We’re excited for two new projects that are starting up this fall and winter. “Winter City Stories: Tales from the Concrete Tundra” is an exploration of oral traditions within the backdrop of contemporary urban life. This new, exciting storytelling endeavor is set to kick off this December, and promises to weave a tapestry of diverse artistic disciplines and foster active community engagement. 

Winter City Stories: Tales from the Concrete Tundra

At its core, Winter City Stories aims to empower artists with the skills and expertise needed to create, curate, and translate oral stories and histories. It features those who have undergone the transition from northern to urban and southern environments. Through immersive, experiential learning and cross-cultural knowledge-sharing activities, a major goal is to equip Indigenous emerging artists with valuable skills while deepening their cultural awareness, identity, and sense of belonging.

It’s also about providing mentorship opportunities to Elders, youth, and both established and emerging artists, as a way to nurture and empower their creative pursuits. Public presentations and readings, scheduled for early 2024, will serve as platforms to share the project’s richness with the broader Manitoba audience, fostering appreciation and understanding.

As “Winter City Stories: Tales from the Concrete Tundra” takes its first steps toward exploring urban oral traditions, it sets out a journey that promises to illuminate the profound stories and histories of those who call the city of Winnipeg home. 

Niriqatiginnga: Come Eat With Me

The second project that will be starting up this fall is Niriqatiginnga. Niriqatiginnga means “come eat with me” in Inuktitut. It’s also a new project, coming together over the last year and will be exploring solutions to northern food security through the lens of arts and creative entrepreneurship. 

This summer, the Niriqatiginnga project team spent a lot of time consulting and engaging several community partners here in Winnipeg, Northern Manitoba and beyond. There is a need for the Government of Canada to be more innovative and open to economic development and supporting small businesses and entrepreneurship.

Niriqatiginnga supports early career exposure, training, and skills development for aspiring Inuit, First Nations and Metis social entrepreneurs. The project is based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The project will work with Nutrition North Canada suppliers, retailers and food industry stakeholders to collectively implement more accountable, efficient and affordable processes and systems.

Many elements of both these new projects have been piloted and tested over the last three years, with support from esteemed organizations including the US National Science Foundation, the ArcticNet Network Centre of Excellence, the Canada Council for the Arts Digital Greenhouse, Global Dignity Canada, and Manitoba Arts Council’s Indigenous 360 Program. The generous contributions of the Arctic Buying Company Winnipeg, the Minneapolis College of Art and Design Arts Entrepreneurship Program, Chocolatier Constance Popp and the Labovitz School of Business and Economics at the University of Minnesota Duluth have also been instrumental.

Upcoming Funding Deadlines: 

Manitoba Arts Council:

Manitoba Arts Council funding deadlines for October are just around the corner: 

• October 5, 2023: Share – Artists in Schools
• October 10, 2023: Create
• October 15, 2023: Learn – Travel/Professional Development
• October 25, 2023: Indigenous 360

UArctic Entrepreneurship Fund

The UArctic Entrepreneurship Fund is also accepting applications until October 27, 2023. The call is open to any individual with an incubator-stage product or service that aims to benefit the Arctic environment or Arctic communities and has a positive, demonstrable impact on the Arctic. Applications are especially encouraged from Arctic Indigenous and/or northern-based entrepreneurs. The Entrepreneurship Fund has its pilot call for applications in spring 2023, with subsequent calls launched annually. Expected grant disbursement amounts are in the range of $2,000 to $5,000 USD, though exceptions may be made on a case-by-case basis.

Indigenous Agriculture and Relationship Development Program

The Government of Manitoba also has a few funds closing in October. The Manitoba Agriculture Indigenous Agriculture and Relationship Development program is open and accepting applications until Oct. 27, 2023.