The New Brunswick Arts Board is an arm’s length arts funding agency with a legislated mandate to facilitate and promote the creation of art as well as administering funding programs for professional artists in the province.
Nathalie Rayne, Communications, Marketing and Translation Director
The end of 2014 saw a sudden rise in the independent art blog/magazine in New-Brunswick, and I for one am happy and excited about the trend. As the Marketing director at artsnb, I check the newspapers daily for any art news, stories about exhibitions, artists, residencies, shows…essentially anything that would be an interest to our clientele. Although every newspaper in the province has an “art section”, I was missing the in-depth art news from within my province, and I had to go out of province to find it instead.
The Salon section of the Telegraph Journal was one of my regular reads as it offered content that fostered cohesion and mutual appreciation between visual cultures. It frequently featured our New-Brunswick artists with substantial spreads, and since it was part of the provincial newspaper, I believe it helped in widening the scope of art awareness. Alas, the Salon section is no more, having changed direction to focus on general human interest stories. A great loss, in my view.
Thankfully, independent art writing is growing in the Atlantic and conversations about art is no longer confined to artists alone. Anyone can take part in this conversation, and arts professionals can participate by writing critical texts about art and including New Brunswick in the grander contemporary discourse. Here are a few great art blogs to check out:
The East, based out of Saint John, this blog was started by Alex Cook. He started The East with the intention of bringing to light “one of the resources that is often forgotten in the mess of shale gas and unemployment debates.” Cook wanted to contribute to the wellbeing of the province by highlighting our artists and allowing them to be discovered throughout the province. Each week they highlight a different artist. You can read about it here. Follow them on Facebook and Twitter!
Beûgle, based in Moncton, is an alternative, urban, cultural revue which promotes plurilingualism and all forms of art. The founders, Marc Chamberlain and Matthew Cormier want to “give individuals an alternative platform for expressing themselves in whatever medium they choose, in whatever language.” They want to broaden the scope of ideas, art, and philosophies to a wider audience. The first issue is a mixture of French, English and Chiac with content that spans from poetry, short stories, visual arts, political essays and more. Beûgle is available in paper form in the Moncton area and online here. Follow them on Facebook, and send them your submissions
Grid City, was created by Matt Carter and was conceived as central hub for notices, articles and various features involving the wide spectrum of arts activities happening all around the city of Fredericton. It has an event listing, and you can search articles by categories. It has a mix of interviews with local artists, information about workshops and conferences, and news about art happenings in the city. “In shaping Grid City Magazine, I want to create a place where all artists can share their activities, their ideas and their projects and hopefully by doing so, I can help facilitate greater appreciation and discussion between the various groups and individuals within the community.” Here is Grid City online. Follow them on Facebook and Twitter.
Created Here, is a website which allows people to discover NB artists. It is also based in Saint John. Founded by Marie-Helen Morell, she wanted to create an online space where people who may not have time to attend markets, fairs and shops could find artists in the province. On this site you will find comprehensive studio stories and a list of artists to discover. Find them on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.
Here is your chance to lend your voice to our provincial arts! Are there arts blogs in your area that we should know about? Leave a message on our Facebook and Twitter pages to let us, and everyone, know.
