Arts Incubator Winnipeg is a Winnipeg-based urban hub and part of a wider decentralized regional ecosystem. Launched in 2020, our small arts collective connects city-based creative practice with rural and land-based collaboration across Manitoba, Northwestern Ontario and beyond. We bring together artists, researchers, youth, and community partners who are exploring and building new approaches to culture, climate response, and creative practice. A lot of what we do is for fun!

Many of our programs focus on creative and climate entrepreneurship, arts-based participatory research, AI literacy, and interdisciplinary arts practice. While our base is in Winnipeg, our projects regularly extend beyond the city through partnerships, fieldwork, and collaborative production across diverse communities and environments.

Art Borups Corners founding members Tony Eetak and Dr. Olaf Kuhlke from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design present during their first knowledge exchange session at Qaumajuq and the Winnipeg Art Gallery. Photo: Jamie Bell
Arts Incubator Winnipeg founding members Tony Eetak and Dr. Olaf Kuhlke from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design present during their first knowledge exchange session at Qaumajuq and the Winnipeg Art Gallery. Photo: Jamie Bell

Creative Practice at the Arts Incubator Winnipeg

Arts Incubator Winnipeg operates as a non-profit space where artistic experimentation, research, and community collaboration intersect. The city becomes both studio and site, supporting projects that respond to place, climate, and emerging technologies.

Artists working with the Incubator develop site-responsive installations, collaborative research projects, and experimental media works. Projects often combine ecological thinking, community knowledge, and digital tools to explore how creative practice can respond to urgent social and environmental change.

Winnipeg in Black and White is a short virtual exhibit by youth artist Tony Eetak.
City Seen, City Felt: A black and white photo from Winnipeg’s downtown Exchange District by youth artist Tony Eetak.

Climate and Creative Entrepreneurship

Our climate-focused programming supports artists and community members who are developing new ideas at the intersection of sustainability, culture, and economic innovation. Creative entrepreneurship at Arts Incubator Winnipeg includes hands-on experimentation with materials, storytelling, and community-driven enterprise models.

Workshops and projects explore how artistic practice can support climate adaptation, local food systems, regenerative thinking, and place-based economic development. The focus remains practical, grounded, and connected to lived experience.

In summer 2022, established and emerging artists from British Columbia, Northwestern Ontario, Minnesota, Nunavut, the Northwest Territories and Manitoba were able to come together in Winnipeg to learn alongside an inclusive, diverse team of researchers, arts educators and culture sector workers. 
Since the summer of 2022, established and emerging artists from British Columbia, Northwestern Ontario, Minnesota, Nunavut, the Northwest Territories and Manitoba engaged Winnipeg as a hub. Projects learn alongside inclusive and diverse teams of researchers, arts educators and culture sector workers.

Participatory Research and AI Literacy

Arts-based participatory research sits at the core of our work. Communities and artists collaborate to ask questions, test ideas, and build knowledge through creative methods rather than traditional academic separation.

Our AI literacy programming focuses on understanding how emerging technologies shape culture, storytelling, and creative production. Participants explore how tools like machine learning, data systems, and automation influence artistic workflows, while maintaining critical, hands-on engagement with the tools themselves.

  • Interdisciplinary Labs: Collaborative spaces where art, technology, ecology, and research meet in practice.
  • Skill-Sharing Sessions: Workshops led by artists, technologists, and community knowledge holders across disciplines.
  • Storytelling and Research Circles: Group-based exploration of lived experience, creative inquiry, and place-based knowledge.
We love to connect!

Partners and Regional Collaboration

As a growing non-profit initiative, Arts Incubator Winnipeg relies on a network of partners who support research, programming, and creative development across urban and rural contexts. Our work is made possible through collaboration with organizations, funding bodies and support such as the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, Manitoba Agriculture, the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, the OpenAI Researcher Access Program, and the Canada Council for the Arts.

We welcome collaboration with arts organizations, research institutions, and climate-focused initiatives interested in supporting interdisciplinary and community-led creative work.

Join Us with ourArts Incubator in Winnipeg

Our Arts Incubator program in Winnipeg welcomes artists, researchers, and community members who are interested in collaborative, place-based, and interdisciplinary work. Projects often begin with a conversation and grow through shared practice.

Reach out and introduce yourself. Let us know what you are working on and where your interests lie, and we will explore how you can connect with ongoing programs and projects.

Contact Us Today!

Word Count: 0/500