We are proud to announce that our Indigenous-led arts program, @1860 Winnipeg Arts, has been awarded $8,348 from the Manitoba Arts Council Indigenous 360 program. This funding will support artistic and cultural activities, including training and workshops designed to mobilize the knowledge and skills attained during the experimental phase of the project which ran from November 2021-2022.
“We’re incredibly thankful to the Manitoba Arts Council and the Indigenous 360 program,” said @1860 co-founder Jamie Bell. “As we enter our second year and exit the experimental phase of our pilot program, we will be able to focus on exploring options for longer-term, sustainable programming and organizational development, as well as developing community projects and partnerships required to sustain them.”
Our youth cultural connectors will play an integral role in managing the project website, social media, and communication of their learning. They will also help select conferences and meetings to attend and organize presentations, making significant contributions to all project decisions.
This month has been busy for the small Winnipeg-based arts collective. Events this month include co-facilitating a national press conference to celebrate National Kindness Week and holding a national event linking schools with this year’s theme of being kind to the planet. The project also presented at an international workshop with partners from Cardiff University and the Inclusion in Northern Research Project for Arctic Science Summit Week 2023 held in Vienna, Austria.
Looking forward, we will host our second-annual knowledge sharing workshops in Winnipeg this April and work towards building long-term opportunities for Indigenous youth, emerging artists, and cultural connectors.
The @1860 program is co-led and equally balanced across cultures, including participation and leadership from First Nations, Metis, and Inuit youth and emerging artists. “We believe in the importance of shaping change by being in the midst of it, and ensuring our commitment to emerging artists provides them with a solid foundation on which to grow,” said Bell.
