The proposal is a culturally-significant educational facility located on Manitoulin Island aiming to teach land-based learning practices through the art of film-making to their students. The plans to expand the non-for-profit charitable organization, Weengushk Film Institute to accommodate more students was commissioned by the founder, also well-known as a highly-respected James Bay Cree artist, actor, and filmmaker, Dr. Shirley Cheechoo. Reflecting an important motif in Indigenous culture, the building’s form represents a turtle floating above the earth. The stilted steel structure lifts the building off the ground, creating a light touch as a form of respect to the landscape it resides on. The compartmentalization of the turtle shell-like form naturally creates areas for different activity zones to take place. With the gathering amphitheater space being the heart of the facility, it creates opportunity for the youth to build community through the arts.
