Recent Articles...
Sunday, May 15, 2022
On a cold evening in mid-February on the streets of Regina, a memory of Persian gardens came flooding back to me as I was walking on snow and trying to stay upright to avoid slipping or falling. Surrounded by the silence of snowfall, I heard the sound of water running down the pond and splashing out of the fountain. For a moment, I was transported back to the Shazdeh Garden in the heart of Lute desert near my father’s land, feeling the warm breeze of summer on my face. This was my ... Read more »
Tuesday, March 15, 2022
Investing in the Arts: Process over ProductionWritten by Carla HarrisOver the last 10 years, I have noticed real progress being made to diversify the artists who receive funding in Saskatchewan. However, new artists need more than just an individual grant. I believe that the only way that we’ll begin to successfully broaden creative voices from non-dominant cultures will be to place more priority on supporting different organizations where these new voices feel welcome to collaborate, lear... Read more »
Saturday, January 15, 2022
Circling Back by Em IronstarAlmost five years exactly before I started as Executive Director at the Saskatchewan Arts Alliance (SAA), in 2016, I wrote an op-ed for the SAA about the importance of scalable, responsive funding for emerging arts organizations. When I circled back to it five years later, I almost read it through my fingers, anticipating something sort of cringe-worthy that didn't resonate with me anymore. What I discovered couldn't be any further from the truth.Sadly, or may... Read more »
Monday, November 1, 2021
Integration: Credit Union Spark CentreRegan Lanning, Curator for the City of Weyburn writes about their innovative Spark Centre where they believe believe that by integrating the two we are doubling our reach, creating opportunities for personal exploration, and designing a future of cooperation where both Art and Sport can shine together. Read her Op-ed here.... Read more »
Tuesday, June 1, 2021
Personal Essay on being a Disabled Artist by John LoeppkyWorking as an emerging disabled artist in Saskatchewan gave me a nervous breakdown. I have cerebral palsy (CP), but it is safe to say I have never been in the business of collecting as many diagnoses as I can.TW: Suicidal thoughts, anxiety, depression. Read the full article here.... Read more »
Thursday, March 25, 2021
The Psychology of Creativity: How the Arts Benefit Mental Health
Read Graham Wall's Op-ed as he explores three benefits that artistic activity has for mental health: concentration, self-expression, and socialization.Read the full article here.Graham Wall is a musician, writer, and editor based in Saskatoon. His electronic music project, Silent Music, has been active since 2008. Graham has contributed prose and poetry to Toast Lifestyle Magazine, Indie Vision Music, and in medias res. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology (minor in Philosophy) from... Read more »
Friday, January 15, 2021
4 Simple Lessons Artists Can Learn from Software Engineering by Josh Gonzales
The principles outlined in this article can be adopted to fit whatever needs you have. These aren’t all the lessons you can learn from software engineering, but they are a good starting point. What matters is that you figure out ways for you and your art to continue to thrive, even if we are living in the darkest timeline.To read the full article, click here.Josh Gonzales is the Research Director for Trifecta Sound Co. He holds a Master’s in Experimental and Applied Psychology from t... Read more »
Sunday, November 1, 2020
If we are reimagining this world, we can not only reach our readers where they are, but we can reimagine a system where we can offer not just financial support, but mental health support, and where we can afford to pay writers and staff a fair and living wage – allowing these agencies to fund publishers who have the capacity to publish the best Canadian writers of our time.Read the full story here! ... Read more »
Friday, May 15, 2020
Participation in theatre has allowed me to see that my body is capable, that my mind is able to quiet itself, and that people believe in me. We aren’t people just going on stage and saying, “Look at me, I’m disabled!” We are sending a message.Read the full Op-ed here.... Read more »
Wednesday, February 19, 2020
Some Thoughts on Reconciliation and Canada 150 by Michel Boutin
I’d like you to look at your feet. What are they touching? Is it earth, maybe wood? Most likely it is some form of laminate, polyester carpeting or concrete. How far do you actually have to go to touch the ground?For Indigenous people land is not seen in the abstract as a commodity for ownership, but as place. Place is occupied. Place is sovereign. Everything is interconnected. Everything. We are all connected to all our relations.There are 70 First Nations in Saskatchewan consisting of fi... Read more »