It's been about two years since the ArtsSmarts program in Portage la Prairie was revived.

After starting in the late 1990s and early 2000s, funding from the McConnell Foundation was terminated. The Portage and District Arts Centre brought the program back, and committee member Delnora Rice says it's good to support the arts.

"Not everybody's into sports, and stuff like that, so to have a creative outlet for the kids, and young people who wouldn't probably have the chance to take art classes, or have the money to do different things, but if we have different groups who could fund this, and get people involved in the arts, I think it helps the community."

Rice points out since ArtsSmarts has returned, a variety of projects have been funded.

"We funded the Story Stick project by Angela Roulette. She gets the kids telling native type stories. We also had the Ukrainian nursery school kids painting, and they also got to display their art at the Portage and District Arts Centre. We also had a drama group for home-schooling kids, and they performed at the Glesby Centre."

She says any group can apply for funding, and urges you to do so. Here's how.