On June 15, 2023, the Indigenous Peoples Arts and Cultures Collective (IPACC) reached an important milestone with the holding of its founding meeting, which took place in Quebec City.

About thirty people participated in this founding meeting, in person and online. The IPACC’s mission is to bring together and coordinate cultural businesses and organizations as well as artists and artisans from the various Indigenous nations and communities. The collective will allow for carrying their common voice, in addition to meeting common needs in terms of funding, training and access to government programs.

A collective born from the environment

The idea of creating a collective was raised by Indigenous cultural businesses and organizations, which met in Wendake in November 2021 as part of the Rendezvous of Culture with the Social Economy. The collective start-up process was entrusted to the First Nations Social Economy Regional Table, which is coordinated by the First Nations of Quebec and Labrador Economic Development Commission (FNQLEDC). In April 2022, a temporary committee made up of eight representatives from the cultural setting was established.

Work has thus been carried out to define the mission of the IPACC, create its legal structure and define its fields of action, according to the needs identified by the members of the collective. Thanks to all the work accomplished in recent months, the members of the IPACC’s Board of Directors have abundant documentation to ensure that the organization’s mission is carried out.

Board member election

At the end of the meeting, elections were held to elect the members of the first-ever IPACC Board of Directors, which is made up of corporate members and individual members. In total, this Board will include 11 members who are identified in the following table: bit.ly/46kj6r8.

The entire FNQLEDC team wishes this newly created organization the very best of luck!