S askCulture has always looked for ways to help people understand the value and diversity of arts, heritage and culture in Saskatchewan. Culture Days, which began in 2010, has continued to have a big role in building this awareness and uniting the cultural community in its promotion. Since she started her role in 1999, SaskCulture’s Communication Manager Diane Ell has made it a priority to help residents gain a better understanding of cultural activity, its impact, its diversity and its availability, both locally and provincially. For years, she worked with other cultural leaders in the community to promote the many benefits of cultural activity, including increased confidence, self-esteem, and opportunities for expression for individuals and increased economic benefits, pride and social capital for communities. She is extremely pleased with the impact that Culture Days has had in the province over the years. Q. How did Culture Days begin? A. The cultural community has always been interested in some form of shared promotion of arts, heritage and culture — that was the idea behind the creation of Culture Builds Community! back in 2000. At a cultural community summit in 2006, members of the cultural community spoke up about wanting a
Animateurs, artists and performers helped spread the excitement of Culture Days throughout the province. (L-R: Sylvia Chave, Animateur; Diane Ell, Communications Manager, SaskCulture; and Erroll Kinistino, Animateur.)
What did SaskCulture hope to do? SaskCulture was optimistic about the idea of Culture Days. It emerged as an innovative opportunity to highlight the arts in the province, including the many talented artists, performers, cultural workers and cultural experiences available. For SaskCulture, the opportunity also included highlighting the province’s heritage, including museums, the land, stories, and traditions, as well as showcasing the diversity of cultures that helped shape Saskatchewan. Culture Days offered us all a more united, persuasive call to action. It was also an opportunity to connect with cultural organizations and organizers across the country. Key to the success of Culture Days was getting cultural organizers to jump on board. We asked them to open their doors to offer a glimpse into their area of cultural experience. As part of this initiative, they needed to identify free, interactive activities that would help the public get a better understanding of cultural activity. And ultimately, after Culture Days was over, participants would get more involved in these cultural pursuits throughout the year. In addition, SaskCulture hoped that Culture Days would build awareness of its funding programs and other opportunities in the cultural network.
more focused promotion for arts and culture. They asked SaskCulture, and its partner SK Arts, to consider a Culture Week or Day in the province. As this conversation continued, SK Arts had identified Quebec’s popular La journee de la culture , held every September, as an idea. Other organizers in Eastern Canada had already been discussing the possibility of this type of promotion. So, by the time the coordinator, for the newly formed Culture Days initiative, called to discuss our involvement in a Canada-wide movement, SaskCulture was ready to jump on board.
When Culture Days was first celebrated in Saskatchewan in 2010, Laura Hale, a mixed media visual artist, visited communities and met with organizers to build awareness and get people involved. (Photo by Diane Ell)
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SPRING 2025
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