One of NorVA’s most important projects is nearing its day in the sun.
NorVA’s inclusion committee is now planning their biggest event to date, coordinating the upcoming REDress Project events in Flin Flon, including a visit from Jaime Black, the artist who created the project.
The visit will include a reception at NorVA on Feb. 13, the Women’s Memorial March on Feb. 14 starting at Pioneer Square at 5:15 and an artist talk and meet and greet with Black on Feb. 15.
Black is also slated to work with Flin Flon and Creighton students and speak with members of the Flin Flon School Division’s ongoing Circles of Reconciliation project.
With inclusion and intercultural understanding currently on the minds of many Canadians, the committee hopes to not only use the event to remind people of important issues in modern Canada, but to encourage participation throughout the community in arts and other programming.
Efforts for the committee began following a session on Indigenous perspectives, facilitated by Creative Manitoba. However, in the early days of the NorVA Centre, organizers agreed to follow three pillars for the centre – accessibility, growth and inclusion.
“Inclusion was the third pillar of our start here. The idea was to include all people who are interested in the arts. All people have ability. It’s just a matter of finding the right opportunity,” said artist Karen Clark.
The ultimate goal of the committee is to increase inclusivity and diversity, both within NorVA and in the community at large.
“I think for NorVA, it was really important to try and attract a broader group of people from Flin Flon, making sure people felt welcome here,” said Jan Modler, another committee member.
Clark finished that thought.
“And to do it in an inclusive way. We want to include community members in making decisions on how that’s going to look and how that’s going to happen,” she said.
Theresa Wride, a member of the committee, said that people may have artistic gifts or a personal message to share through art, but do not pursue it because it may seem unattainable.
“There are so many folks in our area that, if they had that extra person coming alongside them to help them identify and see value in their natural ability to create, could make things come to fruition,” she said, adding that creativity was an asset for her growing up.
“It was important for us. I had that taught to me growing up; to be creative, to be resourceful, to look out to our natural surroundings, the outdoors. There’s so much we can create. When I grew up, everything was practical. We had to make things we needed to use them.”
