View from The Pas
For the last 10 years, the Town of The Pas has joined millions of people across the country in celebrating Culture Days. At the end of each September, thousands of free participatory arts and culture events both in-person and online are taking place nationally. These events invite the public to get hands-on and behind-the-scenes to highlight the importance of arts and culture. These events connect community members in smaller rural communities and allow us a deep sense of belonging to the arts community on the national scale.
For 15 years this celebration has been taking place and each year it gains more traction and allows us to expand the offering of what is being showcased locally in The Pas. To create such festivities the town relies on the backing of The Pas Arts Council and the work of many volunteers who work tirelessly to create new concepts for the local public. Some of our most beloved events include a community concert with local talent, including our Red River Metis Fiddlers; an Art Walk showcasing a collection of 30 works of art from 20 artists, all blown up to a large scale and hung in the windows of our local business; the Food of The World event showcases local cuisine from our region, as well as numerous other countries for which we have local representation.
Culture Days is an opportunity to showcase art, but also a way in which our community comes together to unite under this celebration. Businesses and other organizations work hand in hand to make these events free and accessible to the public.
I spoke with Jean Giguere, a member of the original steering committee, who was there in Banff when the Culture Days concept came to life. “The Canadian Arts Summit is where this idea came from,” Jean tells me. “We were all in Banff and we were planning programs that would be beneficial for the organization, but we wanted a concept that would showcase the grass roots efforts. Culture Days was inspired by the success of Québec’s Journées de la culture weekend. It was very important to us from the beginning that this was a project that was equally for the French and English communities. To achieve this I worked closely with Sylvian Lanthier, who was my co chair.”
Since its inception Culture Days has generated enthusiastic interest, participation, and support from a growing network of artists, organizations, municipalities, media, and both the private and public sector across Canada.
“The project jumpstarted out of Winnipeg and out of the North and that set the tone for the company. It grew so quickly that we needed to find a project manager,” said Jean. “The first year, Winnipeg was in the top of its category and Flin Flon was the top in its category nationally. People were looking to us for how to make this a success. Gail Asper and the Asper foundation became the very first foundation to come on board. Manitoba led the charge in developing this project and established the gold standard.”
Cheryl Antonio, who is The Pas and Region Champion for Imaginorthern (www.imaginorthern.ca) tells me about how she became involved in the celebrations in The Pas 10 years ago. “I heard about Culture Days through my membership and volunteer work with The Pas Arts Council. The first year I participated in Culture Days, I helped with the Arts Council’s Family Fun event. It was very well attended and was a joy to be part of. At that time, we offered a variety of crafts to make as well as some live entertainment and refreshments.”
During the first year of Culture Days in The Pas, there were only two local events. “Living remotely, in a rural community, sometimes has its challenges, especially in the food and arts sector. Having an opportunity to shine and to share within our own Tri-Area [The Pas, OCN and The RM of Kelsey] is special, but to be part of a nation-wide event is exciting! For our artists and foodies it’s an amazing opportunity to get their work out there. For us, it’s a great way to get The Pas on the map and to be noticed in a way we don’t often get credit for, as an arts and foods community!”
Cheryl is proud of the growth of the project, which now boasts upwards of 40 events. “Celebrating food and arts through culture is the most incredible and positive way to bring people together. The world will become more sustainable as we move forward with even the smallest ofcommunity events. I am very honored to be a team member for The Pas Arts Council and am so proud of all the fantastic steps the Culture Days committee has taken over the years towards providing these community oriented events,” she shares.
We are excited to be kicking off our Culture Days celebration in The Pas on September 27th with the Sam Waller Museum. Starting at 7 PM there will be a Ghost Story Walk led by the museum’s curator along the historic La Rose Avenue downtown, which will end at the museum where a spooky film will be played. This year Culture Days is celebrated nationally from September 20th until October 13th. In The Pas we will celebrate from September 27th until October 6th.
For those who wish to join us in The Pas for Culture Days or forthose who wish to check out local events planned near you, go to CultureDays.ca where you can find a comprehensive guide to all the events taking place.
