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This article was published 09/07/2025 (257 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Collaboration is key during this year’s maker-in-residence programming, which will be visiting several libraries around the city.

The main drop-in part of the program will take place at the Millenium Library (251 Donald St.), there will also be different workshops held at city libraries including Fort Garry (1360 Pembina Hwy.), Henderson (1050 Henderson Hwy.), Munroe (489 London St.), and Westwood (66 Allard Ave.).

Each year, the Winnipeg Public Library elects local artists on a rolling term basis to lead free drop-in workshops and studio space for adults and youth to learn and challenge themselves in a creative environment, alongside fellow creators.

Callen Maude, a multimedia artist from Fort Rouge, is this summer’s ringmaster, and has described the opportunity as a dream.

“I feel so happy this worked out,” she said. “I’ve been interested in the maker-in-residence program for a while, and a friend just reminded me that the applications were open, and so I went for it … I just feel really lucky to have been chosen, and I’m so grateful for the opportunity. I think it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

Maude is experienced in a wide array of different mediums — from illustration to fashion. It’s hard to describe her work with words because it’s so visual, she explained, but it’s “a lot of self-exploration or trying to understand events and situations or relationships around me, through playing with these different mediums and techniques.”

“It’s a very fluid practice. I like to follow my intuition and just see where my curiosity takes me.”

Programming will be active every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday until Oct. 9. Most are on a drop-in, open studio basis, with creators — from curious beginners to seasoned pros — being encouraged to stop in and share their own talent with others. Materials will be available on-site.

Workshops with a specific focus will also be sprinkled in to keep the learning bug buzzing, such as a blanket stitch bracelet workshop on July 22, scheduled to take place at Westwood Library from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

“I want to have a little station where people can leave a bracelet and take a bracelet and do a little bit of a trade,” Maude said.

There’s also a drawing for beginners workshop — directed at adults — and a woven pouch workshop, both planned for later on in her residency.

“I love to put some paper right down onto the table so people can draw, both on their own paper, and then kind of create, like collage-like drawings all over the tables, as well. So just making it a space where you can work on your own project, and then also have an aspect of community and collaboration,” she said.

A multimedia creator since childhood, Maude uses the fluidity of her own work in her teaching and dipping into many different mediums instead of honing in on just one thing.

“I love learning new techniques and playing with new media. It’s just so much fun. I think it’s amazing when people go down a rabbit hole and just really focus on one thing. There’s so much to learn about each and every type of art-making,” she said.

“I’m drawn to learning new things all the time, and I think that where I’ve ended up in life, being a facilitator, I feel lucky because I can share all these different things with people. So it’s kind of cool. I feel like having all these different interests actually just feeds into what I’m doing really well.”

For more information on the maker-in-residence programming, visit winnipeg.ca/recreation-leisure/libraries/whats-happening/maker-residence-program

Maude facilitates art workshops year-round, and booking information, workshop examples, and a calendar is available on her website: callenmaude.com