Northern Manitoba Arts and Cultural Sector Strategy

(updated June 3, 2025)

Strategic Moves has been collaborating with several Manitoba arts and arts service organizations since 2011. With COVID that engagement accelerated significantly. In 2021, we developed a strategic Digital Action Plan with the Manitoba Arts Network and delivered an initiative to better understand how to Power Up the Arts in Manitoba.

Resulting from this province-wide work, Strategic Moves has been working with ImagiNorthern (spearheaded by the Flin Flon Arts Council), Creative Manitoba and the University College of the North, along with the Manitoba Arts Network on strengthening the arts in Northern Manitoba through a number of initiatives:

During 2022, we undertook a baseline study of the Arts Sector in Northern Manitoba. In March 2023, Inga Petri was invited to co-facilitate the first Northern Arts Workshop, which featured a keynote by Jesse Wente, chair of the Canada Council for the Arts, and a highly engaging and engaged 3-day-long intensive conversation about pathways forward among participants. In the fall of 2023, Inga Petri presented a series of four workshops at the Manitoba Arts Network’s Manitoba Showcase. This was followed by serving on the Organizing Committee for the Second Annual Northern Arts and Food Workshop that took place in The Pas, MB, in March 2024, organized by UCN, in collaboration with Creative Manitoba and Food and Beverage Manitoba, and a local host committee. In 2025, the third Northern Arts and Food Workshop took place in Thompson, MB, with Inga Petri again serving on the organizing committee, and helped to engage The Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean as keynote speaker.

The following documents are foundational to the ambitions for the arts and cultural sectors in Northern Manitoba.