At The Arts Incubator, we see recreation as a vital expression of community life—creative, participatory, and rooted in culture. While we operate as an arts incubator, we also serve as a small-scale recreation provider supporting youth, artists, and community members across multiple northern and rural regions.
Our version of recreation isn’t just about activity—it’s about creating space for joy, skill-building, and connection through the arts, land-based learning and capacity building.
What We Offer
We design and deliver flexible, arts-based recreation programs that reflect local strengths, identities, and needs. From youth-led digital storytelling workshops to land-based creative gatherings, we support programming that bridges art and everyday life.
- Creative Programs & Workshops
Seasonal and mobile programs that bring hands-on arts experiences—visual arts, media, performance, and more—to communities with limited access to structured recreation. - Youth and Community Arts Leadership
We support emerging artists and young leaders to deliver their own arts-based recreation activities—from zine-making to music production—building both skills and confidence. - Community-Driven Events
Film nights, street photography walks, pop-up exhibitions, and public art sessions turn community spaces into sites of creative gathering and shared expression. - Culturally Relevant Skill-Building
Our programs foster skills that last—digital tools, storytelling techniques, craft, and collaborative project work—while grounding them in local culture and identity.
Where We Work
We support arts-based recreation across regions—rural towns, northern communities, and remote areas—working in partnership with local organizations, youth groups, and leadership. From Northwestern Ontario and Manitoba, to Nunavut and Minnesota, every program is shaped by the people who live there.
Why It Matters
Recreation doesn’t need to be standardized or siloed. In many communities, access to creative recreation is scarce—not because of lack of interest, but because of systemic underinvestment. The Arts Incubator works to fill these gaps by offering community-directed, artist-powered recreation rooted in cultural and regional realities.
We don’t impose programming—we co-create it. And through it, we help spark creativity, belonging, and momentum in places that are too often overlooked.
