PROGRAMMING

We invite you to learn more about Common Weal’s recent and ongoing programming.

Own the Stage: The Expansion

Occurred in July 2024, Own the Stage: The Expansion is the third iteration of our Own the Stage summer poetry workshop program in Regina, which offers Saskatchewan youth the tools to share their stories and voices through the art of spoken word.

Buffalo Futurism

Launched in June 2024, Buffalo Futurism is a geolocated Augmented Reality(AR) experience in māmowimīwēyitamōwin Park (formerly Regent Pool Park) in Regina, Saskatchewan. The app transports viewers to an Indigenous futuristic park where Tatanga (Buffalo) has returned to the land and roam freely.

From the Margins to the Centre

Began filming in May 2024, From the Margins to the Centre is a filmic documentation of racial discrimination against Black people in Saskatchewan. The project seeks true change—justice, equity, and diversity, and eventually, positively influence public policy to support marginalized communities within our province.

Creative Drop-In Spaces

The Creative Drop-In Spaces program is a casual, drop-in art program taking place outside the Prairie Harm Reduction Drop-In Centre and Safe Consumption Site in Saskatoon. The program consists of diverse workshops that explore the potential of art as a harm reduction tool for health and healing. 

Herb Bassett Project

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.

Northern Languages Program

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.

Prince Albert Artists in Communities Mentorship Program

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.

Why the Caged Bird Sings—Immersive Engagements (Dunlop)

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.