More Than Just News!
Dawson Trail Dispatch
Otterburne Graphic Designer Competes in Video Contest By Marianne Curtis A graphics designer from Otterburne was the first contestant to submit her entry into the “Just Watch Me” contest that honours disabled entrepreneurs. Candace Lipischak is the sole proprietor of Productions Canart Productions, a small business offering bilingual services in Graphic
Design and Desktop Publishing. “I’ve created everything from logos to business cards, posters and brochures to working on a newspaper spread as well as layout and design of a children’s book,” Lipischak explained. “To say the least, I absolutely love my job!” In 2000, Lipsichak was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. When working regular business hours became difficult after her diagnosis, she started her own business in 2007 to expand her creativity as well as supplement her income. She heard about the contest after visiting Community Futures to obtain a small loan to upgrade her computer software. “When I spoke with their representative, Dayna Lalchun, she helped me tremendously along the way. I mentioned the possibility of a grant,” Lipischak continued. “She
mentioned Entrepreneurs with Disabilities, as I had told her I have MS. A few weeks later the contest just so happened to open up and she suggested I look into it.” The “Just Watch Me” video contest encourages disabled entrepreneurs to share their business success story and inspire other people with disabilities to become their own boss. Two winners from both Manitoba and Saskatchewan will be awarded cash prices and a number of other tools that could assist in their business operations. “I wanted to relay the message that even people with a disability can do what they truly love and enjoy,” Lipischak, continued. “I’ve had a lot of support along the way from my family and friends and with the programs that have been available; however, I found the
2013 – Make it Creative Wellness – for You! Classes starting this month: Yin Yoga, Exploring Acrylics, and Teens ages 12-16 will love Clay: Intro to the Wheel. Learn new dances with The Dance Floor: Beginner 1 – Meringue, Beginner 2 – West Coast Swing and Intermediates – Bachatta or Rumba, or both! African drumming workshops for kids and adults are coming up on February 16th here at the Cultural Arts Centre. Please contact Coffieman at (204) 800-1781 to register. Classes coming up in March include Digital Photography for Kids, Teens and Adults, and Teen Art X-Treme, plus new four-week sessions with The Dance Floor Social Dance program – Country Two Step and West Coast Swing. Business Owners: It’s for team building and professional development through wellness, visual arts, cooking or language. Send two employees to a class of your choice and the third employee comes free. The First Dance workshops are perfect for Bride & Groom, Father & Daughter or Bridal Parties. Only two weeks and you’ll be good to go. February 3 & 10 at the Cultural Arts Centre - $35/couple for one day or $65/couple for both days. Customized workshops are also available. SPECIAL! Half off for ages 5-8 Acting Out! Theatre classes. Register today! The Arts4Tots Preschool Program is still taking students! Register your tot now for a creative learning experience that incorporates Music, Dance, Drama, Culture and Crafts into learning every week! You’re invited! Opening Ceremony for Inside Out on February 20th, 7 p.m. View artwork by the diverse group of grade 11 & 12 students from Steinbach Christian High School, who are bound together by an excitement and energy to create and experiment in the ever-growing realm of visual arts. Have you been to the Loewen Green Arts Scene? 306 Reimer Avenue – local artists, studio space, musicians at open houses – check it out online. Photo Contest – See this month’s theme on the Century 21 Gold Key Realty Facebook page, then submit your photo (don’t forget to tag ‘Steinbach Arts Council!’) for your chance to win $50, plus a tax receipt in your name for $100, donated to SAC. Calling all artists! Get your creative works on display at our Southeast Open Judged Art Exhibit. Local artists welcome, all ages! NEW registration deadline is March 1st. Download applications online at www.steinbachartscouncil.ca. More Opportunities for Artists: Be an exhibitor in 2013-14! Hold your own exhibit at the Cultural Arts Centre Hall Gallery (our new season starts Sept 2013 and runs until Aug 2014). A full exhibit requires 30 pieces, or you can apply for a half exhibit and, upon being selected, we will pair you with another half exhibit. Applications available online. Deadline: February 28th. Summer in the City Festival: Musicians, bands, singers, actors, dancers or visual artists (painting, pottery, drawing etc), and entertainers of all kinds are welcome to apply for a spot at the Festival on June 14-15, 2013. Applications due March 1st – available online. Performers Wanted: Steinbach Arts Council is looking for musicians for KR Barkman Concerts in the Park this summer. Concert dates are flexible and will take place in from May to July. Call to apply by March 1st. Destino: Coming up March 14 at the SRSS Theatre, 7:30 p.m. Get your tickets now for this talented group combining pop and traditional music in a unique blend of past and present – melodic, inspirational, exciting and familiar. Destino has delighted audiences around the world. See more at www.destino4.com. The Cast has been announced for the Sound of Music community musical theater coming up April 18-21 at the SRSS theater. Shows run evenings: Thursday through Saturday, 7:30 p.m., and Sunday matinee, 2:00 p.m. As the producer, it is a privilege for the Arts Council to work with the performers who have been selected for the musical. They reflect the wealth of immense talent in the area. To view the complete cast, please see www.steinbachartscouncil.ca. ‘Celebrate the Arts’… in Broadway Style! Our ‘Bright Lights, Big City’ Fundraising Gala is coming up on May 3, so save the date. Enjoy an exquisite evening, a delicious meal and dancing, and all the main attractions from downtown NYC! Early bird ticket deadline is April 3. Call now to reserve your table!
February 2013 video is truly a bonus.” Lipischak added that she is grateful for this video contest because it is an important social media tool where people can get a more intimate idea of what she and her business is about. The video contest is being run jointly by the Manitoba and Saskatchewan Community Futures Entrepreneurs with Disabilities Program (EDP). The contest is open to people with self-identified disabilities or ongoing health conditions operating businesses in rural Saskatchewan or rural Manitoba. The Community Futures Entrepreneurs with Disabilities Program helps rural entrepreneurs with disabilities to pursue their business goals by providing business advise, training, mentorship and access to repayable business loans. To view and vote for Lipischak’s
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Candace Lipischak from Otterburne is grateful for the opportunity to encourage other people with disabilities to consider owning their own business by participating in the “Just Watch Me” video contest.
video visit justwatchmecontest.ca. Winners will be announced on February 26, 2013.
Along the Road to Freedom Mennonite Women of Courage and Faith
Susanne Loewen Bergen by Ray Dirks.
Mennonite Heritage Village is pleased to present Along the Road to Freedom: Mennonite Women of Courage and Faith as shown through the art of Ray Dirks. On Sunday, February 10, at 3 pm the museum’s Auxiliary is holding the grand opening event starting with Faspa and followed by an opportunity to meet Ray Dirks and discuss the exhibit. The works in this exhibit will remember the lives of the Mennonite women who lived under Stalin’s ‘reign of terror’, and their journey to find a new home. Between 1947 and 1952, approximately 8,000 people escaped to Canada and another four thousand fled to Paraguay, many of these immigrating to Canada in the 1950s. What characterized this particular group of Mennonite refugees was the high number of female-headed families and the almost universal issue of missing family members. These women were not only victims of their circumstances but also agents of change. They were refugees of political upheaval and violence but they fought to find freedom. Drawing from archival photos and families’ stories, Ray Dirks has created a series of paintings intending to ‘honor the faith, love, suffering, and strength of Mennonite mothers who brought their children to Canada as refugees from Stalin’s horrors’. Ray Dirks graduated from the Mennonite Educational Institute in 1973, and studied commercial art and design at Vancouver Community College. He has worked as an artist and curator around the world, with solo exhibitions in Ethiopia, Cuba, India, the United States, and Canada and has participated in exhibitions and workshops in Kenya, Sudan, Trinidad, Cuba, and the Netherlands. He has also been involved with Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) projects such as the exhibit Just Food: The Right to Food from a Faith Perspective. Dirks is currently the Curator of the Mennonite Heritage Centre Gallery in Winnipeg.