On May 30-31, 2018, Communitech hosted its largest event ever, True North.

True North was a two-day conversation about the intersection of humans and tech, an opportunity to imagine and re-imagine the impact of technology. During the conference, we also took the time to reflect on where we are as a community and where we’d like to go. You can listen to the Building an Equitable Tech Community session here.

At Communitech, we’re always trying to find new ways to engage our communities and break down barriers between tech and non-tech industries. One of the pieces of feedback we received at True North is that we need to be more proactive about bringing new communities into tech spaces and better about sharing our resources. One community that really needs our support and exposure is Waterloo Region’s growing and energetic arts community.

So in that vein, we are proud to announce that Communitech will be opening a gallery wall at the Communitech Hub. This art wall is one of the many things we will be doing in the next five years to engage with the community around us.

We are inviting local artists to display their work on our gallery wall, located in the most high-traffic area of Communitech, Area 151. The main display wall is nine feet five inches by eight feet five inches, and you can choose as many or few pieces to display as you’d like.

To apply, all you have to do is fill out our form where you will be asked to submit a link to your portfolio and a short bio. Before applying, please make sure you read the Art Wall rules:

    1. You must be an artist local to Waterloo Region. We want to support our local scene first and foremost.
    2. At least one piece of art that you’re exhibiting should be for sale for less than $500. We want to make art ownership as accessible to our visitors as possible.
    3. You must bring your art to be installed on the first day of your art residency and collect it on the last day. We can discuss the details of the length and timing of your residency at Communitech, but note most residencies will last about a month.
    4. You understand that Communitech is not liable for any lost, damaged or stolen art (although this is unlikely as our space is safe and monitored by video camera).
    5. You will be compensated a flat rate of $250 for your effort and will get to keep all proceeds of any sold art (you’ll need to arrange any art sales personally).


      We hope this will be a great opportunity for the arts and tech communities to better engage, break down silos and, with luck, inspire like-minded initiatives.