Welcome to
Art Borups Corners

Arts in the Heart of Northwestern Ontario

The Art Borups Corners Incubator and Land Lab, located in Melgund Township Northwestern Ontario is a dynamic and innovative program where art meets the environment. It offers artists a unique opportunity to explore the intersection of creativity, land stewardship, and sustainable practices. The collective has been delivering arts, music, oral history storytelling and land-based programming since 2014. In 2021 the incubator program was launched with support from the Canada Council for the Arts Digital Greenhouse program.

As one of our key partners and founding arts collectives for artsIncubator.ca, Art Borups Corners provides a hands-on, immersive environment where artists and community members collaborate on projects that connect art with the land in meaningful ways.

Whether you’re an artist looking to deepen your connection with nature or someone eager to explore how creativity can drive environmental change, the Land Lab at Arts Borups Corners offers a supportive, collaborative space where innovative ideas take root and flourish.

From digital arts, creative and climate entrepreneurship to supporting participatory research and capacity building, Art Borups Corners has grown from a small pilot program to thriving regional ecosystem.

Cultivating Art, Community, and Sustainability

Borup’s Corners is a small, unorganized community located in northwestern Ontario, Canada. It’s situated within the Kenora District of Northwestern Ontario, which is known for its beautiful natural landscapes, including forests, lakes, and rivers. 

Located in a vibrant rural setting, our Participatory Arts and Land Lab serves as an experimental hub for projects ranging from eco-friendly installations, oral histories and climate entrepreneurship to land-based art practices that highlight issues of sustainability, food security, and climate resilience. Participants are encouraged to draw inspiration from the natural surroundings while contributing to a growing body of work that merges environmental activism with artistic expression.

The area is primarily rural and is characterized by its peaceful, natural setting. It’s close to other small towns and communities, which provide essential services and amenities. The local economy is often based on agriculture, forestry, and sometimes tourism, particularly related to outdoor recreational activities such as arts and culture, fishing, hiking, and hunting.

Activities in 2025 will see the program rejuvenating its programming in Melgund Township with a focus on community arts, climate entrepreneurship, food security and participatory research training.

Key Features of the Participatory Arts and Land Lab Program

With the Arts Borups Corners Land Lab, art isn’t just created—it grows, evolving with the land and reflecting the changing relationships between people and nature. This partnership with Arts Borups Corners reinforces our commitment to fostering a future where art, community, and the environment thrive together.

Sustainable Art Practices: Focus on eco-friendly materials and techniques to create works that respect and engage with the environment. This year, we’re scaling up our plans for our land-based programming to include food production and growing!

This fun, and engaging session will introduce a group discussion on the pros and cons of AI in participatory research. We will critically examine the potential benefits of AI in enhancing accessibility, inclusivity, and scalability of community-driven initiatives, while also acknowledging the risks of dependency on external technology, data privacy concerns, and the potential for exacerbating existing inequities.

I shall not be moved

Enjoy this beautiful rendition of “I Shall Not Be Moved,” performed by the talented Tony and Paul Eetak. Their heartfelt performance perfectly captures the spirit of resilience and strength, set against the stunning backdrop of the Hudson Bay coast.

We are incredibly thankful to the students and faculty from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design Creative Entrepreneurship and Master of Arts in Creative Leadership programs. Photo: Ellis Anderson

Our community and regional programs and project have been made possible through support and funding from a number of institutions in the United States and Canada.