ArtBridges spoke with Dayna Rainville of the Arts Council of Algoma about the Miinikaan Project, and starting the community arts gallery, Dawaa Dazhi Gallery. Dayna’s tips touch on building relationships first, being responsive to her community, and keeping a sense of humour.
Dayna Rainville is a member of Missanabie Cree First Nation and the Community Project Coordinator, who curates the Dawaa Dazhi Gallery at the Algoma Arts Council situated at 369 Queen Street East in Sault Ste. Marie. Dawaa Dazhi is Anishinaabemowin for ‘there is space in this place.’ The Dawaa Dazhi Gallery was created through The Miinikaan Project – a project funded with an Ontario Trillium Foundation Seed Grant. Miinikaan means seed in Anishinaabemowin. We talked about building and keeping relationships, balancing multiple roles.
Here’s an excerpt:
- CREATING A COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE
“Whether you are an established artist, just starting out, or not sure if you really want to pursue a career in the arts, the Dawaa Dazhi Gallery welcomes people at all levels. The gallery is a place where people can practice, experiment, and fail without a high amount of risk. Four artists are featured a month, and the gallery works on a first come first serve basis. There is no age or demographic barrier, people as young as ten have pitched their ideas and been welcomed into the gallery as if they were a professional artist who had been exhibiting for years. For organizations interested in creating a community gallery it is important to create a place for practice, peer mentorship, and experimentation! Dayna’s tips are to hit the streets, meet people face to face, and don’t be scared to ask for help with social media.”
Click here for the full ArtBridges Tips & Tools: Top Five Tips for Building an Inclusive Community Gallery. For more FREE resources and tools like this, please visit the ArtBridges Resource Portal or reach us at info@artbridges.ca.
The ArtBridges Tips & Tools Series is funded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation and translated with support from the Department of Canadian Heritage Interpretation and Translation grant.
