A new series of workshops is coming to the Steinbach Arts Council, celebrating our rich heritage and culture in our region, says Executive Director, David Klassen.

He says they recently received grants through The Chrysalis Fund, which will support their Culture & Heritage Pilot Project Workshops. As well as funds from The Million Dollar Round Table, which will go towards their Wellness Pilot Project Workshops.

Klassen says these new cultural and wellness workshops are designed to bring people of all ages and backgrounds together.

“So, on top of all our regular programming, we have put together a series of workshops that will take place through the spring, that people can participate in, that are not large time commitments. So, you can do a one day, or a half-day workshop. You can engage in arts and culture and learn something while you're there.”

Klassen explains how arts and culture fit into wellness. “So, we look at wellness from the perspective of the entire human. Mental, emotional and physical. And that’s what we're doing here. We're allowing for some wellness activities, for example, maybe Pilates, but we're adding an art form into that as well, just so you can understand how art fits into movement, or how healthy eating fits into something like a yoga or another exercise plan. So, we're focusing on that, which is made possible in part by funding from The Million Dollar Table International. So, that's a really exciting project for us.”

The other workshops the Steinbach Arts Council will be offering this spring are focused on multi-generational, multicultural activity.

Klassen says these programs are funded in part by The Chrysalis Fund, “which is very exciting for us.”

“Our goal was to find activities that celebrated the diverse cultures, especially the ones that are prominent within our community. So, Mennonite, Ukrainian, Métis, these are cultures that we exist with in Steinbach.”

“And so, we thought it would be a really nice opportunity to learn about each other and from each other. We are focusing on multi-generational multicultural programming. The goal is to make sure that we are tying generations together.”

“There's an opportunity for generations to pass down knowledge and pass down interest from one to another, and really understand the culture that existed in the generations before us. And this is a great way for us to just embrace culture and diversity within our programming.”

Referring to the multi-generational aspect of the workshops, Klassen adds, "We hope that one of the generations would invite the others, and so we've priced the classes to encourage that, with one fee for the family unit. So, you don't necessarily pay per person, you pay per family, so that the generations can come and experience that together.”

Klassen notes that in the multi-generational multi-cultural workshops they will be offering a class on Mennonite Floor Pattern. “I mean, it surprises some of us, I know that I wasn't aware of Mennonite Floor Patterns until only a few years ago. We are looking at a workshop in Ukrainian Culinary. So hopefully working with some bread braiding and some of those beautiful elements of Ukrainian food forms. And then Métis Finger Weaving and Beading, which is really, really exciting for us. We want to really explore some of those really unique cultural elements within the learning that we do.”

Klassen adds that the funding they’ve received will be beneficial to Arts Council because, “it allows us to do a multi-generational workshop for a family for the price of $30. Without that funding the cost to the public would be much higher, and we are all about making our programming, arts and culture recreation accessible to everyone. Price is one of those factors. Price can be a barrier for many, and the support means the world to us because we can offer these opportunities to our community for such a very affordable price.”

Classes begin this week Wednesday, register for one or several of these workshops. Klassen says, “You just need to log onto our website. Look for the “Workshops” link and register there or call us 204-346-1077. We always love to talk to new people. So, if you're interested in what we're offering, and you have questions, we're very happy to talk with you.”

Wellness Workshops are made possible in part through Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT)

Wednesday, March 13 – 4:30pm to 6:30pm – Wellness Wednesday (16+)  

Saturday, April 13 – 10am to 1pm – Aromatherapy Wellness Workshop (16+)  

Culture & Heritage Multigenerational Workshops are made possible in part through The Chrysalis Fund  

Saturday, March 16 – 9am to 12:15pm – Mennonite Floor Patterns & Place Mats with Margruite Krahn (All Ages) 

Wednesday, March 20 – 5pm to 8pm – Culinary Arts: Explore Ukrainian Tradition with Cassandra Kornelsen (16+)  

Saturday, April 20 – 9am to 12noon – Traditional Métis Finger Weaving with Brett Mcpherson (All Ages)  

Thursday, April 25 – 5pm to 8pm – Borealis Beading – Sharing Metis Culture and History with Melanie Gamache (16+)  

Saturday, April 27 – 10am to 1pm – Métis Jigging Dance Workshop with Janessa Roy (All Ages)  

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