Project details
Incubated by the Flin Flon Arts Council — a Northern Manitoba group led by Northerners, for Northerners.
imagiNorthern, incubated by the Flin Flon Arts Council, is a Northern Manitoba group led by Northerners, for Northerners.
imagiNorthern secured a first round of funding for 2023–2024 from the Canada Council for the Arts and the Province of Manitoba. In its first year the group hired a project manager, a Champions coordinator, and seven champions living in Flin Flon, The Pas, Opaskwayak Cree Nation, Snow Lake, Thompson, Churchill, and Lac Brochet.
In the initial phase we:
- Commissioned a baseline study in 2022 of the arts sector in Northern Manitoba.
- Evolved a governance structure that keeps decisions in the North while drawing on partners and stakeholders.
- Developed an initial Northern Champions network.
- Created a Shop-in-the-Box system, including a Starlink satellite internet toolkit available through Champions.
- Began physical depots — not necessarily storefronts — in communities.
- Collaborated with Uptown Emporium as a storefront and e-commerce site.
- Designed and launched community websites for event promotion and artist exposure.
- Began a regional cultural asset mapping survey and explored regional food products in select depots.
Moving forward
Beginning in 2025 the organization restructured from advisor, staff, and champion input, with a governance and network assessment focused on three priorities: governance, membership, and value.
Next steps: a Steering Committee, regional expansion of the Champion model, sustainable partnerships and staffing, and adapting from community feedback.
Supplementary: Northern Manitoba Arts & Cultural Industries Strategy (Inga Petri).