Mission Statement
Our mission is to inspire and help individuals discover and embrace their artistic identity, fostering a collective sense of creativity that enriches and unites our regional communities.
Winnipeg River Arts is passionately dedicated to enhancing the North Eastman Region by providing support, empowerment, and connectivity through the arts
Services
WRAC looks forward to serving residents, visitors, artists and arts groups within the Winnipeg River corridor (east of Highway 11 and north of Highway 317). The region is culturally diverse and home to many talented artists and arts organizations that provide opportunities for arts and culture. WRAC’s regional structure will help community arts organizations, schools and recreation services work together to plan larger regional arts initiatives by facilitating the sharing of resources, information and talents. WRAC seeks to contribute to economic grow by promoting the region’s arts and cultural assets to residents and tourists.
Artist Of The Month
Vi Preston – Focus on Local Artists – Issue #152
March 2024
Vi Preston
For this month, WRAC would like to feature visual artist Vi Preston. Although she grew up in Winnipeg’s East Kildonan, she ended up spending a lot of time in Eastman. From an early age, she remembers camping in the Whiteshell, where she learned to appreciate nature. She said, “I always loved how complex, yet simple it could be. I enjoyed running around, playing on the rocks or just laying on them and staring at the veins and dips and dimples each rock had!”
All through school, she was interested in art, and apparently excelled at it. Drawing pictures and finding some of them hanging up on the walls of her school encouraged her. As an adult, she started painting pictures with both acrylic and oil paint. She painted figurines she found in garage sales, and painted farm implements in her yard.
Also, she loves colour and likes to add her unique spin to a variety of arts and crafts. She said, “Bob Ross was my idol. I dabble in Pin-Art, and wire ‘Trees of Life.’ I play with concrete.”
When Preston was 12, her parents bought property in Lac du Bonnet for family get-aways. This meant she became a part time local. She said, “As a teenager, when I wasn’t in the city I hung around Lac du Bonnet and Pinawa Dam on weekends and holidays. When I had the chance, I moved here full time.”
The beauty of the Lac du Bonnet flora and fauna really inspires her. From the beginning of spring when the water starts to flow and wash away the dirt and grime of winter, to the beautiful colors of summer, and the shifting reds and oranges of fall, the splendor of the surrounding terrain amazes and comforts her. She said, “In my busy life, it helps me slow down, take a breath, and just enjoy the colors Mother Nature has to offer.”
