2026 Summer Employment Opportunity

Documentation from our 2022 ASAP presentation at the Fabulous Festival of Fringe Film.

2026 SUMMER EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

Aanmitaagzi is currently seeking applicants aged 15 – 30 for it’s 2026 Summer Arts Program. The deadline to apply is June 30, 2026. Full details can be found below.

Job title: Community Arts Intern
Length of contract: 8 weeks
Hours per week: 35
Hourly wage: $20.00
Start date: July 6, 2026
Location: Big Medicine Studio – 161 Couchie Memorial Dr., North Bay, ON
Deadline to apply: June 30, 2026

Background:

Aanmitaagzi is an Indigenous multi-disciplinary artist-run company based in Nipissing First Nation. Linked to provincial, national, and international networks, Aanmitaagzi is committed to fostering a vibrant arts community through community-engaged projects that promote well-being, strengthen relationships with the land, and incorporate intergenerational approaches and methodologies. Aanmitaagzi combines art making, education, professional development & social activism through contemporary and customary arts, nurturing historic Indigenous arts practices and exploring how these practices can be carried forward in a meaningful contemporary context.

Every year, we run an annual summer arts program that gives Indigenous youth the opportunity to learn from and work with respected Indigenous arts professionals and Elders. This year’s Summer Arts Program (ASAP) will take place from July 6 – August 28, 2026. Over the eight weeks of the program, Aanmitaagzi’s lead artists and invited guest artists will work with the youth participants, providing training in areas such as storytelling and creation, acting, dancing, movement, voice, singing, drumming, visual and installation art, as well as customary Indigenous arts practices and cultural teachings. Through artmaking and ensemble building, the youth and artists will collaboratively create a performance work that incorporates elements of dance/theatre as well as arts installations for public presentation, and engages with Aanmitaagzi’s current arts initiative, All My R(el)ations.

Tasks and responsibilities:

The Community Arts Interns will receive on the job training in a variety of artistic disciplines such as traditional and non-traditional storytelling, acting, theatre, dance, voice, puppetry, visual art, installation art, and customary Indigenous arts practices. They will further develop their communications and interpersonal skills and learn the fundamental aspects of event planning and delivery, production management, and outreach and marketing. They will also participate in the creation and delivery of workshops, events, activities, and presentations that will be open to the public.

Specific duties will include:

  • Working with Aanmitaagzi staff, guest artists, and community members under the supervision of the Co-Artistic Directors
  • Working with and receiving mentorship from arts professionals, Elders, and cultural knowledge keepers in a variety of disciplines
  • Working collaboratively to create work for public presentation
  • Participating in other arts events, festivals, and community engagement activities the organization engages in
  • Communicating with community members, Elders, and peers for the purposes of coordination and outreach
  • Supporting services to community members and facilitating engagement between youth and Elders
  • Promoting, supporting, and helping to coordinate the organization’s events and activities

In addition, the youth will be responsible for helping to maintain a safe and organized workspace, following established schedules, completing assigned tasks in a timely fashion, and fostering a positive, creative, and respectful work environment.

Eligibility:

These positions are funded through federal employment programs. To be eligible for employment, youth must:

  • be between 15 and 30 years of age at the start of the employment
  • be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or person to whom refugee protection has been conferred under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act for the duration of the employment
  • have a valid Social Insurance Number at the start of employment and be legally entitled to work in Canada in accordance with relevant provincial or territorial legislation and regulations
  • be fluent in English

Ideal candidates:

The ideal candidates for this job position are full-time secondary or post-secondary Indigenous youth pursuing a career in the arts (e.g. dance, theatre, fine arts, etc.) or Indigenous studies, however candidates pursuing careers in related fields (e.g. arts administration, health & wellness programs, social work, etc.) will also be considered. Please note that youth not currently in school will also be considered.

Application Process:

Interested applicants are asked to send their resumes and a brief cover letter explaining why they are interested in participating in our summer arts program to aanmitaagzi@gmail.com by June 30, 2026. Only applicants selected for interview will be contacted.

For more information, please contact Sid Bobb, Co-Artistic Director, by phone at (705) 474-2227 or by email at aanmitaagzi@gmail.com.

 

2026 Winter Workshops

Aanmitaagzi is back with more community-engaged workshops for the 2026 winter season! The workshops are part of our current project, All My R(el)ations. Through sharing knowledge, remembering together, and celebrating the old ways we build our community through art.

All My R(el)ations is a multi-disciplinary dance project of gathering, reflecting, and dreaming. This multi-year project researches, develops, and creates art in, and around, relationality and resource capacity. How do we relate to ourselves and each other in times of scarcity? What actions have fractured our relationship to ourselves, each other, and the land? What actions give life to healthy thriving communities? All My R(el)ations seeks to re-establish ways in which we work well together.

This series of workshops will run from January 12 – April 30, 2026. They are free to attend and no experience is necessary. All ages are welcome except where noted.

WORKSHOP SCHEDULE

MONDAY
Pow Wow Making & Jam Night with Darren Nakogee
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Pow wow singing and dancing for all abilities. Sing, dance, or work on your regalia projects. Join Darren Nakogee, Sid Bobb, and other artists as we celebrate together. This workshop is presented in partnership with Nipissing First Nation’s Walking Alongside Services.

Open Making Studio
6:00 – 8:00 pm
Weekly drop-in open studio making sessions. Bring your regalia, beadwork, knitting, painting, or other unfinished projects to work on, or start a new one!

WEDNESDAY
All Ages Multi-Arts with Sherry Guppy
3:30 – 5:30 pm  
A multi-arts drop-in class for artists of all ages. Materials will be provided, and activities will include painting, drawing, sewing, craft, and more!

Movement & Dance with Penny Couchie
6:30 – 8:00 pm
This dance class is aimed at exploring relationship to ourselves, each other, and our community. What are we moved by? How do we celebrate the diversity of our bodies and the multitude of ways we express ourselves?

THURSDAY
Elders’ Storytelling Luncheons
12:00 – 2:30 pm
This storytelling luncheon for elders is an opportunity to eat together and explore the care we had for one another: our families, community, and strangers. It is an opportunity to share stories of who we are in the face of adversity and who we hope to be. It is a call for a return to good relations with all.

If you’d like to find out more, please contact Sid or Penny at (705) 474-2227 or aanmitaagzi@gmail.com.

Winter Solstice Celebration December 18th

A poster for the Winter Solstice Celebration at Big Medicine Studio on December 18th at 5 pm.

We’re hosting a Winter Solstice Celebration at Big Medicine Studio on December 18th from 5 – 8 pm. Join us for an evening of songs, stories, and celebration as we explore and share our multi-disciplinary arts project All My R(el)ations.

All My R(el)ations is a multi-year, inter-generational community-engaged arts project that explores and investigates historic Anishinaabe stories from this region through various artistic disciplines. Focusing on themes of hunger, feasting, sharing, celebration, culture, healing, and transformation, these stories range from the imagined to the personal, often including the lived experiences of the participants and artists.

Art pieces and stories developed during our fall community-engaged workshop series will be presented and refreshments will be served. Hope to see you there!

For more information, please contact Sid or Penny at (705) 474-2227 or aanmitaagzi@gmail.com. You can also check out our event page on Facebook.

2025 Fall Workshop Series

Aanmitaagzi is back with another series of community-engaged workshops for the Fall & Winter seasons! The workshops are part of our current project, All My R(el)ations. Through sharing our knowledge, remembering together, and celebrating the old ways we are building our community through art.

The workshops are free to attend and no experience is necessary. All ages are welcome except where noted.

All My R(el)ations is a multi-disciplinary dance project of gathering, reflecting, and dreaming. This multi-year project researches, develops, and creates art in, and around, relationality and resource capacity. How do we relate to ourselves and each other in times of scarcity? What actions have fractured our relationship to ourselves, each other, and the land? What actions give life to healthy thriving communities? All My R(el)ations seeks to re-establish ways in which we work well together.

WORKSHOP SCHEDULE

MONDAY
Pow Wow Making & Jam Night with Darren Nakogee
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Pow wow singing and dancing for all abilities. Sing, dance, or work on your regalia projects. Join Darren Nakogee, Sid Bobb, and other artists as we celebrate together. This workshop is presented in partnership with Nipissing First Nation’s Walking Alongside Services.

Open Making Studio
6:00 – 8:00 pm
Weekly drop-in open studio making sessions. Bring your regalia, beadwork, knitting, painting, or other unfinished projects to work on, or start a new one!

WEDNESDAY
All Ages Multi-Arts with Sherry Guppy
3:30 – 5:30 pm  
A multi-arts drop-in class for artists of all ages. Materials will be provided.

Movement & Dance with Penny Couchie
6:30 – 8:00 pm
This dance class is aimed at exploring relationship to ourselves, each other, and our community. What are we moved by? How do we celebrate the diversity of our bodies and the multitude of ways we express ourselves?

THURSDAY
Elders’ Storytelling Luncheons
12:00 – 2:30 pm
This storytelling luncheon for elders is an opportunity to eat together and explore the care we had for one another: our families, community, and strangers. It is an opportunity to share stories of who we are in the face of adversity and who we hope to be. It is a call for a return to good relations with all.

Ice Follies 2025 Recap

Last month we wrapped up another amazing edition of Ice Follies. For this year’s festival, we developed three installation structures in collaboration with our artists and community members: a wigwam, an A-frame tent, and an ice shack. Textile pieces and stories developed through our fall and winter community-engaged workshops and Elders’ Storytelling Luncheons were incorporated into the installation structures and each was activated with performances and presentations during the opening night ceremonies on February 7th. Christine Friday of Friday Creeations and JP Longboat of Circadia Indigena, travelled to Big Medicine Studio to participate in the festival’s opening with us, and JP also presented his Spirit Canoes. Opening night performers in addition to Christine Friday and JP Longboat included Penny Couchie, Sid Bobb, Sherry Guppy, Animikiikwe Couchie-Waukey, Katie Couchie, Megan Paulin, Bonnie Couchie, Darren Nakogee, Gerry McComb, Liam Culhane, Ouske Couchie-Bobb, William McGrath, Doreen Bellaire, and Cindy Spence.

The day after the festival opening, lead artist Sherry Guppy and youth artist William McGrath presented an artist talk at the Capitol Centre on behalf of Aanmitaagzi. They provided information and insights into the All My R(el)ations project and shared their experiences working with Aanmitaagzi over the years. Additional presentations and activations took place on Lake Nipissing on Family Day (February 17th), including drumming and dancing.

Aanmitaagzi wishes to thank the other artists and support staff that helped us with Ice Follies this year: Michaela Washburn, Suzanna Rice, Kelsey Ruhl, Clayton Windatt, Olivia Shortt, Jennifer Kelly, Kayos Jones, Prism Arcobaleno, Chris Couchie, Daniel Couchie, Ulysses Trudeau, Nathan Pamajewon, Gayle Weston, and Tara Windatt. We also want to thank everyone that came out to our weekly workshops over the last few months and the amazing group of storytelling Elders that come to have lunch with us each week.

Many thanks also go out to the staff of the Near North Mobile Media Lab and the White Water Gallery for co-coordinating Ice Follies with us; the artists and arts orgs that participated this year; and the businesses, funders, and sponsors that supported Ice Follies 2025. And we would like to acknowledge funding support from the Ontario Arts Council and the Government of Ontario, as well as the Canada Council for the Arts, for this project and our ongoing operations.

Photo Documentation by Stephanie McGinn.