Manitoban culture is a term that encompasses the artistic elements that are representative of Manitoba. Manitoba's culture has been influenced by both traditional (Aboriginal and Métis) and modern Canadian artistic values, as well as some aspects of the cultures of immigrant populations and its American neighbours. In Manitoba, the Minister of Culture, Heritage, Tourism and Sport is the cabinet minister responsible for promoting and, to some extent, financing Manitoba culture. The Manitoba Arts Council is the agency that has been established to provide the processes for arts funding.[1] The Canadian federal government also plays a role by instituting programs and laws regarding culture nationwide. Most of Manitoba's cultural activities take place in its capital and largest city, Winnipeg.
The Winnipeg Art Gallery (WAG) is a public art gallery founded in 1912[14] as Canada's first civic gallery (and the sixth-largest in the country).[15] Including the world's largest public collection of contemporary Inuit art, the WAG's permanent collection holds over 20,000 works, with a particular emphasis on Manitoban and Canadian art.[14]
The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra (WSO) performs at the Centennial Concert Hall in Winnipeg, and the orchestra also performs throughout the province of Manitoba.[18] The Manitoba Chamber Orchestra (MCO) is a chamber orchestra, also based in Winnipeg. At the biennial meeting of the Association of Canadian Orchestras in 1990, the MCO was presented with a SOCAN Award of Merit for "the imaginative programming of contemporary Canadian music."[19] The Centennial Concert Hall is also home to Manitoba Opera, which first performed in 1970.[20]
Laurel Ward's career was Toronto-based, but she was born and raised in Delta, Manitoba, daughter of notable Manitoba wildlife artist and conservationist Peter Ward. She was a solo singer in the '60s before joining Dr. Music and then teamed up with her husband Terry Black as Black and Ward.[26][27]
The Royal Winnipeg Ballet (RWB), based in Winnipeg, is Canada's oldest ballet company and the longest continuously operating ballet company in North America.[36] It was founded in 1939 as the "Winnipeg Ballet Club" by Gweneth Lloyd and Betty Farrally, and includes a school for dancers.[36] The RWB was granted its royal title in 1953, the first granted under Queen Elizabeth II.[36] Manitoba is also known for Métis and aboriginal traditional dances. Among these is the Red River Jig, a combination of aboriginal pow-wows and European reels that was popular among early settlers.[37]
Winnipeg has two daily newspapers: the Winnipeg Free Press and the Winnipeg Sun.[50] There are five weekly newspapers delivered free to most Winnipeg households based on geography.[51] There are several ethnic weekly newspapers,[52] as well as regionally- and nationally-based magazines based in the city. Brandon has one regular local newspaper: the Brandon Sun. Many small towns have local newspapers, examples of which include the Carillon News, The Minnedosa Tribune, and the Thompson Citizen; some also receive deliveries of Brandon or Winnipeg papers.
Winnipeg is home to 21 AM and FM radio stations, three of which are French-language stations.[53] Brandon's five local radio stations are provided by Astral Media and Westman Communications Group.[53] In addition to the Brandon and Winnipeg stations, radio service is provided in rural areas and smaller towns by Golden West Broadcasting and Corus Entertainment, as well as a few local broadcasters. CBC Radio broadcasts local and national programming throughout the province.[54]NCI is devoted to Aboriginal programming and broadcasts to many of the isolated native communities as well as to larger cities.[55]
There are five English-language television stations and one French-language station based in Winnipeg that supply free programming to the city and surrounding areas. Cable television in Winnipeg is provided by Shaw Communications, while in Brandon cable television is provided by Westman Cable, which also operates a local community channel.[56]BellMTS provides cable-tv through most of the province via Bell Fibe TV. Additionally, American network affiliates broadcasting from North Dakota are available over-the-air in many parts of Southern Manitoba.
Margaret Laurence, who lived in Neepawa, Manitoba for most of her life, was described by the CBC as "one of Canada's most esteemed and beloved authors by the end of her literary career."[66] Her The Stone Angel, along with several other stories, was set in Manawaka, a fictional town representing Neepawa.[67] Laurence won the Governor General's Award in 1966 for A Jest of God.[62]
The Festival du Voyageur is an annual 10-day winter festival held in Winnipeg's French Quarter, Saint-Boniface, and is Western Canada's largest winter festival.[70] The event celebrates Canada's fur-trading past and French heritage and culture. Folklorama, run by the Folk Arts Council, bills itself as the largest and longest-running cultural festival in the world.[71] On average, Folklorama receives around 400,000 pavilion visits each year. The 2008 festival received approximately 446,000 pavilion visits.[72] About 21% of pavilion visitors come from outside of Winnipeg.[72]
^Janzic, A; J. Hatcher (2008). Late Cretaceous Marine Reptile Fossils of the Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre. Alberta Palaeontological Society, Twelfth Annual Symposium. Vol. Abstracts Volume. Calgary: Mount Royal College. p. 28.
^"History". Winnipeg Art Gallery. 2009. Archived from the original on 2009-10-25. Retrieved 2009-11-08.
^Lederman, Anne (1988). "Old Indian and Metis Fiddling in Manitoba: Origins, Structure, and Questions of Syncretism". The Canadian Journal of Native Studies. 7 (2): 205–230.
^"Susan Aglukark". First Nations Drum. 2000. Archived from the original on May 10, 2009. Retrieved 2009-11-10.
^Turbide, Diane (11 March 2014). "Shields Wins Pulitzer". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Canada.
^"Greetings". Festival du Voyageur Inc. Archived from the original on 2010-01-02. Retrieved 2009-11-11.
^Racher, Frances; Robert Annis (2007). "Respecting Culture and Honoring Diversity in Community Practice". Research and Theory for Nursing Practice. 21 (4). New York: 255–271. doi:10.1891/088971807782427985. PMID18236770. S2CID40913312.
^ ab"FAQs". Folklorama. Archived from the original on 2010-08-11. Retrieved 2009-11-11.
You must be logged in to post a comment.