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.
Marie Hélène Allain was born and lives in Saint-Marie-de-Kent, New Brunswick. Her sculptures, which emphasize stone, have been exhibited, commissioned and collected in Canada, the United States and Europe. The Société culturelle Kent-Sud honored her in 2018 at the inauguration of the Marie-Hélène-Allain Art Gallery at the Centre culturel in Bouctouche. In 2014, the Sheila Hugh Mackay Foundation launched the Marie-Hélène-Allain Excellence Scholarship to encourage exploration and creative innovation among mid-career artists.
Born in the Miramichi farm community of Keenan and now living in Fredericton, Wayne Curtis has written nineteen books, several dozen newspaper and magazine articles, and a film script for CBC television which was based on his award winning short story, The Dance. Described by Alistair MacLeor as “a master of short fiction” Wayne has written seven collections of short stories, eight books of non-fiction (essays), three novels and a book of poetry.
Ray Legere is a world-renowned fiddle and mandolin player, a household name for music lovers across the Maritimes, and a resident of Sackville, New Brunswick for the past 35 years. From New Brunswick, Ray tours the world and records with the top musicians in many musical genres. Ray has toured internationally with artists such as Rita McNeil, John McDermott, Bowfire, and Michelle Shocked. In 2017-2018 he was seen touring with hit NB acts Tomato/Tomato, Laurie LeBlanc, Christian “Kit” Goguen, and the classical woodwind quintet Ventus Machina.
For detailed laureate bios and additional images, please see the LGA 2019 Brochure