Tag Archives: ALL MY R(el)ATIONS

2026 Winter Workshops

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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

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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

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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

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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.

New Weekly Workshop Schedule leading up to Ice Follies

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Winter workshop schedule
January 21 – February 6, 2025

Aanmitaagzi is continuing to host weekly drop-in workshops in the weeks leading up to the opening of Ice Follies on February 7, 2025. Through these workshops, Aanmitaagzi’s artists and community participants will develop stories and pieces that explore the themes of All My R(el)ations and Ice Follies’ theme of “Ozhaashikwaa” (The Ice is Slippery). The workshops will take place at Big Medicine Studio – 161 Couchie Memorial Drive. They are free to attend and newcomers are welcome.

NEW WORKSHOP SCHEDULE

Tuesdays

All Ages Multi-Arts with Sherry Guppy & Sid Bobb
3:30 – 5:30 pm  
A multi-arts drop-in class for artists of all ages. Activities will include drawing, painting, storytelling, crafts, dance, textile work, and more as we develop installation pieces for Ice Follies! Materials will be provided.

Choreographic Exploration & Story Creation with Penny Couchie
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Contemporary dance and movement explorations, and guided written and visual activities to explore the stories and themes of All My R(el)ations to develop performance pieces for Ice Follies.

Wednesdays

Choreographic Exploration & Story Creation with Penny Couchie
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Contemporary dance and movement explorations, and guided written and visual activities to explore the stories and themes of All My R(el)ations to develop performance pieces for Ice Follies.

Thursdays

Community Dinner
5:15 pm – 6:00 pm
A time to gather and share a meal with our artists, workshop participants, and community members each week.

Pow Wow Making & Jam Night with Sid Bobb & invited guest artists
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Weekly drop-in making & jam sessions for all things pow wow. Bring your regalia, beadwork, or other unfinished projects to work on or bring your voice and/or an instrument for singing, drumming, and dancing! Sid Bobb and other invited guest artists will be on hand to help out and join in the fun.

For more information, please call Sid or Penny at 705-474-2227 or email aanmitaagzi@gmail.com.