It’s wild how normal it’s become to have nowhere to go that doesn’t cost money or require a plan. Previous generations had diners, rec centers, church basements, parks that actually felt used. A lot of us are trying to build adult friendships in a landscape that actively makes accidental connection harder. The research keeps showing the same pattern: fewer third places, more time alone, higher loneliness. This one isn’t on individuals for “not trying hard enough.”

IRL: We’re Running Out of Places to Just Exist

Third places are disappearing. Here’s why that matters more than we admit for loneliness and belonging.

By Leaf Richards 10 Nov 2026

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Chippy making one of his regular visits. He'll often scamper right up to our feet while we're working, have a look around and wait to see if anyone has brought out the peanuts. He's getting pretty good at this routine.

Chippy the Chipmunk

Our little chipmunk neighbour has made himself at home around the Living Lab. We always keep a few peanuts handy.

By Arts Incubator Winnipeg 10 Nov 2026

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Stronger Together: How Small Groups Can Grow Capacity Through Connection

You don’t have to build everything alone. Here’s how small groups are getting creative and staying hopeful.

By Art Borups Corners 8 Nov 2026

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You don't need a destination to enjoy a good walk. Sometimes the best afternoons are spent following the river, stopping wherever something catches your eye and seeing familiar places from a different angle. These are the kinds of outdoor spaces that make a city worth spending time in.

Taking the Long Way Home

Collecting natural materials, enjoying the city outdoors and getting ready for Christmas workshops.

By Arts Incubator Winnipeg 7 Nov 2026

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Artist and drum dancer Eva Suluk with Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew during the Manitoba–Nunavut gathering in Arviat, Nunavut, July 7, 2026. Photo: Wab Kinew

Arts Incubator Winnipeg

The Arts Incubator Winnipeg is a community-based arts organization and network of artists, cultural workers, and researchers working across Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Northwestern Ontario. We support artists, youth, and community partners through media arts programs, digital storytelling workshops, creative research, and public programming.

Our work focuses on accessible arts participation, digital literacy, and community-based storytelling. Originally seeded through the Canada Council for the Arts Digital Greenhouse program, we explore how digital media and emerging technologies—including artificial intelligence—can support artists, strengthen community connections, and create new opportunities for learning and collaboration.

Our Programming Has Been Supported By:

Community-Based Arts Programs in
Winnipeg, Alberta and Northwestern Ontario

Our hubs operate through a flexible network of virtual and in-person spaces, allowing us to deliver media arts workshops, community storytelling projects, digital skills training, and collaborative research initiatives across Manitoba, Alberta and Northwestern Ontario.

We work with artists, youth, Indigenous communities, and partner organizations to create accessible opportunities for creative practice, cultural exchange, and community-based learning. Through these partnerships, we support local and regional arts projects while contributing to broader conversations about arts, culture, technology, and community resilience.

Our programs evolve in response to community needs, new partnerships, and emerging ideas—creating space for experimentation, creative collaboration, and ongoing learning in both urban and northern communities.

No two seasons are exactly the same. As new artists, ideas, partnerships, and community needs emerge, our projects continue to evolve—creating space for experimentation, learning, and unexpected creative collaborations.