The Northern Arts and Cultural Centre recognizes the traditional territory of the
First Nations, Inuit, and Métis across the six regions of the Northwest Territories.
Relevance of the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre’s (NACC) Programming for the Northwest Territories (NWT)
The NWT is a vast and sparsely populated territory. It is a culturally and artistically diverse region, encompassing a total landmass of over 1.3 million square KM, and a population of 44,991 (2021 Statistics Canada), with Yellowknife as its capital city. Recognizing the critical details of what makes the NWT unique is essential when NACC plans its programming season. It must be emphasized that the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre serves as the only performing arts and cultural institution in one of the largest areas of remote Canada single-handedly.
Through NACC’s Community Outreach programming which tours six communities, including Inuvik, Norman Wells, Fort Simpson, Hay River, Fort Smith, and Yellowknife, audiences can access unique and diverse performances. The experience also provides the presenting artists, who have never travelled to Canada’s Arctic, with an opportunity to be profoundly and creatively influenced by their travels in the North, performing in intimate venues.
School presentations, workshops, focus groups, and outreach activities are all designed and executed uniquely to each of the various NWT regions they take place. The approach taken for each region is different and is planned with the communities in mind.
There are unique and necessary considerations for all of NACC’s presentations and outreach programming based on the NWT’s unique location and the population’s socioeconomic makeup.
NACC collaborates with artists and arts organizations across the territory to help create a national stage for performing arts & in turn, acts as a catalyst for performance, innovation, and learning. The organization has always been at the forefront of youth and educational activities, offering artist training programs for youth and children. NACC continues to have a renewed focus on growing local performing arts repertoire and nurturing talent through commissioning, creating, producing, and showcasing original works from the North.
