Updates on SK Arts programs and activities.
Provincial arts funding agency SK Arts is pleased to announce the appointment of Lisa Bird-Wilson as its new Chief Executive Officer, effective November 18, 2024. Lisa is a Saskatchewan Métis and Cree writer whose award-winning novel, Probably Ruby, was shortlisted for the Governor General’s Literary Award and the Amazon First Novel Award.
Bird-Wilson joins SK Arts – a crown agency under the Government of Saskatchewan's Ministry of Parks, Culture and Sport portfolio – from her previous role as the CEO of the Gabriel Dumont Institute of Native Studies and Applied Research Inc., Canada’s first Métis post-secondary education and cultural institute, where she has over 25 years of experience at the institute’s helm and authored An Institute of Our Own: A History of the Gabriel Dumont Institute, a book chronicling the institute’s history.
This August, the SK Arts Programs team will host in-situ sessions in southeast Saskatchewan at various locations, with in-person and virtual sessions. Program Consultants will be available for information and grant writing workshops at a number of locations.
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REGINA, JULY 22, 2024 - Provincial arts funding agency SK Arts has begun its search for a new CEO to lead the agency into its next phase of growth and development. Last May, former CEO Michael Jones announced his June 2024 retirement after almost nine years with the agency. The agency is seeking a highly motivated, results-oriented individual to fill the role of Chief Executive Officer. The Saskatchewan Arts Board, operating as SK Arts, provides grants, programs and services to individuals and groups whose activities impact the arts in Saskatchewan and ensures that opportunities exist for Saskatchewan residents to experience all art forms.
SK Arts is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of renowned conductor Victor Sawa. Victor worked with the Regina Symphony Orchestra (RSO) for almost twenty years and spent time with the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra (SSO) between 2010 and 2015. Victor's passion for classical music and dedication touched many lives and will not be soon forgotten. We are thinking about his family, friends, and colleagues during this challenging time. Victor's legacy will continue to inspire and resonate with all who had the privilege of experiencing his gifts.
SK Arts’ CEO, Michael Jones, has announced his intention to retire after almost nine years with the agency in order to focus on freelance consulting work and his artistic practice.
Michael says, “I have had the honour of getting to know the Saskatchewan arts community over the past nine years, and I continue to be inspired by their work. I have had the pleasure of working with a dedicated staff and Board, and I want to thank them all for the support they have shown me through my time here. I would also like to thank the Honourable Laura Ross, Minister of Parks, Culture and Sport, for her support both of SK Arts and of me personally.”
![[Image with Text] South East Summit. The Sky's the Limit: Estevan, May 23, 2024. [Circle of Photo of headshot of Chancz Perry] [Text:] Table Talk Leaders: Chancz Perry, Program Consultant: Diversity and Inclusion, [Images] SK Arts Southeast District logo, Sask Lotteries Logo, Southeast College logo. SK Arts logo](/./ChanczPinsituSummit2.jpeg)
Connect with Program Consultant Chancz Perry in Estevan at the South East Summit, a one-day, in-person event for all individuals interested in cultural vitality. Chancz will be available to provide information on SK Arts programs. We invite you to come out to network, learn, engage and share through an itinerary of activities that includes table talks, break-out rooms, a panel and features celebrated speaker and cultural advocate Cadmus Delorme as a closing keynote speaker. The forum is hosted by the South East District to celebrate the arts, heritage and multiculturalism leaders and inspire.
This year, SK Arts is launching a new event to honour artists and arts organizations, and we invite you to come out and enjoy a fun evening of celebration with the arts community. Arts of Celebration will be hosted by comedian and actor Dakota Ray Hebert on Monday, May 27, 2024, at the beautiful Darke Hall in Regina. The evening, which recognizes the arts and their impact, includes mainstage performances by Bella Brown-McEwan, Gabriel “Arch Angel” Ehijie, Karley Parovsky and Dara Schindelka.
In honour of International Women's Day 2024, SK Arts partnered with Minister Laura Ross and the Ministry of Parks, Culture and Sport to exhibit a fitting and enthralling series of artwork by Saskatchewan women in an exhibit called 40+ Years in the Making—Women and Clay at the Cumberland Art Gallery in Regina. The exhibit was inspired by Deborah Potter’s sculpture, 40+ Years in the Making: Women and Clay, which was also installed at the Mosaic Tower Hill Centre III by the City of Regina last fall.
Interdisciplinary artist, educator and producer Chancz Perry joined SK Arts as a Program Consultant with an equity and inclusion focus. As an artist, a prior SK Arts grant recipient and a Person of Colour with complex social identities, Chancz is uniquely positioned to serve in his new role at SK Arts with the program team as we work on strategic goal around addressing systemic barriers.
Carol Greyeyes, Policy and Planning Advisor for SK Arts will retire in December 2023. After a collective 13 years served over three separate occasions, Greyeyes spearheaded several initiates with the agency to serve the arts community. Carol established our Indigenous funding program, currently called Indigenous Peoples Art and Artists (IPAA), and the Share and Connect: Indigenous Community Arts program. She also made significant contributions to Artists in Schools, Artists in Communities and the newly launched Building Arts Equity: BPOC Program.