Skip to content

The Arts Incubator

artsincubator.ca

We’re currently renovating our website to bring you a fresh, modern design with improved features and easier navigation. While we’re busy building something new and exciting behind the scenes, we appreciate your patience and understanding. Stay tuned for the launch — we can’t wait to show you what’s coming!
Primary Menu
  • Home
  • About
    • Artists, Collaborators And Mentors
    • Hubs
      • Borups Corners
      • Dyment Recreation Hall and Complex
      • Minneapolis, Minnesota
      • Winnipeg, Manitoba
    • Funders and Supporters
      • Canada Council for the Arts
      • Global Dignity Canada
      • Local Services Board of Melgund
      • Manitoba Arts Council
      • Minneapolis College of Art and Design
    • Reports
      • 2023-2024 Report
      • 2021-2022 Report
    • Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Tracker
  • Projects
    • 2025 Climate Entrepreneurship Survey
    • Food Security
      • Towards a Framework for Northern Food Systems Innovation
      • Food Preservation Training and Curriculum Development
      • Relationship Development and Engagement with the Minneapolis College of Art and Design and University of Minnesota Duluth
      • Relationship Development and Engagement Activities with the University of the Arctic
      • The Art of Canning and Creative Entrepreneurship
      • Come Eat With Me: Manitoba Cookbook
    • Incubating Artificial Intelligence
      • Artist Bio Builder Writing Tool
      • Art Idea Generator
      • Asteroids
      • Northern AI Tools Get Trashy
      • Participatory Action Research Assistant
      • The Eco-Innovator’s Journey
      • Step Inside Your Content
    • Media Arts and Storytelling
    • Music and Entertainment
  • Recreation
    • Creative Arts & Community Arts Programs
    • Guide for Local Services Boards
    • Life Long Learning
    • Facilities and Local Attractions
      • Dyment Cookshack
      • Dyment Museum
      • Dyment Recreation Hall
      • Melgund Lake Boat Launch
      • Dyment Ice Shack
      • Melgund Lake Conservation Reserve
    • Neighbouring Communities
    • Northern Services Boards Act
    • Recreation for an Aging Population
    • Youth Engagement
    • Waste Management
  • Resources
    • Adaptive Phased Management
    • Climate CO-STAR Builder (ECO_STAR)
    • Entrepreneurship Resources
    • Framework for Recreation in Canada
    • Funding Programs and Sources
    • Parks for All
    • The Common Vision
  • News
    • Creative Entrepreneurship
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Arts & Creative Leadership
    • Food Security and Innovation
    • Melgund Township News
    • Photos and Short Stories
  • Events
    • Canada Day 2025
    • Hot August Night Music Festival 2025
  • Contact
  • Home
  • Arts & Creative Leadership
  • Plants, People, and the Arts
  • Arts & Creative Leadership
  • Recreation

Plants, People, and the Arts

This year, as part of our ongoing photography, traditional storytelling, and arts-based learning activities, we’re documenting the life cycles of the plants we’re growing in our garden plots and on the land around us.
Jamie Bell June 5, 2025
The Nodding Trillium was one of the many plants that truly fascinated us this year. We had walked past it countless times, never realizing it was quietly growing all around us—hiding its delicate white bloom beneath its leaves. Once we finally noticed it, we began to understand why so many traditional plants are described as humble teachers.

The Nodding Trillium was one of the many plants that truly fascinated us this year. We had walked past it countless times, never realizing it was quietly growing all around us—hiding its delicate white bloom beneath its leaves. Once we finally noticed it, we began to understand why so many traditional plants are described as humble teachers.

Exploring Traditional Knowledge Through Arts, Photography, and Land-Based Learning

One of this year’s most meaningful Arts Incubator and Land Lab projects actually began during our pilot program back in 2022. At the time, we were still finding our footing—organizing, listening, learning, and shaping our structures. We only got a small glimpse of what was possible.

But now, we’re back—and we’re going deeper. Last year, we learned a tonne about sustainable agriculture as part of our Relationship Development and Engagement activities that were supported by Manitoba Agriculture and their Indigenous Food Systems and Agriculture programs. Those experiences really set the tone and it was a lot of fun.

This year, as part of our ongoing photography, storytelling, and arts-based learning activities, we’re documenting the life cycles of the plants we’re growing in our plots. But it doesn’t stop there. We’re also heading into the forests that surround us—listening, walking, and taking note of the many traditional plants growing all around, often overlooked but never forgotten.

Knowledge Gaps

For many of us, there’s a gap in knowledge. We don’t always know how the native plants in our region were used by our grandparents or great-grandparents when they still lived on the land. That’s what makes this work powerful. The more we learn, the more curious we become—and the more connected we feel.

This season, we’ll be capturing every phase of growth—sprout to bloom to decay—while learning how these plants were used for food, medicine, ceremony, and more. What makes this project even more exciting is that our other hubs across Manitoba, Northwestern Ontario, and Nunavut are also joining in. Together, we’ll compare how plants grow across our regions, how they adapt, and how our ancestors worked with them.

Through this shared exploration, we’re not just learning about plants—we’re learning about ourselves, our community stories, and the ecosystems we belong to.

We’ll be showcasing our findings in a special exhibition later this fall as part of our 2025 Fall & Winter program, launching in late October. Expect stories, photographs and reflections gathered from every corner of our growing network.

Stay tuned—and maybe take a walk in the woods. You never know what’s growing beside you.

Tags: SDG 15 SDG 4

Continue Reading

Previous: The Wild Rose
Next: Capturing the shot

Related News

Planning is the most important step to ensure projects, programs, and community initiatives achieve their goals efficiently and effectively.
  • Arts & Creative Leadership
  • Recreation

Why Planning Matters!

Art Borups Corners July 2, 2025
lower-level 2
  • Arts & Creative Leadership
  • Recreation

Why Admin Matters!

Art Borups Corners June 30, 2025
It's tough when a stubbornness about using digital tools puts up an invisible wall, leaving our northern communities cut off from the vibrant arts, culture, and recreation services they truly need. That just deepens the community disconnect.
  • Arts & Creative Leadership
  • Borups Corners

The Disconnected North

The Arts Incubator Team June 26, 2025

Recent Posts

  • Winnipeg’s Enduring Ghost Signs
  • Echoes Beneath the Dome
  • Why Planning Matters!
  • Celebrating Canada Day 2025
  • Country Twist Delights

You may have missed

More than just old ads, these ghost signs across Winnipeg's historic buildings tell unique stories of a vibrant commercial heritage.
  • Photos and Short Stories
  • Winnipeg

Winnipeg’s Enduring Ghost Signs

Jamie Bell July 3, 2025
The dome of the St. Boniface Archdiocese rises with quiet dignity over Winnipeg’s historic French quarter, a structure as solemn as it is beautiful. Caught in the crisp contrast of winter sun and shadow, the building’s architectural grace tells a story of leadership and legacy. The Romanesque lines and tall, narrow windows evoke the traditions of the Church, while its presence reminds visitors of the enduring role St. Boniface has played in shaping Métis, Francophone, and Catholic identities.
  • Photos and Short Stories
  • Winnipeg

Echoes Beneath the Dome

Tony Eetak July 3, 2025
Planning is the most important step to ensure projects, programs, and community initiatives achieve their goals efficiently and effectively.
  • Arts & Creative Leadership
  • Recreation

Why Planning Matters!

Art Borups Corners July 2, 2025
Community members, music lovers and tourists from across the region came out to the Dyment Recreation Hall complex in Melgund Township for this year's Canada Day events.
  • Borups Corners
  • Photos and Short Stories

Celebrating Canada Day 2025

The Arts Incubator Team July 1, 2025

Explore

  • About Us
  • Artists, Collaborators and Mentors
  • News & Updates
  • Research and Resources
  • Programs & Projects

Engage

  • Contact Us
  • Climate Entrepreneurship Survey
  • Life Long Learning
  • Volunteer With Us
  • Upcoming Events

Acknowledgements

The Arts Incubator was seeded with strategic arts innovation funding from the Canada Council for the Arts Digital Greenhouse.

Canada Council for the Arts Digital Greenhouse Logo
Copyright ©2020-2025 All rights reserved. | MoreNews by AF themes.