Wilfrid Laurier University’s Brantford campus kicks off its 25th anniversary year with MarketFest: In Peace and Friendship, a two-day celebration of contemporary Indigenous artists, artisans, performers, thinkers and makers on Friday, September 27 and Saturday, September 28, 2024.
MarketFest will transform the atrium at Laurier’s One Market building into a marketplace of Indigenous vendors, curated by acclaimed Indigenous artist and Laurier alumna Alanah Jewell (BA ’19) of Morningstar Designs.
Guests will also be invited to attend public lectures on subjects ranging from local history to Indigenization at Laurier and take in live music by contemporary and traditional Indigenous performers.
“Laurier is committed to building relationships and working in partnerships with local Indigenous communities, and MarketFest is one way we are doing that,” said Deborah MacLatchy, Laurier President and Vice-Chancellor. “We are pleased to mark our first 25 years in downtown Brantford by hosting this significant event.”
MarketFest will run Friday, September 27 from 3 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, September 28 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. A detailed schedule of lectures and performances is available at wlu.ca/marketfest.
“Since opening its doors in 1999, Laurier’s Brantford campus has been integral in the rejuvenation of the city’s downtown core. But as the chosen venue for MarketFest, One Market’s significance goes beyond a showcase of urban renewal,” said Darren Thomas, Laurier Associate Vice-President of Indigenous Initiatives. “Laurier has made a commitment to restore mutual benefit in One Market for Indigenous peoples and settlers. Hosting MarketFest in this space is a step toward fulfilling that commitment.”
The One Market location has a longstanding history among local Indigenous communities as a site of trade. That tradition continued with the arrival of settlers to the area and the early establishment of what is now the City of Brantford. The area was to remain free and open for all to use, allowing the Six Nations and their settler neighbours in Brantford to mutually benefit from trade. Over time, that spirit of mutual benefit eroded: market fees were imposed and Indigenous vendors were no longer welcome. By the 1980s the land was expropriated, a farmers’ market at the site was moved, and a shopping mall was built in its place. The Eaton Market Square mall, like so many others in downtowns across the country, failed to thrive.
Laurier purchased One Market from the City of Brantford in 2014 and is incrementally transforming it into vibrant spaces that support the continued growth of the Brantford campus, attract community members to the heart of the city, and create a hub for student and community activity.
Mindful of the complex history of this land, the university is working toward restoring mutual benefit as part of its commitment to reconciliation and Indigenization. MarketFest, held on the Friday and Saturday before the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, is an expression of Laurier’s commitment.
Further events to mark the 25th anniversary of Laurier’s Brantford campus are planned throughout the 2024-25 academic year, including the creation of a community-generated mural in the Research and Academic Centre’s Stedman Lobby and an alumni-versus-students basketball game at Homecoming on Nov. 2 at the Laurier Brantford YMCA, which all are welcome to attend.
MarketFest is funded by the Samuel W. Stedman Foundation, Laurier Brantford Grants and the Wilfrid Laurier University Student Life Levy.
