CAMP Sask Arts is the winner of a Saskatchewan Music Award for Industry Achievement. She was announced as the winner during an online award show on Thursday. CAMP was nominated alongside Songs for Nature Team, Saskatoon’s Broadway Theatre, Dale McArthur and Grey Records.
The Industry Achievement Award is meant to recognize excellence in the provision of skills and/or services by those helping to build the music industry of Saskatchewan. It is the third time CAMP has been nominated in the category and the first time she’s won for her work with the non-profit she co-founded with Holly Yuzicapi (Standing Buffalo) called Community Arts Mentorship Programming (CAMP).
“This year when we were doing our submission, I really tried to highlight the fact that to promote the Saskatchewan music industry, it needs to be inclusive of all of these demographics that aren’t being heard,” she said. “Being able to have the voices of communities heard that otherwise might not be heard was really something I tried to focus on in the application. Maybe that made a difference.”
The idea to launch CAMP Sask Arts occurred in August 2020 in conversation with Visual Artist Holly Yuzicapi near the end of a year-long musician in residency program she completed in Stanley Mission. There was a desire to continue music programming in the community and Eliza Doyle and Holly Yuzicapi responded to that call. “The community also really highlighted the fact that programs always come into the North and then they leave,” she said. “There’s no sustainability and they really challenged me to be different. Don’t be like everyone else and come in here, get us all excited about music and then leave.”
Doyle explained she was taken by surprise when CAMP Sask Arts won the award, noting it was a surreal moment when her acceptance speech was played. She believes winning such an award will put CAMP into a position to pursue core funding to elevate the fundraising and work being done. Currently, CAMP is organized by a volunteer board of directors and Doyle spends much of her personal time applying for grants or other duties.
“I wouldn’t be doing any of this work, we wouldn’t have a non-profit, we wouldn’t be anywhere where we are today if it wasn’t for the kindness and openness of everybody in the area,” Doyle said. “Thanks to Stanley Mission for being the first community and for everybody welcoming me back.”
“There’s lots of plans we have to strengthen the programming in the area,” she said. “We just started working in Beauval and Canoe Lake and there are so many communities that want our music and arts programming. There’s just not enough of me to organize it all.” Doyle grew up in Loon Lake and learned how to play the banjo while attending university in Saskatoon. She’s spent a decade touring with different bands at locations around the world and she’s currently working on a new album.