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.
Tilly Jackson, Executive Assistant
There’s been a lot of turnover here at artsnb in the last few months: from Program Officers to interns to Executive Assistants, we’ve had plenty of new faces, and mine’s one of them! As of two weeks ago, I have moved into the busy position of artsnb Executive Assistant, and I’m so excited to be here.
A little background on me: I very recently graduated from UNB, having completed a BA with English Honours, a Drama minor, and a Chemistry minor (a strange combination, I know). I’m passionate about the arts, be it theatre, literary, or visual; if I’m not rehearsing for a play, I’m usually writing, reading, painting, or knitting a new pair of socks… or binge-watching something on Netflix, something I’m sure we’re all guilty of. But enjoying a good TV show or film is technically art appreciation, so I like to think not so much that I’m procrastinating, but that I’m fostering my creative side. That’s good logic, right? In all seriousness, though, I like to keep busy, and I’ve always found that if you’re busy doing things you love, it never feels too much like a burden.
I’m thrilled to be working here at this wonderful arts funding agency, to be part of this artist support system, and also a part of the great team who work here. Our office is a bustling little spot, and (a little dauntingly) a large part of my position involves trying to organize the chaos. My duties range far and wide, from arranging meetings and answering calls to prepping cheques and a little bookkeeping. And of course, I’m here to help out with any other task our Executive Director (or any of our staff) may need getting done. It was quite a steep learning curve for me; although I have worked in a similar position before, it was for a much smaller organization, and so was a very different experience. After an extremely helpful bout of training, however, I feel pretty confident in all of my duties here! I’m very lucky to have an extremely gracious and supportive staff.
One of the perks of this job is having the office situated right in the middle of beautiful downtown Fredericton, right on top of Isaac’s Way (which is quickly becoming my favourite restaurant). It never hurts to have a beautiful office space, either, and 649 Queen St used to be the old Fredericton courthouse; this means that our office features enormous doorways, probably designed to make people feel insignificant in the eye of the law. As an office for an artsy business like us, though, it is a perfect fit – lots of space for artwork on the walls!
The front desk is possibly the most high-traffic area in the whole space, but that also means it’s the most social. I’m the face that pops out from behind my computer at the slightest floor creak, so feel free to drop by to say hi!
