"Somewhere?" participants listen to presenters Douglas Walbourne-Gough (right) and Mark Bradbury at the centre for Research and Innovation. Photo by Lori Lee Pike.

"Somewhere?" is a partnership of Grenfell Campus, the Rotary Arts Centre, and the Newfoundland and Labrador Indigenous Tourism Association.

The Somewhere? series explored the concepts of place and significance of histories. The creative program of activities brought together Indigenous artists, environmentalists, dramatists, scholars, and community members through interactive sessions and art-making workshops to re-imagine place as it exists now and what it can become.

The location of the events - the Centre for Research and Innovation (CRI) - was not accidental. Participants explored the untold and invisible histories of the "old white mill building," situated next to the mighty Humber River/Maqtukwek. Formerly the Corner Brook Pulp and Paper mill's human resources building, it was renovated to become the CRI; Somewhere? participants collectively pondered its possibilities for the future. Working collaboratively through artist-led workshops, community members also came together to create artworks, some for public display throughout Elmastukwek/Corner Brook, to share these stories and animate further conversations.

"Anywhere can be a place on a map, but it becomes 'somewhere' through the stories we tell about it," said Dr. Peter Ride, Dean, School of Fine Arts, Grenfell Campus. Artists, crafts people, designers, and performers can encompass complex and subtle ideas in their work. He sees 'Somewhere?' as an opportunity for the community to explore with creative practitioners what CRI's location can tell us about our city - and about the lives, past present and future, of the people of Corner Brook.

From the outset, Somewhere?'s intent has been to lay the foundation for an expanded program of creative public activities to further delve into and showcase these stories.

The first event, a Community Incubator, featured Jordan Bennett, Jenny Brake, Megan Samms, and Douglas Walbourne-Gough. These Indigenous creative practitioners discussed the meaning and making of place through their respective practices. A second incubator featured these artists along with community builders Mishal Abdulla from the Association for New Canadians; Mark Bradbury from Hard Ticket Theatre; Katie Temple from Western Environment Centre; artist Nicole Travers; and Marsha Tulk from Food Culture Place. Together, they sparked community conversations along themes that inform our sense of somewhere, from memory and narratives, environment and surroundings, to people, culture and community. Together, participants reflected on what being "somewhere" means to people, including those new to Corner Brook and Ktaqmkuk/Newfoundland.

"The mill is interwoven in my family's complex history, including our struggles to have our Indigenous identity accepted," said Jenny Brake, Western Vice-Chief of Qalipu First Nation. Jenny is a professional welder and creator, and noted the further complexity of sites like the mill for women in non-traditional trades roles. "Growing up, the 'old white building' across from the mill was a site of potential and imagination in the heart of Corner Brook. It's a dream come true to see CRI emerge as a collective playground for makers and creators to execute ideas into tangible projects, and to share these ways of innovating with the broader community."

The Incubator sessions led to a series of creative workshops, activating the arts and technology resources of the new makerspace at the CRI.

"Involving groups from the community and working with our lead artists, this open and inclusive program explored how creative voices communicate ideas about the meaning of places that can often be hard to express," said David Smallwood, CEO, Rotary Arts Centre.

An important aspect of the Somewhere? series is working in partnership with local organizations that have strong relationships with the public, opening up new opportunities for the university to work with community. Participating artists underscored the importance of holding events and opening spaces, like the Somewhere? workshops, that provide greater access to the resources of the Centre for Research and Innovation and the university. All Somewhere? events free are of charge. Access to specialized tools and resources can open up opportunities for expanding artistic practice and enhancing career growth.

Drawing on the Somewhere? themes, a photography skills-building workshop organized with the Association for New Canadians provided opportunities for newcomers to express their identities and invite broader discussion on home and belonging. A community dialogue, We are Here, followed at CRI to showcase the newcomer portraits and discuss how participatory arts projects can contribute to a culture of inclusion, wellness and community. Building on new and strengthened connections and creative exchange, further follow-on project ideas stemming from the series are already in the works. Planning is underway to display the resulting artworks in the streets and public buildings of Corner Brook, including the Hew and Draw Hotel, Coleman's, WOWO, the Rotary Arts Centre, and a series of other local sites that represent the multi-storied history - and future potential - of Corner Brook.

"The CRI and the Somewhere? project places me within eyesight and walking distance of the Mill, 'Townsite,' Broadway, Crow Gulch, Main Street, and both Elmastukwek/the Bay of Islands and Maqtukwek/the Humber River," said Douglas Walbourne-Gough, a poet and Memorial's Writer-in-Residence for Fall 2023. "All these places have been integral to my self-exploration and research as a writer and poet. Somewhere? has facilitated that same kind of dialogue, curiosity, research and creativity that adds to the existing stories and potential futures of this place."

The Centre for Research and Innovation (CRI) is a partnership of Grenfell Campus, Memorial University, College of the North Atlantic, and Corner Brook Pulp and Paper Ltd. Somewhere? is made possible with support through SiteLines, a collaboration between Research and Graduate Studies at OCAD University and the Canada Council for the Arts, supporting BIPOC artists, and Memorial University's Public Engagement Accelerator Fund.