Welcome Back! Meet and Greet following guest speaker

Patsy Day

One Indigenous Woman and the Arts

Indigenous women have a profound history as the keepers and communicators of cultural heritage through art.

Elder Patsy Day will share her stories of blending traditional artistic practices with community resilience, demonstrating how these skills have been passed down through generations to preserve identity, sustain livelihoods, and embody cultural teachings.

Her intricate beadwork serves as a tangible link to this enduring legacy and will be on display. Patsy’s extensive experience teaching in area schools invites discussion about the broader connections between art and cultural wisdom. Audience questions about other aspects of Indigenous arts will be warmly encouraged.

Megan Smith

A Quixotic Life

An inveterate storyteller, Megan Smith-Harris has never been interested in staying in one creative lane. The medium may keep changing, but the motivation has remained remarkably consistent: finding a good story and figuring out how best to tell it – whether it’s her own or someone else’s. With humour and candour, Megan reflects on the joys and challenges of building a life in the arts, the importance of curiosity, collaboration and surrounding yourself with talented people, and why she has never measured success by fame or fortune. Her guiding philosophy remains simple: if it isn’t fun or doesn’t teach you something new, why do it? She’s still telling stories, still learning and still figuring out what’s next.

Holiday Celebration

*This will be held at the Stratford Country Club

Join us for a festive celebration!

Nancy McDonald

An Accidental Novelist

When Nancy McDonald published her first novel in 2018 – Boy from Berlin – she was as surprised as her family and friends were. A broadcast journalist turned script writer/doctor, she’d never aspired to being an author. She fell into it quite by accident when she discovered two letters written by her late father-in-law that revealed a family past no-one was aware of. That launched a new career – and a new mission in life.

CFUW National Resolutions

Join us to learn about this year’s resolutions as submitted by clubs across the country. This is an opportunity to evaluate and support the policies proposed for approval at the National AGM. These resolutions once accepted into our policy book provide the framework for advocacy opportunities of our local.

Ruth Abernethy

The Complexity of Sharing Art in Public Spaces

Artist, Ruth Abernethy, has portrayed Canadian scientists, musicians, authors, entrepreneurs, and politicians. Her fascinating subjects confirm that complex lives leave complex legacies. With insight and humour, Ruth offers her unique perspective on the complexities of creating and sharing artwork in public spaces.