Neighbourhood Spaces Artist-in-Residence Announces Call to Community for New Music Resource Centre at Sandwich Teen Action Group (STAG)
Tuesdays from 4-7pm, Starting June 25th – July 16th @ STAG – 3735 King St. just off of Prince Road
Local Musician, Singer-Songwriter, Bandleader and Teacher, Kenneth MacLeod is one of 10 artists selected for Neighbourhood Spaces: Windsor & Region Artist in Residence Program, a new initiative of “The Collaborative”: Arts Council Windsor & Region (ACWR), Broken City Lab (BCL) and The City of Windsor. After receiving 150 applications, Neighbourhood Spaces (NS) has selected 10 Canadian artists to be located in community sites throughout Windsor and Essex County for 4-6-week artist residences.
As a NS artist-in-residence, Kenneth will be developing and creating a new drop-in music resource and education centre at Sandwich Teen Action Group (STAG), a community-based charitable organization in the west end of Windsor, providing programs and support for at-risk youth. A former school, STAG offers an ideal location for the Centre, which will function as a music classroom, drop-in space and practice area. Kenneth will also be partnering with the Windsor Youth Centre (WYC), a drop-in Centre for homeless and at-risk youth ages 13-20 located in Wyandotte Town Centre. As an NS artist-in-residence at WYC, he will be there Wednesday evenings encouraging youth to write and share songs about their own experiences, communities and neighbourhoods. At the end of the residency, youth will have the option to participate in a performance that will celebrate and showcase their talent.
Throughout his 6 week residency, Kenneth will oversee the project and offer free music instruction and workshops to neighbourhood youth ages 13-20. Drawing on connections to local musicians and community members, Kenneth and the NS Program will bring volunteers, equipment and resources to the Centre. After the residency, Kenneth aims to continue the Centre, creating a permanent space for youth to develop and expand their musical skills and abilities in Windsor.
In preparation for his NS residency, which begins on August 6th, Kenneth is asking for donations of new or used instruments of all kinds such as drums, tambourines, keyboards, guitars and ukuleles, as well as other sound equipment and music resources such as music books, sheet music, amplifiers, audio cables, microphones, guitar racks and other items.
Supported by the Ontario Trillium Foundation, Neighbourhood Spaces will allow artists to pursue research and create artwork that explores and responds to the stories, triumphs and challenges of various communities. Residencies will begin July 15th, 2013 and be staggered over the next year, concluding in August 2014. A final exhibition and symposium will be held in the fall of 2014 and an online publication will be created documenting the program. The 2013-2014 NS Artists will be announced in July 2013.
If you have a donation for the NS Music Resource Centre at STAG or questions about the NS Program, please contact Alana Bartol, Program Coordinator for Neighbourhood Spaces at 226-975-1732 or ns@acwr.net.