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The Arts Incubator

Winnipeg, Manitoba

The project is grounded in a dynamic process of collaborative engagement and capacity building, utilizing arts-based research methodologies to ensure the work is both relevant and empowering. A key focus is Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR), which positions young people as leaders in investigating their own economic realities and co-designing their futures. Through a series of co-design workshops, digital storytelling projects, and community forums, ECO-STAR North facilitates intergenerational knowledge transfer, connecting youth with Elders and established creators. This hands-on, community-led approach ensures the resulting toolkit is not an academic exercise, but a living, practical resource built by and for Northern innovators, strengthening a resilient and interconnected creative ecosystem.
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  • OpenAI to transform Digital Literacy, AI Integration, with support for non-profits
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Borups Corners
  • Creative Entrepreneurship
  • Winnipeg

OpenAI to transform Digital Literacy, AI Integration, with support for non-profits

Discover how OpenAI and community collaboration can empower non-profits and Indigenous youth, enhancing digital literacy, sustainability, and cultural expression.
The Arts Incubator - Winnipeg June 10, 2024
Imagine a world where stories come alive through AI. What would your favorite narratives look like with a touch of digital innovation? Let's discover together.

Imagine a world where stories come alive through AI. What would your favorite narratives look like with a touch of digital innovation? Let's discover together.

Earlier this year, we were thrilled and deeply honoured to be accepted to the OpenAI Researcher Access Program. It’s enabled us to radically transform how AI technologies, like GPT-4o, can uplift operational capabilities and broaden social outreach.

This week, OpenAI, introduced a remarkable initiative tailored for non-profits, offers cutting-edge tools synchronized with discounted accessibility, truly making a paradigm shift in addressing operational challenges these organizations typically face—a perfect match for non-profits akin to Teamwork campaigns.

Non-profits looking to bridge the digital gap and enhance their operations are encouraged to explore and join this community. This collaboration promises an infusion of AI-driven capabilities, smoother communication strategies, streamlined data capture and analysis—the essential ingredients for amplifying impact across various sectors of community service.

To find out about how this new program works, you can visit the OpenAI web site. We’re thankful to OpenAI for supporting our project and encourage other organizations to take a closer look at what these technologies can do to help advance economic reconciliation.

At its core, Art Borups Corners mobilizes youth from diverse backgrounds through workshops, roundtable discussions, and collaborative activities embedded in the cultural contexts of their communities. The project’s hands-on approach leverages digital tools and media marketing strategies to kindle the flames of creativity and career possibilities among Inuit, First Nations and Metis youth and emerging artists. These efforts are giving young artists and aspiring cultural entrepreneurs platforms to voice out their narratives, touching on pressing matters that transcend the boundaries of their communities.

@1860 Arts and Niriqatiginnga founding member Tony Eetak and Dr. Olaf Kuhlke from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design present during their first knowledge exchange session at Qaumajuq and the Winnipeg Art Gallery.
@1860 Arts and Art Borups Corners founding member Tony Eetak and Dr. Olaf Kuhlke from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design present during a knowledge exchange session at Qaumajuq and the Winnipeg Art Gallery.

Strengthening Collaborations with Community Partners

Key collaborators with Art Borups Corners have included notable organizations like the University of Minnesota Duluth, the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, and the Kivalliq Chamber of Commerce. By building strong connections with urban and northern community partners, and with consistent support from local and federal organizations like Manitoba Agriculture and Innovation Science and Economic Development Canada, the foundation of resilience and capacity has been thriving.

Digital Literacy and Sustainability: Hand in Hand

Art Borups Corners initiatives do not just stop at cultural expression. They echo through critical discussions and advocacy on climate change, food security, and sustainable living, especially pertinent to Arctic and northern regions. Through their alignment with the OpenAI Researcher Access Program, Art Borups Corners educates and equips the youth with essential skills in digital literacy, showing how AI tools can significantly contribute to driving social impact and enhancing life quality within these communities.

Thank you to our supporters

Art Borups Corners would also like to acknowledge the amazing projects, organizations and programs that have been supporting our activities these past two semesters, in particular: the University of the Arctic, Live It Earth, Minneapolis College of Art and Design, University of Minnesota Duluth, OpenAI and its Researcher Access Program for supporting our project activities. We also acknowledge the funding and support from Manitoba Agriculture and the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership – Indigenous Food Systems program, and the Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada Indigenous Intellectual Property Protection Program. The Art Borups Corners Youth, Arts and Media Team is funded with support from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the Government of Canada’s Youth Employment and Skills Program. We also thank Maeva Gauthier and the University of the Thematic Network on Local-Scale Planning, Climate Change and Resilience. 

About the Author

The Arts Incubator - Winnipeg

The Arts Incubator - Winnipeg

Administrator

The Arts Incubator - Winnipeg is a participatory arts collective and living lab, based in Winnipeg, Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario. It's a space where innovation and creativity thrive. It's latest iteration was launched in 2021 with funding and support from the Canada Council for the Arts Digital Greenhouse. Today, working with students and faculty from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, we fuse traditional and participatory media arts with artificial intelligence, music, storytelling and community-driven, land-based artist residencies to cultivate new voices and bold ideas. Whether through collaborative projects or immersive experiences, our small but vibrant community supports creators to explore, experiment, and connect. Join us at the intersection of artistry, technology, culture and community—where every moment is a new opportunity to create.

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Tags: Climate Change Global Dignity Canada Manitoba Agriculture Minneapolis College of Art and Design OpenAI Researcher Access Program SDG 1 SDG 10 SDG 4 Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership

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MANITOBA ARTS PROGRAMS

This platform, our Winnipeg, Manitoba hub and programs have been made possible with support from the Manitoba Arts Council Indigenous 360 Program. We gratefully acknowledge their funding and support in making the work we do possible.

Manitoba Arts Council Indigenous 360 Program

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The Arts Incubator was seeded and piloted with strategic arts innovation funding from the Canada Council for the Arts Digital Greenhouse. We thank them for their investment, supporting northern arts capacity building and bringing the arts to life.

Canada Council for the Arts Digital Greenhouse Logo

NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO ARTS

This platform, our Northwestern Ontario hub and programs have been made possible with support from the Ontario Arts Council Multi and Inter-Arts Projects Program. We gratefully acknowledge their funding and support in making the work we do possible.

Ontario Arts Council Multi and Inter-Arts Projects Program
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