Churchill, land of dreams for artists

Imagine North 

As we enjoy these last few days of fall, some of us are making final plans to head south for the winter months, some of us are bracing for cold days and nights huddled indoors trying to decide whether to hibernate in front of our TV screens or to dash into a mall, concert hall or theatre, while a third group is actively getting ready for a fabulously frenetic winter filled with activity. Over the next few months I will introduce you to six northern Community Champions that are participating in the imagiNorthern project and moving mountains to celebrate and promote the cultural scene in their communities…in -40 C.

Even if you have never traveled north I’m sure that you have heard about Churchill, Manitoba with its stark landscape and polar bear and beluga whales tours. In your mind’s eye you can picture a Tundra Buggy parked on the cold white tundra with tourists photographing polar bears high up and safely behind glassed windows. But you need to know there is so much more.

Enter Roy Mexted! Roy grew up in Australia, where he met his wife in the rainforests in North Queensland. As a couple they continued their travels, looking for a ‘cool’ place to visit. Churchill looked exotic, and of course, being on the 58th parallel, it would definitely be cool. Roy is one of those effortlessly positive and endlessly energetic guys that we all know, the kind of guy that gets things done and enjoys doing it. I caught up with Roy by phone a few days ago as he was throwing his gear into the van to drive to the Tundra Pub (of course) to play a gig that night. Roy is a musician and videographer as well as a five-star community events planner with sidekick and imagiNorthern Champion Kyle Dingwall. Both are members of the imagiNorthern team as well as the Churchill Creative Collective. If you want something lovely to watch, check out Churchill Entertainment with a hot cup of cocoa and see what more is offered through this lovely organization. https://youtu.be/0tKmdWbN6X0?si=gfi5JE6Cg1VxZ1CY

As Roy activated his vehicle’s Bluetooth, we chatted about all the amazing things he, Kyle and no doubt a slew of volunteers are preparing for over the next few months. Bear season is upon them and that means tourists! The Churchill Creative Collective has sent a call out to artisans and artists to participate in the Bear Season Artisan Market.

This large craft sale takes place on October 29, November 5th and November 11th and is always immensely successful, bringing in between $20k to $30 thousand annually! The Churchill Creative Collective (CCC) has a mission to support and promote local Churchill artists and makers and they are actively seeking a space to call home. Every bit helps! The CCC recently learned that they were successful in their application to the Province of Manitoba’s ACSC (Arts Council and Sport Community) Fund in the amount of $25,000 for a feasibility study to develop a space dedicated specifically to showcase local talent. The imagiNorthern committee celebrates this!

Flin Flon has seen firsthand what happens when you give an artist a home. The Uptown Emporium grew from 11 vendors to over 100 vendors just one year later. Give an arts organization a home and it will feed the soul of a village. Churchill needs and deserves to have this in their town and we can’t wait for it to happen and we know the CCC will make it happen.

Aside from the Bear Season Market maybe you should plan to head north for the Freeze Up Event in November or WINTERRUPTION in early 2024, with none other than Winnipeg musicians Red Moon Road. (I’m hoping to take a trip north for that one!).

If you are interested in supporting northern makers please contact Crystal Kolt [email protected] or imagiNorthern Project Manager Krista Lemcke [email protected].

Next Article features imagiNorthern: Thompson, Manitoba.

Learn about the Motown singing, Mall of the Arts president Andria Stevens and the wonderful magic that she is helping to create in her neck of the woods, south of the tree-line, in terrific Thompson Manitoba.

Editor’s note: I am longing to go back to the north, to Flin Flon and The Pas and Churchill and Snow Lake, to Shamattawa and Cross Lake and Island Lakes . . . . Once bitten, forever infected with the energy, hope and creativity of the land and its people.