By Kendra Hughes and Fiona Sant
The Lowertown Arts and Culture Committee was established at the end of 2020 and its members, Kendra Hughes, Fiona Barbaro Sant and Drew Bernand together bring a wealth of experience in community arts, event planning and project management.
Since its inception, the committee has met regularly to establish its mandate and priorities. Naturally, it has been difficult to start planning arts events, but the committee has used this time to meet with and establish relationships with various arts organisations in Lowertown. We are excited about all the partnerships we are building and the emerging networks and projects. We are still expanding and welcome anyone interested in joining to contact us at lcaartsandculture@gmail.com.
Our current focus for the coming months is working on planning and engaging the community in the development of a New Mural in the Byward Market.
We believe that the story of a neighbourhood starts with the people who live and work there, and public art can tell that story in an accessible, dynamic, and unique way.
As an integral part of Lowertown’s diversity and history, the Byward Market is many things to us: a public food market, a destination to visit local shops, restaurants, bars and boutiques, or a district known for its heritage and cultural activities. We believe it can also be a central space for community expression through art.
Lowertown residents of all ages are invited to meet with Ottawa muralist Jimmy Baptiste in an engaging dialogue about our neighbourhood that will inspire the creation of a new mural in the Byward Market.
When: April 13 at 7pm
Where: Zoom, please email lcaartsandculture@gmail.com for registration link
**This is a bilingual event with both English and French being spoken**