Expanding performance venues

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Category: Arts

Created on Thursday, 26 January 2012 23:14

The Culturual Exchange and Saskatchewan Arts Board are working to help venues in rural communities present Saskatchewan performers. Photo by Brigid McNutt.

By Brigid McNutt

The Cultural Exchange is taking musicians on the road as part of its pilot project Presenters Network. The goal is to expand the network of performance venues throughout the province.  By working with rural communities to develop new venues, the project seeks to inspire more frequent cultural events in rural communities, and help Saskatchewan artists to share their music. 

“It serves as an opportunity for the program to show Saskatchewan how much talent lives within their own province they may not be familiar with, and also allow those artists the opportunity to build new audiences,” said Mike Dawson, program officer for the Presenters Network. 

Dawson believes this is a niche that has yet to be filled—the network of Saskatchewan musicians is much more developed than the network of venues outside of city centres.

Raised in Estevan, Dawson remembers independent concerts held in the back of arcades, art galleries, and basements.

 “It stuck with me—the mentality that music can happen anywhere.  It’s about the experience, it’s not necessarily about the venue,” he said.

The first concerts took place in Estevan and Gravelbourg.  Both featured musicians Andy Shauf and Julia MacDougal, both originally from Estevan.  Cultural Exchange staff worked with each community to create momentum for the shows, suggest the artists, and assist with equipment.

The first show was hosted at the Estevan Art Gallery and Museum Dec. 9.   Over 60 people were present to fill the seats set up in the gallery, and enjoy the music, food, and drinks.  The show brought out all ages—highschool students and grandparents alike.  Amber Anderson, director of the gallery, said the show was relaxed and affordable, contributing to its success.  

 “It’s exciting because we’re creating something that we want to go to, “ said Anderson, adding that it fills a lack in the community.

She said she believes the project will help generate a cultural interest in rural Saskatchewan and help to build relationships between communities.

 “Where it’s been nice to partner up with (the Presenters Network) is their knowledge of the music scene.  And I think their commitment and their passion for it too—because it’s nice to work with someone who’s saying ‘lets do something with the rural and the remote,’ because there are exciting things happening here.”

Sponsored by the Saskatchewan Art Board’s Culture on the Go initiative, the next shows will take place mid-February in the same towns, this time featuring Whiskey Manner and Carl Johnson. In April the project will expand to other communities, in the hopes of eventually spanning across the province.

A short documentary is in the works to record the process and highlight the effect on communities.

 Dawson said that though its a heavy workload, the project has already been highly rewarding.

 “So far the success of the concerts I think has proved that we’re on the right path to build something really positive in the province,” he said.

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