Weyburn Arts Council planning full week of activities for Pride Week, June 4th to 10th

The Weyburn Arts Council has a full schedule of daily events planned for Pride Week, which will run from Sunday, June 4th to Saturday, June 10th.

Events include a flag-raising on Monday at City Hall, and various free arts and crafts opportunities like print-making, macrame, and making pride buttons and keychains.

City Curator and Arts Coordinator with WAC, Regan Lanning said they've got some new sponsors this year, CollabArtive Studios, CUPE 90, and Southeast Newcomer Services.

"There are people fleeing their country to come here because of draconian laws regarding gender and sexuality. So they said, 'we have to be involved with this because we need to show everyone that this is important'. And it was the same with our CUPE90. They came to us and they said, 'we know that there are people within our Union that identify as LGBTQIA and we want them to know that we support them, and this is one way we can do that'." 

WAC president Natasha Hill said this will be an annual event.

"Once Pride Week is over, our pride does not stop. It is a year-long, every day. The mission of the Weyburn Arts Council and our partners to make sure that Weyburn is a safe place, something just as simple as this somebody that's looking for an ally or may not even know they're looking for an ally, but they just recognize that you're a safe person." 

When asked why WAC has taken the lead in organizing Pride Week in Weyburn, Lanning said, "I think that creatives often are more adaptable to change, and maybe not as stuck in rigid thinking loops, so it can be that creatives are maybe a little bit more open-minded towards stuff like gender and sexuality spectrums. But I think there's a lot of art represented in our pride is because the Arts Council and the gallery are our primary organizers, and so is the library."

Lanning said it's a natural fit as they always provide arts and crafts to our community. 

"So it was a very easy route for us to take. That doesn't mean that [it won't change] next year if we get new partners or new sponsors, which we're always looking for. So if you're thinking, 'man, I really wish I could have been involved with pride on the organizational level', please don't hesitate to reach out. We'll stick you on our list for next year," she invited. "But so next year Pride might take a different format and be less arts and crafts. It all depends on who the organizers are and who the sponsors are. Arts and crafts is our lane. So that's where we go."

Hill added, "Art is polarizing. You can be at any level and create a key chain and still show support."

Follow WAC on Facebook to stay up to date with the full week's events HERE. 

Each event has its own poster, and Discover Weyburn will provide details about each event throughout Pride Week.