May 2021 For this month, Winnipeg River Arts Council features writer Mitch Toews. Born and raised in Steinbach, he lived in Chilliwack, British Columbia, for nine years with shorter stints in Winnipeg and Victoria. In 1995, Toews and his wife bought a cottage at Jessica Lake in Whiteshelll Provincial Park and they have lived there … [Read more…]
April 2021 For this month, Winnipeg River Arts Council features writer Ann Brough. Born in Staffordshire, England, she moved to Canada in 1967, one year after she married David, her husband. In 1970, after her father’s untimely death, they moved back to England and lived there for seven years. In 1978, they returned to Winnipeg … [Read more…]
March 2021 For this month, in honour of its tenth anniversary, WRAC would like to tell readers a bit about its establishment and ongoing activities. In March of 2009, interested individuals from Eastman met to figure out how to develop a regional arts council. After a few meetings, they decided that Winnipeg River corridor could … [Read more…]
February 2021 For this month, Winnipeg River Arts Council updates previously featured visual artist, Roberta Laliberte. Although well-known for her work with watercolor, acrylics, inks, and pastels, her fans are really excited about her latest creations, specifically hand carved art on mugs. Over the last year, she found a way to combine the beauty and … [Read more…]
January 2021 For this month, Winnipeg River Arts Council updates previously profiled visual artist Bernice Phillips. From her home in Powerview-Pine Falls, on the banks of the Winnipeg River, she studies the surrounding flora and fauna and finds endless subjects to paint. She also loves gardening and the hours of playing in the dirt keep … [Read more…]
December 2020 For this month, Winnipeg River Arts Council features visual artist, Shirley Cummer. Although her main interest used to be landscapes, she has been challenging herself to learn more about painting animals. Inspired by these results, she continues to work at expanding her artistic education. Originally from Winnipeg, Cummer lived in the Lee River … [Read more…]
November 2020 For this month, Winnipeg River Arts Council features visual artist Kelly Murray. Raised on a farm in southwest Manitoba, she attended school in Melita and then moved to Winnipeg, where she lived for twelve years. In 1994, she relocated to Powerview and, since 2005, she has lived near Stead. Her favourite media include … [Read more…]
October 2020 For this month, Winnipeg River Arts Council features author Michael Luke. Born in England, he came to Canada at ten years of age and grew up in Montreal, on the banks of the Richelieu River. After graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree, he worked as a researcher at a Montreal pharmaceutical company. … [Read more…]
September 2020 For this month, Winnipeg River Arts Council updates the profile of previously featured artist, Shirley Kurian. Although people may know her, first and foremost, as a talented photographer, she also likes to work with acrylic paint and alcohol ink, and enjoys creating notecards, canvases, framed photography, photo books and slide shows of her … [Read more…]
August 2020 For this month, Winnipeg River Arts Council features visual artist Danielle Bruneau. Currently working in acrylics, water colours, pen and ink, mixed media on everything from canvas to saw blades and cast iron frying pans, she has previously enjoyed working with stained glass (copper foil and soldered lead), wood working, as well as … [Read more…]
July 2020 For this month, Winnipeg River Arts Council updates the profile of chainsaw carver Walter Keller. Born in Switzerland, he came to Canada in 1967 and now lives in Elma. After years of forestry work and log building, he discovered chainsaw carving. And, since 2009, he has been teaching others how to carve with … [Read more…]
June 2020 For this month, Winnipeg River Arts Council updates the profile of chainsaw carver, Jim Niedermayer. Born and raised in Powerview-Pine Falls, he’s spent plenty of time in the boreal forest, especially when he’s harvesting wild rice on his assigned lakes. From a young age, Nature intrigued him and he learned early to have … [Read more…]
May 2020 For this month, Winnipeg River Arts Council updates the profile of photographer, visual artist, editor and writer Anita Schewe Drabyk. After growing up on a farm near Beausejour, she studied biology and ecology at both Winnipeg universities, resided in Saskatoon, and moved to Pinawa in 1985. While her husband worked in China, she … [Read more…]
April 2020 For this month, Winnipeg River Arts Council updates the profile of local musician, Ray St. Hilaire. Born and raised in Winnipeg, he retired to live full time near the town of Lac du Bonnet, on the shores of the Winnipeg River. Before he moved to the country, he worked as an industrial mechanic … [Read more…]
March 2020 For this month, Winnipeg River Arts Council revisits previously featured visual artist and author Brenda McKenzie. Since 1971, she has lived in Pinawa. She said, “But, before that, as an ‘army brat,’ I lived in various places.” Her favourite medium includes acrylics, water colour, and occasionally, pen and ink. When asked about what … [Read more…]
February 2020 For this month, Winnipeg River Arts Council features visual artist Joye Platford. A few years ago, she returned to her hometown of Pinawa after living in Ontario, Alberta, and Saskatchewan. Since her return, she has become involved in the local arts community, as a member of the Pinawa Art Gallery (Art 211) and … [Read more…]
January 2020 For this month, Winnipeg River Arts Council revisits previously featured visual artist Annie Bergen, who lives a few kilometers east of Whitemouth. She has been located there for around seven years but, prior to that, she lived in Winnipeg. Bergen is a painter, primarily focusing on large scale interior and exterior murals. She … [Read more…]
December 2019 For this month, Winnipeg River Arts Council features photographer Lian Drabyk. Born in China, she lived there until she was one year old. After this, she grew up in Pinawa, Manitoba, where she attended elementary and high school. She still lives in this boreal community and finds plenty of inspiration in the surrounding … [Read more…]
November 2019 For this month, Winnipeg River Arts Council revisits previously featured artist Roberta Laliberte. Born in Pine Falls, she ended up living one house away from the home where she was raised. When she was a child, she started simply copying things she loved, such as Disney cartoons. As a teen, she studied as … [Read more…]
October 2019 For this month, Winnipeg River Arts Council revisits previously featured artist Irene Loire-Maillard. Her artistic interests include drawing, pottery, sculpting, stone carving, photography, and painting using various mediums. She said, “Anything and everything inspires me. Once I have it in my head, I have to transcribe it from brain to material. Not an easy task.” … [Read more…]
September 2019 For this month, Winnipeg River Arts Council revisits previously featured artist Donna Besel, an award-winning, best-selling author who enjoys visual arts, theatre, photography, guitar-playing, and song-writing. Besel knows the Eastman area well. She grew up in Whiteshell Provincial Park, went to Whitemouth Collegiate, and resided in Lac du Bonnet for more than thirty-five … [Read more…]
August 2019 For this month, Winnipeg River Arts Council features writer Verla Fortier, a former nurse and retired Professor of Nursing with a Masters’ Degree in Health Science. Two years ago, after forty-five years away, she returned to her home town of Pine Falls, where she grew up, on the edge of the boreal forest. … [Read more…]
July 2019 For this month, the Winnipeg River Arts Council revisits previously featured artist Bernice Phillips. A long-time resident of Powerview-Pine Falls, Phillips holds several positions along with her growing art practice. She cooks meals for seniors and works at “Through the Arbour,” the family-run business that provides massage, herbal products and consultations, reflexology, “Day … [Read more…]
June 2019 For this month, the Winnipeg River Arts Council revisits previously featured artist Mary Louise Chown. A woman of many talents, she is a storyteller, visual artist, musician, and observer of life. Over the years, she has done batik, printmaking, acrylic and watercolour, videography, writing, as well as performance art. She says, “I am … [Read more…]
May 2019 For this month, the Winnipeg River Arts Council features visual artist Wayne Letkeman, a commercial pilot employed by Adventure Air in Lac du Bonnet. In 2016, while living in Thompson, he started painting. He moved back to this area last summer, but he had lived here previously while working at Tantalum Mining. Letkeman is … [Read more…]
April 2019 For this month, the Winnipeg River Arts Council features woodcrafter and visual artist, Melvin Vincent. Before the Pine Falls Pulp and Paper Mill ceased operations, he worked in the thermal mechanical section and, prior to that, he sharpened materials in the stone ground area. A lifelong resident of St. Georges, he is a self-taught … [Read more…]
March 2019 For this month, the Winnipeg River Arts Council features visual artist Lisa Delorme Meiler, who proudly identifies herself as a born-and-raised prairie girl, and a Métis artist. Although she now resides in the town of Oakbank, she has lived in various communities in the Northeast region for most of her life. An emerging fine … [Read more…]
February 2019 For this month, the Winnipeg River Arts Council features visual artist Nicki Blatz. A long-time resident of the area, she has lived in Great Falls since she was eleven years old, over forty-five years ago. Recently retired, she made a New Year’s resolution to paint, sketch or draw every day. She says, “Fortunately, that is … [Read more…]
January 2019 For this month, the Winnipeg River Arts Council features musician Logan Goulet. Besides being a talented multi-instrumentalist (guitar, bass, vocals, programming), he is a songwriter and producer. He also dabbles in theatre and sits on the board for the Eureka Theatre Group in Lac du Bonnet. Goulet has spent most of his life … [Read more…]
December 2018 For this month, the Winnipeg River Arts Council features writer Ron Neufeld. Born in Calgary, he has also lived in the United States and British Columbia. Neufeld’s background is in the construction trades. After retiring in 2013, he moved to Vancouver Island where he began taking creative writing courses at the University of … [Read more…]
November 2018 For this month, the Winnipeg River Arts Council features theatre, film, and broadcast technician, Ward Wotton. In October, he moved to the Leisure Falls area, in the RM of Alexander. Wotton grew up in Deloraine, Manitoba. He attended Saskatchewan Technical College in Saskatoon and then worked as a recreation director in Creelman-Fillmore area … [Read more…]
October 2018 For this month, the Winnipeg River Arts Council features wood carver, Cliff Zarecki, who grew up in the Lee River area on his parents’ homestead and went to school in Lac du Bonnet. Before the cottagers got there, the Lee River was a much quieter wilderness. Spending time close to nature made Zarecki … [Read more…]
September 2018 For this month, the Winnipeg River Arts Council features musician, Ray St. Hilaire. Although WRAC previously featured St. Hilaire as an artist, he has continued to pursue his musical career with great enthusiasm. He said “I’ve been performing with my band almost every weekend this past summer.” Prior to moving to Lac du Bonnet, St. Hilaire worked as … [Read more…]
August 2018 For this month, the Winnipeg River Arts Council features visual artist Julie Lavoie, a life-long resident of St-Georges. After raising their two children, she and her husband now live by themselves in a comfortable house on the community’s large rocky hill. Lavoie loves trying new methods and finds it hard picking just one. … [Read more…]
July 2018 For this month, the Winnipeg River Arts Council features visual artist Linda Bourrier. Two years ago, she was living and working in Calgary, as an executive assistant at a large oil company. After retiring, she moved to Pine Falls, where her husband had family. When she was around ten, she watched a neighborhood … [Read more…]
June 2018 For this month, Winnipeg River Arts Council revisits previously featured writer Andreas Oertel. Born in Germany, Oertel spent most of his life in Manitoba. For the past sixteen years, he’s lived in the Lac du Bonnet area. By day, he works for the Manitoba Government. In spare hours, he finds time to follow … [Read more…]
May 2018 For this month, Winnipeg River Arts Council features Tanis Thomas and Carl Quesnel, a Pinawa couple who own and operate a family business called Boreal Workshop, which creates stunning handcrafted jewellery. In addition to jewellery and personal goods, they produce art objects, and vessels and containers suitable for personal and ceremonial use. In … [Read more…]
April 2018 For this month, the Winnipeg River Arts Council features Cohen Sieg. A life-long resident of Sieg’s Corner, he’s a sixteen-year old singer/songwriter and musician. When he was six, he took some beginner guitar lessons which kindled his interest in music. At the age of ten, he decided to commit and take some real … [Read more…]
March 2018 For this month, Winnipeg River Arts Council revisits previously featured visual artist Roberta Laliberte, who grew up Pine Falls and still lives there. When she was young, Laliberte learned by copying. In a small community, before the internet, it was all she had. She said, “I thought my art had to look super … [Read more…]
February 2018 For this month, the Winnipeg River Arts Council features actor Daryl Woodbeck from Pinawa. By day, he works at Canadian Nuclear Laboratories as an Emergency Preparedness Officer, writing and reviewing policies and training personnel on emergency procedures. After work, he brings his engaging personality to the Pinawa Players. An actor of long standing, … [Read more…]
January 2018 For this month, the Winnipeg River Arts Council highlights a previously featured artist, chainsaw carver Jim Niedermayer. Born and raised in Powerview-Pine Falls, he currently resides in Silver Falls. Niedermayer learned how to carve on his own. His father, a talented knife-maker and woodcarver, gave him a book on the subject and he … [Read more…]
December 2017 For this month, the Winnipeg River Arts Council features visual artist, Richard Cline. Throughout his life, Cline has had a working relationship with the natural environment. Now retired in Seven Sisters, he worked for thirty years as a Conservation Officer (Game Warden) in Virden, Lynn Lake, Gillam, and Riverton. His knowledge of the … [Read more…]
November 2017 For this month, the Winnipeg River Arts Council features one of Pinawa’s “pioneers,” Fay Campbell. In 1963, she moved from Chalk River and fell in love with the lively spirit of the town and its wilderness surroundings. After her arrival, she met Joyce Hampton, a landscape specialist, who was already finding success as … [Read more…]
October 2017 For this month, Winnipeg River Arts Council features artist Heather Westdal. A long-time Pinawa resident, she recently retired from her position as Home Economics teacher at Pinawa Senior School. In 2013, a friend challenged Westdal to discover her “inner visual artist.” Both of them already shared a strong background in music. They played … [Read more…]
September 2017 For this month, Winnipeg River Arts Council revisits a previously featured artist, Leah Boulet. Born and raised in Pine Falls, she moved to Silver Falls in 1987, and then moved to St-Georges in 1995. Boulet has many artistic talents but, right now, she is focused on pen and water colour illustration. She says, … [Read more…]
August 2017 For this month, the Winnipeg River Arts Council updates the profile of a previously featured artist, Donna Besel. This award-winning author loves writing of all kinds. For almost ten years, she has taught creative writing workshops in schools from Gillam to Sprague, through the Manitoba Arts Council’s province-wide “Artists in the Schools” program. … [Read more…]
July 2017 For this month, the Winnipeg River Arts Council features St-Georges Historical Society. This organization started out early in 1968, shortly after Canada’s hundredth anniversary, when the community of St-Georges, participated in many centennial events. The Women’s Catholic League (Ligue des femmes catholiques) was primarily responsible for its creation, after they met in the … [Read more…]
June 2017 For this month, WRAC highlights itself. Even though this organization has been around for a while, people still have questions. To help explain the arts council, here’s a brief overview of its origin, function, and goals. In March of 2009, a group met to figure out how to develop a regional arts council … [Read more…]
May 2017 For this month, Winnipeg River Arts Council features Wings of Power, a social services organization, located in Powerview-Pine Falls, where it provides support for family and children, and adults with disabilities. It also serves people in adjacent communities, including Sagkeeng, the Beaches, St- Georges, Great Falls, Broadlands, Black River, and Hollow Water. Wings … [Read more…]
April 2017 For this month, the Winnipeg River Arts Council features quilter Grace Kost. Originally from Milner Ridge, Kost moved to Lac du Bonnet for her grade nine. She has lived there ever since, including fifty-one years in the same house. In the 1980’s, Kost discovered her passion for quilting. Although she’s mostly self-taught, she … [Read more…]
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