Rural Arts Mentorship Program: Ramp North

  • October 2013 – March 2014

MAWA is partnering with Manitoba Arts Network (MAN) on a mentorship serving the needs of artists in northern Manitoba. Thanks to special funding from the Manitoba Arts Council, mentor Pauline Braun will be working with eight northern artists of all genders, in a program based in Flin Flon from October 2013 – March 2014. Mentees of the RAMP North program are: Marg Britton, Monique Rainville, Frances Cooper, Ron Watt, Leanne Phair, Elaine Angelski, Debbi Fitzgerald and Sandra Dixon.

The Program

The mentor and mentees will convene as a group three times over the five-month program. These meeting dates are set during the months of October, November and February. Mentees will be expected to devote time to the development of their work and will have email access to their mentor during the course of the program. Through the mentorship process you will gain invaluable perspective on your past work and inspiration for what is to come.

Program Elements

  • Discussion, feedback and professional advice about their artwork
  • Developing stronger networks within the arts community
  • Exploring the idea of producing “a body of work”
  • Learning the language and function of critiques
  • Establishing goals and next steps towards a successful art career
  • Exploring professional practices such as writing an Artist’s Statement, Grant Applications and Exhibition Proposals for galleries

The Manitoba Arts Network is a non-profit organization that connects Manitobans with a wide variety of arts and cultural programming. Collaborating with artists, industry partners, and a range of cultural organizations, the Network presents over 60 performances and mounts art exhibitions in 25 locations each year. We work hard to bring high quality performing and visual arts to 7 different regions of the province, reaching over 20,000 Manitobans annually. Representing over 35 member organizations that engage the support of hundreds of volunteers, we are collectively building creative communities by bringing the arts to the heart of Manitoba.

  • Pauline is a true northerner. As she says, “I moved with my family to Clearwater Lake when I was five years old and spent my first seven years of school in The Pas, bussing in every day from the lake. My family then moved to Cranberry Portage, halfway between The Pas and Flin Flon. I had to leave Cranberry Portage for high school so the obvious choice was to live in Thompson with my sister and her family while taking grades 11 and 12. After training as a Medical Laboratory Technologist, I worked in both the Company Hospital and General Hospital in Flin Flon and eventually ended up at the hospital in Thompson for the remainder of my lab career.” Pauline lived in Thompson for about 30 years before moving to Winnipeg in 2003. She is well aware of the obstacles, challenges and opportunities that come with being an artist in our province’s north and eagerly looks forward to going back to her northern roots.