This article appeared in the Oct. 3 issue of the Interlake Enterprise
…By Teresa Carey
Culture Days, now in its third year, was celebrated this past weekend all across Canada. Manitoba locations and events were listed on the Manitoba Culture Days website. The event was designed to inspire greater participation in arts and culture by featuring free, hands-on, interactive activities for the public. An amazing diversity of activities were available to anyone willing to get out and about.
This was an opportunity for great fun, exploration, and learning. It was open to every community across the country. Individual artists, cultural groups, organizations, municipalities had to sign their events up on the website. The public could go on on-line to search locations or browse all-encompassing categories: architecture, comedy, culinary arts, dance, design, film or video, heritage, literature and spoken word, multi/interdisciplinary. music, new/digital media, theatre, visual arts.
For some communities, the concept has really taken off. Winnipeg was set abuzz with Culture
Days activities Flin Flon also embraced the weekend, heart and soul, with dozens of events going on throughout the three days. It was truly an inspiration to see such a small centre embrace its arts and culture in this way, and celebrate it for all the world to see.
But where was the Interlake in all this? It is rather an embarrassment to say that there were only seven listings for the entire region, four of these were in Winnipeg Beach, two in Teulon and one in Lundar.
As I was searching for Culture Days events in the Interlake, I couldn’t help but think back to all the times I’ve heard people in our towns and municipalities complaining about how hard it is to get people to visit. Yet, here was this magic marketing machine, Culture Days. It was splashed across all news media and was strong on Twitter. It was on so many people’s minds. Yet nearly everyone in the Interlake was oblivious to it. I don’t know why they were oblivious, but I am sure it is not a case of a lack of arts and culture.
Is it that we in the Interlake do not care about partaking of our arts and culture? Is the problem that we think locally, rather than regionally? Are we all just too busy or disengaged to take notice? Whatever the reason, two facts are evident: we missed a big opportunity for self-promotion and, as a larger community, we are not engaged enough in the celebration of our strengths and diversity.
Undeterred, I decided to get out to Winnipeg Beach and Teulon to participate in Culture Days anyway. Helma Rogge Redhers was hosting a poetry writing workshop when I stopped by Winnipeg Beach on Saturday. As a lover of words, the idea of randomly picking words from Debra Dusome’s word box to compose an impromptu poem in a half hour sounded like fun. But I was in a hurry to stop by an artist’s studio before moving on to Teulon’s museum open house. I had only so much time.
Despite the rush, I am so glad I made time to do the rounds. What an amazing place Teulon’s museum is. Bonus: I discovered that the old sign from Crabby Steve’s, a cultural relic in its own right, has found a home there.
I look forward to next year’s Culture Days and hope more Interlake people will come together to make it happen. A planning meeting has already been scheduled for Nov. 12 at 11:00 a.m. at Gimli’s New Iceland Heritage Museum theatre. There, Manitoba Culture Days organizers will meet with any and all arts and cultural organizations, independent artists or Interlake planners. Everyone is welcome to attend.
As I have said, I would dearly have loved to have lingered at the poetry workshop to craft poems from randomly chosen words. The idea stayed with me into Sunday. When I received Helma’s photograph by email, I pondered the placement of words in the photo. In the allotted half hour I came up with my own arrangement.
Thank you fellow creative people for the inspiration:
“sentinel presence
watching stars mourns
taps scale
gender politics vapour moods
the red blades dangling capture women
thorns howls
embraces protection fast reveals kisses
happiness moments
upwards spirit essence
remembrances
escaping
out”
