invaluable hands-on mentorship that is essential and difficult to come by in the region. The Region of Waterloo has a diverse population of artists that are in need of support. Often, artists leave the region to cities like Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Vancouver, or Hamilton for career development opportunities. IAM sees these losses as community and economic losses. As an arts leader in the community, we are seeking support from funders, sponsors, and private donors to contribute to this project to keep cultural workers that inspire generations and ground a thriving arts scene within the region. 

We will be accepting applications for this project in July and holding a celebration for the first round of chosen artists in September of 2025. Over the next year, IAM and Sheila McMath will work to develop these diverse artists professionally and bring their work to audiences regionally, nationally, and internationally. IAM is dedicated to providing inclusive opportunities to underrepresented groups and working to uplift the mobility of talented artists facing barriers.  

In collaboration with our consultants of this project, we will assign specific metrics to our project goals to better assess our achievement during the impact and outcome evaluation stages. We will be asking artist members for evaluation feedback to better assess our achievement throughout the program. In July 2026, artist members will participate in both qualitative and quantitative evaluations as a part of their program participation. An anonymous, digital survey will determine general artist member satisfaction in the program. Evaluating this project internally will allow us to develop a process that is sustainable in future iterations. This evaluation will be shared with the Board of Directors and incorporated into an annual program report.

IAM is working to drive inclusive economic opportunity for underrepresented groups in the Region of Waterloo, while working to implement sustainable financial solutions in economically precarious times. The artists we work with and mentor often develop long-lasting impacts in Canadian culture and work internationally. IAM seeks to celebrate diversity and culturally significant work that matters to the diverse populations of the Region of Waterloo, but on a broader extent to the international community as well. We believe that artwork inspires the next generation and fosters cohesion during times of global upheaval and political turmoil.

We acknowledge the support of the Work in Culture Catalyst and Transformation (CAT) Fund.

The Work in Culture Catalyst and Transformation (CAT) Fund provides funding to Ontario arts organizations to investigate, plan, and implement substantive change in their operations.