Edwards Art Studios

Edwards Art Studios

About 
Edwards Art Studios

Celebrating over 25 years in fine art!

Edwards Studios & Art Gallery is an independently owned and operated family art gallery located along the North Shore of Kagawong, Manitoulin Island. The Art Gallery was established in 1996 by Richard and Barbara Edwards. After moving to Kagawong in 1993, Richard and Barbara worked from their home studios until they transformed the upper story of the historical Old Mill into a working studio and art gallery.
The Art Gallery showcases many local artists work from Manitoulin Island and surrounding areas. The gallery is open to the public from May Long Weekend to Thanksgiving weekend.
All original handcrafted works of art, paintings, original serigraphs, etching, pottery, stained glass, hot glass, carving, batik on silk, jewelry, clothing, textile art and custom framing.

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M’Chigeeng First Nation Traditional Powwow

M’Chigeeng First Nation
Traditional Powwow

September 2nd & 3rd

The powwow at M’Chigeeng First Nation is held each year on Labour Day Weekend, the last of the Island’s powwow season. The community’s powwow grounds are spacious and provide lots of room, not only for dancing around the large arbour, but for visiting and enjoying the large assortment of powwow food and crafts that the vendors have on offer. M’Chigeeng’s powwow grounds are accessed from Highway 551 and share the same entrance as the community’s ballpark.

Latest on Instagram from​ #mchigeengfirstnation

Zhiibaahaasing First Nation Traditional Powwow

Zhiibaahaasing First Nation
Traditional Powwow

August 19th & 20th

Zhiibaahaasing First Nation is home to three monumental installations: the World’s Largest Peace Pipe, the World’s Largest Dream Catcher and the World’s Largest Powwow Drum and when anyone visits the Zhiibaahaasing Traditional Powwow the fourth weekend in August each year, they will also be visiting these much larger-than-life monuments which are adjacent to the powwow grounds in the community. Expect good hospitality and an ample number of food and crafts vendors at the event. Zhiibaahaasing First Nation is accessed through the same road that leaves Highway 540 five kilometres west of the hamlet of Silver Water and is the entry to Sheshegwaning First Nation. Follow the road through Sheshegwaning to Zhiibaahaasing.

Latest on Instagram from​ #zhiibaahaasing

Whitefish River First Nation Traditional Powwow

Whitefish River First Nation
Traditional Powwow

August 19th & 20th

This annual event at Whitefish River First Nation (Birch Island) is held in a place special not only to its home community but special to the entire region. The powwow grounds are located at the foot of Dreamer’s Rock, a high point in the community that young men would climb as part of their vision quest and, after days of fasting, would sleep in the natural indentation at the height of Dreamer’s Rock and dream of what their future would be. The Whitefish River (Birch Island) Powwow is held the third weekend of August each year. Whitefish River First Nation is located on Highway 6 about 14 kilometres north of Little Current. The powwow grounds are accessed off Sunshine Alley (which intersects with Highway 6).

Latest on Instagram from​ #whitefishriverfirstnation

Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory Cultural Festival

Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory
Cultural Festival

August 5th, 6th & 7th

This event, begun in 1961, is the forerunner of all modern powwow festivals in central Canada and thus it has special status. Colonization had ended the tradition in the 1800s but the idea of traditional gatherings with dancing, drumming and singing never went away. Determining it was time to bring back the tradition to her community and make it public, Rosemary Fisher-Odjig made it part of her life’s work to rekindle the powwow spirit in her community and brought dancers and drummers from Saskatchewan the first year to help her cause. The rest is history and this important festival, held the Civic Holiday Weekend each August is part of a North American powwow circuit that brings competitive dancers from all parts of Canada and the United States where they compete, within their chosen categories, for prizes and cash. It is a very large cultural spectacle with crafts vendors from all over North America on hand.

Sheshegwaning First Nation Traditional Powwow

Sheshegwaning First Nation Traditional Powwow

June 17th & 18th

Sheshegwaning First Nation is located on the western portion of Manitoulin Island and its entry point off Highway 540 is five kilometres past the hamlet of Silver Water. Its traditional powwow is held the third weekend in June each year and visitors find it a friendly place to enjoy the dancing and drumming and visit the many traditional food and crafts vendors.

Latest on Instagram from​ #sheshegwaning

Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory Traditional Powwow

Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory Traditional Powwow

June 15th & 16th

Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory is Manitoulin’s and Northern Ontario’s largest First Nation community so it’s not surprising that it hosts two powwow events each year.

Each is different, though. The traditional powwow is held each year the third weekend in June at Thunderbird Park in the heart of the village of Wiikwemkoong. What makes this event unique is that, each year, it is planned and hosted by one of Wiikwemkoong’s satellite communities and each of these (Buzwah, Kaboni, Rabbit Island, South Bay, Murray Hill) will put their own mark on the powwow when it is their turn to host.

Sheguiandah First Nation Powwow

Sheguiandah First Nation

July 1st & 2nd

Sheguiandah First Nation’s annual traditional powwow is held each year the first weekend in July at the community’s waterfront powwow grounds. The beautifully treed setting ensures that there’s shade enough for all and this event is one of the most popular of Manitoulin Island’s Powwow season. The food and crafts vendors are also nestled among the trees and the ambience of this event is one of calm tranquility. Sheguiandah First Nation is located on Highway 6, 10 km south of Little Current.

Latest on Instagram from​ #sheguiandahfirstnation

Aundeck Omni Kaning First Nation Powwow

Aundeck Omni Kaning First Nation Traditional Powwow

June 3rd & 4th

The Aundek Omni Kaning traditional Powwow festival is the first Manitoulin Island powwow event of the season each year, taking place the first weekend of June. The community’s park also doubles as the powwow grounds with the North Channel as the backdrop. AOK’s powwow grounds are quite close to the community’s housekeeping cottage tourism rentals called Endaa-Aang (our place). Aundek Omni Kaning First Nation is located on Highway 540, six kilometres west of Little Current.

Latest on Instagram from​ #aokpowwow

Theatre

Live Theatre on Manitoulin

Manitoulin Island is able to boast three theatre groups, each of them unique

Burns Wharf Players

Named after the Manitowaning waterfront warehouse (Burns Wharf) where this talented group treated patrons to 15 years of Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, the Burns Wharf Players are now bringing musical theatre to the revamped Knox United Church (in Manitowaning, at 25 Napier Street) while their beloved playhouse is being restored. The congregation at Knox United invited the players in and, during the spring rehearsal and late spring performances, have literally transformed the church’s sanctuary into a theatre setting. For details on Burns Wharf Players’ offerings, contact the box office at 1-866-967-8167 or book online at www.burnswharf.net

 

Gore Bay Summer Theatre

Gore Bay Summer Theatre presents two offerings through the month of July each year. This talented and well-directed group of volunteer actors, set designers and carpenters, lighting and sound technicians are also busy in the winter months when they pick a challenging dramatic work, polish it and go on to compete in the Northern Ontario regional drama festival, Quonta. Since they often win this event, they are also often off to Theatre Ontario’s showcase to compete against Ontario’s other regional winners in amateur theatre. The Gore Bay troupe is often successful at the provincial level too.

When you take in a summer production at the Gore Bay Summer Theatre, you’re being entertained by local thespians who hone their craft year-round. To see what’s on, call the box office at 705-2420 extension 3 or visit the town’s website www.gorebay.ca.

When you attend a production at Gore Bay Summer Theatre, you’ll find yourself in the town’s classic community hall at 25 Meredith Street in the downtown core.

De-ba-jeh-mu-jig Storytellers

Debajehmujig Storytellers is one of only a handful of professional Indigenous theatre groups in Canada.

Debajehmujig is headquartered in Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory but has its offices, rehersal space and theatre space in the village of Manitowaning at the Debajehmujig Creation Centre at 43 Queen Street.

The troupe has been presenting original work for over 35 years and has toured all across Canada and the United States, Europe and Great Britain.

The players present their own work at the Creation Centre theatre space which also often hosts touring performances.

Having their own theatre space gives Debajehmujig Storytellers flexibility and the versatile year-round theatre space is a real asset to Manitoulin Island’s cultural community.

The Creation Centre is also home to an art gallery with continually changing exhibits and installations.

The Debajehmujig Storytellers pride themselves on also being a land-based operation so crew and cast members get, literally, grounded in the growing season by spending some of their time helping to grow food and, each winter, hosting Manitoulin Island’s first ‘seed swap’ of the season. At Thanksgiving, the storytellers host a ‘Six Foot Festival’ of installations that fit in that space and there is an annual Christmas Cabaret show.

In the summer Debajehmujig Storytellers also often produce plays at Wiikwemikoong within the scenic stone ruins of a two-storey dormitory that once housed the community’s parish priests.

It is located on Wikwemikong Way, on top of one of the village’s highest point beside historic Holy Cross Catholic Church.

To find out what is going on at Debajehmujig Storytellers, visit www.storytellers@debaj.ca or call the theatre office at 705-859-1820.

When you take in a summer production at the Gore Bay Summer Theatre, you’re being entertained by local thespians who hone their craft year-round. To see what’s on, call the box office at 705-2420 extension 3 or visit the town’s website www.gorebay.ca.

When you attend a production at Gore Bay Summer Theatre, you’ll find yourself in the town’s classic community hall at 25 Meredith Street in the downtown core.