Our Manitoba Bold! idea

As a non-for-profit organization, The Manitoba Museum is a (proud) member of the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce. When the Chamber invited us to present our idea to "Build a Creative Community" we immediately knew what we wanted to share: How about creating a "Creative Cultural Campus" in the East Exchange District?

A conceptual drawing of the Creative Cultural Commons

In the last three years, The Manitoba Museum has been engaging over 200 stakeholders to help us re-thinking the role of our institution in the broader community, as well as in our neighbourhood.

We heard that it is not enough to teach something interesting: you (the visitor) want to be engaged and you also want to express your own thoughts and opinions on issues of our past, present and future.

Enter our Bold! idea of a Creative Cultural Commons: a free area where exhibitions, artists, neighbours and visitors to the East Exchange District can learn, discuss, relax and enjoy a great meal in a really cool space.

Image courtesy of Centre Venture Development Corporation

Many urban planners have pointed out that Winnipeg has an expansive downtown area, which creates challenges given our population base.

By creating a clearly defined (and branded) Creative Cultural Campus in the East Exchange District we could develop a unique downtown area that will serve the creative community as well as be a place where everyone could enjoy music, theatre, ballet, opera and every other expression of art no matter the time of the year. Think about the vibrancy of the district during the Fringe Festival, but year-round.

Centre Venture Development Corporation has been working with the creative community and the Exchange business owners in developing a Cultural District Visual Identity Plan. They are also looking into promoting the development of affordable residential developments and mix-use parking facilities. The Manitoba Museum wants to be part of this renewal through our concept of a Creative Cultural Commons.

What do you think? Feel free to share your thoughts and ideas about our plan. What would you like The Manitoba Museum to be? How can we create a "creative cultural campus" in the Exchange District area?

You can also find more Bold! ideas visiting the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce website, clicking here.