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The Arts Incubator

Winnipeg, Manitoba

The project is grounded in a dynamic process of collaborative engagement and capacity building, utilizing arts-based research methodologies to ensure the work is both relevant and empowering. A key focus is Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR), which positions young people as leaders in investigating their own economic realities and co-designing their futures. Through a series of co-design workshops, digital storytelling projects, and community forums, ECO-STAR North facilitates intergenerational knowledge transfer, connecting youth with Elders and established creators. This hands-on, community-led approach ensures the resulting toolkit is not an academic exercise, but a living, practical resource built by and for Northern innovators, strengthening a resilient and interconnected creative ecosystem.
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  • The Pantry Project
  • In Bookstores

The Pantry Project

Kelsie cares about appearances, but a new classmate's secret food pantry forces her to confront what truly matters. Will she help, or look away?
The Arts Incubator - Winnipeg October 11, 2025
the-pantry-project

Short Stories from The Arts Incubator Winnipeg and the Art Borups Corners Storytelling Clubs

From the Arts Incubator Winnipeg comes The Pantry Project, a heartwarming story that asks: What if everything you thought you knew about community was wrong? Kelsie loves her orderly life, her neat house, and her carefully planned projects. But when she’s paired with Sam, the quiet new kid, for a school assignment, her perfect world starts to feel a little shaken. Rumors about Sam’s family living on the “wrong side of the tracks” and having a “messy” home spark worry and discomfort in Kelsie. She dreads visiting his house, where she expects to find everything she dislikes.

Yet, when Kelsie reluctantly steps through Sam’s front door, she’s about to discover a secret far more profound than dusty shelves or cramped rooms. What she uncovers challenges her assumptions about appearances, wealth, and what it truly means to help others. The Pantry Project is an essential read for young people navigating prejudice and learning the invaluable lesson of seeing beyond the surface to understand the true dignity of every person. Join Kelsie as she learns that the most important contributions often come in the most unexpected places.

Support Northwestern Ontario and Manitoba Literacy and Publishing: Order Your Books and Short Stories Today

Books, short stories and publications are available in bookstores across Canada, the United States and internationally in outlets such as:

Apple Books, Barnes and Noble, E.Leclerc, Fable, LaFeltrinelli Internet Bookshop, Rakuten Kobo, Smashwords, Vivlio

About the Author

Jamie Bell is an interdisciplinary artist, writer, and a passionate believer in the power of shared stories. Based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, his work explores community and connection through creative projects and participatory research. When he’s not behind a pen or a camera, you can find him in the garden, a space where he finds inspiration in the quiet dignity of growth.

About the Author

The Arts Incubator - Winnipeg

The Arts Incubator - Winnipeg

Administrator

The Arts Incubator - Winnipeg is a participatory arts collective and living lab, based in Winnipeg, Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario. It's a space where innovation and creativity thrive. It's latest iteration was launched in 2021 with funding and support from the Canada Council for the Arts Digital Greenhouse. Today, working with students and faculty from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, we fuse traditional and participatory media arts with artificial intelligence, music, storytelling and community-driven, land-based artist residencies to cultivate new voices and bold ideas. Whether through collaborative projects or immersive experiences, our small but vibrant community supports creators to explore, experiment, and connect. Join us at the intersection of artistry, technology, culture and community—where every moment is a new opportunity to create.

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MANITOBA ARTS PROGRAMS

This platform, our Winnipeg, Manitoba hub and programs have been made possible with support from the Manitoba Arts Council Indigenous 360 Program. We gratefully acknowledge their funding and support in making the work we do possible.

Manitoba Arts Council Indigenous 360 Program

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The Arts Incubator was seeded and piloted with strategic arts innovation funding from the Canada Council for the Arts Digital Greenhouse. We thank them for their investment, supporting northern arts capacity building and bringing the arts to life.

Canada Council for the Arts Digital Greenhouse Logo

NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO ARTS

This platform, our Northwestern Ontario hub and programs have been made possible with support from the Ontario Arts Council Multi and Inter-Arts Projects Program. We gratefully acknowledge their funding and support in making the work we do possible.

Ontario Arts Council Multi and Inter-Arts Projects Program
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