Tara Cooper to develop new public artwork as Kitchener’s 2025 Artist in Residence

Kitchener, Ontario – Local artist and professor Tara Cooper has been selected as the City of Kitchener’s 2025 Artist in Residence. Her residency is an experimental opportunity that focuses on developing and siting a permanent public art installation at Doon Pioneer Park Community Centre. She was selected by a jury from eight applicants.

“Our community’s artists and collection of public artwork help make Kitchener a great place to live, work and play, infusing our city with beauty and creativity,” said Mayor Berry Vrbanovic. “Our Artist in Residence program has celebrated the diversity of artistic practice in Kitchener for over 30 years, and I’m thrilled to congratulate Tara Cooper as she steps in as our 2025 Artist in Residence. I can’t wait to see the artwork she produces and the way she’ll bring art to our community throughout her residency.”

Cooper’s art practice embraces a combination of media including print, ceramics, film, installation and book arts. She draws from storytelling with an eye for graphic design, pattern and poetics in pieces that have been shown across Canada and internationally. The piece she develops in her residency will draw from the idea and symbolism of a potluck and the folktale “Stone Soup” which emphasizes the power of cooperation and generosity.

“One of the elements of Tara’s proposal that stood out to us was her emphasis on community,” said Karoline Varin, Arts and Creative Industries Program Assistant with the City of Kitchener. “The best art reflects the lived experiences of the artist and their surroundings, and Tara was intentional about the way she wanted to include the community in her creative process.”

Cooper will host a series of hands-on activities at Doon Pioneer Park Community Centre as part of her residency. These activities will invite the community to make art while exploring various artistic media. The imagery and text generated from these activities will inspire the design process for the final art installation that will animate the community centre’s patio and reflect the mosaic of our community.

Learn more about the Artist in Residence program and subscribe to be notified about dates for Tara’s workshops at Kitchener.ca/AIR.

For more information:

Krystin Scheels
Communications and Marketing Associate
City of Kitchener

media@kitchener.ca