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’ve:
- 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.

Current Communities Represented:

Flin Flon • The Pas • Opaskwayak Cree Nation • Snow Lake • Thompson • Churchill • Lac Brochet

Supplementary Information

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