Housed in a historic industrial “Knopffabrik”, Button Factory Arts is a respected, inclusive community arts centre in today's City of Waterloo. Celebrating a 25 year anniversary, the theme for this year's "Annual Juried Exhibition" asked artists to engage and entertain ideas on current issues affecting the socio-cultural fabric of our diverse community and the things that hold us together.

Given the existential challenges people face worldwide, many artists, feeling the need to connect and speak up, increasingly engage in activist and social art practices. With youth, indigenous communities and environmental movements rising, some countries are trying to face issues of climate change and migrations of people fleeing conflict and seeking a better life. The contributions by the artists in this exhibition reflect on the current moment of our society in a crucial time of transformation.