Left to right: Lisa Haydey (3L), The Honourable Glen Simard (Minister of Sport, Culture, Heritage, and Tourism in Manitoba), and Kassandra Taverner (3L)
Legislature’s Arts & Culture Day a learning opportunity for UM arts legal clinic summer students
On May 30, 2024, law students from the Manitoba Legal Clinic for the Arts attended Arts & Culture Day at the Legislature, hosted by Manitobans for the Arts. This marked the first time in eight years that the event was held, bringing together lawmakers, artists, arts and culture organizations, and arts supporters. The law students had the unique opportunity to connect with many of the amazing individuals who contribute to Manitoba’s vibrant arts scene in the Golden Boy Room, where many beautiful pieces of Indigenous art are on display. Attendees shared exciting projects and organizations they are involved in, while the students shared about the Arts Clinic, which provides free legal advice to those in the arts and cultural sector who cannot afford a lawyer.
Manitobans for the Arts’ mission is “to create a unified voice for the arts through relationship building, public engagement and advocating for all creative industries in Manitoba.” The law students were already familiar with the impactful work Manitobans for the Arts does in bringing people together: last summer, the students participated in the Arts and Culture Ideas Summit, another event organized by Manitobans for the Arts in collaboration with Creative Manitoba.
Through discussions with artists and organizers from arts and cultural organizations, the law students also gained insight into some of the legal areas of highest concern to those in the arts and cultural sector. A recurring topic was artificial intelligence (AI) and its many implications for artists and the arts sector. Contracts and intellectual property were also identified as priority areas. The necessity for increased funding and the ability for artists to make a living were also recurring and significant topics in the discussions with many of the individuals the law students had the opportunity to meet.
The Honourable Glen Simard, Minister of Sport, Culture, Heritage, and Tourism in Manitoba, and MLA for Brandon East, emphasized the importance of the arts and the need for support and collaboration.
Left to right: Lisa Haydey, Brendan McKeen, Kassandra Taverner.
Brendan McKeen, Chair of Manitobans For The Arts spoke, also emphasizing the power of collaboration for Manitoba’s arts and culture sector. Brendan works at the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre serving as the Individual Giving Manager, and Brendan is the Executive Director of Manitoba Underground Opera, an indie opera company he founded in 2008. Manitoba Underground Opera’s exciting upcoming shows include Hansel & Gretel, running August 21-25, and The Tales of Hoffman, running September 18-29.
Left to right: Lisa Haydey, Rose-Anne Harder, Kassandra Taverner
Rose-Anne Harder, Executive Director of the Manitoba Arts Network and Director of Manitobans For The Arts,was also present at the event. Kassandra was familiar with Rose-Anne as they met at the Northern Arts and Food Workshop in the Pas, where the students were inspired by her as a powerful advocate for the arts in Manitoba, particularly for rural and northern Manitoban access to the arts.
Left to right: Lisa Haydey, Daria Salamon, Joan Thomas, Colleen Nelson, Kassandra Taverner
Novelists Joan Thomas, Daria Salamon, and Colleen Nelson were enthusiastic about the Arts Clinic, emphasizing the need for free legal services for artists. All three novelists are enriching the lives of Manitobans with their diverse literary works. Joan was previously awarded the Governor General’s Award for Fiction for Five Wives. Last year, she released Wild Hope, which won the Howard Engel Award for Best Crime Novel Set in Canada; it is also a CBC Book of the Year and Winnipeg Free Press Fiction of 2023. Daria and her husband Rob Krause most recently released, Don’t Try This At Home: One Family’s (mis)Adventures Around the World,about the family’s 12-month international travels. Daria has won awards and recognition for both her creative non-fiction and screenplays. Colleen’s children’s book, Harvey Comes Home, has garnered many accolades, including the SYRCA Willow (Saskatchewan) and the McNally Robinson Book of the Year for Young People; it is also a Bank Street Best Book for Kids. Harvey Holds His Own, the follow-up book, was a finalist for the Governor General’s Award.
Left to right: Lisa Haydey, Carson Nattrass, Kassandra Taverner
Carson Nattrass, Artistic Director for Rainbow Stage, the largest and longest-running outdoor theatre which is celebrating its 70th year, shared that the theatre has a pair of exciting shows this summer: Mabuhay, which will run June 27-July 14, and Mary Poppins, running August 15-September 1. Rainbow is a true leader among not-for-profit music theatre companies in Canada, providing world-class entertainment to Manitobans of all backgrounds.
Left to right: Lisa Haydey, Jorge Requena Ramos, Kassandra Taverner
Jorge Requena Ramos, Artistic Director for the West End Cultural Centre (WECC), shared that this summer is packed with interesting concerts and events — like Manitoban singer-songwriter and guitarist Romi Mayes’s concert on July 26, celebrating her new album, Small Victories. Check out the WECC website for more events.
Left to right: Kassandra Taverner, Roberta Christianson, Lisa Haydey
Roberta Christianson, Chair of the Manitoba Arts Council, was also enthusiastic about the Arts Clinic. The Manitoba Arts Council seeks to “promote the study, enjoyment, production, and performance of works in the arts…” and may provide many kinds of assistance and awards to organizations and individuals toward these goals.
Left to right: Kassandra Taverner, Nicole Matiation, Lisa Haydey
Nicole Matiation, Sector Lead AV Production with Nordicity, has a wealth of experience as a leader in several cultural organizations, including as Executive Director of the Strategic Policy Branch in the Department of Sport Culture, Heritage and Tourism Manitoba, Executive Director of On Screen Manitoba, co-founder of Freeze Frame: Media Arts Centre for Young People, and more. Nordicity “helps governments make better policy and deliver better services, companies grow and make smart investments, and all our clients make informed, evidence-based decisions.”
The students also met Shawna Dempsey and Dana Kletke, Co-Executive Directors of Mentoring Artists for Women’s Art (MAWA), an organization that empowers women, non-binary, trans and 2-Spirit women-identifying visual artists by providing a supportive community and forum for education, critical dialogue, and diverse programming. MAWA is involved in many events this summer, including hosting Feminist Figure Drawing on June 25, and supporting the screening of “Analogue Revolution: How Feminist Media Changed the World by Marusya Bociurkiw” on June 28, and much more.
The law students were reminded of a couple of key things at this event. First, many in Manitoba are passionate about the arts and have experience and expertise which they use to create and/or support incredible things in our creative economy. And second, collaboration and connectedness are of the utmost importance in the arts and culture sector. The Arts Clinic and law students were honoured to attend, and hope that we can all stay connected for a better and more resilient Manitoban arts and culture community. We also encourage everyone to take some time to go check out some of the exceptional work being created across Manitoba this summer (and always)!