Canadian Roots Exchange awards Kamloops Indigenous grassroots art collective with project funding for 2022.
Press release: Jan 18th, 2022
Photo: Canadian Roots Exchange, Facebook
KAMLOOPS, BC - The newly launched Indigenous grassroots collective, Indigenous Resurgence Project starts 2022 off running after being awarded the Art-Stream Grant from the not-for-profit youth organization, Canadian Roots Exchange (CRE).
Starting in February, the Indigenous Resurgence Project will be fully operational and working towards achieving its goals of creating ties between Indigenous communities through arts and culture initiatives, workshops, and opportunities. The collective is currently opening relationships up with several local organizations in the hopes to create bridges to reach Indigenous youth across Kamloops.
This funding will be used to provide workshops and networking events to help support local Indigenous youth, artists, and small businesses. The goal is to provide monthly workshops that will allow participants to explore artistic avenues and disciplines, provide mentoring opportunities for youth towards their artistic pathways, and also educate artists on how to expand their reach of their craft or service.
The Project Director for the Indigenous Resurgence Project, Shay Paul, was motivated to pursue funding and provide opportunities after her own experiences as an artist living in Kamloops left her feeling disconnected and inexperienced. In the Creating Community video series, several other Indigenous artists express similar feelings of disconnect and share challenges they faced trying to pursue their dreams and careers.
It is the goal of the Indigenous Resurgence Project to create a more concrete and strong Indigenous arts community by supporting and assisting the countless talented artists and entrepreneurs in the Kamloops area. The Art-Stream grant awarded by CRE is the first step towards building that community, and allows the project to begin flourishing on solid foundation.