ART BORUPS CORNERS
A recreational arts collective for resilient northern and rural communities
Building resilient communities through the arts, culture and heritage.
Incubating accessible, sustainable programs and healthy, creative community spaces.
Nestled in the heart of Northwestern Ontario, Art Borups Corners is a community-based arts collective that brings together artists, community members, and organizations to create a platform for promoting arts, culture, and heritage.
An arts collective is a group of artists who work together, sharing resources, skills, and knowledge to support one another and their communities. Established in 2017, Art Borups Corners and its seasonal programs are proving beneficial for providing opportunities for an aging population, Indigenous youth, and emerging artists who may not have the resources or support to pursue their artistic passions alone. By providing a collaborative environment and access to shared resources, the arts collective can foster creativity, build resilience, and bring people together to celebrate the rich cultural heritage of the region.
Our community arts collective’s programs and events aim to support affordable, accessible, and sustainable creative spaces and provide training and professional development to area residents on various topics, including capacity building for arts and culture.
Community Arts Programs and Projects
Melgund Township 2023 Winter Music Jam
Dyment Recreation Hall, Northwestern Ontario
Tanya and Gerry McArthur, along with Maurice Betournay, gave a memorable performance at the 2023 Melgund Township Winter Music Jam. The trio played a mix of traditional and contemporary folk music, drawing cheers and applause from the audience. As the evening went on, more musicians joined in, creating an impromptu jam session. The community feast served hot meals, creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere that brought people together from across the area. This year’s Winter Music Jam was a great success, showcasing the talent and camaraderie of the Melgund Township arts community.
National Kindness Week 2023 Press Conference
A national press conference on CPAC with Global Dignity Canada
Broadcast on CPAC, this year’s live-streamed celebrations had a special focus on being kind to the planet and to each other, with Global Dignity Canada launching the theme of taking action for a healthier, cleaner, and greener Canada. From small actions like recycling to nation-wide efforts, Canadians were encouraged to play their part in making the country a more environmentally friendly place. Representatives from all three major political parties, including Members of Parliament Michael Barrett (Conservative MP for Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes), Emmanuella Lambropoulos (Liberal MP for Saint-Laurent), and Blake Desjarlais (NDP MP for Edmonton Griesbach), also joined in to speak during the event.
2023 Winter Arts Program
A program in partnership with @1860 Winnipeg Arts
Winnipeg, Manitoba; Minneapolis, Minnesota and Virtual; 2023
This project follows the inspiration of previous research work that highlights the need of the direct inclusion of local Indigenous populations in arts, culture and heritage operations as a form of reconciliation. Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities are collaborating and contributing to research on the arts, cultural entrepreneurship and organizational development for community resilience. In this year’s Winter Institute program, youth and community artists become active leaders in designing and delivering therapeutic, recreational and community-led arts and culture initiatives through storytelling, curation and exhibition.
Media: National Press Conference for National Kindness Week
Collaboration: Enhancing the Our People Our Climate Project
2022 Summer Arts Program
A program in partnership with @1860 Winnipeg Arts
Winnipeg, Manitoba and Melgund Township, Ontario; 2022
An 8-week hybrid digital arts program for Indigenous youth emerging artists and cultural connectors held in Winnipeg, Manitoba. This pilot program was funded by the Manitoba Arts Council with support from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. This arts and climate entrepreneurship-focused program saw virtual participation from communities across Canada. Youth also created an online gallery and platform to support their future work.
Watch: Highlights Video
Explore: Our People Our Climate
Explore: @1860 Winnipeg Arts
Using the arts in support of inclusive and participatory learning environments
Workshop and Public Presentation for the Auviqsaqtut Inuit Studies Conference
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Borups Corners, Ontario and Virtual; 2022
This grassroots arts project brought together northern and southern youth, community builders, arts-based researchers, cultural creators and educators to share cultural and environmental observations, challenges and insights-based solutions for hands-on digital arts and technologies to tackle cultural and climate change through regenerative artistic creation, cultural entrepreneurship training and participatory video training.
@1860: Designing and testing digital arts and cultural entrepreneurship incubator
Canada Council for the Arts, Digital Greenhouse
Winnipeg, Manitoba and Virtual, 2021-2022
Based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, @1860 Winnipeg is an evolving, grassroots digital arts and cultural entrepreneurship collaborative supporting training and professional development for emerging, urban and newly urban Indigenous youth artists and cultural connectors. Launched in November 2021 with funding from the Canada Council for the Arts with support from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design this unique program has grown beyond its original scope to support hybrid programming engaging urban, rural and northern participation as well as internationally.
Watch: What did we learn? Read: 2021-2022 Report
A national press conference on CPAC with Global Dignity Canada, February 2022
Speakers take part in a virtual news conference to celebrate the inaugural National Kindness Week. Introduced as a private member’s bill, Bill S-223, the Kindness Week Act became law in June 2021, designating the third week of February as National Kindness Week. Taking part in the news conference are Senator Jim Munson, who introduced the Act, as well as Michael Barrett (MP for Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes), Emmanuella Lambropoulos (MP for Saint-Laurent), Shmuel Bulka (son of the late Rabbie Reuven Bulka, founder of Kind Canada), and Jamie Bell (@1860 Winnipeg Arts). (No interpretation)
Watch: News Conference
#InclusiveNorth – the Inclusion in Northern Research Project
An international workshop for Arctic Science Summit Week 2021
Lisbon, Portugal and Virtual, 2021
The Inclusion in Northern Research Project, which was developed through the course of the last year and premiered at the Arctic Change 2020 virtual meeting, began with the creation of videos highlighting the varied journeys of our colleagues, and grew into an online discussion that included over 1000 people in 35 countries, starting important conversations about inclusion in our research community in a safe and open spaces.
Watch: Presentation
Funded by the Manitoba Arts Council Indigenous 360 Program
Minneapolis College of Art and Design, 2019 – 2023
Our People, Our Climate is a ground-breaking documentary film initiative, aiming to develop the storytelling skills of Indigenous youth and young adults. First Nations, Metis and Inuit communities across Canada’s Arctic are essential to current climate change discussions, and this project brings together a range of young people in these communities to tell important stories through a unique and distinct cultural lens.
Learn More: Our People Our Climate
Explore: Our People Our Nuclear Climate
Research for Resilience and Reconciliation
Pathways to Resilience IV: Global South Perspectives
Cape Town, South Africa, 2017
Research on Indigenous peoples has been a tool of Colonization and there are increasing calls to decolonize research by incorporating arts with Indigenist methodologies. We highlight themes of dis/connection, un/learning, colonization, and reconciliation through co-developing projects that incorporate television, technology and participatory action storytelling. We share emerging insights about the challenges and possibilities of doing research with Indigenous youth and communities in ways that contribute to both resilience and reconciliation.
Meet our Members
Thank you to our partners, funders and supporters
We extend our deepest gratitude to our esteemed sponsors, partners, and supporters for their unwavering commitment, mentorship, and leadership in making our projects possible. Your support has allowed us to grow and explore the realms of arts and entrepreneurship, empowering our community with opportunities for creative expression and economic development. Your generous contributions have been instrumental in our success, and we are honored to have you as our valued partners. Thank you for your continued support in nurturing our artistic endeavors and fostering the spirit of entrepreneurship across our communities.