Innovating at the Intersection of Art and Community

The Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD) has been a key institutional partner to The Arts Incubator, bringing deep experience in Creative Entrepreneurship and Master of Arts in reative Leadership to communities across Northern Manitoba, Northwestern Ontario, and beyond. Through long-term collaboration and community-based participatory research, MCAD has helped shape participatory approaches that blend academic learning with lived, land-based experience—particularly in areas of food sovereignty, climate action, and community arts.

Faculty and students from MCAD have worked closely with Arts Incubator hubs to co-develop toolkits, facilitate youth-centered programming, and deliver workshops grounded in real-world impact. In one notable pilot from 2023–2024, students in MCAD’s biosystems class created an arts-based facilitator’s guide focused on food security, biophilic and experiential design. These efforts linked studio-based exploration with frontline challenges, offering mutual learning and community benefit.

MCAD has long played a critical role in fostering place-based arts-driven research and youth engagement strategies across northern Canada. In partnership with organizations like the University of Minnesota Duluth, and with guidance from Indigenous youth and community leaders, MCAD has supported projects that center Northern priorities—strengthening capacity in food systems, cultural sovereignty, and creative economies.

We’re proud to say our programming was “Made with MCAD” and we could not have done any of the work we do today without their incredible support.

Building Community through Arts and Entrepreneurship

What makes the relationship between MCAD and The Arts Incubator unique is a shared investment in intergenerational leadership, community-first design, and long-term capacity-building. From digital storytelling to climate resilience projects, their support shows how meaningful collaboration between academic institutions and grassroots initiatives can create sustainable, culturally grounded change.

And for those in the United States (or Canada) who might be interested in the Creative Entrepreneurship or Master of Arts in Creative Leadership programs? We say check them out! Reach to them, and tell them we sent you!