Tag Archives: Summer Arts Program

ASAP 2026 presentation “Biskane” takes place August 20th

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Poster for Biskane, the culminating performance for the 2026 Summer Arts Program.

Biskane
Culminating performance for the 2026 Aanmitaagzi Summer Arts Program

August 20, 2026 at 7:00 pm (doors open at 6:30 pm)
Big Medicine Studio
161 Couchie Memorial Dr, Nipissing First Nation

Aanmitaagzi and the participants of the 2026 Aanmitaagzi Summer Arts Program are pleased to invite the public to Big Medicine Studio for Biskane (it ignites), the culminating performance for this year’s program. The artists and youth participants have been working hard since the beginning of July to develop and prepare for this presentation through singing, dancing, regalia making, storytelling, visual explorations, attending pow wows, participating in Spiderwoman Theater’s Block Party Pow Wow in Brooklyn, and engaging in other arts activities. The collaboratively created and performed work is an investigation and expression of indigenous dance and storytelling that has grown out of their experiences over the summer and the stories and knowledge they carry with them. The presentation is free to attend, and all are welcome.

Biskane is co-created and performed by:

Lead Artists – Sid Bobb, Katie Couchie, Penny Couchie, Sherry Guppy, Darren Nakogee, with Special Guests Olivia Shortt and Animikiikwe Couchie-Waukey

Program Participants – Albany Benson, Harvey Campeau, Ouske Couchie-Bobb, Lukas Driedger, Janiah Etherington, Autumn Hookimaw, Mya Katt, Waseskwan Linklater, William McGrath, Georgia Mianskum, Tayton Mianskum, Malia Mizzi, Zaidyn Mizzi, Niibin Nakogee, Finnegan Rice, Lance Sarazin, North Spence, Nate Thomas, and Jodan Wesley.

Guest Facilitators – Dan Commanda, Eva Couchie, and Clayton Windatt

What is the Aanmitaagzi Summer Arts Program?

The Aanmitaagzi Summer Arts Program (ASAP) is an annual 8-week intensive in indigenous performing, visual, and traditional arts. Now in its nineteenth year, the program gives indigenous youth the opportunity to learn, share, express and create alongside Aanmitaagzi’s professional multi-disciplinary arts team, guest artists, and community-members in a collaborative, inter-generational, and welcoming space.

How can I get more information?

For more information, please call (705) 474-2227 or email aanmitaagzi@gmail.com.

Aanmitaagzi wishes to thank the Government of Canada through the Canada Council for the Arts and the Canada Summer Jobs Program, the Ontario Government through the Ontario Arts Council, Mushkegowuk Employment & Training Services, Moose Cree Training & Employment Unit, the North Bay Indigenous Friendship Centre’s Apatisiwin Program, and the Artist-Run Centres and Collectives Conference for generously supporting the 2026 Summer Arts Program.

 

ASAP 2025 presenting Catch and Release on August 21st

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Catch and Release
Culminating performance for the 2025 Aanmitaagzi Summer Arts Program

August 21, 2025 at 7 pm
Big Medicine Studio
161 Couchie Memorial Dr, Nipissing First Nation

Aanmitaagzi and the participants of the 2025 Aanmitaagzi Summer Arts Program are pleased to invite you all to Catch and Release, the culminating performance for this year’s program. The artists and youth participants have been working hard since the beginning of July to develop and prepare for this presentation through singing, dancing, regalia making, storytelling, visual explorations, attending pow wows, and other arts activities. The collaboratively created and performed work is an investigation and expression of indigenous dance and storytelling that has grown out of these activities and what lies in the hearts and minds of everyone involved. The presentation is free to attend and all are welcome.

The Aanmitaagzi Summer Arts Program (ASAP) is an annual 8-week intensive in indigenous performing and visual arts. Now in its eighteenth year, the program is led by award winning and renowned professional indigenous artists and educators. The program gives indigenous youth the opportunity to learn, share, express and create alongside our professional multi-arts team, guest artists, and community-members in a collaborative, inter-generational, and welcoming space.

Catch and Release is co-created and performed by:

Lead Artists – Sid Bobb, Penny Couchie, Katie Couchie, and Darren Nakogee with special guests Doreen Bellaire and Animikiikwe Couchie-Waukey

Program Participants – Albany Benson, Ouske Couchie-Bobb,  Lukas Driedger, Autumn Hookimaw, Mya Katt, Markus Lazary, William McGrath, Tayton  Mianskum, Malia Mathias-Mizzi, Niibin Nakogee, Finn Rice, and Shania Splane

Set by Sherry Guppy with Laura Linklater-Wong and Paige Linklater-Wong

Aanmitaagzi wishes to thank the Government of Canada through the Canada Council for the Arts and the Canada Summer Jobs Program, the Ontario Government through the Ontario Arts Council, Mushkegowuk Employment & Training Services, Moose Cree Training & Employment Unit, and the North Bay Indigenous Friendship Centre’s Apatisiwin Program for generously supporting the 2025 Summer Arts Program.

 

ASAP presenting at ON THE EDGE Fringe 2024

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The poster for the ALL MY R(el)ATIONS presentation for the ON THE EDGE Fringe Festival's 2024 Duality Program.

ALL MY R(EL)ATIONS
Presented by ON THE EDGE Fringe Festival
August 13th @ 8 pm
181 Oak St. W

Aanmitaagzi is extremely excited to be invited by the ON THE EDGE Fringe Festival to once again participate in their 2024 Duality program.

For this year’s program, we will be presenting a live multi-arts performance from our current multi-year project ALL MY R(el)ATIONS. The presentation will include dancing, storytelling/spoken word, singing, drumming, and art installations, and will take place on the green space beside the Dionne Quints Museum (181 Oak St. W). The performance is about 40 minutes long and will begin around 8 pm. There is no admission fee and all are welcome. This is an outdoor performance so be sure to dress appropriately for the weather and to bring a chair or blanket to sit on.

Artist Statement

The artists and participants of this year’s Summer Arts Program have been working hard over the last six weeks to prepare for this presentation. The collaboratively created and performed work is an investigation and expression of indigenous dance and our myths. We have spent weeks singing, dancing, regalia making, story-telling, and travelling to pow wows. This performance has grown out of these activities and what lies in our hearts and minds.

The Aanmitaagzi Summer Arts Program (ASAP) is an 8-week intensive in indigenous performing and visual arts. Now in its seventeenth year, the program faculty is led by award winning and renowned professional indigenous artists and educators. Participants learn, share, express and create alongside our professional multi-arts team.

ALL MY R(el)ATIONS, our latest work-in-progress, explores our historic abundance in opposition to systemic oppression and poverty. How much of what we have now, is a ration; a small shadow of what we once had? What are we entitled to? What dances, stories, songs and language is our birthright?

ALL MY R(el)ATIONS explores historically rooted ways in which we make a return to abundance by connecting to ourselves and all of Creation.

This work is co-created and performed by:

Albany Benson, Sid Bobb, Penny Couchie, Ouske Couchie-Bobb, Niganii Dokis, Sherry Guppy, Autumn Hookimaw, Skyler Hookimaw, Mya Katt, Waseskwan Linklater, Malia Mathias-Mizzi, William McGrath, Darren Nakogee, Finn Rice, and Shania Splane.

With Special Guests:

Blair Beaucage, Katie Couchie, Brennan Govender, Olivia Shortt, Cody Sutherland, Ronnie Turner, and more!

Aanmitaagzi wishes to thank the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, the Government of Canada’s Canada Summer Jobs Program, Mushkegowuk Employment & Training Services, the North Bay Indigenous Friendship Centre’s Apatisiwin Program, and the ON THE EDGE Fringe Festival for generously supporting this project and the 2024 Summer Arts Program.

ASAP 2023 Culminating Presentation

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Poster for "Lies, Second Tries, and Butterflies" for August 25th

Please join us on August 25th @ 7 pm for the culmination of this year’s Summer Arts Program with a remounted presentation of Lies, Second Tries, and Butterflies. The original work was developed through a 3-week intensive collaboration with the participants in our 2023 Summer Arts Program, with invited guests from the Centre for Indigenous Theatre (CIT), and Aanmitaagzi’s company artists. The stories and dance pieces developed by our youth participants and artists for the first performance on August 3rd have been further developed and expanded over the last three weeks for this culminating performance.

The performance is free to attend, and all are welcome. For more information, please contact us at (705) 474-2227 or aanmitaagzi@gmail.com.

Aanmitaagzi wishes to acknowledge the generous support of the Government of Canada, through the Canada Summer Jobs Program and the Young Canada Works Program, the Canada Council for the Arts, and the Ontario Arts Council for this year’s Summer Arts Program.

Lies, Second Tries, and Butterflies – Aug 3rd @7 pm

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Please join us on August 3rd @ 7 pm for Lies, Second Tries, and Butterflies, a series of stories and dance performance collaboratively created and performed by the participants in our 2023 Summer Arts Program, with invited guests from the Centre for Indigenous Theatre (CIT), and Aanmitaagzi’s company artists. The work was developed through a 3-week intensive collaboration with CIT at Big Medicine Studio.

The performance is free to attend, and all are welcome. For more information, please contact us (705) 474-2227 or aanmitaagzi@gmail.com.

Aanmitaagzi wishes to acknowledge the generous support of the Government of Canada, through the Canada Summer Jobs Program and the Young Canada Works Program, the Canada Council for the Arts, and the Ontario Arts Council for this year’s Summer Arts Program.