2025 Melgund Township Spring and Summer Arts Incubator Program

About the Program

The Melgund Township Spring and Summer Arts Incubator Program is a professional development series for media and interdisciplinary artists in Northwestern and Far North Ontario regions. Our mission is to uplift and empower local artists in remote, unorganized communities by providing them with the skills, resources, and support they need to thrive at home. We believe that northern and Indigenous artists shouldn’t have to leave their communities to succeed.

This program, led by the Art Borups Corners Collective, is a community-driven initiative designed to reverse artist out-migration and build a sustainable arts economy in the North. We focus on providing immersive workshops, expert-led seminars, and collaborative forums that prioritize decolonized practices and cultural resilience. Participants gain valuable skills in governance, project management, and strategic planning, empowering them to lead their own creative careers.

This initiative builds on a successful pilot program with The Arts Incubator from 2021-2023, and we are relaunching in newly restored physical spaces after a flood in 2022. Our work is informed by extensive partnerships and research with artists and organizations across the circumpolar world, including Northern Ontario, Manitoba, Norway, Minnesota, and Nunavut.

Northern Ontario Arts: Our Vision & Goals

The arts ecosystem in Far North Ontario is rich with creativity and cultural strength, but it faces challenges due to geographic isolation and a lack of funding and infrastructure. Policies that have historically favored larger, southern-based institutions have made it difficult for local artists to sustain a career in their own communities.

Thanks to support from the Ontario Arts Council Multi and Inter-Arts Projects program, this exciting initiative is designed to support changing this narrative. Running from April to October 2025, the project aims to incubate professional development, creative opportunities, and long-term sustainability for artists in northern, remote, and unorganized communities. We do this by:

  • Empowering Artists: We provide comprehensive training that merges traditional knowledge with contemporary digital technologies, helping artists develop skills in areas like media storytelling, music production, and online curation.
  • Building a Sustainable Arts Economy: Our workshops focus on practical skills like financial management, grant writing, marketing, and gallery administration. We believe that by strengthening the business side of art, we can help artists create sustainable self-employment and build a thriving local arts sector.
  • Nurturing Future Leaders: A key goal is to develop pipelines for youth leadership. Through specialized training and mentorship, we’re nurturing the next generation of Indigenous arts leaders, administrators, and entrepreneurs.
  • Creating a Hub for Arts Innovation: Following the reconstruction of our physical spaces, we are creating a local hub for arts innovation and collaboration, reducing the community’s reliance on distant arts centers and bringing programs back home.

Who We Are Working With

Our program is built on strong, established relationships with local and regional collaborators who have been integral to our work for over a decade. We are fortunate to work with a diverse group of partners, many of whom represent OAC priority groups, including Indigenous artists, women artists, artists with disabilities, Francophone artists, and youth and senior artists. As well, a key goal is to support grassroots outreach through regional showcases and gatherings, making sure that our program reflects the rich diversity of our local area and broader region.

This community-driven program builds on applied research supported by the OpenAI Researcher Access Program, The Arts Incubator and the Minneapolis College of Art and Design Creative Entrepreneurship program. We’re also incredibly honoured to be supported by Ottawa-based Global Dignity Canada, which has supported regional and national programming over the course of a decade. Most of all, we’re thankful for support from the Local Services Board of Melgund and the Dyment Recreation Hall.

Supporting Northwestern Ontario Arts

Our project directly addresses the critical need for sustainable arts opportunities in Northwestern and Far North Ontario. We serve artists, musicians, and arts administrators in the unorganized communities of Dyment and Borups Corners, with participation from the regional communities of Dryden and Ignace.

Our primary goal is to combat artist out-migration by re-building a sustainable local arts ecosystem.

Immediate Benefits:

  • Access to high-quality training and networking opportunities.
  • Increased income through commissioned works and participation in local events.
  • Opportunities to showcase work through a new local arts festival and exhibition series.

Long-Term Benefits:

  • Economic Stability: Increased employment opportunities in the arts sector, including roles in curation, administration, and digital content creation.
  • Cultural Preservation: Through intergenerational mentorship and a focus on oral history, we are ensuring the preservation of traditional knowledge while embracing modern artistic practices.
  • Self-Sufficiency: The establishment of a new arts co-operative and digital sales platform will provide artists with shared resources and business support, fostering long-term resilience and self-determination.

Our partners, including regional artists, local government, and academic institutions, are all working together to build a strong, self-sustaining arts economy that allows artists to thrive right here at home.