CANOE LAKE ARTIST RESIDENCY

In the Fall of  2020, musician Eliza Mary Doyle approached Common Weal with an offer to partner on a potential project bringing four Saskatchewan musicians to Canoe Lake and the nearby village of Beauval, with the intent of reviving musical and cultural practices such as fiddling, jigging, and square dancing. During conversations with Eliza, it became clear that this would be an amazing project spearheaded by a dynamic artist and activist. It also became evident that Eliza was motivated to establish an independent non-profit organization, enabling her to apply for grants and allowing future projects to function with autonomy. 

Over the next year, Northern Artistic Director Judy McNaughton communicated with Eliza about these programming aspirations, as the COVID-19 pandemic ran its course. During this time, Eliza and a new board incorporated their non-profit organization, CAMP SASK ARTS. Eliza also honed her funding development and administrative skills through informal sessions with Common Weal’s then Executive Director Risa Payant and Communications and Development Coordinator Nena Hawkes. When schools reopened to programming in October 2021, the team was ready to hit the ground running on the Canoe Lake Residency. Eliza started the residency off as the Lead Artist, setting up a music curriculum in the schools, and jam nights in the communities of Beauval and Canoe Lake. Between January and June 2022, musicians Joel Reimer, Tristan Durocher, and Ralph Opikokew each spent two months as resident artists in the communities. 

On July 6th and 7th, 2022, the year-long Residency culminated with a Summer Music Camp in Beauval. During this music camp, the youth and artists produced a lovely song and video together. The fantastic attendance at the youth camp was a testimony to the previous year of instruction by outstanding Saskatchewan musicians. In the coming year, Eliza and the newly formed CAMP SASK ARTS organization will undertake another music residency in the communities of Canoe Lake and Beauval, with continued support of the SK Arts Artists in Community Program. The relationships formed during the partnership between Common Weal and CAMP SASK ARTS have been mutually supportive and inspiring, and will continue on as Northern colleagues.