The Brantford Arts Block

The Brantford Arts Block is a one of a kind organization that strives to encourage people to know about the importance of art. It also provides the right environment to artists in order to promote their talent and creativity.

Its grand opening is set for Saturday, February 2. The event will feature a jazz band performance and Taming of the Shrews, a theatre production.

The History

The City of Brantford has a strong heritage and arts culture. It is home to an array of performing, literary and visual arts organizations; multicultural groups; libraries; museums, galleries and historic sites; artists and artisans; and the historic Sanderson Centre for the Performing Arts.

The 1990s were tough for the city with unemployment rates reaching double digits and people on welfare using food banks at record levels. The recession and lack of jobs drove many families into poverty, creating a housing crisis downtown.

In 1997, Council created a Big On Brant committee to develop and implement a strategic plan that would combat the negative image of a struggling city with closed factories. This plan helped turn the economy around in the 1990s, and the unemployment rate began to drop.

The Artisans Village

Founded as a charitable community arts organization, Brantford Arts Block was a centre of creative thinking and culture for the city’s artistic communities. Its live music, art classes and artisan gift shop were the heart of its efforts to encourage a greater understanding of the arts.

When it was time to move from a large space in the former Union Gas building on Colborne Street, the nonprofit had to find another spot. That led it to the Sherwood Drive site – known as the Artisans Village – which is home to a historic industrial complex that for decades produced rope, cord and string at the Brantford Cordage factory.

The Artisans Village is also home to the Bell City Brewery, a homage to Alexander Graham Bell, founder of the telephone, and Two Macs Gallery, featuring works by Cape Breton artists.

The Studio

The Brantford Arts Block is a great place to learn more about art. It always has realistic initiatives to encourage people to get into the world of art.

The organization also hosts a variety of events, including classes and festivals. Its main focus is to educate and nurture local artists.

A year after the Arts Block was forced to relocate to a smaller building, it is back to business as usual in its new home on Sherwood Drive. It will soon start running classes in painting, photography and knitting.

This Saturday, it will hold a grand opening at its new location at 111 Sherwood Dr. The space will be used for art shows and classes, theatre productions, film and comedy nights, musical performances and a recording studio.

The Theatre

The Theatre is a gathering of like-minded spirits who thrive on the high octane thrill of putting on a show. Madcap comedies with slamming doors, bug-eyed faces and precision timing; musicals with elaborate costumes and voices that float in the ears of an audience; improvisational theatre that leaves audiences spinning.

Stage 88, a Brantford-based company that has been performing in the International Villages since 2006, has produced a variety of shows at the Arts Block. They’ve brought in painters to paint scenes from ICHTHYS Theatre, comedians to improvise on fashion and musicians to put on a Super Hero show.

The Arts Block is now home to a giant mixing board donated by Bob Langlois, brother of Canadian record producer Daniel Langlois. Bean said it will be used as a community recording studio and also as a teaching tool for young people.

The Gallery

The Gallery has a lot to offer local artists. It hosts a wide variety of events, from artist talks to live music, theatre and festivals.

You can also catch shows like Reginald Rose’s classic legal drama, Twelve Angry Men. Featuring surround theatre format, the show challenges the audience to view deliberations from the point of view of 12 different men on a jury.

The Brantford Arts Block also houses a number of galleries and museums. The Woodland Cultural Centre, for example, preserves and promotes Indigenous history, art, language and culture. It has a permanent museum, a library and language resource centre, three rotating art galleries, and 5 acres of grounds and green spaces.