PROGRAMMING
photo credit: AILEEN MARTIN
photo credit: AILEEN MARTIN
In the fall of 2022, we held 3D modelling and augmented reality (AR) workshops with approximately 50 students at four high schools in southern Saskatchewan: Scott Collegiate in Regina, Nakoda Oyade Education Centre in Ceg-A-Kin First Nation, Peepeekisis Pesakastew School in Peepeekisis Cree Nation, and Indian Head High School.
Expected to launch in spring 2024, Digital Monuments: Buffalo Futurism is an augmented reality (AR) that can be accessed via a free app while visiting the ceremonial Buffalo effigy in Regent Park on Treaty 4 Territory in Regina. Experience an Indigenous futuristic park where Tatanga (Buffalo) has returned to the land and roam freely.
Since 2022, Prince Albert writer Beth Gobeil has been bringing programming to the Herb Bassett Day Home, housed in Prince Albert’s Victoria Hospital. During the day, seniors and others with debilitating conditions gather to take part in social activities designed to stimulate creative engagement.
For several years, we have partnered with visual artist Michèle Mackasey and local Elders to bring artistic and cultural programming to Northern Saskatchewan communities. The Northern Languages Program aims to help the youth retain their original languages and find a way to make them relevant and usable in their daily lives.
In the summer of 2023, spoken word artists Cat Abenstein and Peace Akintade-Oluwagbeye presented workshops to newcomer and refugee youths. In its second year, Own the Stage aims to make spoken word more accessible, both as an art form and an essential means of communication for Saskatchewan youth.
In December 2022, Common Weal forged new partnerships in Saskatoon with St. Paul’s Hospital, Prairie Harm Reduction (PHR), and Saskatoon Community Youth Arts Programming (SCYAP) to develop and launch a casual, bi-weekly art program taking place in the Prairie Harm Reduction drop-in centre in Saskatoon.
In 2023, Common Weal continues to partner in a municipal undertaking by the City of Prince Albert in the creation of a comprehensive Artist in Communities Mentorship Program. The program was developed to meet the need for more community-engaged art programming, as reflected in research and consultation by local curator Jesse Campbell.
In the spring and summer of 2023, workshops developed and facilitated by Holly Rae Yuzicapi were shared with communities across southern Saskatchewan. Through the traditional art-making processes shared by Holly, a space of personal reflection was offered through the creative process and visual representation.
In 2022 and 2023, ten artistic workshops were offered at the Nakoda Oyade Education Centre in Cega'kin and Indian Head High School. Through creative activities, traditional games, language learning, and food sharing, students built intercommunity relationships that placed identity and respect at the core.
In the summer of 2023, the captivating Theatre in the Park graced Regina and Indian Head, leaving an enduring impact on communities. The proud partnership between Common Weal and SUM Theatre added depth to the experience, creating a unique blend of art and community engagement.
In 2023, we brought interdisciplinary artist Cheryl L’Hirondelle’s Why the Caged Bird Sings—Immersive Engagements exhibition to the Dunlop Art Gallery, Regina. The exhibition incorporates images and sounds of Indigenous territories and current realities of incarceration conveyed through technologies familiar to contemporary viewers.