O, Canada!
A roundup of Canadian projects, glorious and free.
“Oh, you used to live in Canada? So you must love [hockey/poutine/Drake]?” Well, sure—but Canada’s full of all sorts of incredible and creative indie projects, and it’s a hotbed of art and innovation. Here are some of our favorite Kickstarter projects from Canadians right now.
Création de la collection Fictions du Nord
Éditions La Peuplade is a Québec City-based publisher creating a collection called Fictions du Nord, offering French translations of Nordic stories. While many French-language literary translations are done in France, the team at La Peuplade wants to bring them home to Québec, translating stories that inspire them and tracing the connecting lines between countries and experiences.
Behind the Woods: Recycled Wood Art
Behind the Woods — or Derrière les bois — is a mixed media art and design project by two cousins that celebrates all things Canadian. Their recycled wood silhouette art features buffalos, bears, maple leaves, and moose, as well as stunning cityscapes of Toronto and Montréal, sweet words in both French and English, maps, and iconic Canadian buildings like Parliament and the Château Frontenac.
Mark It Proud: LGBTQ-inclusive Greeting Cards
When designer Daniel Malen got married in 2015, the wedding was full of family, friends—and lots and lots of cards. The cards were lovely, but many were similar, decorated with bow ties and wedding scripts in honor of ‘Mr. & Mr.’ — and Daniel knew there was room for improvement. With the help of artist Mark Uhre, he’s launching Mark It Proud, a line of delightfully personality-packed, LGBTQ-inclusive greeting cards for all of life’s special occasions.
Amy Walker loves bikes — she’s the founder of Momentum Magazine, editor of On Bicycles: 50 Ways the New Bike Culture Can Change Your Life, and an avid cycling enthusiast and advocate. Aiming to encourage people to take a closer look at bicycles as they zoom in and color, this coloring book will feature images of real-life bike commuters — backers, like you!
Inspired by founder George Roberts’ grandfather’s passion for watchmaking and tattoos, the Toronto-based Inkwell Watch Company infuses a storied family history into thoughtfully crafted wristwatches. Each watch features talented tattooers’ takes on traditional tattoos, the unique charm of vintage timepieces, and watch bands emblazoned with designs that mimic the natural depth of lines and shapes of real tattoos.
In July 2015, Salt Spring Island’s only radio station, CFSI, was abruptly shut down. Now, the Gulf Islands Community Radio Society hopes to launch a new community radio station as a public service to the Gulf Islands, providing opportunities to tell stories, form connections, discover events, and train a new generation of radio producers.
We’re Still Together is a bold but bittersweet drama about family — how our families can drive us close to the brink, but also keep us afloat and show us what it means to love. Now, Montréal-based filmmaker Jesse Klein hopes to bring it to the prestigious Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic.
Give Guelph a Permanent Home for Comedy and Improv
The folks at The Making-Box are the heart of live comedy and improv education in Guelph, Ontario. Their friendly live improv shows are always packed, they love to inspire budding stand-up comics to take to the stage, and they work tirelessly to educate and empower people through improv training. Now, they’re ready to find a permanent, accessible home so they can share the joy of laughter with everyone.
This fast-paced fantasy and dexterity board game revolves around the story of Larra the Huntress’ journey to the region of Tellaryth, where she searches for clues to the whereabouts of her missing wolf companion and defends Castle Mivorih from an invading army of undead warriors. With both cooperative and competitive gameplay styles, it’s fun for players of all sorts.
To find more Canadian projects on Kickstarter, click here.
Sid Orlando is Managing Editor at Kickstarter and a former longtime resident of the 514.
Proofreading by Engagement Specialist Rebecca Hiscott: writer, editor, Canadian.
