Funded by:
Manitoba Arts Council Indigenous 360 Program
What we learned:
Audio art, Experimental, Installation, Narrative, Video art, music, visual arts, media arts, literary arts, youth participatory action research, creative leadership
Year
October 2024 – March 2025
Building on the experiences of Our People Our Climate (2019-2024), this participatory arts experience centers on amplifying Indigenous youth voices as we navigate and respond to the impacts of climate change on our communities. Co-developed with Indigenous artists and young community members, this project generates new, immersive artworks through a collaborative mentorship model. Through VR, AI, and multimedia oral history storytelling, we will pilot a series of interactive installations across different climate scenarios—from serene ice fields to flooded plains—capturing the rapid environmental changes Manitoba communities face. This dynamic approach supports an empathetic understanding, enabling both artists and audiences to engage deeper with climate issues that are often felt but rarely seen.
This project is led by Ink emerging artist and musician Tony Eetak from Art Borups Corners and its Winnipeg Arts Incubator program.
Project Description:
The foundation of this project is a structured series of workshops, providing critical training, mentorship, and capacity-building for Manitoba Indigenous youth, particularly Inuit youth who are regularly excluded from participation in Manitoba’s arts sector. The activities are designed to bridge significant post-pandemic gaps in access to mentorship and professional artistic development, equipping youth artists with skills across various media, including digital art, spoken word, music, and multimedia. Each session serves as a platform for exploration and creative reflection, encouraging developing artists to integrate personal narratives and experiences with climate impacts into professional-quality artworks. These hands-on sessions foster skill development in advanced technologies and artistic storytelling, empowering emerging artists to become stewards of their communities, sharing and preserving stories for future generations.
To create a lasting impact, this project culminates in a curated, hybrid, and traveling exhibition combining physical installations with a virtual gallery, showcasing the range of expressions developed through the program. This exhibition includes formal public presentations where participating youth artists, community members, and researchers share not only the completed works but also the personal stories and experiences that shaped them. The event focuses on the Manitoba Indigenous arts community, offering spaces for intergenerational dialogue on climate resilience, community healing, and the transformative role of art in fostering cultural continuity.
Beyond the exhibition, the project includes a publication component to document the process, stories, and artworks created, establishing a long-term resource and archive for other communities facing similar climate and arts capacity challenges. As an experimental pilot project, the activities will amplify the voices of the youth artists involved, extending the impact of their stories across and beyond Manitoba, while providing valuable insights and methodologies for future climate-resilience projects.
On a personal level, this project represents a pivotal opportunity in the artistic growth and development of youth artists. Engaging with advanced technologies and interdisciplinary practices will expand their creative toolkit and deepen their commitment to using art as a means for social justice and community-building. Access to mentorship in this project will provide invaluable guidance and support as they collaborate with experienced artists, honing their skills and strengthening their ability to convey impactful stories through art and music. This mentorship-driven process will incubate their personal growth and enable them to contribute meaningfully to the voices of their communities, creating lasting change through art.
Project Impacts and Outcomes:
Virtual Gallery Prototype: From October 2024 to February 2025, the project team successfully prototyped a virtual gallery utilizing an open-world format and gamification strategies. This innovative virtual environment, powered by support from the OpenAI Researcher Access Program, was more than just an exhibition space. It integrated multiple artificial intelligence capabilities, including generative AI to explain various art concepts related to the project. The virtual gallery hosted curated art pieces in the form of videos, photos, music, and narrative text, offering an interactive experience that differed significantly from traditional, static virtual galleries.
AI Integration: Project activities also led to the creation of a simple AI Art generator tool, using DALL E-3. From the first line of code to the final image render, this entire project took shape in less than 40 minutes of development, followed by a few hours of creative experimentation. It’s a shining example of what’s possible when open technology meets artistic passion.
The virtual gallery was enhanced by a custom Large Language Model (LLM), trained on prior participatory arts and research projects and arts outcomes from several related initiatives. The AI-driven environment was populated with Non-Player Characters (NPCs) that mimic gaming experiences, further engaging users. Unique interactive features allowed the environment to adapt, such as changing sky colors and lighting based on the time of day, and shaping dialogue based on user input. This scalability and interactivity marks a significant advancement in what artists can do with virtual gallery experiences.
Youth Leadership and Engagement: The project empowered youth artists through the development of leadership skills, as they were directly involved in the creation of both the virtual and physical exhibitions. In partnership with Global Dignity Canada, youth designed an event format for National Kindness Week consultations, strengthening their capacity for group engagement and collective action. This process also helped youth artists build a deeper sense of community and belonging in the arts sector.
Partnerships and Collaborative Learning: More than 43 news articles and posts were posted during this time period. A significant outcome of the project was meeting with the Winnipeg-based organization BizForClimate collaboration with the Kindr Foundation in February 2025. Through this partnership, youth artists learned valuable organizational structures and methods for community-building, helping to enrich their understanding of how to run inclusive and sustainable art initiatives.
Physical Exhibition Preparation: With the virtual gallery curated and functioning, the project team shifted focus toward preparing the physical installation. This upcoming exhibition, scheduled for March and April 2025, will be showcase elements of the project in Minnesota and Northwestern Ontario later this spring. This event will serve as a culminating experience for the youth artists, allowing them to share their work with a wider audience while continuing to strengthen connections within the Manitoba Indigenous arts community.
Long-Term Impact: The project contributed to rebuilding a healthy, post-pandemic arts community in Manitoba by ensuring Inuit voices were actively included. The virtual gallery and physical exhibition offered critical platforms for youth artists to share their work and personal stories, while also promoting intergenerational dialogue on climate resilience and cultural continuity. Furthermore, the project created valuable methodologies and frameworks for future projects focused on decolonizing the Manitoba arts sector and equipping emerging artists with the tools necessary to envision and shape decolonial futures.
Next Steps:
The skills and capacity built through this program will lay the foundation for a dynamic artist-in-residency program planned for the summer of 2025. By integrating the knowledge and expertise gained from this initiative, the residency will focus on providing hands-on learning experiences, mentorship, and opportunities for youth artists to further develop their craft. This residency program will not only support individual growth but will also strengthen connections within the broader Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario arts communities, ensuring lasting collaboration and shared learning among artists across the region.
As part of the ongoing efforts to foster a “Community of Care and Practice,” this residency will prioritize inclusivity and mentorship, offering a platform for both emerging and established Indigenous artists to collaborate and exchange ideas. The residency will encourage participants to engage in dialogue about cultural resilience, environmental impacts, and decolonization, integrating these themes into their creative work. It will provide a space where artists can reflect on the challenges and opportunities facing their communities, while honing their skills and deepening their artistic practices.
In addition to skill-building and mentorship, this program will focus on creating a sustainable, ongoing network of support for the participating artists. The residency will serve as a springboard for future collaborative projects and offer a model for future artist-in-residency programs that prioritize community-driven art. By providing space for continuous feedback and reflection, the program will evolve to better meet the needs of participating artists, ensuring that it remains relevant and impactful for years to come.
