Rising from the ashes

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 11/12/2020 (909 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Look no further than Crescentwood for inspiration and examples of resilience.

Dana Kletke, co-executive director since 2008 of Mentoring Artists for Women’s Art (MAWA) manages to support female artists even after her studio was destroyed by fire and projects derailed by COVID.

When not at her Crescentwood home of 20 years or preparing her new studio, Dana is a mentor to women and non-binary artists, 282 to date, in the foundation mentorship program at 611 Main St. 

Dana is passionate about budding artists become professional during a year-long program. She helps visual artists individually and facilitates peer groups to define their philosophies, develop skills and access to resources. She is particularly proud to be working with third generation mentee graduates, many of whom who have gone on to amazing careers in the arts and have won Governor General’s awards.   

Dana’s skills as an artist emerged when she was six years old and by the time she was 13 she was the only youth invited to join the adult art club in Morden, Man.

She says, “Art in is my DNA and I always had a pencil in my hand.” 

Dana has won numerous awards for her creativity and her works have been featured in touring exhibits. She has been commissioned by the Health Sciences Centre to illustrate brain activity as part of neuroscience research.

Apart from her work as a consultant, Dana was sought after as a headstone engraver. Sadly, all her tools were lost when she and 23 other artists lost everything in a fire in a building they rented. Also lost was a sculpture that toured eastern Canada made of 3,000 sewing machine needles that took her a year to make.

Dana says, “because of COVID we’ve had to rethink how we offer our art.”

She is working hard to encourage artists with online programs such as Art Jam, whereby participants can create works together via Zoom. Critical painting perspectives is an online discussion group for painters. Dana is currently developing FEMtastic Film Club, which will launch in January. Each film will be followed by a discussion with the curator of the series.

Dana also plans to continue MAWA’s First Friday lecture series online and looks forward to the day post-COVID when she can resume organizing beading and moccasin making workshops. Her certificate in arts management is put to good use writing grant proposals and helping to organize MAWA’s annual art auction.

 Dana is helping organize an exhibition, Me, Myself and Us, in the MAWA space in January with the graduating mentees from the foundation mentorship Program.  

“I think what COVID has shown us is that we need art in all forms in our lives because it can keep us grounded and happy in stressful times.”

To learn more about this, contact Dana at dklete@mawa.ca or 204-949-9490. For program information: www.mawa.ca

Heather Emberley is a community correspondent for Crescentwood. Email her at heather.emberley@gmail.com if you have a story suggestion.