Providing insight into the professional world and work of Indigenous artists and galleries.
Urban Art Biz is a series of online workshops focusing on the business side of art from an Indigenous perspective. Created by Creative Manitoba Indigenous Programs and presented in partnership with Urban Shaman Contemporary Aboriginal Art Gallery.
This year’s Urban Art Biz series is focused on Building Your Artist Bundle, with workshops geared towards helping Indigenous artists define who they are and write compelling grant proposals. Find out more below!
Building Your Artist Bundle - A four-part series of workshops supporting Indigenous artists throughout the grant-writing process.
Applying for grants to fund your creative projects is a crucial step in your artist’s journey. With the guidance of established Indigenous Artists, we will walk you through each part of the grant application to help you define who you are as an artist and write a compelling proposal.
Each of our four workshops will be led by an established Indigenous Artist or Relational Maker. The workshops are centered around the four sacred medicines; teachings will be shared, and we will build your project applications from the ground up. Our goal is to help you prepare a fully realized grant application in time for the spring 2027 funding deadlines.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2026
1 – 3:30 PM
Asemaa (Tobacco) – Asking for Support with Liz Barron
- Researching available grants
- Exploring grant guidelines
- Preparing your Artist CV
- Creating an artist profile on funders’ profiles.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 23, 2027
1 – 3:30 PM
Wiinggashk (Sweetgrass) – Thoughts and Words
- Project Description – Who are you?
- What do you want to create?
- When and where will this happen?
- Who is involved in the project?
- How will you create this project?
- Why is this project relevant?
- What artistic impact will this project have for you?
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2027
1 – 3:30 PM
Giizhik (Cedar) – Respect and Honour
- Project Timeline – Steps involved in the project, dates, dissemination
- Budgeting – Materials, equipment, travel, living expenses, crew, Elder fees, etc.
- Community Accountability – What impact will this project have within the community?
SATURDAY, MARCH 13, 2027
1 – 3:30 PM
Mashkodewashk (Sage) – Resilience and Renewal
- Supporting Material – Maximum amount of samples, formats, labelling, uploading.
- Final once-over – Checking word counts, spelling, grammar
- Evaluation Criteria – Artistic merit, relevance, feasibility
Each Workshop must be registered for individually.
Please contact indigenous@creativemanitoba.ca with any questions.
The workshops will be held IN PERSON at Creative Manitoba. Creative Manitoba is located on the 2nd floor of the new Market Lands Building – Unit C, 148 King St., between City Hall and Red River College. Entry is on the south side of the building facing William Ave. An entry code will be sent to you upon registration.
Register now for Building Your Artist Bundle sessions
We want to help you build your artist bundle and encourage each participant to register for all four parts of the series, but you are also welcome to register for just the one or two workshops that will serve you best.
These workshops are FREE for Indigenous artists! Each workshop will accept a maximum of 20 participants and is first-come, first-served.
Register for each workshop below:
Session 1 – Nov 28th – Asemaa – Asking for Support – OPEN
Session 2 – Jan 23rd – Winggashk- Thoughts and Words – Registration opens Dec 1st
Session 3 – Feb 27th – Giizhik – Respect and Honour – Registration opens Jan 1
Session 4 – Mar 13th – Mashkodewashk – Resilience and Renewal – Registration opens Feb 28
Light refreshments will be served.
Presented in partnership with
Urban Shaman Gallery is an Indigenous artist-run centre dedicated to meeting the needs of artists by providing a vehicle for artistic expression in all disciplines, presenting contemporary Indigenous art with integrity while taking a leadership role in the cultivation of Indigenous art. Urban Shaman Gallery is a nationally recognized leader in Indigenous arts programming and one of the foremost venues and voices for Indigenous art in Canada. Our focus on developing new programming and new ways of presenting it has resulted in increased exposure and the expansion of our activities. Urban Shaman is dedicated to the Indigenous arts community and the arts community at large.
Urban Art Biz
Building Your Artist Bundle is completely FREE for Indigenous Artists!
More about Urban Art Biz...
Creating art in any discipline takes passion, perseverance, the humility to share your truth, a belief in your voice, and a willingness to embrace and honour your artistic gifts.
From traditional work to contemporary art forms, Indigenous art speaks from the heart, carrying on the legacy of storytelling, drawing on ancestral connections, often critiquing current social conditions that are the consequence of colonial histories of repression, and celebrating resilience in community. The expression and acknowledgment of Indigenous culture through art allows us to share our worldviews and redefine our cultural identity.
For those who are fully embracing their artistic visions and talents, there is an additional element to navigate on their journey towards becoming a successful artist. That is the business of art. What do you need to know, how do your manage your career, what are your next steps, where do you get the funds. Urban Art Biz will take you through some of the most important aspects of being an artist with a selection of esteemed art creators, innovators, and guest panelists. Together we will share discoveries made, lessons learned, how to access funding, navigate protocols, effectively organize your career all the while you are trying to create a new body of work.
Presented in partnership with
Urban Shaman Gallery is an Aboriginal artist-run centre dedicated to meeting the needs of artists by providing a vehicle for artistic expression in all disciplines, presenting contemporary Indigenous Aboriginal art with integrity while taking a leadership role in the cultivation of Indigenous art. Urban Shaman Contemporary Aboriginal Art is a nationally recognized leader in Aboriginal arts programming and one of the foremost venues and voices for Aboriginal art in Canada. Our focus on developing new programming and new ways of presenting it has resulted in increased exposure and the expansion of our activities. Urban Shaman is dedicated to the Aboriginal arts community and the arts community at large.
Previous Urban Art Biz Talks
Urban Art Biz operates as a seasonal series of noon hour talks, available to participate in online. Check out what we’ve done in previous years:
Season One: 2021 - 2022
- From Grad School to Gallery with Casey Koyczan
- Creating a Virtual online gallery with Robert Snowbird.
- The Business of Being a Artist with Lori Blondeau
- Artist Residencies with Scott Benesiinaabandan
- Indigenous Galleries with Jacques St. Goddard, Daina Warren, and Jocelyn Piirainen
- Public Art with Val Vint, Chloe Chafe and Tamara Rae Biebrich.
- Grant Writing with Manitoba Arts Council, Winnipeg Arts Council, Canada Council for the Arts
- Honouring your Creative Self with Buffy Sainte Marie
Season Two: 2022 - 2023
- The Art of Curating – with Dr. Darlene Coward Wight, Jenny Western and Jennifer Lee Smith
- The Art of the Art Show – with KC Adams and JD Hawk
- The Circle of Connectedness – with Jaime Black, Erica Marie Daniels, Kristen Snowbird
- The Art of the Graphic Novel – with Alice RL, Richard Van Camp, katherena vermette
- The Art of Grant Writing
Season Three: 2023 - 2024
- A Conversation with Casey Koyczan
- CARFAC & Indigenous Protocols for Visual Art
- A Conversation with Cheryl L’Hirondelle
- The Indigenous 360 Grant with Tracy Longbottom
- The Art of Beading with David Heinrichs, Shauna Fontaine, Jessie Pruden, and Andrea Reichert
