Archive for February, 2010

Update from Manitoba

February 18th, 2010 by Culture Days

Manitoba call for participation – coming soon!

Under the leadership of Provincial Task Force Chair Jean Giguère and Manitoba Task Force members, Culture Days Manitoba continues to surge forward with exciting updates. A few highlights:

  • Culture Days Manitoba will take place September 24 – 26, 2010.
  • The first edition of Nuit Blanche Winnipeg will be launched on the Saturday of Culture Days 2010.
  • A project manager is in place to support the many groups that have joined the provincial movement.
  • The Task Force continues to work hard to engage colleagues within the cultural sector and outside of it. An example: Task Force member Crystal Kolt, Cultural Coordinator at the Flin Flon Arts Council was invited to speak at a luncheon hosted by the Norman Regional Health Authority. Topic: Culture Days Manitoba. The local media were on hand to take notes on the great activities being planned for Culture Days Manitoba in the Flin Flon-Creighton area (which spans across both the Manitoba and Saskatchewan provinces), including theatre and visual arts showcases, music concerts, Busking Bonanza, Museum Musts, Panning for Gold, seniors’ and youth activities, Metal Madness, Pottery Classes, Aboriginal Art and Customs, Amazing Race-Heritage, Hip Hop Dancing, and Multicultural Flavours.
  • To mark Culture Days, Winnipeg Canadian Cultural Capital (WCCC) 2010 will launch “City Stories,” a program that will entertain and engage the diverse and wide spread population of Winnipeg. By creating a mobile story exchange centre to travel the length and breadth of the city, the City Stories team will encourage citizens to interact with performance artists in the creative process of storytelling. In keeping with the WCCC 2010 vision of Arts for All, the project will involve creative participation from across the cultural spectrum.
  • Manitoba Task Force members, Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Manitoba Homecoming 2010, and WCCC 2010 kicked off the cultural year with a sold-out concert featuring Manitoba artists. The event was dubbed a “two-hour mini Culture Days.”
View Comments | Posted in Manitoba, provincial updates | Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Saskatchewan call for participation

February 18th, 2010 by Culture Days

Download the Saskatchewan call for participation.

The Task Force sees Culture Days in Saskatchewan as an opportunity to:

  • spark people’s interest by promoting the vibrant culture in Saskatchewan communities;
  • motivate Saskatchewan residents to try a new cultural activity or visit a cultural attraction;
  • be inclusive of all areas of culture: arts, heritage, multiculturalism, ethno-culturalism, First Nations and Métis cultures and cultural industries;
  • encourage collaboration of cultural groups and other community partners;
  • create and leave a legacy of strong connections between citizens, cultural workers, artists and their communities; and
  • highlight Saskatchewan’s culture to the rest of the country.

How do groups or individuals get involved?

  • Identify an activity that you or your organization could promote to the public during Culture Days;
  • Ensure the activity is free, open to the public and provides an interactive engagement experience;
  • Register your activity

Download the Saskatchewan call for participation.

Supported by a growing Task Force, Culture Days Saskatchewan is quickly gaining ground with SaskCulture spearheading the provincial movement. Working closely with the Saskatchewan Arts Board, the two organizations have reached out to the majority of the arts, heritage, and creative industries groups in their large networks – including the culturally diverse, First Nations and Métis communities in the province. Most recently, the Task Force connected with over 1,000 municipal councillors and recreation directors attending the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association conference in Regina. Good news travels fast! Some municipal councillors had apparently already heard about the initiative through their local arts councils.

A few more updates from the Task Force:

  • Culture Days Saskatchewan will also take place September 24 – 26, 2010. The Saskatchewan Provincial Task Force has made a request to the provincial government to proclaim the entire third week of September as “Culture Week in Saskatchewan,” and will continue to promote the suggestion that similar proclamations be made at the municipal level. It is hoped that proclamations at the provincial and municipal levels will help government and businesses rally around the Culture Days Saskatchewan dates in their planning moving forward.
  • More and more groups are coming forward with activities to include as part of Culture Days Saskatchewan, including the Word-on-the-Street program in Saskatoon, and a community “Art in the Park” Festival in Regina.
  • The cultural conseil Fransaskois is helping to inform Saskatchewan’s francophone community about the opportunity to be a part of Culture Days, as well as to connect with their national counterparts.
  • Responding quickly to the call for participation, a number of smaller communities are looking at ways to adapt existing cultural events to offer free and interactive programs to the public during Culture Days Saskatchewan.
View Comments | Posted in Saskatchewan, for activity organizers, provincial updates |

British Columbia’s call for participation

February 18th, 2010 by Culture Days

Download the BC call for participation.

B.C. Task Force efforts will be primarily focused on developing Culture Days B.C. for 2011 while local artists and cultural organizations deal with the fallout from a difficult 2009/2010 funding situation.

Meanwhile, all B.C. artists or organizations interested in organizing an activity during September 24 – 26 for Culture Days 2010 are highly encouraged to join the national movement by signing up for the newsletter and registering their activity online.

View Comments | Posted in British Columbia, for activity organizers, provincial updates | Tags: , ,

Ontario call for participation

February 18th, 2010 by Culture Days

What will Culture Days in Ontario look like?

Culture Days in Ontario is an opportunity to:

  • spark people’s interest in the vibrant culture in Ontario communities;
  • motivate Ontario residents to try a new artistic activity or visit a cultural attraction
  • encourage collaboration between arts and culture groups and other community partners (Aboriginal, Métis, culturally diverse and heritage);
  • create a legacy of strong connections between all involved;
  • encourage people to explore their own creativity;
  • highlight Ontario’s culture to the rest of the country

How do groups or individuals get involved?

  • Identify an activity, including activities you may already be organizing, that you or your organization could promote to the public during Culture Days;
  • Ensure the activity is free, open to the public and provides an interactive or participatory experience;
  • Subscribe to the Culture Days newsletter for regular updates;
  • Register your event at http://www.culturedays.ca/en/join-the-movement/register-an-activity;

If you want to find out more: email or call Aubrey Reeves, OAC Culture Days Animator/Coordinator at the Ontario Arts Council at 1-800-387-0058 ext. 5077

To read the full document download the Ontario call for participation.

More news to come!

View Comments | Posted in Ontario, for activity organizers, provincial updates |