Summer is going well and we’re excited to catch up with everyone during the few meetings we have scheduled this month. August is a quiet month and many of us are away with our families for summer vacation. This is also going to be a very busy month for those who are moving for new jobs or to return to college and university studies. We hope this year will be better than the last two and everyone enjoys their times together.
Summer Workshops were a blast!
Summer Workshops were an amazing success. July workshops were an absolute thrill. We finally got to showcase and publicly present, as our own project, and independently, at both the University of Winnipeg and Winnipeg Art Gallery during the 22nd Inuit Studies Conference held June 19-22, 2021. We were also very lucky to learn from other artists and communities from Tuktoyaktuk, NWT and Rankin Inlet, Nunavut.
Everyone’s work last month was a great example of teamwork and what can be accomplished if we stuck it through. Six months ago, we were literally spending more time canceling events than planning to actually do them, but last month it all came together.
You can watch some of the highlights from this summer’s program here:
August Meeting Schedule
Meetings are limited this month. We will meet about amending some of the curriculum we have designed, and how we can adapt some of it for the upcoming fall-winter programme. Those will be brought up at the first meeting back in late September.
Recreation Hall Construction
Construction of the addition to the community recreation hall, and renovations to the lower level, which flooded this June, are coming along well. Construction work has been delayed because they are waiting for the rafters to be delivered. The lower level has been completely gutted and work is coming along very well. Half of our land-based programming is delivered here in Melgund Township and we look forward to being able to meet and connect in the new, renovated space.
Borups Corners Artists Retreat
The first Borups Corners Artist Retreat will be held September 2-5 in Melgund Township, Northwestern Ontario. With many strong ties between communities, the Local Services Board of Melgund and their Recreation Board has been an incredible source of support for our incubator project in Winnipeg. There is a lot of room for campers and RVs, tents for those travelling from Manitoba and the rest of the region. Contact Terri or Maurice for more information.
During next month’s artist’s retreat, we’ll be presenting and exhibiting work from our incubator project to date and showcasing the artwork produced by youth during this year’s Summer Incubator Program in Winnipeg. These will be curated into a traveling exhibition for winter 2022, which will be planned when everyone returns in September.
Thanking our Suporters
We thank the Canada Council for the Arts, the Manitoba Arts Council and the Minneapolis College of Art and Design for their support in making our incubator for digital arts and cultural entrepreneurship a reality. As we exit the experimental design phase of our program, we are very excited to be preparing for a second year of learning and building of capacity for our small, but growing communities of community-based and newly-urban emerging artists. Thank you for your support.
