Centre Culturel de Kent-Sud is an establishment that reunites local artists and the citizens of Kent-Sud. In a town-owned building in Bouctouche, they operate an arts and crafts boutique supporting over 80 local artists as well as a coffee shop where they serve meals made with food from local providers.

All throughout the summer this year, they will have indoor concerts starring acadian artists at the salle multifonctionnelle located atop the coffee shop. As well, they’re hosting the annual ÉcoFestival from September 10th to 12th which consists of workshops, concerts and exhibitions. This year’s theme is textile arts. 

Centre Culturel de Kent-Sud is currently working on a project called ‘Tourner 7 fois sa langue’: 7 short films featuring a mix of professional artists and citizens of Kent-Sud.

Additionally, the Marie-Hélène-Allain Gallery is currently showing the late Ghislaine Mclaughlin’s art. 

Centre Culturel de Kent-Sud did a call for artists submissions this past spring and currently have exhibitions reserved until May 2023. All of the exhibitions for the rest of the 2021-2022 season will revolve around women artists. 

Check out their website and Facebook!

Arts Atlantic Symposium

ArtsLink NB is looking for an energetic creative thinker to lead the development of the inaugural Arts Atlantic Symposium (AAS) to be held in Saint John, NB, in the late summer of 2022. The AAS will be a multi-disciplinary arts festival and conference intended to celebrate the diverse work of artists and arts organizations of Atlantic Canada and build working relationships within the industry on the regional and national levels.

The AAS will have a unique structure, being both a public festival with live performances, art installations, and public exhibitions, as well as an industry conference with keynote speakers, panels, and networking events. 

ArtsLink NB is committed to inclusivity in the development and implementation of the symposium.

The curator / curatorial team (hereinafter referred to as “curator”) will be responsible for the concept and framing of the conference and the public art component of the festival. 

The successful candidate(s) need not be based in Atlantic Canada, however a connection to the region is vital. This position includes a modest travel budget although we anticipate that much of the research and consultation will take place virtually. This is a part-time contract position,  in three phases, with Phases 2 and 3 being contingent on performance and funding. Remuneration for the three phases will be: 

• $8,500 for Phase 1
• $4,200 for Phase 2 
• $6,100 for Phase 3

The curator will report to the ED and symposium committee. Whenever possible the curator will develop and organize material in order that it may be used by organizers in subsequent iterations of the symposium.

Interested parties are asked to submit a letter of interest outlining their relevant experience and a CV to julie@artslinknb.com, by 5 AUG 2021.

This letter may include your experiences at conferences and events of interest, as well your thoughts on potential panellists, artists, panel topics.  

Please see the outline of key performance objectives. 

The New Brunswick Museum (NBM) houses an extremely important textile collection.  In the bedding component alone, over 700 quilts, quilt tops and quilt blocks provide an excellent cross section of provincially-produced bedding.  More than ninety percent of these items originated, or most likely originated, in New Brunswick (especially Saint John, Kings and Queens Counties). The artifacts range in production date from the late eighteenth century to 2019, with the majority made between 1875 and 1925. The first quilt donated to the NBM was in 1927, the most recent in 2020.  A small grouping of twenty modern quilts, dating between 1975 and 1985, was acquired in 1995 as part of the transfer of the New Brunswick Craft Collection to the NBM.  The 2003 addition of the John Corey Domestic Textiles Collection extensively increased the representation of bedding, especially quilts.  The collection itself now provides an excellent overview of the bedding types being produced in New Brunswick in the modern era and it is one of the best resources for the study and analysis of this type of textiles in Canada.  The NBM also houses a small but significant collection of textile-working tools and equipment relating to the production of woven textiles and quilts. 

In 2011, the NBM and the Marco Polo Quilters’ Guild (MPQG) collaborated to establish the New Brunswick Contemporary Quilt Award, a juried competition that would ensure that quilts made after 1960 in New Brunswick are represented the NBM’s collection.  Over the past 60 years or so, there have been major changes in quilt-making tools as well as in the methods used for making quilts.  Vast design resources and publications, specialized and custom fabrics, programmable sewing machines and “longarmers” have all impacted the production of quilts.  Some quilts have moved off beds onto walls and, with this expansion in their use, different styles of quilts have developed.  Ultimately, if it is to tell a more complete story, the NBM’s quilt collection must include excellent examples that reveal diversity of the province’s quilt-making stories since 1960. 

This program dovetailed seamlessly with the MPQG’s goals.  Officially founded in 1985, the MPQG’s history dates back further.  As early as 1973, the guild was involved with the Saint John YM-YWCA and began a series of biennial exhibitions.  The NBM was involved in loaning quilts to the fairs in those early years and supporting the MPQG intermittently over the past almost 50 years, including hosting the biennial show at the Market Square Exhibition Centre since 2003.   The guild is actively engaged in supporting the community through programs such as “Thank You” quilts for the Ridgewood Veterans’ Hospital, “Victoria Quilts” for people living with cancer as well as quilts for those in Bobby’s Hospice.  Every two years, a jury is convened, a selection is made and the New Brunswick Contemporary Quilt Award ensures that a modern New Brunswick quilt is acquired for the New Brunswick Museum collection.

2011

The first acquisition under this program was a purchase made using funds raised through the sale of a quilt block pattern, Purple Violet, designed by MPQG member, Kathy Coffin (1944-2014).  In 2011, the inaugural New Brunswick Contemporary Quilt Award went to Donna K. Young of Fredericton, NB, for her 2004 wall quilt, Railways in a Northern Land. Young, a prominent Fredericton-area quilter, submitted one of her works that had represented Canada at national and international exhibitions.  It is an exceptionally fine example of an original design combined with superb execution.  It was made for a National Fibre Art competition, Constructions of Canada, and symbolizes the role of trains in connectedness of communities across the country. 

2013

The second biennial award was won by Juanita Allain of Riverview, NB.  Her quilt, When Compasses Collide, displays impeccable execution and a high level of design complexity.  The quilt was started at a Sheila Wintle workshop attended by the maker at Quilt Canada in Edmonton, AB, in 2002.   The pattern, with its marine history and cartographic connotations, is an especially apt addition since it is not currently represented in the New Brunswick Museum collection. The quilt which also received a Best in Show award at the 2006 at the Greater Moncton Quilt Guild show has also travelled extensively in the United States and France between 2007 and 2010.

2015

The third biennial award was won by Gail Fearon of New Line, NB.  Her quilt, Baltimore Bouquet, displays exceptional appliqué techniques, sophisticated colour choices and intricate quilting.  This quilt which is based on a style of mid-19^th century quilts that incorporated a sampling of different blocks – called Baltimore Album quilts.  They became extremely fashionable along the eastern seaboard.  This quilt is an especially valuable addition to the New Brunswick Museum collection since there are no historic examples of Baltimore Album quilts represented. 

2017

The fourth biennial award has been won by Tidal Threads Quilt and Needlework Guild of Grand Manan, New Brunswick.  Their 2011 quilt, Setting Day, features an exceptional original design, excellent piecing and appliqué techniques, sophisticated colour choices and high quality machine-quilting.  The quilt was designed to celebrate an extremely important aspect of life on Grand Manan, the annual opening of lobster season on the second Tuesday of November and it features a charming rendition of colourful buoys as well as marine flora and fauna. It is of particular interest for the New Brunswick Museum collection because it shows an aspect of contemporary quilt-making that is not currently represented – a quilt with a high-quality original design that was produced through the efforts of an entire guild.

2019

For the fifth biennial award was shared by two quilts: Lillian Clark of Saint John, NB, for her 2019 Pinwheels Galore and Christina Savoie of Point La Nim, NB, for her 2019 Statistically Speaking.  Lillian Clark’s quilt, Pinwheels Galore, was awarded First Prize in the Traditional Quilt Category earlier in 2019 at the 25^th Biennial Marco Polo Quilters Guild Quilt and Fibre Art Show.  Based on a design that she had photographed in 2007 at a quilt fair in Burlington, VT, Clark’s hand-quilted masterpiece pays tribute to the traditions of her mother, Laura Blanche Knorr Watson (1909-1989), from whom she learned to hand-piece and hand-quilt. Through the careful selection of colour and placement of the simple pinwheel pattern blocks, Clark has achieved a complex and dramatic visual composition.  Christina Savoie’s quilt, Statistically Speaking, was accepted into the 2019 Canadian Quilters’ Association National Juried Show held in Ottawa, ON, and it was awarded the Viewers’ Choice ribbon at the Where Friends Gather Quilt Guild exhibition held in Charlo, NB in October 2019.  An outstanding example of Free Motion Quilting, Savoie’s quilt displays an expert combination of design and skill.  Inspired by the media’s graphics showing trends and comparisons about climate change, the quilt encourages viewers to connect with aspects of the natural world, including subtle depictions of flora and fauna, which are ordinarily concealed by those quantitative and daunting statistics. 

SOCAN Foundation provides grants for Canadian music creators and publishers working to promote appreciation for Canadian music in today’s society. Our grants support the spread of our music both within Canada and abroad, ensuring our voices are heard all over the world and in our own back yards.

Grants for Creators, Music Publishers and Individuals

Grants for Creators, Music Publishers and Individuals

SOCAN Foundation Career Development Grant

Ongoing Deadline

The Fund is a one-time special program to help SOCAN members develop skills by accessing conferences, workshops, masterclasses, or other self-directed learning opportunities such as mentorship, research, and personal reflection.

The grant is available to all SOCAN members who have received at least two (2) SOCAN royalty payments (of any amount) in the last 12 months of applying to the program.

The SOCAN Foundation has allocated a total of $250,000, which will be available for distribution from the SOCAN Foundation Career Development Grant, of up to 850 grants of $300 each.

Applicants are encouraged to submit applications early as once funds are exhausted, the application portal will be closed.

Click here to apply.

Travel Assistance Program

Ongoing Deadline

Grants are provided to SOCAN composers, writers, and music publishers across all genres of music to assist with travel-related costs for career-building or career-defining activities in Canada or abroad.

Priority for approval will be given to applications demonstrating the importance of the activity to the applicant’s career. Activities that receive compensation are not eligible.

Activities that are self-directed are not eligible.

Activities that are eligible could include, but are not limited to:

• award presentations;
• important performances;
• residencies;
• showcases;
• workshops.

Maximum grant levels are limited to:

• $400 for travel between 201 and 1000 km one way;
• $600 for travel between 1001 and 2000 km one way;
• $800 for travel between 2001 and 5000 km one way;
• $1000 for travel over 5000 km one way.

Applicants may receive only one (1) Travel Assistance Grant per calendar year.

Applicants that are funded by the Travel Assistance Program are ineligible to receive funding from the Professional Development Assistance Program.

To be eligible, all applicants must provide a letter of confirmation or invitation to attend the event or project activity.

To be eligible, music publishers must represent works by at least four (4) SOCAN members.

Application must be submitted before the activity starts.

Results will be announced within ten (10) weeks of the application.

Professional Development Assistance Program

Ongoing Deadline

Grants are provided to SOCAN composers, writers and music publishers across all genres of music, for upgrading their skills and knowledge or acquiring new skills and knowledge to advance their careers.

These grants may be used to pay registration and/or incidental fees associated with activities such as:

• conferences;
• courses;
• seminars;
• workshops.

To be eligible, applicants must have received two (2) SOCAN royalty payments in each of the previous three (3) calendar years.

To be eligible, music publishers must represent works by at least four (4) SOCAN members and must have received two (2) SOCAN royalty payments in each of the previous three (3) years.

Maximum grant level is limited to $1500.

Applicants may receive only one (1) Professional Development Assistance Grant every two (2) calendar year.

Applicants that are funded by the Professional Development Assistance Program are ineligible to receive funding from the Travel Assistance Program.

Application must be submitted before the activity starts.

Results will generally be announced within ten (10) weeks of submission.

Work Commissioning Assistance Grant

Next deadline: February 16, 2021 (11:59 PM EST)

Grants are provided to assist individuals, corporations, performers, ensembles, and presenters to commission SOCAN members to create new works in all genres of music.

The intent of this program is to reach beyond local, regional, provincial, and federal arts council funding bodies and encourage other members of our community (individuals, organizations or companies) to commission new musical works.

In order to be eligible, applicants must match the Work Commissioning Assistance grant with privately raised funds. The total commissioning budget may include Federal, Provincial or Municipal funding but the Work Commissioning Assistance Grant portion will only match privately raised funds. Applications that do not include a clear description of the source of the privately raised funds will be disqualified.

This grant will match funds from $1,000 to a maximum of $3,000 that the applicant will have raised during the period of the fundraising initiative. Applications may have more than one SOCAN member create the commissioned work with commissioning funds divided equally between the collaborators. Only SOCAN writer members can receive matching grant funds.

SOCAN members being commissioned cannot apply directly to this program.

A SOCAN member can only receive one (1) Work Commissioning Assistance Grant every two (2) calendar years.

To be eligible the applicant must not have a familial relationship with, nor be an employer of, the SOCAN member(s) being commissioned.
Applicants must demonstrate that the commissioned work will have a public performance and provide details as to how the SOCAN Foundation support will be acknowledged.

The application must include an agreement between the applicant and the SOCAN member(s) being commissioned indicating, at least, the following:

• the SOCAN writer member(s) retains copyright of the commissioned work;
• the projected commissioning fee;
• the projected date (month, year) of completion of the work;
• the projected date (month, year) of first public performance;
• the funding being matched by the SOCAN Foundation is not derived from public funding;
• the applicant will inform the SOCAN Foundation of delivery of the completed work that includes the commissioned work’s SOCAN Identification number;
• the acknowledgment that the Work Commissioning Assistance Grant will be paid directly by the SOCAN Foundation to the SOCAN member(s) being commissioned.

The applicant may only submit one application per deadline.

Grants for Organizations

Canadian Music Assistance

Next deadline: February 16, 2021 (11:59 PM EST)

The Canadian Music Assistance Program will continue to receive applications that provide details that address the reality of delivering their application’s activity under the COVID-19 crisis.

This program nurtures an environment supportive of Canadian music creators, Canadian music publishers and audiences. This program can include:

• Music Presentation events which can be a showcase, single concert, concert series or a festival. To be eligible these events must include at least 50% of Canadian music.
• Education activities which can range from presenting workshops for songwriters, composers, writers and publishers to the introduction of Canadian music in schools.
• Publication activities, which may include research and writing towards the publication of books or journals (printed or electronic), production of performance scores (printed or electronic).

Generally, this program only funds a small portion of the applicant’s budget.

Minimum grant level is $1,000. Historically, the average Canadian Music Assistance grant is $1,500.

Applicants with a long track record of successful applications to the SOCAN Foundation’s Canadian Music Assistance program may be invited to enter into a Sponsorship Agreement with the SOCAN Foundation. Historically, the average Sponsorship amount is $6,000.

Applicants may submit no more than one (1) application to this program per calendar year.

Work Commissioning Assistance Grant

Next deadline: February 16, 2021 (11:59 PM EST)

Grants are provided to assist individuals, corporations, performers, ensembles, and presenters to commission SOCAN members to create new works in all genres of music.

The intent of this program is to reach beyond local, regional, provincial, and federal arts council funding bodies and encourage other members of our community (individuals, organizations or companies) to commission new musical works.

In order to be eligible, applicants must match the Work Commissioning Assistance grant with privately raised funds. The total commissioning budget may include Federal, Provincial or Municipal funding but the Work Commissioning Assistance Grant portion will only match privately raised funds. Applications that do not include a clear description of the source of the privately raised funds will be disqualified.

This grant will match funds from $1,000 to a maximum of $3,000 that the applicant will have raised during the period of the fundraising initiative. Applications may have more than one SOCAN member create the commissioned work with commissioning funds divided equally between the collaborators. Only SOCAN writer members can receive matching grant funds.

SOCAN members being commissioned cannot apply directly to this program.

A SOCAN member can only receive one (1) Work Commissioning Assistance Grant every two (2) calendar years.

To be eligible the applicant must not have a familial relationship with, nor be an employer of, the SOCAN member(s) being commissioned.
Applicants must demonstrate that the commissioned work will have a public performance and provide details as to how the SOCAN Foundation support will be acknowledged.

The application must include an agreement between the applicant and the SOCAN member(s) being commissioned indicating, at least, the following:

• the SOCAN writer member(s) retains copyright of the commissioned work;
• the projected commissioning fee;
• the projected date (month, year) of completion of the work;
• the projected date (month, year) of first public performance;
• the funding being matched by the SOCAN Foundation is not derived from public funding;
• the applicant will inform the SOCAN Foundation of delivery of the completed work that includes the commissioned work’s SOCAN Identification number;
• the acknowledgment that the Work Commissioning Assistance Grant will be paid directly by the SOCAN Foundation to the SOCAN member(s) being commissioned.

The applicant may only submit one application per deadline.

Annual Operations Assistance

Grants are provided annually to not-for-profit member service organizations representing Canadian music creators and music publishers to support operating activities.

Applicants must have an established history within the Canadian music community, or have previously received substantial project funding from the SOCAN Foundation. Please note that, other than for exceptional projects, recipients of Annual Operations Assistance grants are ineligible to apply for other funding from the SOCAN Foundation.

List of current Annual Operations Assistance recipients:

• Association des professionnels de l’édition musicale (APEM) https://www.apem.ca/
• Canadian Electroacoustic Community (CEC) https://cec.sonus.ca/
• Canadian League of Composers (CLC) https://www.composition.org/
• Canadian Music Centre (CMC) https://www.musiccentre.ca/
• Canadian Music Publishers Association (CMPA) http://www.musicpublisher.ca/
• Canadian New Music Network (CNMC) http://www.newmusicnetwork.ca/en/
• Songwriters Association of Canada (S.A.C.) http://www.songwriters.ca/
• Screen Composers Guild of Canada (SCGC) https://screencomposers.ca/
• Société professionnelle des auteurs et des compositeurs du Québec (SPACQ) https://www.spacq.qc.ca/fr/Accueil/

The website for the Radio Starmaker Fund is now back on-line and ready to accept applications. Below you will find information on our next application deadline. We encourage you to begin the application process as early as possible to avoid filing incomplete applications. The Vice-President of Programs & Applications, Jerry Leibowitz (jerryleibowitz@starmaker.ca), will be happy to help you with your questions should you need assistance. You can send him an email before you submit your application and time permitting, he will review your work and provide feedback. Please keep in mind that once an application is submitted, it can’t be changed.

New Details for Round 80:

The Orion Program

The Orion program is a funding stream dedicated to supporting music creation by members of the Canadian music industry who are Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour.

The Radio Starmaker Fund distributes private funds that provide “substantial incremental investment where the artist has established a proven track record.” However, racism and other systemic barriers may prevent applicants from qualifying for the established Starmaker programs. The Orion program was established to distribute these funds in a manner that lowers the barrier to entry for eligible Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour who have not yet met Starmaker sales criteria.

Orion is a “stepping stone” program. It will fund a broad range of activities to support racialized artists as they continue to develop and increase the audience and industry reach needed to apply to other Starmaker programs.

Orion is also a ‘living program’ made to be able to adapt to and reflect the Board’s collective learning, community feedback and industry change.

The program is comprised of the following elements:

• Qualifying applicants are identified as Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour – if you are a band rather than an individual, the majority of the band must be identified as Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour.
• You must show full-length or bundle sales of at least 1,500 units to qualify. A full-length release contains at least 6 unique studio recordings – not including acoustic re-recordings, remixes, versions, etc. – and at least 25 minutes of music. A bundle contains at least 3 unique, previously unreleased studio recordings – not including acoustic re-recordings, remixes, versions, etc. – and at least 9 minutes of music. They can be either physical, digital or equivalent streams (750 single track streams from a full-length release or bundle will constitute one sales unit toward the achievement of the minimum sales threshold, as will 5 downloaded tracks from a release constitute one sales unit). We will accept proof via Soundscan/Music Connect, manufacturing invoices and net sales reports from distributors. International sales, streams and downloads will be counted towards eligibility. Multiple releases from the previous 5 years leading up to the deadline for the round can be combined to show eligibility. Alternatively, if you have been nominated for a Juno, Grammy or the Polaris prize shortlist for a release from the last 5 years, you will be considered qualified for this program. You can just enter the release which was nominated, list the sales as 1,500 units and attach proof of the nomination.
• Applicants with no previous approvals for this program or those that had their eligibility lapse will need to show current eligibility to our Manager, Finance & Administration, Michelle Farres (michellefarres@starmaker.ca) at least a week in advance of the deadline for the round in which you apply.
• The application process will be as follows: you will enter your artist information into the Starmaker website. Those details are provided on the right side of our homepage under the links for “Getting Started”. After completion, you will then have the option to be redirected to this program where you will submit a one-page business plan/proposal. You will be able to include attachments to the proposal, elaborating on proof of eligibility, breakdowns of expenditures or other key information. Brief details on domestic or international activity and momentum should be included in the proposal to illustrate why your request should be funded.
• Money can be requested for any music related expenses – recording, promotion, publicity, advertising, digital marketing, touring, videos, etc. The maximum overall request must be capped at $25,000 and artists will only be considered for one of these grants per calendar year. Please be sure to make the actual request in your application as opposed to just putting together a budget. We need to know exactly what you’re asking us to consider funding. Letters of support are not necessary to include. Also, if you apply and are approved for recording costs, you will not need to show release of the recording within 6 months of the deadline for the round for the first approval.
• Artists who eventually qualify for the main Starmaker programs will still be able to apply for this annual $25,000 grant.
• All other Starmaker rules will apply.
• Start your Application by signing in to your existing Artist profile or starting a new Artist profile.

The Orion Program Going Forward

After this round, we will be opening the Orion Program to eligible applicants twice a year due to budgetary and administrative considerations. Beginning 2022 and thereafter you will be able to submit applications for the Program for the February and August deadlines only.

Keep in mind that when you enter the sales, stream and download information for this program into our system, you should include the worldwide figures – not just the Canadian figures.

Also, all users must have their own account and use their account when working on applications.  Users cannot share account information or use other people’s log-ins/passwords under any circumstances.

In-Person Performances

The minimum capacity we will consider for ticketed, in-person performances will return to 100 from the temporary number of 50 we had been allowing during the last few rounds.

All applications must be filed online prior to the next deadline of Thursday, August 19^th, 2021 at 5:00 PM EST. The ability to file an application will automatically be shut down at that time. Please ensure your application has been completed and submitted before this deadline. Thank you in advance.

MONCTON, N.B., July 5, 2021 – After last year’s COVID-19 related hiatus, Hubcity Theatre is pleased to return to the outdoor stage with one of Shakespeare’s comedies, As You Like It, being performed, for the first time, in Centennial Park from July 23 – 25 and 29 – 31 at 6:00 pm.

“As You Like It contains one of Shakespeare’s most prolific lines: ‘All the World’s a Stage,’ says Hubcity Theatre’s artistic director JB Vanier. “The best thing about the stage is the fact that we get to play, something we don’t always get enough time to do. We felt it was important to bring people together to have fun this year and to have the chance for our performers and our audience to play. This play is filled with silly laughs and over-the-top nonsense, so it’s sure to delight and entertain audiences.”

The production, directed by Vanier, stars Teagan Anderson Leger as Rosalind and Samuel Grove as Orlando.

“Taking on the role of Rosalind has been such an utter delight,” Anderson Leger says. “She is a resilient and spirited heroine – full of wit, imagination, and complexity. She explores the world around her with humour and joy, and a heart full of love. Isn’t that what life should be about?”

As for Grove, he says playing Orlando is fun. “Being the underdog hero who is a little too full of himself is something I haven’t done in a long time, and it’s fun to see how much he develops as a character over the course of the show,” Grove says.

This year, attendees can purchase a preferred ticket until the day before the performance they wish to attend. A preferred ticket ensures a reserved seat in the rows closest to the performance. Preferred seating will not be available the day of a performance and must be reserved ahead of time via Eventbrite.

As usual, audience members should come prepared for an outdoor setting with a chair or blanket, bug spray, sunscreen, a hat and dressed for the weather. Chairs won’t be provided due to COVID precautions. In addition, the COVID plan includes having seating areas spaced six feet apart, groups of three can be seated together. Masks will be required when not seated.

For interviews and information email info@hubcitytheatre.com or call Kelly at (506) 227-3553.

Hubcity Theatre is a non-profit theatre company located in Moncton that is committed to enriching New Brunswick’s cultural landscape through the performance of classic and contemporary theatre while fostering the creation and exploration of original works.

Connexion ARC introduces a 3-month mentorship program pairing nine emerging and mid-career artists with established art mentors. This program will culminate in a joint artist talk and the creation of a collaborative artwork.

Mentorships will be completed online or in person, if possible, and take place over the course of three months, during which time they will share updates on their work. The gallery exhibition will take place after all the mentorships have been completed in the Fall of 2022.

Connexion Exchange fosters peer feedback, community building, and an opportunity to collaborate with an established artist. The participating mentees are, Alana Morouney, Amy Ash, Emily Kennedy, KC Wilcox, Laura De Decker, Lee McLean, Lucy Koshan, Rachel Macgillivray, and Reuben Stewart.

Xiuting Shi will be our program assistant for Connexion Exchange from June to August 2021. If you have any questions, email Xiuting at info@connexionarc.org.

For artist biographies and more information on the nine mentees, as well as dates of the mentorships, talks, and other special events, visit connexionarc.org.

THIRD SHIFT: TRAVERSE

Aug 19 – 22

THIRD SHIFT is a free, all-ages annual festival of public contemporary artworks in Saint John, New Brunswick.

From August 19th through 22nd, this bubble-friendly art festival will turn Uptown Saint John into an outdoor contemporary art gallery for four days! You can look forward to visiting over 20 temporary public art installations scattered around the Uptown area as well as a series of small in-person and online art presentations and artist talks. Stay tuned for the installation map and schedule of events! Want a sneak peek? Read about the artworks and artists here:

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HOST: A Virtual Contemporary Art Project

HOST is a borderless project. Part art exhibition and part walking simulator game, it exists entirely online. With animated walls, interactive navigation, and hyperlinked portals, HOST brings together works by eleven contemporary artists who offer glimmers of reciprocity by caring for the places where mutual understanding, appreciation, and hope take root amid the tangle of contemporary issues.

Featuring artwork by: rudi aker, Anna Binta Diallo, Séamus Gallagher, Maggie Higgins, Emily Kennedy, Caroline Monnet, respectfulchild, Lou Sheppard, Rachel M Thornton, Winnie Truong, and KC Wilcox. Curated by Amy Ash. Follow @host_project_ on Instagram

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Get your copy of Shorelines at these shops!

Shorelines: Climate Concern & Creativity is a collaborative project that promotes an ongoing dialogue between environmental action and artistic practice in New Brunswick. The publication was conceived and realized by two non-profit organizations, the community-based environmental organization, ACAP Saint John, and Third Space Gallery, Saint John’s artist-run centre for contemporary art.

Shorelines focuses geographically on the Saint John area and communities that extend along the Bay of Fundy, including Grand Manan Island and Sackville. Contributors include Patrick Allaby, Amy Ash, Jack Bishop, Bailey Brogan, Katie Buckley, Nathan Cann, Chris Donovan, Sara Griffin, Hailey Guzik, Sarah Jones, Jericho Knopp, Jamylynn McDonald, Christiana Myers, Ben Peterson, Bethany Reinhart, Graeme Stewart-Robertson, Kate Wallace, Laura Watson, and KC Wilcox.

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Member Spotlight: Sofia Cristanti

Sofia Cristanti is an Indonesian Canadian artist. She emigrated to Canada in 2010. She is based in Saint John, NB. She holds a BFA major in Painting, and MBA from Institute of Technology Bandung (ITB), Indonesia.

Her works focus on contemporary art with evolving style and medium. She believes that research and planning is imperative in art making, the process determines what medium, style, and technique that suits to develop and embody the subject matter for her artworks. Having a big life transition during her immigration in Canada, it has brought her exploring the artworks with subject matter that speaks out her voice as a first generation immigrant. She has received Cultural Diversity Awards and grants from Edmonton Art Council, ArtsNB, and other awards in Canada and abroad.

She has exhibited her art in groups and solo at the Capitol Art Gallery Moncton (2019), The Beaverbrook gallery Fredericton (2019), Multicultural Association of Fredericton (2019), McMullen Gallery Edmonton (2018), SkirtsAfire Festival (2018), Edmonton Convention Centre (2017-2018), The Works Art and Design Festival (2017), CARFAC Alberta Artist Run Centres (2017), and also in Indonesia.

@dreamlivingstudio

Struts Gallery and the Owens Art Gallery are pleased to present Breathing Room, an immersive installation by Corner Brook, Newfoundland-based artist Marcia Huyer. Breathing Room consists of a series of inflatable structures that have been installed at 8 Squire Street, an empty home currently under construction. Audiences are encouraged to explore and move through the space, on view, July 2^nd to 4^th  (see below for viewing times). This project is the latest work to be realized in the Umbrella Projects series, a partnership between the Owens and Struts Gallery presenting off-site, in-print, online, and onscreen programming during the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Built specifically for the architectural elements of 8 Squire Street, the inflatables respond, inhabit, and explore the spatial elements of the home. Viewers are confronted physically, bringing into question the real and imagined boundaries that we negotiate—domestic/industrial, interior/exterior, organic/unnatural—contorting and challenging our perceptions of space. According to Huyer, “There is an ever-present tension found in the inflated form between the constant pressure of the air within and the material that holds it back that has intrigued me for many years.” 

Location: 8 Squire Street, Sackville, NB
 
The installation is open to public at the following viewing times:
 
Friday, July 2, 6 to 9pm
Saturday, July 3, 12 to 5pm
Sunday, July 4, 12 to 4pm

Capacity is limited to 4 people at a time and strict public safety guidelines will be enforced. Masks are required; names and phone numbers will be collected for contact tracing.

For more information, or to schedule a interview with the artist or gallery staff, please contact: info@strutsgallery.ca

Venue Access
This venue is not wheelchair accessible. The entrance into the house is located on the first floor, with a single step. The exit is on the lower level and is down a flight of stairs. There are no washrooms available on site. We sincerely apologize for these barriers.
 
Artist Bio
Marcia Huyer is a sculpture installation-based artist living and working in Corner Brook, NL. She studied at the University of Victoria and the Ontario College of Art and Design (now OCADU). Her work has been shown in several festivals and public institutions across Canada. In the summer of 2013, she and Robert Hengeveld participated in the Struts residency program and enjoyed the Friday BBQ’s and community swims at Silver Lake. The last place Marcia traveled to pre-pandemic was to Sackville, for A Handmade Assembly, 2019. Sackville will be the first place Marcia travels to since the pandemic. Later this summer, Marcia will be participating with the Bonavista Biennale 2021, in Duntara, NL. 
 
You can find more of Marcia’s work at marciahuyer.com.

This summer, Galerie d’art Louise-et-Reuben-Cohen presents Give Me Shelter, a touring exhibition organized by the Confederation Centre Art Gallery.

This exhibition is composed of the works of 13 emerging artists of St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, whose pieces show unusual ways of representing their own realities. Pan Wendt, curator, explains: “St. John’s, which for many of these artists is an adopted home, seems particularly hospitable to autonomous, creative, sometimes makeshift solutions. Perhaps this is because it is a place where modernity runs out of steam, where one knows the fragility of inhabitation, and of the constant need to make, remake, and protect the worlds that surround us. What artists are doing in St. John’s can inform us as we face an uncertain reality that demands imaginative and constructive energy.”

Give Me Shelter is organized and circulated with the support of the Canada Council for the Arts. The exhibition will open on Saturday, June 26, and run until October 3, 2021. Admission is free and all are welcome.

Galerie d’art Louise-et-Reuben-Cohen of the Université de Moncton is supported by the Canada Council for the Arts and the Department of Tourism, Heritage, and Culture of New-Brunswick.

Information: Nisk Imbeault, Director-Curator, Galerie d’art Louise-et-Reuben-Cohen: (506) 858-4687 / nisk.imbeault@umoncton.ca
405 Université Ave / Post: 18 Antonine-Maillet Ave, Moncton, NB, E1A 3E9 / (506) 858-4088 / galrc@umoncton.ca / umoncton.ca/umcm-ga