Where Does Art Begin? is an cross-sectoral inter-arts project of gathering, dreaming and making, providing an opportunity for exploration and transformation through customary harvesting practices, art-making and dance theatre.
We are at a very exciting time when many indigenous artists, knowledge keepers and communities are redefining who we are and how we organize ourselves. We are moving away from traditional Canadian models of organization in arts, culture, heritage to reconnecting our contemporary ways of being to our historic frameworks. What’s in our bundles? When do our gifts move together simultaneously and when does one stop and the other continue? What do we risk losing when we operate alone? This project will provide an opportunity for us to trace the roots of transformation, dreaming and making.
Within the Nipissing First Nation arts and cultural milieu, we have been inspired to commit more vigorously to each other and our respective practices, our relation to our natural world and our future. We believe that gathering together our artistic and cultural resource leaders is critical in providing our contemporary art makers with forums to engage with our indigenous holistic approaches. Where Does Art Begin? creates an engaging, meaningful and timely forum to investigate where our work intersects, and departs.
Project Activities
Performances
- Ice Follies – February 2020
- Canoe Festival (Ottawa, ON) – September 2019
- Fabulous Festival of Fringe Film – July 2018
Workshops & Intensives
- Aanmitaagzi Summer Arts Program – August 2019
- Wording Transformation: Writing Workshop & Coffee House – February 2019
- Tikinogan Making Workshop – February 2019
- Snowshoe Stories – January 2019
- Snowshoe Weaving & Repair Workshop – January 2019
- Drum Making Workshop – December 2018
- House Concert – December 2018
- Moccasin Making Workshop – October 2018
This project was generously supported by: