The Canada Council for the Arts wants northerners to know SA国际影视传媒� if you have art that needs financial support, they will provide it.

Members of the council met with local artists at the Inuvik Community Greenhouse on June 24 to promote the national grant body and its opportunities.

SA国际影视传媒淎nyone applying from anywhere in this country will have the same chance to get the grant,SA国际影视传媒� said CEO Simon Brault. SA国际影视传媒淥ur staff knows that anytime we get an application from an under-served region or community, we need to pay attention to it 10 times more. We want to make sure that the success rate will be what it should be.

SA国际影视传媒淪o I think the message weSA国际影视传媒檙e making is you have to apply.SA国际影视传媒�

Brault added that the CCA must evolve from an ivory tower to a beacon. He said changes are coming to make the application process less awkward. One of those changes includes doing away with the unpopular profiles of the applicant portal.

But he also noted the Northwest Territories has among the lowest number of applicants for grant funding from across Canada. This statement reflects recently published numbers which show only $466,100 awarded to NWT arts organizations and artists, compared to $2.1 million granted to the same in Nunavut and $2.3 million granted in Yukon. But in both cases, the bulk of the funding SA国际影视传媒� $1.8 million in the Yukon and $1.5 million in Nunavut SA国际影视传媒� went to arts organizations.

Meanwhile, arts organizations in the NWT only received $266,600. Brault says thatSA国际影视传媒檚 because most arts organizations didnSA国际影视传媒檛 apply for any funding.

SA国际影视传媒淭he issue is the number of applications,SA国际影视传媒� he said. SA国际影视传媒淚f you apply to the Canada Council, you will have the same chance of getting granted as in Montreal. We can fix that, but what we cannot do is generate the application.

SA国际影视传媒淪o itSA国际影视传媒檚 for you to knock on our door.SA国际影视传媒�

A form of reconciliation

Support from national bodies is important, noted artist Denise MacDonald, who called the mental health benefits of supporting Indigenous artists a form of reconciliation.

SA国际影视传媒淔or me, it is my therapy,SA国际影视传媒� she said. SA国际影视传媒淚t not only validates who I am as a GwichSA国际影视传媒檌n woman but it also is my peace. ItSA国际影视传媒檚 my passion. ItSA国际影视传媒檚 really my joy in life.SA国际影视传媒�

MacDonald added many artists are hindered by the high cost of materials, both in shipping them in and refining locally harvested items for use.

Many of the artists who came out noted they need to send their furs out of the country to treat them, as the Canadian fur industry is non-existent outside of the north. Some spoke up for others, pointing out that a lot of northern artists are Elders and hunters often disconnected from things southerners take for granted, like internet access, which is needed to apply for many grants.

In the same vein, more marketing to show artists what programs are available and to showcase the work being done would benefit creators in the area, said Brian Kowikchuk.

SA国际影视传媒淩ight now we are basically depending on the tourist stream that comes up when the sunSA国际影视传媒檚 here for 24 hours and weSA国际影视传媒檙e here for the other 80 percent of the year,SA国际影视传媒� he said, adding the arts community needed a dedicated space to help artists focus their creativity. SA国际影视传媒淐reate a good space for our people and make it more encouraging for people to want to produce things.

Wellness worker, Inuvik Drummer and Dancer Billie Lennie shared more on the difficulties of getting material to make clothing, notably moose hide which requires a specific knowledge to tan properly.

If the support is there, artists are willing to accept it. Lennie added there was more than enough interest in the region to learn traditional arts and crafts.

SA国际影视传媒淲e recently held a sewing class and I said the limit will be 10 people to show up to do moccasins,SA国际影视传媒� she said. SA国际影视传媒淲ithin half an hour we had 30 people signed up and I was like how do you choose? So we said forget it, weSA国际影视传媒檒l just do the whole works.

SA国际影视传媒淪o we have 30 different people and theySA国际影视传媒檙e just people you would have never thought of but theySA国际影视传媒檙e all so interested. That just shows the importance of it.SA国际影视传媒�