Arts leaders from across the province will be in Winkler later this month for Manitoba Showcase 2025.
Organized by the Manitoba Arts Network (MAN), the Sept. 18-21 event is billed as the largest gathering of arts presenters, performers, and cultural leaders in Manitoba, and Winkler Arts and Culture executive director Jered Hildebrand is pretty pumped our community gets to play host.
“It’s the biggest arts conference in Manitoba and such a unique thing to bring to Winkler to help promote arts in what I believe is still kind of a blossoming city as far as the arts go,” he said.
Winkler’s Park St. gallery first opened nine years ago and it continues to build up its presence in the community as the place to be for arts and cultural gatherings.
“What a way to get people’s eyes on the arts as we continue to grow here,” Hildebrand said of the conference.
“Hosting Showcase in Winkler shines a spotlight on the role communities across Manitoba play in keeping the arts alive,” noted Rose-Anne Harder, MAN executive director. “Decisions made here help shape which artists will tour to dozens of towns and cities across Manitoba in the coming year.”
The week will offer a host of professional development and networking opportunities.
For Hildebrand, who attended the event in Brandon last year, the workshops provide a wealth of information for anyone involved in the arts.
“A lot of people will look at the lineup and think it’s for people like me, an arts promoter, which is absolutely true, but there’s plenty for artists as well … workshops helping you figure out how to promote your artwork, the business side of things,” he said. “You can learn so much from people who are just slightly outside of your lane as far as work goes, learn all about how they do things. It’s just amazing to see these different points of view.
“And then for anyone who’s doing this professionally—whether you’re a photographer, a performing artist, or a traditional artist—the networking potential is huge, because there are representatives from basically every arts organization in Manitoba.”
But the event also has plenty to offer the general public.
“Right here at the gallery we’re going to have, for the whole month, a show from TFAM, which is Textile Fabric Arts Manitoba, in our upper gallery,” Hildebrand shared. “And then, during the actual showcase week, the Thursday through Saturday, we’re going to host an exhibit sampler of the Manitoba Arts Network’s touring exhibits.”
MAN’s annual juried touring shows give artists the opportunity to have their pieces on display in rural and Northern communities across the province.
“We’re going to get four or five pieces from five different exhibits touring in 2026, so the variety is going to be really interesting and the quality of work is quite high,” Hildebrand said.
The art gallery isn’t the only local cultural centre that’ll be busy that week—the P.W. Enns Centennial Concert Hall is also hosting three public concerts with performances by 15 professional artists.
The Sept. 19 show is at 7:15 p.m. while the Sept. 20 shows begin at 1 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 each.
Performing artists include the Sean Taylor Band, Laila Biali, Trio Fibonacci, Burnstick, and Sultans of String for the Friday evening show, Inn Echo, Artists in Motion, Duo Cordelia, and the Stanley County Cut-ups for the Saturday afternoon performance, and Desiree, Fuller Hull, Murray Kinsley and Wicked Grin, Preeper Rhaye MacKay, and Flora Luna Saturday evening.
For a full event schedule and conference registration information, head to manitobaartsnetwork.ca/manitoba-showcase-2025.
