About
Our Mission
We believe that a flourishing arts community enriches a neighborhood’s quality of life both economically and culturally. By partnering with local merchants, neighborhood associations, schools and artists, we encourage more artists to live and work in North Collinwood, and offer residents more opportunities to engage in the arts. Our goal is to support a stimulating arts environment and to encourage continuing education in the arts by offering a wide variety of cultural activities for residents of all ages.
Our History
When the group that became Arts Collinwood was formed in 2003, Waterloo Road was in a sad state of decline, with more vacancies than businesses.
Waterloo Road, in front of the rennovated Shoparooni storefront.
Although dozens of artists call North Collinwood home, before Arts Collinwood was formed there was not a single gallery in the community. The only arts-related business on Waterloo was the Beachland Ballroom. A group of artists, working with Beachland co-owner Cindy Barber and Arts Collinwood co-founder Sarah Gyorki, brainstormed a series of events and activities to draw attention to the district and attract visitors.
The result has been impressive, demonstrating the power of the arts to transform a community. In the five years since Arts Collinwood was formed, 11 new arts related businesses have opened in the 4 blocks of Downtown Waterloo, representing more than $2 million of direct investment in the district.
Currently a thriving boutique, the Shoparooni space was once a symbol of Waterloo’s problems. An old family business moved out, leaving a vacant building in need of substantial renovation, with no tenant prospects in sight.
Arts Collinwood saw potential in the empty storefront for a community arts event, and Weekends on Waterloo was born. The artists worked with Pat McNamara, then associate director of Northeast Shores Development Corporation, the building’s owner: he made the space available and Arts Collinwood’s volunteers converted it from a vacant storefront for a three week art sale and party, with local artist vendors, live music, and food. The result: a new arts initiative, which helped to attract the former bookshop tenant to the development corporation’s empty space.
Weekends on Waterloo was the event that launched Arts Collinwood; it has since transformed into a district-wide holiday happening, with music, exhibits, sales and special events at venues throughout downtown Waterloo. And the art sale in the Arts Collinwood gallery remains a key fundraiser for the gallery’s programs each year.
The Sculpture Garden.
Arts Collinwood created the sculpture garden at 16001 Waterloo Rd in 2003. Working with the property owner, they installed landscaping and artwork, and transformed a vacant lot into a space that has been used for a wide range of programming, from exhibits and musical events to children’s theater and poetry readings. The garden helped to attract a new tenant for the owner, when Jerry Schmidt opened his Waterloo 7 Gallery there. Jerry, an active Arts Collinwood member and volunteer, now maintains the garden, and showcases his work there; the owner, Miles Kennedy, continues to keep the space available for public use.Before Arts Collinwood was formed, the artists who founded the group met in the Whatnot Coffee Shop. That business closed when Arts Collinwood moved into their new space at the corner of Waterloo and E. 156. Today the building houses Lowlife Gallery and Blue Arrow Records.
The new Arts Collinwood building was an ambitious restoration project, converting a blighted property of derelict bars, transient housing and vacant storefront into a multi-use arts center. Five years later, the center features the Arts Collinwood Gallery, a cafe, artist studios, and a large community center space for classes, rehearsals and performances.
Our Services
Supporting Members:
- inexpensive classes for them and their families
- fun events where they can meet artists
- opportunities for volunteer work
- a way to be engaged and work together to improve our community
Community of North Collinwood:
- enriching activities for children and adults
- a variety of artistic programs through relationships with our schools and other arts organizations
- community events that provide fun, free entertainment and draw new visitors
- lots of great publicity and favorable press
- a fine arts gallery, that features an interesting array of work and builds foot traffic in Downtown Waterloo
Artist Members:
- opportunities to exhibit and sell work
- opportunities to teach
- professional development services and networking opportunities
Our Governance
We are a non-profit 501 corporation but, above all, we are a very democratic membership organization so what we do it always open to change in response to our growing strength and resources, especially, the changing needs and desires of our members.
