This is an assignment for Fundraising and Fund Development class.

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Grant Proposal for The Wîcêhtowin Exhibit
Submitted to: The Canada Council for the Arts
Darren Day
Partner Relationship Manager, Winnipeg Art Gallery
August 2/2021

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Introduction
From September 27, 2020, to February 23, 2021, The Winnipeg Art Gallery presented Kent
Monkman's exhibition "Shame and Prejudice: A Story of Resilience." A collection of pieces telling
the story of Canada's colonial history and the resilience of First Nations people was a powerful
final exhibition before the Winnipeg Art Gallery would close for a prolonged period due to the
pandemic (Winnipeg Art Gallery. February 3, 2020. Kent Monkman’s Shame and Prejudice
Extended at the WAG).
On March 27, 2021, The Winnipeg Art Gallery celebrated the opening of the Qaumajuq centre
with a major virtual celebration. The 65-million-dollar extension to the art gallery is the most
extensive collection of Inuit art in the world. (Blunt, Marney. March 25, 2021. Qaumajuq: New
Inuit art centre opens at the Winnipeg Art Gallery. Qaumajuq: New Inuit art centre opens at the
Winnipeg Art Gallery).
On November 1, 2022, the Winnipeg Art Gallery begins a new initiative in its commitment to
reconciliation, culture, art, education, and community. We are seeking funding for The
Wîcêhtowin Exhibit. The five-year digital and audio exhibit will educate about Canada’s
indigenous history, honour the victims of the Residential School System, press forward on
initiatives to decolonize and heal together, and inspire with art, words, music, and film. We are
confident that this exhibit is a perfect fit for the objectives, mission, and legacy of the Canada
Council for the Arts. We are seeking a grant for $30,000 to activate the project in full.
The Winnipeg Art Gallery: Background
Date Established
The Winnipeg Art Gallery was founded (as The Winnipeg Museum of Fine Arts) on December
16, 1912. It was incorporate as the Winnipeg Art Gallery in 1963 by Manitoba’s Legislative
Assembly.
Incorporation
The unincorporated charitable association known as the Winnipeg Art Gallery Association was
incorporated as the Winnipeg Art Gallery through the Winnipeg Art Gallery Incorporation Act in
1963. All assets, promotions, decisions, and changes are to be for the business and good of the
gallery and the community it serves (The Canadian Legal Information Institute, September 1,
2016).
Our Vision
The WAG is a cultural advocate using art to connect, inspire, and inform.
Our Mission
Playing a dynamic role in the community, the WAG is a place for learning, dialogue, and
enjoyment through art.
This mission is achieved through five strategic Values:

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I. Art
Building, preserving, and refining the collection with an emphasis on Canadian and Indigenous
art, and presenting outstanding exhibitions supported by innovative programs, events, and
partnerships.
II. Learning
Engaging people with art and the creative process, the WAG promotes lifelong learning and
dialogue.
III. Community
Working with multiple communities, the WAG nurtures relationships and develops partnerships
to benefit all.
IV. Place
Providing a welcoming and vibrant social space that encourages creativity, learning, and
enjoyment through arts and culture.
V. Resources
Managing resources responsibly to ensure sustainable and diversified growth (Winnipeg Art
Gallery. 2021. About. Para. 8-15).
Problem Statement/Needs Assessment
As Canadians, many of us know the abundance we can be grateful for in this country. Each
province is a beautiful place, and it is the people that make it so. Sadly, we also bear the scars
and shame of a colonial legacy that continues to this day.
It has been painful for the indigenous people of Canada to witness the uncovering of mass graves
of children taken from their parents and placed in residential schools. The cries of so many
children of Canada's colonial legacy are only being heard for the first time. After much of the
work done by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, there is so much more to do.
As Canadians continue to learn of the tragedies and injustices of colonization and the Residential
School System, a place is needed to remember, learn, heal, come together, and inspire. The
Wîcêhtowin Exhibit will be that place. The choice of the name Wîcêhtowin has a particular
purpose. For this project to effectively honour its vision's focus and scope, it must be done
together – in unity (Wîcêhtowin in the Cree language). While there will be some donors on board
and limited government funding, this exhibit will not happen without a major grant from an

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organization such as The Canada Council for the Arts. This project fits the objectives of several
grant programs that the Canada Council for the Arts offers. We are applying for the Engage and
Sustain as well as Creating, Knowing, and Sharing grant programs.
Program Goals and Objectives
After many discussions with curators, galleries, and artists as well as community and indigenous
leaders across Canada, a new project was born. On June 1, 2021, the work began on The
Wîcêhtowin Exhibit. This new initiative will serve many purposes in the community and in the
art world.
1. To Tell the Truth: As our nation continues to reckon with the stories and effects of
colonial legacy, there are many who want to minimize its impact and do not want to talk
about it. We cannot be silent. We must keep the discussion open.
2. To Educate: The goal of the residential school systems was to assimilate indigenous
people and “kill the Indian in the child”. The settlers were convinced the lives of First
Nations people were primitive. This exhibit will celebrate and teach about the skills and
gifts of the people who first lived in Canada. This will be done through paintings,
sculptures, film, and music.
3. To Remember: Every week, new graves are found of the many children who never left
the residential school system. Their lives must be honoured, and their stories must be
told. Artists will be commissioned to create works to remember the children.
4. To Heal: The Wîcêhtowin exhibit is a place to be silent, to honour, to remember, and
move forward.
5. Wîcêhtowin: Wîcêhtowin is Cree word that means “unity”. Canadians must walk
together to do the work of decolonizing as we move forward and heal together.
Implementation Plan
As a major capital project was just completed with Qaumajuq (the Inuit art centre), the decision
was made to present Wîcêhtowin as a digital and audio exhibit that will run, change, progress,
and move consisting of film, music, spoken word, documentary shorts, paintings, drawings, and
sculptures. It will have its home at the Winnipeg Art Gallery first, with the potential of
movement in Manitoba and Canada. The work on the first set of commissions will begin in
September 2021. In honour of the chosen name for the exhibition, each artist is of Cree ancestry.
Filmmaker Theola Ross, artist Kent Monkman, and musician Iskwe have begun to prepare for
their work ahead. The first part of the exhibition opens in the winter of 2022 at the Winnipeg Art
Gallery.
Evaluation Plan
The initial activation of the Wîcêhtowin Exhibit will run from November 1, 2022, to October 29,
2027. Beginning January 15, 2022, The Wîcêhtowin Committee (a body made up of members of
the Winnipeg Art Gallery as well as artists, curators, educators, and indigenous leaders from

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across Canada) will meet bi-monthly to assess the progress of The Wîcêhtowin Exhibit. They
will focus on the effectiveness of its presentation, future commissions, needed changes, the
development of new partners and collaborators, and the sustainability and future of the exhibit. A
report will be provided to museum executives, donors, sponsors, and board members detailing
the progress of the exhibit, sustainability needs, and its future.
Future Funding and Sustainability
The nature of The Wîcêhtowin Exhibit is an ongoing one and, therefore, continuity and
sustainability will be crucial to its success. It will begin in Winnipeg with the first exhibit.
Winnipeg Art Gallery is in discussions with the National Gallery of Canada, The Vancouver Art
Gallery, The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, and The Art Gallery of Alberta to widen its scope
to expand its presence nationally. As this project grows, it has the potential to move to rural
locations and the digital content can appear across Canada with our partner galleries. The theme
of this exhibit is unity and, therefore, it will be crucial to come together through art, learning,
mourning, conversing, and healing together.
Other groups backing this project include the Province of Manitoba, The Banff Centre for The
Arts, The Cantos Foundation, Michael Nesbitt, The Winnipeg Art Gallery Foundation, and the
Government of Canada.
The funding for the first year of the exhibit will go to equipment, activation, research, and
commissions. For subsequent years, the focus will be on commissions, research, and expanding
the scope of experience of the exhibit.
Timeline
Activities
First commissions of artists begin September 1, 2021
Research and writing for exhibit content November 1, 2021, to January 28, 2022
Software company and technical crew
demonstrate beta installation (Phase 1)
March 20, 2022
Information Night at Winnipeg Art Gallery
and online for local and international
community
April 20, 2022
Software company and technical crew
demonstration (Phase 2)
May 1, 2022
All commissions from artists to be integrated
into digital installation (Phase 3)
June 1, 2022

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Official demonstration of exhibit at Winnipeg
Art Gallery for artists, staff, partners, and
funders
July 23, 2022
Media, Advertising, and Public Relations
Blitz
September 2022
Opening Week November 1, 2022, to November 8, 2022
Budget
The commissions and execution of an exhibit involve the work of many and can cost anywhere
from $20,000 to over $90,000. The amount needed for its first year is $30,000 (an additional
$20,000 has already been raised from benefactors). This includes the commissions and work of
the artists, museum costs, the people to get it off the ground and run the exhibit, the technology
required, and those who will maintain it. This budget will ensure an effective activation and first
year of the exhibit. This will set it up for success in its initial five-year run.
Item Expenditures
Equipment (Digital Installation, Speakers,
Lighting, Furniture)
$10,000
(Additional $5,000 already funded)
Technical Personnel (Installation, Activation,
Maintenance, Programming)
$5,000
(Additional $5,000 already funded)
Commissions (Artists, Musicians,
Filmmakers)
$10,000
(Additional $5,000 already funded)
Winnipeg Art Gallery Staff (Hosts, Education,
Assistance)
$5,000
(Additional $5,000 already funded)

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$30,000 $20,000
Canada Council Other Partners/
For The Arts Grant Donors
*Funding needed for the first
year of exhibit development,
activation, and operation is
$50,000
We are grateful for your consideration and look forward to discussing The Wîcêhtowin Exhibit
further with you. If you have any questions, please contact:
Darren Day
Partner Relationship Manager
The Winnipeg Art Gallery
300 Memorial Boulevard
Winnipeg, Manitoba
R3C 1V1
Phone: 204.786.6641
Email: darrenday@wag.ca

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References
1. Winnipeg Art Gallery. (February 3, 2020). Kent Monkman’s Shame and Prejudice Extended
At The WAG.
https://www.wag.ca/media/kent-monkmans-shame-and-prejudice-extended-at-the-wag/
2. Blunt, Marney. March 25, 2021. Qaumajuq: New Inuit art centre opens at the Winnipeg Art
Gallery.
https://globalnews.ca/news/7718488/qaumajuq-inuit-art-centre-winnipeg-art-gallery/
3. The Canadian Legal Information Institute. (September 1, 2016). The Winnipeg Art
Gallery Incorporation Act, RSM 1990, c 216.
https://www.canlii.org/en/mb/laws/stat/rsm-1990-c-216/latest/rsm-1990-c-216.html
4. Winnipeg Art Gallery. (2021). About. Para. 8-15.
https://www.wag.ca/about/the-wag/