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Stephen Brathwaite – Community Builder Award
Puppeteer, visual artist, heritage redeveloper, Stephen Brathwaite excels at all these things and more.
Since his arrival in the community in the 1970s, he has consistently used these skills and his unrelenting drive to reinvigorate our public spaces and make Mississippi Mills a better place to live.
Stephen’s vision and leadership can be seen in nearly every corner of our community – from public art installations such as his piece, “Shelter Tissage,” found in the Metcalfe Geoheritage Park; to using his creativity volunteering as puppeteer with the annual Puppets Up! Festival and local theatre productions. More recently, Stephen helped establish the Almonte Alameda, a tree-lined walkway on the Ottawa Valley Recreational Trail running through town. Since its unveiling in 2020, it has become a hub of activity for events and a space for artists to showcase their works.
Perhaps Stephen’s crowning achievement in the community, however, is the preservation of our architectural heritage through revitalization projects at the old Almonte Post Office, Victoria Woolen Mill, the Thoburn Mill, 78 and 65 Mill Street and more. He started his journey in heritage redevelopment in 1993 with Greg Smith, when few were taking on these kinds of projects. Their success is due to his ability to engage partners and attract investors who could see the value in respecting the heritage of these retail and living spaces and the economic reinvigoration they bring.
These initiatives earned the Almonte Heritage Redevelopment Group, led by Stephen, the prestigious National Trust for Canada’s Ecclesiastical Insurance Cornerstone Award for Resilient Places in 2019. And he isn’t done yet – Stephen has future revitalization projects up his sleeve, including a redevelopment of the Petersen’s lot and a reworking of the rear of buildings along Mill Street.
Stephen received five letters of support for his nomination. Here’s what some had to say:
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“Stephen is deserving of our thanks in ensuring our home community is valued beyond our borders; is celebrated for preserving and revitalizing a Canadian living architectural heritage; for his personal artistry and creativity; and for showing how one person can make a mark impacting so many.”
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“As a result of his many contributions, Almonte’s downtown core itself can be though of as a public art project by Stephen Brathwaite – the common space he has created in the downtown core is small scale, open, inviting and organic.”
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“Truly, he is a person of inclusive, creative vision, a longtime advocate for the best of Mississippi Mills, its people and environment. We are much better, more creative, and more fun, with him. His contributions to the town are profound and enjoyed by all of us every day, and will be appreciation by generations to come.”
Thank you, Stephen, for your vision, your respect for local heritage and for being a champion in the community.
