North End vocational school opens ‘cultural learning lab’ creative design studio

A North End warehouse has been converted into a multi-purpose design studio where students can sew ribbon skirts, print 3D models and launch businesses.

The Winnipeg School Division celebrated the grand opening of its Waabishkaa-Makwa Lab last week.

The first-of-its-kind “cultural learning lab” embeds Indigenous teachings into project-based learning activities.

For more than a decade, the 4,500-square-foot space inside R.B. Russell Vocational School had been collecting dust and housing broken equipment.

“This is part of truth and reconciliation — Indigenous and non-Indigenous people sharing their gifts and creating together,” said Elaine Mayham, a knowledge keeper in the inner-city division.

The open-concept lab is outfitted with sewing and embroidery machines, 3D printers and devices that can print directly onto fabric, wood and other materials, and a bike-repair station.

A kiln, laminator and laser cutter, along with other state-of-the-art equipment used by professional artists and entrepreneurs, will be installed during the second phase of the project.

The division earmarked $500,000 to develop the site at 364 Dufferin Ave. It has also partnered with the Manitoba Métis Federation, Red Rebel Armour, North End Revitalization Incorporated, New Media Manitoba, North Forge, Wiitahnookiinitaw Tahshkayzing Entrepreneurship Centre and Treaty One.

Teachers and Indigenous artisans are using the lab for daytime classes and field trips. They will start hosting evening workshops for members of the public later this spring.

Mayham, who is originally from Lake Manitoba First Nation, called the initiative “a beautiful investment for our children” that is instilling hope in the community.

The knowledge keeper gifted the space its name, Waabishkaa-Makwa, which roughly translates to “white bear” in Anishinaabemowin — a nod to the parallels between polar bears’ northern habitats and R.B. Russell’s location in Winnipeg.

Bears are also sacred representations of healing for Ojibwa people and engaging in creative processes will allow visitors to heal their minds, bodies and spirits, she added.

Seven in 10 students at R.B. Russell self-identify as First Nations, Métis or Inuit, according to the division’s latest demographic report.

The school’s new colourful and brightly lit lab is decorated with phrases such as Mino Gizheb, meaning “it’s going to be a good day” in Anishinaabemowin.

“We did not want a space with beige walls,” lab co-ordinator Marney Stapley said. “I wanted a space where students would feel comfortable.”

Stapley said she’s already witnessed students build new skills, including resiliency, through trial and error during modelling workshops she’s led since the lab’s soft launch earlier this spring.

The official opening celebration, which included a community feast, took place Thursday. It drew about 200 teens, trustees and others.

During his first academic year as chief superintendent, Matt Henderson told the Free Press in 2023-24 that R.B. Russell was “not being used to its fullest potential.”

Henderson has made it a priority to expand the vocational school’s operating hours and transform it into a community centre that runs post-secondary programs.

The division sought input from teens, families and other neighbours in the spring of 2024. It also created an Indigenous advisory committee with representation from local business leaders.

“(Students) come to this class because it’s more fun than regular math… They don’t realize they are doing math.”

Students expressed interest in fashion while parents indicated they were keen on expanding programs to build communication, financial literacy and other entrepreneurship skills, said Sylvia Martin, who oversees R.B. Russell’s new career lab.

Students have started using Waabishkaa-Makwa to brainstorm their own businesses.

While teachers and Indigenous mentors are focusing on “process over product,” the flashy lab technology is drawing students who might not attend school otherwise, Martin said.

Tannys Moffatt said she’s excited to continue helping her students build confidence and hone their numeracy skills through interdisciplinary fabrication projects.

The veteran math teacher is running a Grade 10 textile arts and design course this term.

“(Students) come to this class because it’s more fun than regular math,” Moffatt said in the new textile wing Friday. “They don’t realize they are doing math.”

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca