PROGRAMMING

We invite you to learn more about Common Weal’s recent and ongoing programming.

7th Fire Singers Women and 2 Spirits Hand Drum Program

The 7th Fire Singers Women and 2 Spirits Hand Drum Program is a 9-week-long singing and traditional drum-making workshop series, which took place in Saskatoon. Led by members of 7th Fire Singers, a grassroots group of women and 2-Spirits, this program focused on revitalizing culture while healing through sacred medicine.

Creating Shared Futures: Indigenous-Black Relations Through Theatre

As part of our Respond to Racism program, Creating Shared Futures explores Indigenous–Black relations through theatre. This project features multiple workshops that focus on ethical relation-making, power play, site-specific performance, and collaborative creation—led by nationally and internationally renowned artists.

From the Margins

Officially premiered in spring 2025, From the Margins is a documentary that highlights the challenges and resilience of Black communities in Saskatchewan. The film was well received, with many attendees acknowledging its powerful message, which directly informed the design and delivery of subsequent Centering the Margins workshops.

Centering The Margins

Centering The Margins is an anti-racism workshop series held alongside the screening of our film From the Margins—a documentary of racial discriminations in Saskatchewan. These workshops provided spaces for education, reflection, and community dialogue about anti-Black sentiments that still unfortunately persist within our province. 

Why the Caged Bird Sings—Immersive Engagements (PAVED Arts)

Interdisciplinary artist Cheryl L'Hirondelle's installation Why The Caged Bird Sings—Immersive Engagements opened at PAVED Arts Saskatoon with a warm reception reflecting the practice of inclusivity that gave rise to the works, based on her songs co-written with incarcerated populations throughout Saskatchewan.

Own the Stage: The Expansion

Own the Stage: The Expansion is the third iteration of our inaugural Own the Stage summer spoken words & poetry workshop program in Regina, which offers Saskatchewan youth the tools to share their stories and voices through the art of spoken word.

Buffalo Futurism

Buffalo Futurism is a geolocated Augmented Reality(AR) experience in māmowimīwēyitamōwin Park (formerly Regent Pool Park) in Regina, Saskatchewan. The app transports viewers to an Indigenous futuristic park where Tatanga (Buffalo) has returned to the land and roam freely.

Northern Languages

The Northern Languages Program supports Indigenous language revival and retention, particularly among the youth. Lead Artist Michèle Mackasey and Elder Carol Estralshenen have been bringing workshops in the Northern Denesuline community of Patuanak, as well as Saskatoon through a partnership with White Buffalo Youth Lodge.

Creative Connections

The ongoing Creative Connections project brings multisensory, poetry-based programming into the Herb Bassett Day Home and Pine View Care Home in Prince Albert. Writer Beth Gobeil created weekly activities kits tailored to the interest and abilities of the long term live-in residents as well as daily visitors.

Creative Drop-In Spaces

The Creative Drop-In Spaces program is a casual, drop-in art program taking place outside the Prairie Harm Reduction Drop-In Centre and Safe Consumption Site in Saskatoon. The program consists of diverse workshops that explore the potential of art as a harm reduction tool for health and healing.