Project Details

imagiNorthern

Incubated by the Flin Flon Arts Council, is a new 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, imagiNorthern made considerable progress in establishing the group, hiring a project manager, Champions coordinator and seven champions who live in Flin Flon, The Pas, Opaskwayak Cree Nation, Snow Lake, Thompson, Churchill, and Lac Brochet.

  • In our initial phase, we:

    • Commissioned a baseline study in 2022 of the arts sector in Northern Manitoba.
    • Evolved a governance structure that ensures decisions are made in the North and suitable in each community while drawing on support and expertise from key partners and stakeholders.
    • Developed an initial Northern Champions network.
    • Created a Shop-in-the-Box system, including a StarLink satellite internet toolkit that is available in the communities through the Northern Champions.
    • Began to create physical depots, not necessarily storefronts, in the communities.
    • Collaborated with the Uptown Emporium, operated by the Flin Flon Arts Council, as a physical storefront and an e-commerce website to improve its operations and encourage artists to join these retail platforms.
    • Designed and launched websites for a number of the communities to facilitate event promotion, artist exposure, and community outreach.
    • Began a regional cultural asset mapping survey.
    • Initiated exploration of regional food products within select depots.
    • Continue to seek funding to secure our long-term operations.

Moving forward in 2025

Building a stronger foundation for imagiNorthern that keeps community at the centre.

  • Beginning in 2025, we are shifting gears.

    We have:

    • Decided to restructure our organization, based on input from imagiNorthern advisors, staff, and champions
    • Engaged an external consultant to lead full governance and network assessment from April - July 2025, and began focusing on three priorities:
    1. Governance, establishing a clear and distributed leadership model
    2. Membership, defining core roles and responsibilties for all involved
    3. Value, clarifying benefits for those involved with the network
    • Drafted a governance framework based on recommendations

  • Our next steps forward:

    1. Creating a Steering Committee
    - for the purpose of refining our new governance model, strengthening membership engagement, and preparing for community-led Champion hiring

    2. Regional expansion and strengthening

    - Growing the champion model in communities that are ready; support additional regions are we are able

    3. Planning sustainably

    - By growing partnerships, diversifying revenue streams, and long-term staffing capacity to carry imagiNorthern forward over the long term

    4. Adaptation as we go

    - Using information and feedback to adjust our strategies and procedures for community relevance

Supplementary Information

Northern Manitoba Arts & Cultural Industries Strategy
Prepared March 2024, by Inga Petri