Creative Recreation for Community Wellbeing
At The Arts Incubator, we believe that recreation is more than sports and leisure—it’s how communities express identity, build skills, and strengthen social connection. Through arts-based recreation programming, we support active, inclusive, and culturally relevant activities across rural, northern, and remote communities in Canada and the U.S.
Whether it’s a digital storytelling lab in Nunavut, a photography walk in Northwestern Ontario, or a youth-led oral history project in Manitoba, our community-driven recreation services bring people together through creativity, land-based learning, and cultural participation.
Our version of recreation isn’t just about activity—it’s about creating space for joy, skill-building, and connection through the arts, land-based learning and capacity building.
Our Approach to Recreation
We design and deliver flexible, arts-based recreation programs that align with the Framework for Recreation in Canada and are grounded in real community needs. As an arts-sector–driven organization, our approach combines creative expression, cultural relevance, and skill-building to support holistic wellbeing in rural, remote, and northern communities.
Our work supports:
Active Living
Through creative movement, visual arts, music, digital skills and participatory workshops, we engage people of all ages in artistic recreation that promotes activity, expression, and mental wellness.
Inclusion & Access
We prioritize access for underserved and remote communities, especially where traditional recreation services are limited or absent. All programming is co-developed with local youth, artists, and leaders to ensure it reflects lived realities and diverse identities.
Connection to Land and Culture
Many of our programs are land-based and rooted in traditional values and knowledge systems, cultural storytelling, and intergenerational learning—reflecting the local histories and ecologies where we work.
Skill-Building & Leadership
Our arts-based recreation fosters real capacity: youth and emerging artists gain experience in facilitation, digital media, collaboration, and creative entrepreneurship, positioning them as local leaders in both the arts and recreation sectors.
Supportive Environments
We create safe, inclusive spaces—indoors and outdoors—where people can connect, create, and grow. Whether it’s a school gym, a community center, or a patch of land, we adapt our model to local conditions, supporting creative exploration and belonging.
We don’t deliver one-size-fits-all programs. We co-create recreation experiences that are artist-powered, culturally grounded, and community-led—because that’s how lasting change takes root.
Where We Work
We support arts and culture-based recreation programming in:
- Northwestern Ontario
- Manitoba
- Nunavut
- Northern Minnesota
Our projects take place in tents, community halls, schools, art centers, libraries, on the land—and anywhere people gather. Every program is developed in close collaboration with local leadership, youth groups, educators, and artists.
Why It Matters
Too many rural, remote, and northern communities face systemic barriers to accessing inclusive arts and recreation. The absence of creative arts programming isn’t from lack of demand—it’s a result of underinvestment and geographic isolation.
At The Arts Incubator, we work to fill this gap by:
- Offering accessible and inclusive arts-based recreation
- Building local capacity through leadership and skill development
- Honoring the knowledge, identity, and creativity already present in each community
Our programs aren’t one-size-fits-all. They’re responsive, community-led, and deeply rooted in the lived experience of the people we work with. We don’t impose programming—we co-create it. And through it, we help spark creativity, belonging, and momentum in places that are too often overlooked.