Hip hop performance at the 2014 Lieutenant Governor's Arts Awards. Photo by Josh Schafer Photography.
As an organization that was first among public arts funders, we were established with two specific aims, and we are proud that we still fulfill those same basic principles.
We support the development of a distinct Saskatchewan voice in all art forms.
Award-winning singer/songwriter Jeffery Straker, who performs more than 100 concerts annually across the country and internationally, spoke recently of the Arts Board's role:
Ida Tremblay prepares hides for tanning. Photo courtesy of Christine Ravenis.
"I'm a huge cheerleader for SK Arts and I talk about them, in great ways, as I tour the country performing my music. One of the many ways I've benefitted from them is through receiving grants that have allowed me to block off time to create and write new songs, that I've then recorded and toured. And though the touring is where you make the money to pay your rent, it's actually the new creations that enable everything else. In every artistic discipline, enabling artists to turn their ideas into their creations is an incredibly vital step, and SK Arts has been a huge help for me and countless other creators in that regard."
We create opportunities for all Saskatchewan residents to participate in the arts.
We work with individual artists and arts organizations to make their work available for all people. Recently, 69 organizations that receive operating support from SK Arts presented 6629 exhibitions and performances that were enjoyed by over 1,927,000 people in a single year – a number greater than the province's population. Those same groups benefited from 171,157 hours of volunteer support from the people of this province, which is an average of 2481 hours per organization.
Camp fYrefly participants say goodbye at the end of the camp. Photo courtesy of Camp fYrefly.
In addition to this work, we celebrate the achievements of Saskatchewan artists and arts organizations, and we hold the largest collection of artwork by Saskatchewan artists that we make accessible to people in the province, across the country, and around the world. SK Arts has been recognized throughout our history as a leader in public arts funding, and we continue to build on this strong tradition.
We are not people who create a sculpture, who produce a play, or who present an exhibition of artwork. We consider our work effective when any Saskatchewan resident has the chance to create, to hear, to see, and to engage with our own stories, our own voices – the true prairie spirit.
Photo credit: Rosie & the Riveters perform at the 2019 Saskatchewan Arts Awards. Photo by David Stobbe.