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 fourth session – Mashkodewashk (Sage) – Resilience and Renewal, is a look at the materials you will submit to support your grant application, the criteria the funders look for, and a final read through of your project to make sure everything you want and need to say is included. 

Sage, or mashkodewashk, is a medicine used for cleansing and purification. It helps remove negative energy, thoughts, and emotions, and brings renewal and balance to the spirit. In Anishinaabe teachings, sage sits in the western doorway. The west is where the sun sets and is connected to the autumn season. Sage helps people cleanse with goodness and release what is no longer needed, purifying the mind, body, and spirit. Bundling sage is both a physical and spiritual act. It involves giving thanks to the plant, leaving some behind to regrow, and recognizing the humility that comes with receiving gifts from the land. There are many types of sage, and each community or region may have its own preferred variety. Sage is a medicine of resilience and renewal that teaches people to approach life and ceremony with a clean heart and mind.

Each of our four workshops will be led by an established Indigenous Artist or Relational Maker.

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

We ask that you bring:

1. A laptop, a tablet, something for you to take notes on

2. Samples of your work for supporting material

3. Any relevant information that might be useful for the finishing touches on your application

Once the bulk of your application is complete, you will need to submit supporting material as evidence that prove your artistic skill samples of current work that are either relevant to your grant application or help give context for your grant application. They can include digital images, video clips, audio tracks, writing samples, scripts, or music scores of past or current work. Supporting documents can include reviews from past shows, letters of support, project contracts, resumes from collaborators. It’s important to submit quality over quantity. We’ll look at the formats for each type of supporting material from differing funding bodies and help you choose relevant material. We’ll also discuss how the jury of peers for funding bodies work, what they are looking for, and what to do if you don’t receive a grant.

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.

The workshops will be held IN PERSON at Creative Manitoba. Creative Manitoba is located on the 2^nd 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