Cowan Recreation Centre grand opening to feature debut of Indigenous art installation focused on what connects us, by Jackie Traverse
Installation of GIDINAWENDIMIN, a featured Indigenous public artwork at the Cowan Recreation Centre at RBJ Schlegel Park, is now complete ahead of the facility's grand opening on November 14, 2026.
Created by renowned Indigenous artist Jackie Traverse, GIDINAWENDIMIN, an Anishinaabe word meaning "we are all related," is a large-scale mosaic installed in the aquatics centre. Spanning 95 square metres and made with more than 200,000 glass tiles, GIDINAWENDIMIN features four women interwoven with flowing lines of water. The piece is a celebration of the cultural and spiritual relationship between women and water while exploring themes of kinship, resilience and connection.
“Thousands of residents will walk through the Cowan Recreation Centre at RBJ Schlegel Park each year, and GIDINAWENDIMIN will help shape their experience of the space,” said Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic. “It's a work that speaks to connection, community and our relationship with the water, and I'm proud it will be part of a facility that will bring Kitchener community members together every day.”
Jackie Traverse is an Anishinaabe artist from Lake St. Martin First Nation whose multidisciplinary practice is rooted in her culture, community and lived experience. Working across painting, sculpture, mixed media and moving image, Traverse creates bold, deeply personal work that explores Indigenous identity, womanhood, resilience and social justice. Central to her practice are the strength and voices of Indigenous women, the transmission of knowledge across generations, and our relationships with land and water.
GIDINAWENDIMIN was created in collaboration with Highness Global Inc., the art agency and design firm that supports Jackie Traverse in bringing her large-scale projects to life, from creative development through fabrication and installation.
“Water connects all of us. In Anishinaabe teachings, women carry the water teachings and have a sacred responsibility to protect and care for nibi,” said Jackie Traverse, Artist. “GIDINAWENDIMIN speaks to that connection, to the strength carried through generations of women, and to our responsibility to care for the water and one another. I hope people experience that sense of connection when they spend time with the work.”
Designed to promote connection, accessibility and inclusion, the Cowan Recreation Centre aims to be a space where everyone can connect, compete and belong. GIDINAWENDIMIN reinforces that vision, celebrating the relationships that connect people to one another, to water and to community.
“It was an honour to help select this important piece of community art,” shared Ward 8 Councillor Margaret Johnston. “The artist’s work not only complements the design of the aquatics centre, but it also helps tell the story of a facility built to bring people together and creates a welcoming space where visitors will see themselves and their relationships reflected around them."
Grand opening celebrations
Residents will be able to view GIDINAWENDIMIN for the first time during the Cowan Recreation Centre's grand opening celebration on Saturday, November 14. The free community event will include an official ribbon-cutting ceremony, free public swims, sport activities, family-friendly entertainment and activities throughout the day.
As visitors explore the new facility this fall, GIDINAWENDIMIN will serve as a lasting reminder of the relationships that connect people, water and community.
To stay up-to-date on grand opening details, future programming and amenities, and more, visit the City's newly launched RBJ Schlegel Park webpage which includes detailed information about the Cowan Recreation Centre – Kitchener.ca/RBJSchlegelPark
-30-
QUICK FACTS
About the Cowan Recreation Centre at RBJ Schlegel Park
-
The City of Kitchener received funding from the Government of Canada and the Province of Ontario through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP) Community, Culture and Recreation Stream to support the Cowan Recreation Centre at RBJ Schlegel Park.
-
The Cowan Recreation Centre is one of the largest and most sustainable municipally owned recreation centres in Canada.
-
The centre offers diverse recreation opportunities with a quad gymnasium, FIFA-sized indoor turf field, cricket practice nets, competition and leisure pools, and an indoor walking track, supporting sports and activities ranging from basketball and soccer to pickleball, badminton and swimming.
-
The facility is the most accessible building ever constructed by the City of Kitchener, designed to meet the City's highest accessibility standards and shaped through input from accessibility advocates. It features pool ramps, wider pathways, tactile wayfinding elements and accessible viewing areas.
-
Built to host provincial and national competitions, tournaments and major events, the centre will help showcase Kitchener, support local businesses and generate economic benefits for the community.
City of Kitchener’s 1% policy
-
GIDINAWENDIMIN was funded through the City of Kitchener’s1% for Public Art Policy, which allocates one per cent of eligible civic construction budgets to public art projects. The policy is intended to create better quality of life and increased social cohesion for residents, local artists and visitors; good urban design; broad community involvement and connection; and increased potential for economic development and public access to the arts.
For more information:
Corporate Communications and Marketing
City of Kitchener
media@kitchener.ca
Land acknowledgement
The City of Kitchener is situated on the traditional territory of the Chonnonton, Anishinaabeg, and Haudenosaunee Peoples. We recognize our responsibility to act as stewards for the land and honour the original caretakers who came before us. Our community is enriched by the enduring knowledge and deep-rooted traditions of the diverse First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Peoples who live in Kitchener today.