STATE OF THE ARTS
News for and about the greater Saint John arts and cultural community
May 6, 2008. Volume 8, Issue 4
IN
THIS ISSUE…
1. City awards 2008 Community Arts Funding grants totaling $56,850.
2. Development of a provincial arts organization to be discussed.
3. Important position filled at The Beaverbrook Art Gallery.
4. Early Music Schools Initiative winds up.
5.
PANB’s Speaker Series Committee seeks ideas for future topics.
6.
Perennials needed to support two upcoming musical
events.
7.
Volunteer available.
8. 5th Annual International TubaFest.
9.
SJTC hires Marketing & Communications Coordinator.
10. Volunteer Centre
recruiting volunteer trainers.
Editor:
Bernard J. Cormier E-mail:
culturalaffairs@saintjohn.ca
“I am pleased to award grants to such a diverse and impressive group of organizations,” said the Mayor. “These grants will help both the organizations and the City celebrate and showcase the artistic and cultural richness of our beautiful city. We thank these organizations for stepping up to the plate and helping to make Saint John a great city.”
“The City understands the arts are integral to Saint John’s quality of life, community development, and overall climate for growth,” said Mayor McFarlane. “More communities in Canada are looking to the arts to strengthen community ties and capacity. This year’s grant recipients, demonstrate the strength of arts and culture in Saint John.”
"Arts and cultural activities are economic engines in this community and an important part of our True Growth strategy," said the Mayor.
“Our Board is pleased that the City has supported the funding of arts and cultural projects that will directly benefit the people of Saint John,” said Michael Wennberg, Chairman of the Saint John Community Arts Board. "Almost three years ago, the City adopted New Brunswick’s first comprehensive municipal arts and culture policy. In doing so, the City recognized that arts and culture (including heritage) must play more than just a supporting role. They are key factors in attracting and retaining people. The grants announced today flow directly from the City’s Arts and Culture Policy, and demonstrate very clearly that the City considers arts and culture to be essential parts of the city’s social and economic life.“
Wennberg added: “Providing grants to arts organizations has been among the highest priorities of our Community Arts Board. We are grateful to the Mayor and the members of Common Council for their support of this program. I also want to express my personal gratitude to the volunteer arts advocates and professionals on our Board, and to the City’s Cultural Affairs Officer, each of whose time and talents helped create the grants program, and helped in the review and selection of grant applications.”
The Saint John Community Arts Board received a total of 29 applications requesting close to $88,000 from Saint John-based arts organizations in the 2008 round of the Community Arts Funding Program.
Members of the Saint John Community Arts Board are appointed by Common Council. The Board was established by Common Council in February 2001, in recognition of the expanding role that arts and culture play in the broader social, economic and educational arenas of Saint John.
“Council is making good use of the Board’s expertise in grant making, and in arts and cultural development within the community,” said Mr. Wennberg.
2008 Grants are listed below:
Organization / Group Grant
ARCf de Saint-Jean (Coup de coeur) $1,500
ARCf de Saint-Joean (Programme culturel francais $2,500
Canada Day Countdown $1,000
Canadian Mental Health Assoc. - SJ (Exhibition) $1,500
Canterbury Tales Literary Festival Inc. $2,500
Chinese Cultural Association of Saint John Inc. $3,000
Continental Drift International Short Film Festival $2,000
Early Music Studio of Saint John Inc. $2,700
Fusion Saint John Inc. (Harvesting the Arts Festival) $2,750
HOLA Saint John (HOLA Saint John Fiesta) $2,725
InterAction Children's Theatre Company Inc. $3,000
Opera New Brunswick Inc. $1,200
Performing Arts NB Inc. $1,500
Port City Dance Academy (Residency project) $ 750
Port City Dance Academy (Dancing Bodies) $3,000
Saint John Art Club Inc. (100th Anniv. Book) $1,000
Saint John Arts Centre Inc. (Meet the Artist Series) $1,125
Saint John Jewish Historical Museum $1,000
Saint John Shakespeare Society Inc. (Festival) $2,000
Saint John Shakespeare Society Inc. (Projects) $2,000
School District 8 String Programme $1,400
Saint John String Quartet $3,000
Saint John Theatre Company (Community Outreach) $3,000
Saint John Theatre Company (Theatre on the Edge) $2,000
Summer Noon Concert Series $1,000
The Symphony Chorus $1,000
Symphony New Brunswick Inc. (Open House) $1,500
Symphony New Brunswick Inc. (Commission) $3,000
Theatre du Tremolo $2,200
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TOTAL: 29 grants to 24 organizations. $56,850
2. Important meeting to be held re development of a provincial arts organization.
_____________________________________________________________________
You are invited to a Community Forum to discuss the development of a New Brunswick Provincial Arts Organization at the Saint John Arts Centre, 20 Hazen Avenue on Tuesday, May 13, 2008 from 5 pm to 6:30 pm.
The organization's proposed intent is to operate in the English language; represent professional artists from all cultures and disciplines and focus on their needs; be inclusive of emerging artists, amateur artists and friends of the arts; and work in partnership with the sister francophone provincial organization AAPNB (association acadienne des artistes professionnelles du Nouveau-Brunswick).
Jennifer Phillips of Fredericton will be in attendance and will be able to address any questions. For further information contact Betty Tompkins at 648-3490.
Source: Email (B. Tompkins), 04 Apr 08.
3. Important position filled at The Beaverbrook Art Gallery.
___________________________________________________
The Beaverbrook Art Gallery is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Terry Graff to the position of Curator and Deputy Director. Mr. Graff was chosen after a lengthy search and interviewing process.
Bernard Riordon, Director and CEO of the Beaverbrook Art Gallery is pleased with the appointment. He states “The Board, staff and volunteers welcome Terry Graff to the Beaverbrook Art Gallery and back to Atlantic Canada. Terry Graff will fill the full-time curator position which was last filled in2000 and he will assume the role of deputy director. These are exciting times for the Beaverbrook Art Gallery with the 50th anniversary in 2009 and a renewed vision and mission and now a curator /deputy director who has strong curatorial and leadership experience and a national reputation in the museum field. We look forward to welcoming Terry to the Beaverbrook.”
Graff has served as Executive Director of public art galleries/ museums in three Canadian provinces. He successfully managed them all during a period of major growth and development. His background includes a strong focus on regional and national histories, landscapes and identities, and innovative community-based approaches to building audience in addition to leading a major capital renovation and expansion project. Mr. Graff’s curatorial projects have covered a wide spectrum of the visual art: contemporary, modern, historical, regional, national and international; interdisciplinary and cross-cultural.
Mr. Graff holds a Masters of Arts in Art Education from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in Halifax; a Bachelor of Education from the University of Western Ontario in London and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Guelph in Guelph. He also holds Diplomas in Fine Arts from the Jan Van Eyck Academie in the Netherlands and from Fanshawe College of Applied Arts and Technology in London, Ontario. He has completed graduate work in Art history, Media arts, and Art Education at Wayne State University in Detroit.
Mr. Graff’s professional experience includes Executive Director and CEO of the Mendel Art Gallery in Saskatoon, Executive Director and Chief Curator at the Rodman Hall Arts Centre in St. Catherine’s and the Executive Director and Chief Curator of the Confederation Centre Art Gallery and Museum in Charlottetown. No stranger to the Maritimes, Mr. Graff has also served as the Director of Struts Gallery in Sackville and was a sculpture and drawing instructor at Mount Allison University.
Mr. Graff is currently the President of the Museums Association of Saskatchewan. Other professional affiliations include the Council of Business and the Arts in Canada and the Canadian Art Museum Directors Organization. He has served on a wide variety of boards and committees including as chair of the Board of Governors of ArtsAtlantic; as chair of the St. Catherine’s Art Collection Committee; and as a member of the Canada Council for the Arts peer assessment committee and York Wilson Endowment Fund committee. He has curated numerous exhibitions, has written a variety of exhibition catalogues and articles and has conducted many talks, lectures and workshops. A visual artist in his own right, Mr. Graff’s work has been exhibited internationally and is in a number of public and private collections including the Canada Council Art Bank, the New Brunswick Art Bank and the Jan Van Eyck Academie. His awards and grants include the Fanshawe College Distinguished Alumni Award and the Commemorative Medal for the Centennial of Saskatchewan both in 2006.
Mr. Graff is eager to begin his new position. He said, “It is a great pleasure to join the dedicated team at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery, particularly at this critical juncture in the Gallery’s history. Director Bernard Riordon and the Board of Governors are to be commended for their responsible stance in the recent dispute over ownership of many significant works of art in the Gallery’s world-class collection, and for their renewed vision that maps a very exciting and dynamic future for the visual arts in New Brunswick. I am indeed honoured by the opportunity to build on the prestigious legacy of the Beaverbrook Art Gallery, to be a part of bringing this outstanding institution to its next level of excellence. As the new Curator and Deputy Director, I am eager to meet the Gallery’s many members, volunteers, and other stakeholders, and to reach out to new audiences. I look forward to working with the staff in initiating exhibition programming aimed at reinforcing the Beaverbrook Art Gallery as an important creative forum for enriching life and as a popular cultural destination for everyone.”
Mr. Graff will commence his new duties on July 2, 2008.
Source: Beaverbrook Art Gallery, Media Release, Email (L. Glenn Norris), 23 Apr 08.
4. Early
Music Schools Initiative winds up.
_____________________________________
The Early Music Studio's program for schools, the Early Music Schools Initiative, has completed its second season of music presentations in schools of Districts 6 & 8 in the Greater Saint John area. With the help of financial support from the Province of New Brunswick, the Saint John Community Arts Funding Program and the Music Performance Fund of the American Federation of Musicians the Schools Initiative visited 8 schools, making 18 presentations to students from Kindergarten to Grade 11 at Centennial School, Harbour View High School, Loch Lomond School, Millidgeville North School and Prince Charles School in District 8; and Hampton Elementary School, Rothesay Elementary School and Quispamsis Elementary School in District 6.
In all, over 2,000 students attended performances of recorder and bassoon, recorder and flute, and solo harpsichord featuring a variety of works from the 16th to the 18th centuries by composers such as Gardane, Byrd, Morley, Francois Couperin, Bach, Handel, Telemann and Quantz.
Presentations were given in classrooms, gymnasiums, cafeterias, auditoriums - wherever there was available space. An important part of each presentation was a question and answer period where the audience had an opportunity to ask questions about the music and the instruments. Students were particularly fascinated by the bassoon and the harpsichord, asking many questions about their construction and history. Here are a few comments we received from students afterwards:
"I thought the harpsichord was a really cool sounding instrument. It was really interesting to hear what kind of music they listened and danced to so long ago."
"Thank you for playing such beautiful music. I loved the flutes and the old music. It was awesome! Thank you for coming. I enjoyed it."
"Thank you for coming to our school and showing us your instruments. I really liked them. And did I mention that I play the violin? We are going to the music festival."
"The presentation was very interesting and informative. The music itself was wonderful. It was very soothing and well played. I would not only recommend it to others, but would love to listen to the harpsichord again."
Performers for this year's Schools
Initiative were Tim Blackmore (recorders and harpsichord), Sally Wright
(Principal Flute of Symphony New Brunswick) and Robert Lewis (Principal Bassoon
of Symphony New Brunswick). For more information about the Early Music Schools
Initiative or the Studio's other programs, visit our
website at www.earlymusicstudio.ca
The Early
Music Studio of Saint John will present "La Stravaganza", a concert of
virtuoso concertos and sonatas by Antonio Vivaldi featuring Tim Blackmore
(recorder, harpsichord), Paul Campbell (violin), Robert Lewis (bassoon),
Benjamin Marmen (violoncello) and Richard Kidd (harpsichord) at 2 pm on Sunday,
April 20 in Hughes Hall, Germain Street Baptist Church, 228 Germain Street in
Saint John. Admission is $5 for Students; $10 for Adults, and refreshments will
be served.
Source: Early Music Studio Newsletter, March 23, 2008. Vol. 1, Issue 3, Email (T. Blackmore), 23 Mar 08.
5.
PANB’s Speaker Series Committee seeks ideas for future
topics.
__________________________________________________________
Performing Arts
NB would appreciate your input and
suggestions as they plan for the fall 2008 and spring 2009 programs.
Please send ideas & suggestions to PANB President, Paul Lenarczyk, at paul.lenarczyk@nbed.nb.ca or to the PANB office at performingartsnb@nb.aibn.com
Performing Arts NB launched its successful Speaker Series program in the spring of 2005 in Saint John, NB. This program provides excellent networking and learning opportunities to artists, arts presenters, arts organizations and the arts community in general. PANB brings in special guests to help keep the community informed of and involved in new issues in the arts and to help us learn more about the ongoing challenges we face.
Topics to date have included “children and the arts,” featuring a distinguished panel of theatre representatives from St. Thomas University, Fredericton, NB and Theatre New Brunswick, a professor of early childhood education at University of NB-Fredericton and the Fine Arts Enrichment Coordinator for one of the province’s school districts; “fundraising for the arts,” featuring representatives from the United Way of Canada, Aliant, and Imperial Theatre in Saint John; “technology and the arts” with guest panelists, Jamie Steel, Jessica Rhaye & Sam Blue; and a roundtable discussion on “the state of the arts” in NB with special host Lisa Hrabluk of Next/Avenir NB and several of the 21 Leaders for the 21st Century.
PANB’s Speaker Series is free to attend and open to the public. PANB’s Board of Directors and Speaker Series Committee work together with the Executive Director to organize and coordinate this program. The Speaker Series has met with much success; these discussion-oriented events are well-attended and well received, with a wide cross-section of participants from the arts community as well as other non-profit organizations and the general public. The guest panelists, both past and future, are second-to-none and clearly demonstrate community and business support.
PANB continues to build on the success of its Speaker Series and anticipates an exciting and successful 2008-09 program. This May, in Saint John, we will present “Getting Your Act Together: How to Write Effective Grant Applications”. Speakers events are now being planned for the fall of 2008 and spring of 2009.
Source: Performing Arts NB, Email (N. Schell), 20 Mar 08.
6.
Perennials needed to support two upcoming musical
events.
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Attention all music lovers with a green thumb.......we need your surplus perennials to pot up for two upcoming musical events: The District 8 String Programme Perennial Plant Sale (Saturday May 31, St. Rose School Family Centre 9- noon) and the Symphony N.B. Perennial Plant Sale {Saturday A.M. June 7, St. Pauls Church, Rothesay). We need many perennials, house plants,extra seedlings etc. for both of these sales. Help is even available to divide your overgrown perennials, if necessary. Call Helen Gollings at 672-4042 for more info. or to arrange for perennial donations.
Source: Email, Helen Gollings, 23 Apr 08.
7. Volunteer available.
____________________
Anna
Moran who was actively involved with the Lorenzo Society UNBSJ art exhibitions,
and who has been out of circuit these past two years due to a stroke, is now
recovering and very willing to offer her services to any art organization or
gallery who would like phone calls to be made or envelopes to be
stuffed. Anyone interested can call her at 849-4530.
Source: Email, (B. Tompkins), 24 Apr 08.
8. 5th Annual International TubaFest.
________________________________
May 9 & 10 Fredericton International TubaFest - 2008 (www.cel.unb.ca/music/tubafest)
The UNB Centre for Musical Arts is hosting its 5th Annual Tuba-Euphonium workshop. Guest clinicians this year are Sotto Voce-- an internationally recognized tuba/euphonium quartet from the United States. Join players from the Maritime Provinces, Quebec and New England states for a weekend of clinics and performances of music written for low brass ensembles.
The workshop is open to players of all ages and levels of ability. There will be a public concert Saturday night featuring all players and clinicians. The event will be on the University of New Brunswick Campus in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. Visit our website www.cel.unb.ca/music/tubafest for more information and a registration form or contact rriding@unb.ca or call 506-453-4697.
Source: Email, (R. Riding), 18 Apr 08.
9.
SJTC hires Marketing & Communications
Coordinator.
__________________________________________________
Hello all – For those of you who don’t already know, I am writing to let you know that Saint John Theatre Company has hired Emily Davidson as Marketing & Communications Coordinator. Emily is a recent graduate of UNB Saint John, with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English Literature. A lifelong resident of Saint John, she has written for The Telegraph Journal and The Baron, and has worked as a Copy Editor for both The Baron and Trinity Enterprise Inc., a local publishing company. Emily is a frequent performer and volunteer with the Saint John Theatre Company, and we are very pleased that she has joined our administrative team and look forward to working with her! I know you will all make her feel welcome!
Source: Saint John Theatre Company, Email (A. Halpin), 24 Apr 08.
10. Volunteer Centre recruiting volunteer trainers.
___________________________________________
The Training Resources Program has been operated by the Saint John Volunteer Centre for over 20 years. It helps local non-profit organizations build stronger Organizations, Boards, and Committees. Make a difference…Join our training team.
We are currently recruiting experienced trainers to meet the growing demand for Training in the local non-profit sector. We are looking for people who:
Have a strong knowledge of voluntary sector issues, boardsmanship and/or volunteer management; understand the principles of adult education; are confident as facilitators; have strong presentation skills; use a variety of presentation methods and audio visual aids; and can work as a team.
On-going trainer development, mentoring, and “train the trainer” program will be offered. If interested, please call Brian Boudreau, Training Resources Coordinator, Saint John Volunteer Centre 658-1555, to discuss the criteria and benefits of this volunteer opportunity.
Source: Saint John Volunteer Centre, Email (B. Boudreau), 29 Apr 08.
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S T A T E O F T H E A R T S
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Box 1971, Saint John, N.B. E2L 4L1
Tel: (506) 649-6040
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