Brush with Art was founded in the spring of 1998, by Aggie Beynon, managing partner of Harbinger Gallery in Waterloo. Within the first two years Brush With Art had contributed over $60,000 to the local galleries, endowed the community's first visual arts fund, and mobilized the creative energies of more than 200 volunteers.

Brush With Art began with the notion that the humble paintbrush could be a powerful symbol around which community support for the visual arts could be rallied. Corporate sponsors would be showcased in a door-to-door campaign, which offered useful paintbrushes and kits in exchange for a donation. The canvassing would be scheduled for the spring when most homeowners and businesses buy paint supplies to coincide with their annual cleanup.

By September 1998, the Brush With Art executive was ready to present their market research and operating plan to The Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery, the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery, the Kitchener-Waterloo Community Foundation, and regional artists and businesses. The idea was uniformly labeled as brilliant, and has become a runaway success. Spurred by the achievements of the inaugural campaign of 1999, Brush With Art sought new products and partnerships, and in 2000, Vincenzo's came on board, making available a range of gift baskets. These baskets were available year round, and when a purchaser specified a Brush with Art basket, Vincenzo's donated 50% of the cost to Brush With Art. Other new products are now in the works for this year's Campaign.

In October 2000, Brush With Art became a member of the Chamber of Commerce to increase our profile as well as demonstrate our commitment to the community.

With the help of hundreds of volunteers anually, Brush With Art successfully continues to campaign each year, and with your support our organization will continue to grow the visual arts community.