She loves the arts. Waterloo loves her for it
Neruda Arts founder Isabel Cisterna honoured for her cultural contributions
WATERLOO — She brings the world to Waterloo and for this, city council has made her a star.
Isabel Cisterna is the latest to earn the Waterloo Award, the city’s highest civic honour for enhancing the quality of life.
“I am deeply touched,” she told council Monday.
Cisterna founded the nonprofit Neruda Arts organization, which brings world music and more to this region. Think dance, drama, literary and visual arts.
This has not always been easy to do, in a region not known as a cultural destination.
But Cisterna believes art builds communities. And so she persists, a presenter rather than a promoter, aiming always for dignity.
This means dignity for artists who earn professional pay, and dignity from the audience, in their appreciation.
Call it “multicultural entertainment” and she’ll bristle. “What we aim to do goes a little bit deeper than entertaining people,” she says.
To illustrate, she recalls presenting a band that plays Afro-Mexican jazz.
“What the heck is this?” she heard at first from the audience. “You said there was Mexican music. So we were expecting mariachis.”
Mexico has much more to offer, moving past stereotypes.
“That’s what I love about the stuff that we do, is that we can open people’s minds,” Cisterna says.
“There’s so much more to learn, to discover, to experience, to enjoy.”
Cisterna, 45, is a Chilean immigrant who has lived in Canada for 27 years. Neruda Arts is known for presenting music, youth programs and artist workshops.
“She constantly shows young women and people of colour that community is essential to moving forward,” Coun. Melissa Durrell said.
Neruda Arts is behind public murals in downtown Kitchener, the Kultrun world music festival held in July in Kitchener, and the Kultrun market in Waterloo “where every gift has a story.”
Like other arts organizations, it relies on provincial grants. Hearing calls for funding restraint, Cisterna expects cuts are coming.
She has a plea for council and the community. If arts funding is threatened, step up. Invest your time and money. Protect what we have. Because that’s how this region will make its way in the world.
“There isn’t any greater point to sell our region than to say we have great culture, it comes from all over the world,” Cisterna said.