About

Jason Guerrette (Edmundston) is a classically trained singer-songwriter and a founding member of the ECMA-nominated band Spoutnique. He has performed as soloist in several operas in NB, was part of Star Académie cohort in 2012, is a recipient of MusicNB’s People’s Choice award, and has participated in the touring production L’Acadie, un pays qui se raconte. Currently recording his first solo album, Jason is also president of Productions 11 Inc.

Phyllis Grant is a Mi’gmaq artist from Pabineau First Nation. Her works include animated films, poetry and music, as well as paintings and illustrations. She has exhibited her work nationally and internationally. Her film credits include, among many, Maq and the Spirit of the Woods with the NFB as director, writer and animator, and I Place You Into the Fire as illustrator. She is the founder of the Welneweg Arts Collective, and has served as juror for the Polaris Music Prize and the Prism Prize. Phylllis holds a Bachelor of Integrated Studies from UNB with a certificate in Leadership Studies.

Ysabelle Vautour is a visual artist who is also the founder of the NB Disability Art Collective. Ysabelle has served as artist in residence at the Fredericton Arts Alliance, Fredericton Botanical Gardens, Connexion Artist-Run Centre, and Hammock Residency in Vancouver. Recipient of the Jane Leblanc Award in Visual Arts, she also starred in an episode of the AMI-tele documentary series titled 100% Passion. Ysabelle is an alumna of Festival Inspire Muralist Training Program, Sync Leadership, and Catapult Art Accelerator.

Jalianne Li is a multidisciplinary artist with a focus in dance. Of mixed Chinese and Scottish descent, she is based in Moncton. After obtaining her bachelor in science, she studied dance at Trinity Laban and apprenticed with Springs Dance Company (both in London, England) and founded surFace Dance in 2012. An artist in dance, theatre, and circus, she has also performed with Satellite Théâtre, Theatre New Brunswick, Connection Dance Works, Circus Stella, and Danse En L’Air. Jalianne is currently the Dance representative for the Association acadienne des artistes professionnel.le.s du Nouveau-Brunswick.

Jennifer Bélanger (Moncton) is a professional artist, cultural worker and associate professor of visual arts at the Université de Moncton. Her artistic practice, although mainly focused on printmaking, is interdisciplinary and includes drawing, video and painting. Her work has been presented in solo and group exhibitions across Canada. She has been guest curator at the Owens Art Gallery at Mount Allison University, the Louise-et-Reuben-Cohen Art Gallery, the Musée acadien de l’Université de Moncton and the Confederation Centre of the Arts in Prince Edward Island. She also worked as program coordinator at Galerie Sans Nom and as director of the Imago printmaking studio from 2000 to 2019. Bélanger holds a BFA from the Université de Moncton and an MFA from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design.

Originally from Benin, Haqq Adéoyé (Riverview) is a multidisciplinary artist and member of the Slam Acadie collective. His work, which combines slam poetry, theatre, filmmaking, and photography, explores themes such as personal development, self-acceptance, and well-being. He has represented his collective internationally, notably at a slam festival in Burkina Faso, at Les Éloizes, and in Côte d’Ivoire He is also a member of the Association acadienne des artistes professionnel.le.s du Nouveau-Brunswick and Regroupement des artistes cinéastes de la francophonie canadienne.

Shane Perley-Dutcher is a Wolastokew mixed media artist from Neqotkuk First Nation. After training in Native Arts Studies and Jewellery/Metal Art at the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design and of the Atlantic Business College, Shane has founded and operates a jewellery business, Aduksis Jewellery Designs. He has served as board member of the Indigenous Tourism Association of New Brunswick, the Fredericton Native Friendship Centre, and the New Brunswick Arts Board (2003-2006). Shane continues his community engagement by operating the Neqotkuk Art Studio.

Jonathan Roy is a poet and cultural worker who lives in Caraquet. At Éditions Perce-Neige, he published the anthology Déchirures vers l’avenir (2025), and poetry books mélamine méduse (2023), Savèches à fragmentation (2019) and Apprendre à tomber (2012), the last two were awarded the Prix littéraire Antonine-Maillet-Acadie Vie. His works also take the form of artist’s books, songs, and other literary manifestations. In 2021, he took to the stage in Savèches, a play adapted from his work by the Théâtre populaire d’Acadie. Jonathan is the director of the Festival acadien de poésie and co-director of Perce-Neige’s poetry collection.

Marcela Torres (Saint John) is an artist, curator, and art historian originally from Argentina. Marcela has extensive curatorial experience at Casa Loma and a solid background in the commercial art world through her role as Sales Associate at Galerie de Bellefeuille. She holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Fine Arts and Art History from Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Argentina, and also studied Business Administration at York University. Dedicated to arts education and community engagement, Marcela was appointed to the Saint John Community Arts Board in 2025. She currently works as Curator Consultant for Special Exhibitions at Casa Loma, specializing in research and exhibition planning.