Building Your Artist Bundle: Session 1 – Asemaa
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Presented by
Liz Barron is a Métis curator, arts administrator and sector advocate based in Winnipeg. She is Director of the Indigenous Curatorial Collective / Collectif des commissaires autochtones (ICCA), where she leads national advocacy, organizational development and partnerships supporting Indigenous artists and curators. Her work encompasses mentorship, equitable compensation, international exchange and institutional accountability.
Barron is a co-founder of Urban Shaman, a contemporary Indigenous artist-run centre in Winnipeg that continues to provide space for Indigenous artistic expression and critical dialogue. She also co-founded Harbour Collective.
Her relationship with Plug In Institute of Contemporary Art spans 30 years, across its locations on Albert Street, McDermot Avenue and Portage Avenue. She held various roles during that time, including Program Manager for Close Encounters: The Next 500 Years. Barron also spent a year as a Program Officer with the Canada Council for the Arts’ Creating, Knowing and Sharing program during its first transition to the online portal. Her arts administration experience includes roles with the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra, Groundswell and MusikBarock.
Barron served as a board member of Manitoba Opera and on its Métis Advisory Committee. She has also served as Co-Chair of Mentoring Artists for Women’s Art (MAWA) and Chair of SCALE, which advances environmental responsibility within Canada’s arts sector.
Her curatorial interests include Métis perspectives, memory, grief, celebration and relationships across generations. She recently wrote her first play through the Pimootayowin program at the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre. Through her curatorial practice, writing and leadership, Barron works to strengthen Indigenous cultural authority and expand opportunities for future arts leaders.
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 a series of four workshops to help Indigenous Artists prepare a fully realized grant application in time for the spring 2027 funding deadlines. Our goal is to walk you through each step of the grant application process to help you increase your chances of securing funding for your project.
This workshop will be held IN PERSON.
Our first session – Asemaa (Tobacco) will introduce you to funding opportunities and discovering where you can ask for support for your artistic vision.
Tobacco, or asemaa, is known as the first medicine that the Creator gave to the Anishinaabe people. It is used for smudging and offered as a gesture of reverence in almost every aspect of life. This sacred herb is a conduit for communicating with the spirit world, a medium through which thoughts and feelings are conveyed. When tobacco is offered, prayers are shared not only for oneself but also for family, relatives, and the collective community. In most Anishinaabe teachings, tobacco sits in the eastern doorway, which signifies new beginnings, as the sun rises in the east. Asemaa is a medicine of gratitude, humility, and offered as a gift of respect when seeking guidance, teachings, or requests for help.
Each of our four workshops will be led by an established Indigenous Artist or Relational Maker.
Session 1 Asemaa Topics Covered:
- Researching Available Grants
- Exploring grant guidelines
- Preparing your Artist CV
- Creating an Artist profile on funders’ profiles.
We ask that you bring:
- A laptop, a tablet, something for you to take notes on.
- A version of your artist resume – it can just be in note formation
- An idea for an artistic project you want funding for
For those new to the granting world, we will guide you through the maze of funding opportunities to help you find which grant is right for your project. We will help you prepare your artist CV to highlight your skills and experience. We will help you create an artist profile on the funders’ websites/portals so that you will be able to apply for a grant. For those who are a bit more familiar, we hope to expand your knowledge and help you create a more defined vision for your project.
Light refreshments will be offered.
MAXIMUM 20 participants.
Urban Art Biz is a series of workshops focused on the business side of art from an Indigenous perspective. Urban Art Biz was developed by Creative Manitoba’s Indigenous Programs and is presented in partnership with Urban Shaman Contemporary Indigenous Art Gallery.
For information on all sessions in Urban Art Biz – Building Your Artist Bundle series, click here.
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.
Questions? Please email indigenous@creativemanitoba.ca
See our cancellation policy.
