Thank you to everyone who joined us at The Bridge: A Festival of Ideas. We appreciate your enthusiasm and your openness to engage, listen and learn. And, of course, heartfelt thanks to the artists, innovators and leaders who shared their time and expertise with festival audiences.

Keynote speech | In conversation with... | Panels | Play excerpts, music & art | Isitwendam | Participants
 

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This annual event invites audiences to go deeper, to engage in the issues of our time. This year, we explore how art moves the conversation forward around reconciliation.

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A message from the curator

The land the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre sits on is the traditional gathering place of the Anishinaabe, Néhiyaw (Cree) and Oyate (Dakota) and the home of the Métis. Winnipeg has become a centre of Indigenous arts in Canada, so it makes sense Royal MTC has chosen to honour Indigenous artists by making space for us at the inaugural festival of The Bridge: A Festival of Ideas.

The theme of this 2021 digital edition of The Bridge is Art & (re)Conciliation. Reconciliation has become a loaded term and has generated a lot of conversations among Indigenous peoples. But reconciliation isn’t up to us. It is up to non-Indigenous people to conciliate their feelings and teachings of Indigenous people. Artistic Director Kelly Thornton has taken those first steps for Royal MTC in making space. And the Indigenous arts community has answered their invite.

We have so many incredibly talented and driven people who have embraced the arts as their calling: actors, writers, musicians, fine artists, producers, directors, poets, journalists and many others from all entertainment sectors.  

To be able to offer a platform to help elevate their voices is a great honour for me. As a journalist, my personal mandate has always been to bring positive Indigenous stories to the media and masses. Curating The Bridge: Art & (re)Conciliation has been the culmination of 28 years of covering the Indigenous arts community.

I’ve built bridges and friendships that have helped me engage the artists you will see during The Bridge -- all who have offered up their time with zero hesitation and for that I am truly grateful.

Kim Wheeler