Arts Incubator in the classroom: Biosystems with the Minneapolis College of Art and Design

November 2, 2023 - by Jamie Bell

Over the next five weeks we are excited to be able to connect with Kami Norland’s biosystems class at the MInneapolis College of Art and Design. Their program has expressed interest in working together to co-create a toolkit and facilitator’s guide to support immersive community pilot projects like artsincubator.caThe class project will center around themes of food security, food sovereignty, and their related challenges.

This guide will also serve as a valuable resource for those interested in hosting workshops and activities, offering a roadmap for the planning and execution of events. It will encompass various elements, such as instructions for organizing workshops, or hosting a canning session, conducting cooking demonstrations, and providing participants with opportunities for community- based and driven social programming. The guide is not limited to any single use but is instead meant to be adaptable and flexible, catering to a wide range of community initiatives.

In addition to the practical guidance it can provide, the handbook will also include a participant journey map, which outlines the entire experience, from the initial invitation to active engagement from the core relationship development and engagement activities, to the lasting memories created after each event. 

Furthermore, the guide is intended to incorporate artistic marketing materials for each stage of the participant’s journey, enhancing the overall experience and ensuring that the projects inspired by it are not only educational but also engaging and memorable. 

As a new project that is just starting out, everyone on the arts incubator program is incredibly honored and excited to be able to connect with the programs like the MCAD Biosciences class. We believe this collaborative adventure has a lot of potential to bring our communities together in more than a few new and different ways.

Upcoming events: 

Activities for this new, and exciting project start this Friday, November 3, 2024 with a special University of Victoria Community Based Research Lab Community Conversation with Dr.Olaf Kuhlke. He is Professor and Chair of Creative Entrepreneurship at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. 

Dr. Kuhlke’s talk will outline a planned project in Nunavut, Northern Manitoba and Alaska, addressing supply chains and their relationship to food (in)security in these regions. This project aims to focus on the tenuous relationship between Nunavut and Southern Canada regarding food systems development. It will seek to examine the flows and needs of food supplies to the North while simultaneously evaluating the possibilities and limits of local production.