Manitoba Arts Network

Manitoba Arts Network

Arts service organization overview
Formed	1988
Headquarters	203–100 Arthur Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Website	https://manitobaartsnetwork.ca/

The Manitoba Arts Network (MAN) is a not for profit, charitable arts service organization. We connect, showcase, and promote visual and performing artists with communities across Manitoba, based in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Organization

Mission

Showcasing and advancing arts and culture in all regions of Manitoba.

Mandate

• Create opportunities for all to experience and participate in arts and cultural activities
• Promote visual and performing artists through touring programs
• Provide professional development for artists and community organizations
• Develop and support a strong network of Manitoba arts organizations

Impact Statement

We will support and strengthen rural Manitoba’s underserved arts organizations, by fostering an arts ecosystem that is collaborative, sustainable and resilient, resulting in more opportunities for artists, greater access to the arts by rural Manitobans thereby creating attractive and thriving communities where people want to stay or travel to.

The Manitoba Arts Network will reach it’s intended impact through these main activities:

• Increase Skills and Knowledge: Webinars, workshops, coaching, mentorships, knowledge/resource sharing
• Access to artists and opportunities: through Showcasing, directories, touring (performers and visual arts exhibitions)
• Block booking, equity initiatives
• Make Connections: networking and collaboration
• Raise awareness and increasing profile of rural arts and artists

MAN was founded in 1984 by a group of rural arts councils who identified the need for an organization to support their development and their delivery of artistic offerings to their communities. For 35 years, MAN has been acting as a liaison between artists and arts presenters, and coordinating province-wide conferences that offer a forum for the exchange of concepts and ideas through workshops, seminars and networking opportunities.

Members

MAN connects 7 regions, serves 50 arts and cultural organizational members and 77 individual artist members throughout Manitoba. We have seen an impressive 72% growth in membership from 29 organizational members in 2010-2011.  After discussions with new members, it appears that our new programs and services, marketing, professional development and positive word of mouth have all contributed to the continuing growth of our membership base.

History

Manitoba Arts Network was incorporated as a registered charitable organization in 1988 and began operations.

Year	Event
1988	Incorporated as a registered charitable organization
1990s	Developed Manitoba’s first printed performing arts directory
2002	Began the Annual Manitoba Rural and Northern Juried Art Show
2005	Took over coordinating the annual Manitoba Showcase from Manitoba Arts Council
2010	Began Rural Art Mentorship Program, in partnership with Mentoring Artists for Women’s Art
2014	Launched Emerging Artist Mentorship at Manitoba Showcase
2015	Launched an online Artist Directory connecting artists with rural arts organizations
2015	Launched Concerts in Care in rural Manitoba, in partnership with British Columbia-based Health Arts Society
2016 – 2019	Youth Engagement Project funded by Canadian Heritage
2016	Partnered with Manitoba Arts Council (MAC) to offer Strengthening Rural Arts Organizations program
2018 – Present	Launched Indigenous Special Project funded by Canadian Heritage – Facilitating the presentation of live Indigenous performances, connecting Indigenous communities with the performing arts community, and developing future Indigenous artists in Manitoba
2018 – 2019	Expanded Concerts in Care program into Winnipeg
2018 – Present	Delivered one on one coaching program – 20 rural arts organizations participated, to build their capacity in arts management, marketing social media and grant writing
2020	Launched Online Art Gallery
2021	Stay Safe at Home MB Digital Festival – 12 concerts, 4 exhibitions and 11 art classes
2021	Launched a Digital Innovation Working Group, continued MAN's Online Art Gallery which was being mentioned in five interviews by CTV Morning Live: Yvonne Rempel - Manitoba Moments Jan Jenkins - Into the Wind Mary Lowe - Whimsical Meanderings Sarah E. Fuller - Birds & Books Cathie Ugrin - Manitoba Moments
2022	Manitoba Showcase Conference – 12 performing artists showcases, 5 visual art exhibitions, 5 performing arts pitches, 8 workshops and 12 networking events

Programs & Events

Manitoba Showcase – Professional Development & Booking Conference

Manitoba Showcase is an annual visual and performing arts conference that features some of the best Canadian artists, from a wide range of genres, for Manitoban presenters and galleries, connecting them with future opportunities and collaboration. The preeminent event of its kind in Manitoba, Showcase engages over 150 artists, presenters, agents, managers, and industry stakeholders to exchange ideas and develop and rekindle relationships. Offering up to 15 professional development activities, 12 networking opportunities, 20 live performances, and an economic impact of more than $40,000.

Showcase also includes the RBC Emerging Artist Mentorship that pairs 12 emerging musicians with professionals to develop showcasing and touring skills and knowledge, culminating in a live showcase opportunity. This program includes an Indigenous and Black Emerging Artist Mentorship, to build Indigenous and Black artists’ knowledge and connections in the arts industry with culturally-specific mentors and support.

Performing Arts Program

MAN coordinates performance tours through our Block Booking process. Our Performing Arts Coordinator facilitates discussions among our members to gauge interest in the artists featured at Manitoba Showcase and to collaborate to take advantage of collective buying power to book performing artist tours at reduced fees. This process allows presenters to bring in performers they could not otherwise afford.

MAN liaises between presenters and artists or agents over 5 months following Manitoba Showcase to collect bids from presenters and submit tour offers to the showcasing artists/agents, saving both the presenters and the artists time and money. An average touring season coordinated by MAN yields 10-15 tours and 50-60 performances in member communities across Manitoba — resulting in up to $190,000 in artist fees throughout the year.

Our Concerts in Care (CiC) program presents professional musicians in concert to residents of long-term personal care homes, palliative care centres and assisted living facilities in Manitoba. We have run CiC in rural and northern Manitoba since 2015, and in Winnipeg since 2019, bringing more than 300 concerts to over 8,000 elders.

Performing Arts Touring

List of cities Manitoba Arts Network toured to:

• Altona
• Carberry
• Carman
• Churchill
• Dauphin
• Deloraine
• Flin Flon
• Gimli
• Gladstone
• Kenora
• Killarney
• Lac du Bonnet
• McCreary
• Minnedosa
• Morden
• Neepawa
• Pinawa

• Portage la Prairie
• Snow Lake

• Souris

• Steinbach
• St. Malo
• St. Pierre-Jolys
• The Pas
• Thompson
• Virden
• Winkler

Visual Arts Program

MAN has been touring visual art exhibitions for over twenty years. Annually MAN tours five visual art exhibitions (selected by jury) to twenty-five rural and remote communities, visited by more than 6,000 patrons. Exhibitions feature emerging and professional artists and present a range of media and themes. We curate a healthy balance of challenging contemporary work and traditional approaches to art-making, through solo and group exhibitions.

Our annual Manitoba Rural and Northern Juried Art Show features award-winning artworks in a variety of media by over 50 artists (including 10 youth submissions). Selected from works submitted to our member organizations’ regional Juried Art Shows across Manitoba, this exhibit is attended by over 3,000 patrons.

Rural Art Mentorship Program (RAMP), A four-weekend mentorship program with studio visits for up to 5 artists led by a professional mentor, culminating in an exhibition.

Visual Arts Touring

List of cities Manitoba Arts Network toured to:

• Birtle
• Boissevain
• Dauphin
• Denare Beach
• Dunseith
• Flin Flon
• Gimli
• Killarney
• McCreary
• Morden
• Neepawa
• Portage la Prairie
• St. Andrews
• The Pas
• Thunder Bay
• Virden
• Winkler

Diversity through the Arts

Manitoba Arts Network is becoming more diverse in its membership and programmed artists, and as a result, its member arts organisations will program a much wider selection of artists to attract more inclusive audiences.

MAN encourages artists of all genres to apply and participate in our programs, and is especially encouraging of applications from artists who identify as *Indigenous, Black, or people of colour, artists with disabilities, deaf artists, women artists, official language minorities and youth as well as artists from the LGBTQ2S+ community. In addition, we will extend personal invitations to artists in these communities so as to achieve parity in artist selection.

The Manitoba Arts Network is committed to fostering a culture of inclusion in which diversity can thrive within our workplace, events, and every aspect of our organization. MAN acknowledges that systemic discrimination and exclusion are prevalent in many institutions’ policies, practices, and traditions. We will strive to remove barriers to success by actively nurturing a professional and inclusive network, ultimately creating a culture founded on intersectionality, compassion, and respect.

Reconciliation through the Arts

MAN is committed to ensuring that First Nations, Métis and Inuit knowledge, cultures and traditions are embraced and reflected in the delivery of our programs and, in doing so, the MAN Board adopted the UNITED Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (Canada) as a reconciliation framework and will apply its principles, norms and standards to corporate policy and core operational activities. In addition, we will activate the following Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) calls to action:

• Build member capacity for intercultural understanding, empathy, and mutual respect
• Undertake collaborative projects and produce works that contribute to the reconciliation process
• Be properly reflective of the diverse cultures, languages, and perspectives of Indigenous peoples, including, but not limited to: increasing Indigenous programming, including Indigenous-language speakers
• Commit to meaningful consultation and building respectful relationships
• Ensure that Indigenous peoples have equitable access to jobs, training, and education opportunities
• Provide education for board, staff and members on the history of Indigenous peoples, including the history and legacy of residential schools

Grants, Awards & Nominations

Year	Grants/Awards/Nominations	Funder
2013	"Janet Shaw-Russell: Traces" – a series of drawings reflecting her childhood memories	The Canada Council for the Arts
2014	Digital Tour of women's short films "a woman is not an island" (partner: Winnipeg Film Group)	Manitoba Arts Council (MAC)
2015	"Streetlife", Ojibway artist Kevin Anderson – drawings about homelessness in Winnipeg	Manitoba Arts Council (MAC)
2017	"Scutelliphily", a group show from Saskatchewan of contemporary patches examining personal branding, and non-traditional commodification – 5 rural communities	Manitoba Arts Council (MAC)
2017 –2018	Canada Council circulating and touring grant – 4 solo exhibitions (drawing, craft/textile, painting), 8 workshops in 16 remote communities in Manitoba, Northwestern Ontario, Saskatchewan and North Dakota	The Canada Council for the Arts
2019 –2020	4 solo exhibits featuring one artist with disability, 8 workshops in 12 remote communities	Manitoba Arts Council (MAC)

External Links

• Official Website

This article "Manitoba Arts Network" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Manitoba Arts Network. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.

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