Dryden musician and visual artist Tanya McArthur is one of the artists who has been supporting the Northwestern Ontario program.
A Win for Northern Arts in Ontario
At The Arts Incubator here in Winnipeg, we are thrilled to celebrate the recent success of our friends and collaborators at Art Borups Corners, a grassroots collective based in Melgund Township, Northwestern Ontario. This summer, the group secured one of just 27 grants awarded through the Ontario Arts Council’s Multi and Inter-Arts Projects program — a significant milestone for northern artists and an inspiring sign of what’s possible when communities come together to build capacity.
Building Capacity, Building Futures
What makes this achievement so powerful is not just the grant itself, but the approach behind it. The Borups Corners initiative has been equipping artists with tools in governance, grant writing, and project planning and builds on our pilot Incubator for Digital Arts and Cultural Entrepreneurship. Now in its third year, the incubator blends traditional knowledge with digital tools to help artists from communities like Dryden and Ignace create sustainable cultural and creative work.
Collaboration and Community
This is also a story of partnerships and mentorship. The program actively engages with equity-deserving groups, and incubates intergenerational knowledge-sharing, and builds on long-standing collaborations with regional artists, musicians, and organizations. They combine open calls with direct outreach, making sure opportunities reach artists who have often been underrepresented in the arts economy.
Why This Matters
For Far North and Northwestern Ontario, this moment is bigger than one grant. It’s a reminder that with support, skill-building, and collaboration, northern artists can create their own vibrant and resilient arts economy in their own communities.
Northern Arts by the Numbers
The 2025 Ontario Arts Council Multi and Inter-Arts Projects program received 174 applications, requesting over $2.5 million in total funding. Of those, only 27 grants were awarded, a success rate of 15.5%, highlighting how competitive provincial arts funding can be.
The numbers also reveal a clear geographic trend. While organizations in southern Ontario — particularly Toronto — received the majority of awards and funding, only two grants went to the entire Northwestern and Far North region, particularly Borups Corners and Sioux Lookout. That represents just 7.4% of successful applications.
In terms of funding dollars, the disparity is even more pronounced. The two northern recipients shared $21,650, accounting for only 6.5% of the total funding, while recipients in southern regions received $311,310, or more than 93% of the total awarded. Toronto-based projects alone captured nearly half of all grant dollars.
These statistics underscore the importance of programs like Art Borups Corners, which not only help northern artists access provincial funding but also build the local capacity to sustain and grow the arts in rural and northern communities. By equipping artists with leadership, entrepreneurial, and administrative skills, northern programs are beginning to level the playing field and create opportunities where infrastructure has historically been limited.
Congratulations from all of us at The Arts Incubator Winnipeg!
We at The Arts Incubator Winnipeg are proud to cheer on Art Borups Corners and their incredible team. Their win is proof that new models for arts development in Northern Ontario are working — and that the creative spirit of our region is thriving. Also a big shout out to our friends and collaborators with the Minneapolis College of Art and Design Creative Entrepreneurship program, and Ottawa-based Global Dignity Canada.
Congratulations to everyone involved — this is just the beginning of a bright future for northern arts!
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