Create a beautiful basket with Ralph Simpson, one of New Brunswick’s top fibre weavers, using natural plant fibres – Soft rush, sedges, grasses, leaves etc. A great day of fun for family and friends!
This one day workshop will be an opportunity for beginner and intermediate basket weavers to explore the use of plant fibre in the construction of a small basket. You will learn about foraging for plant fibres like common rush, iris blades, and lily leaves. Ralph will be demonstrating methods of processing and storing the material, as well as several weaving techniques to help you complete your basket in a day.
All materials are supplied, but you are encouraged to bring your own fibres – wool, fabric, ribbon etc. to incorporate and personalize your own creation.
Materials Required by Students: Optional – Bring materials from home to personalise your basket!
About the Instructor:
Ralph Simpson is an artist working in basketry and sculptural plant-fibre weaving, with a background in forest biology. He is developing techniques and researching plant materials for use in his art. Materials include wood fibre (ash, birch, maple, spruce, cedar, willow), tree bark (cedar, birch, willow, ash, poplar, maple ), grasses, garden plants (iris, day lily, Dracena sp.), handmade paper, and natural threads (cotton, linen, wool) – for the most part, collected in local fields, marshes, and forests, adhering to harvest principles based on environmental integrity and sustainability.
Ralph has studied basic traditional weaving techniques in Canada, USA, Spain, and Poland. Sensitive to issues of appropriation, he is interested discovering new materials to develop his artistic style. His innate connection with the natural world, field, forest, and wetland is expressed in his work, combining traditional weaving techniques with innovative materials to create a contemporary art form.
He has featured in numerous exhibitions and has been one of our Beaverbrook Canadian Foundation Artists in Residence in 2020.
Discover the art of wet felting while you create beautiful flowers, just in time for summer! We will start with simple techniques for making a three-dimensional form that will then be built on to create a flower, followed by a more complicated flower. Participants will receive enough materials to take home and create an additional flower on their own to reinforce the skills learned during the workshop. All tools and materials will be included.
SSANC Membership discounts apply (please call (506) 529-3386 to register with your discount. Bursaries are available – click here to apply.
About the Instructor: Lorna McMaster is a retired shepherd and fibre artist with over 30 years of experience in the medium. Her patterns and workshops have helped thousands of people to discover the magic of needle felting.
In this workshop, you will learn creative art journaling, mindfulness, and self-compassion practices designed to cultivate creativity and nurture your resiliency. Instructor Katrina Slade guides you through four lessons across two days of total creative immersion. This workshop is for you if you are interested in creative expression but need a little guidance.
Materials Required by students:
art journal 9×12″
set of watercolours
paint brushes
regular journal or notebook just for notes
(Acrylic craft paint will be provided, but if the attendee has some other acrylics they would like to bring, they are welcome to)
We do not charge HST. SSANC Membership discounts apply. Bursaries are available – click here to apply.
Registration Deadline: May 6, 2022
About the Course: In this workshop, you will learn creative art journaling, mindfulness, and self-compassion practices designed to cultivate creativity and nurture your resiliency. Instructor Katrina Slade guides you through four lessons across two days of total creative immersion. Enjoy the freedom of open-ended lessons that don’t follow the traditional follow-the-leader type of outcome. This workshop is for you if you are interested in creative expression but need a little guidance, and if you are comfortable with – or curious to know more about – mindfulness, self-reflection, and self-compassion.
About the Instructor: Katrina Slade is a third-generation interdisciplinary visual artist with a lifelong passion for creativity. Her work is often inspired by a personal response to her environment, typically emphasizing uplifting and positive messages. Katrina’s primary medium is acrylic painting, and sometimes creates sculptural or installation work.
Katrina earned a BFA specializing in painting and drawing, followed by an MA in 2011 in her home state of Oregon. World travel has been instrumental in her artistic growth. After spending the decade of her twenties traveling and working overseas, she immigrated to Canada in 2018.
Katrina has enjoyed several solo exhibitions, as well as participated in multiple two-person and group shows in Europe and North America. Her work has been published in books, magazines, and is in private collections in various countries around the world. She currently lives and works in Fredericton, NB.
Discover the art of needle felting while you create a set of birds. We will start with simple techniques for making a three-dimensional form that will then be built on to create a simple bird, followed by a more complicated one. Participants will receive enough materials to take home and create an additional bird on their own to reinforce the skills learned during the workshop. All tools and materials will be included.
About the Instructor: Lorna McMaster is a retired shepherd and fibre artist with over 30 years of experience in the medium. Her patterns and workshops have helped thousands of people to discover the magic of needle felting.
Wednesday, May 11 at 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
Beginners / Adult / Youth 14+
SSANC Membership discounts apply (please call (506) 529 3386 to register with your discount. Bursaries are available – click here to apply.
Expand your imagination! April 30th, 10 am – 12 pm, join visual artist Judith Brannen for a workshop at Sunbury Shores about a central but not oft-discussed aspect of being an artist–and being a human: the imagination. Learn real techniques and practices for becoming more imaginative. This is a workshop Judith has given around the world, allowing people of all ages (artist or non-artist) to connect with their imaginations, and to learn and practice techniques for feeling more free in your imagination on a daily basis.
“For the purpose of this workshop, I want to wake up things that are in you. It is said that Nature and Books are the best paths to develop the Imagination. I think Play, Silence and the Arts are also vital to this awakening. Imagination reveals possibility, and possibility engenders hope. We are given means of finding wonder and the ability to cope. We so desperately need these abilities in these days of trouble. In this workshop, we will use poetry, visual arts exercises, music and contemplation to find a way into the Fantastic Imagination.”
About the Instructor: Judith Brannen is a visual artist living in West Chezzetcook, Nova Scotia. She is the owner and operator of Laughleton Gallery in the same township. Judith’s work has been displayed all over Canada, and she has given workshops on the creative process in Europe and North America.
We do not charge HST. SSANC Member discounts apply. Bursaries are available – click here to apply.
Consider attending the Eastern Canada edition of ArtsPond’s upcoming 90-minute DigitalASO co-creation workshop on digital futures in Canadian arts and culture. It will be held online using Zoom and Miro on April 26, 2022 beginning at 1 pm Atlantic.
This workshop is supported by the Digital Strategy Fund and Business and Arts Newfoundland and Labrador. $250
What might a national ecosystem nurturing digital innovation and care look like to you? A co-creation workshop with Eastern Canada.
Nurturing Ecosystems: Maritimes and Atlantic Canada is a 90-minute participatory online workshop facilitated by DigitalASO co-founders, Jessa Agilo and Margaret Lam, on April 26, 2022 from 1 to 2:30 pm Atlantic (1:30 to 3 pm Newfoundland).
In a fun, engaging, and thought-provoking environment, 8 to 10 participants from Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick will receive an honorarium of $250 each to co-design positive steps toward a more equitable and inclusive digital future in arts and culture on the East Coast and across Canada. While Indigenous, racialized people of colour, people with disabilities, and rural-remote communities will be given priority, all residents of Canada’s East Coast are welcome to attend. Express interest in the workshop by filling out the form below. Selected participants will be notified by April 22, 2022.
This workshop is structured into two parts, including time for introductions and bio breaks:
1. What does a positive digital future in arts and culture look like to you? (45 minutes)
In this segment, participants will explore and provide feedback on the relevance of the emergent DigitalASO Knowledge Framework to help understand and express digital challenges and opportunities in arts and culture in Eastern Canada. This Framework seeks to apply the practices and lenses of human-centered design to help summarize steps to a positive digital future as expressed by equity-seeking arts workers during prior DigitalASO roundtables in Northern, Western, and Central Canada in 2020 and 2021. Through group discussion, participants will learn more about how to apply these resources to help identify and express complex social-technical-ecological issues in their communities.
2. What might a regional or national ecosystem nurturing digital innovation and care in arts and culture look like to you? (45 minutes)
In this segment, participants in two groups will brainstorm and co-design shared visions for a proposed local/regional or national digital “alliance” (network, hub, collective, or other). The mandate of this “alliance” will be to support the evolution of a more carinng, inclusive, diverse, equitable, and accessible digital ecosystem in arts and culture. What kind of governance structure might this “alliance” take? What might its objectives be? Who would it serve, support, and care for? What issues and concerns should it prioritize in its first year, second year, third year and beyond? How might it fund and support itself to be sustainable? What would the benefits and requirements of membership be? Will it be a small, volunteer-run “mutual aid” type of network? Will the community be better served by a more formal entity with a larger staff and budget? The suggestions and wisdom shared will inform the design of DigitalASO’s Phase 3 national ecosystem and alliance-building activities in 2023 and beyond.
The language for this workshop is English with auto-caption services provided. Honoraria is provided for a 3-hour commitment, including participation in the 1.5 hour workshop, plus 1.5 hours of reviewing and providing feedback on the Knowledge Framework before and/or after the workshop.
Expression of Interest
Please share your expression of interest to participate in this workshop by sending the following information to hello@digitalaso.ca:
Name
Email
Company, if appropriate
Province
Industry (artistic, creative, cultural, or other industry)
One or two sentences about what interests you in developing a national ecosystem for digital transformation
Briefly, participants will co-design in this workshop positive steps toward a more equitable and inclusive digital future in arts and culture on the East Coast and across Canada. This workshop builds upon storytelling roundtables held in Northern, Western, and Central Canada in 2020 and 2021.
Two key questions in this workshop include: 1) What does a positive digital future in arts and culture look like to you? 2) What might a regional or national ecosystem nurturing digital innovation and care in arts and culture look like to you? The knowledge and wisdom received will inform the design of DigitalASO’s Phase 3 national ecosystem and alliance-building activities in 2023 and beyond.
Held In partnership with BGC Greater Saint John, Chroma NB‘s Youth Creative Nights are monthly arts engagement events, hosted by 2SLGBTQIA+ facilitators and held for 2SLGBTQIA+ youth and allies between 12 and 18 years old.
Creative Nights aim to break down social isolation and foster a safe space where participants can make friends, learn a new skill, and creatively nurture their sense of self within a community of like-minded individuals.
We are pleased to be partnering with Brilliant Labs on this tech-savvy workshop. Mi’kmaw abstract artist Jan Martin will demonstrate how to take, then insert photos into found images using Photoshop. Basics of Photoshop will be taught, so no experience needed.
Please wear a mask to this event. Please register using this link.
Jan Martin is a Mi’kmaw non-binary painter and abstract artist from Listuguj Mi’gmaq First Nation. Jan, who started out as a photographer, mixes their love of painting with their photography background – digitizing and melding together real-life paintings with photographs.
Using Photoshop, Jan will show us to do this ourselves. No experience required.Chroma’s Creative Nights are monthly arts events, held exclusively by and for 2SLGBTQIA+ and gender diverse individuals. They aim to break down social isolation, fostering a safer space where participants can make friends, learn a new skill, and creatively nurture their sense of self within a community of like-minded individuals.
This event is free. Creative Connections is a wheelchair accessible space with a gender neutral bathroom. Please wear a mask when not eating or drinking.
Maximum 8 participants for this workshop, so book your spot soon.
The Saint John Arts Centre (SJAC) is excited to welcome back Jane Geurts to teach Studio 65+ Watercolours. As Jane guides you through a variety of techniques, you will discover the qualities that make watercolour such an enjoyable and unique experience. This workshop is designed for beginners who have never picked up a brush before, through to intermediate level participants.
In this workshop you will explore:
The characteristics of watercolour painting
How to mix your paints
How to use watercolour washes, wet-on-wet techniques, flat wash, graded wash
The basic colour palette
Watercolour lifting techniques
The composition of good landscape painting
How to create effective looking landscapes/seascapes
Creating light in your landscapes/seascapes
How to paint moody watercolour skies
Matting and framing techniques for watercolour paintings
Workshop materials kit is purchased from the instructor on week one and includes:
Watercolour Paper: 140lb and 90lb cold press sheets
Palette: warm and cool versions of red, blue and yellow, plus black and white
Brushes: round, flat and angle
Drawing pencil
White magic eraser
Mixing palette/plate
8”x10” Matt for a 5”x7” painting
Foam core board
Instructional notes
WORKSHOP INFORMATION
Age group: Seniors and Adults Time: 1:30-4pm
Dates: Tuesday afternoons – April 26, May 3, 10, 17, 2022
Duration: 4 weeks
Tuition fee: $110 for adults / Seniors aged 65+ are eligible for a 20% discount on all adult workshops; enter coupon code SENIOR65 at checkout.
Supplies fee: $20, purchased from your instructor at the first class
The Saint John Arts Centre is pleased to welcome back senior artist Jane Geurts, who will guide you through an intuitive approach to watercolour painting. You will engage your imagination and creativity in an exploration of abstract compositions with this liquid medium. This workshop is designed for participants who have moved beyond the beginner’s level.
Age group: Adults
Time: 6-8:30pm
Dates: April 26, May 3, 10, 17, 2022
Duration: 4 weeks
Fees: $115 tuition
Supplies: Participants will purchase a $20 materials kit from the instructor on week 1
Skill level: Intermediate / ‘beyond beginner’
Capacity: 10 students
Seniors Discount: Seniors aged 65+ are eligible for a 20% discount on all adult workshops; enter coupon code SENIOR65 at checkout.
ABOUT YOUR INSTRUCTOR
Jane Geurts is a designer and painter with a penchant for watercolour. She is well known for her large scale watercolours that grace residential and commercial spaces across the country. Her artwork has been purchased for public and private collections in Canada, the US, and Holland, and she has lectured and conducted workshops around the globe. Jane spent more than thirty years as Head of Design at the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design, and has acted as a design consultant for several commercial and residential design firms, with her work being featured on HGTV
