SHMF is pleased to announce a series of 2019 facilitation grants awarded to New Brunswick organizations working to enhance their capability in exhibition. Through this annual program, affectionately known as “The Sheilas” the foundation will dedicate $36,000 in 2019 to enhance the presentation, curation, documentation and promotion of contemporary art in New Brunswick.
Based on recommendations by independent jurors SHMF will provide funding for a variety of projects presenting innovative approaches to exhibition. The organizations selected are: Third Space Gallery, AX: the Arts and Culture Centre, ArtsLink NB, the Association Acadienne des Artistes Professionnel. Le.s and the Mawi’Art: Wabanaki Artist Collective, Saint John Arts Centre, Sunbury Shores Arts and Nature Centre, and the Canadian Craft Federation.
- SHMF congratulates curators, Amy Ash, Maegan Black, Sarah Brinkhurst, Christiana Myers, Natalie Sapier who will be working with the selected organizations to mount and document innovative exhibitions.
Amy Ash 
Christiana Myers 
Natalie Sappier 
Sarah Brinkhurst
“Third Shift Spotlight Exhibition” is a new feature of the signature festival of contemporary art programming presented by the independent Art Run Centre Third Space. Artists responding to a call by curator, Chritiana Myers, will be highlighted in a night-time exhibition to be held in August 2019. Ms. Myers, a recent graduate of the Glasgow School of Art, with a Master’s degree in curatorial practice, is excited to spotlight local emerging and established artists in the wider context of a festival with national and international artists.
Ax, the Arts and Culture Centre of Sussex will launch “Slow Art”, a curated exhibition of work that champions both the deliberate process of creation and the slow contemplative reflection of viewers. In association with the exhibition, a series of public interactions will question the impact of the frantic pace of the Internet Age. Ax is a registered Canadian venue of the international Slow Art movement. This exhibition will champion the value of deeper reflection around visual art production and appreciation.
As a partnership initiative, ArtsLink NB, the Association Acadienne des Artistes Professionnel. Le.s and the Wabanaki Artist Collective, Mawi’Art will launch a touring Cross-Cultural exhibition of work resulting from a three week residency focused on collaboration and celebration of New Brunswick’s Anglophone, Acadian and Indigenous communities. This is the first collaborative joint initiative for all three organizations and will be lead by curator Natalie Sapier.
Saint John Arts Centre will launch is inaugural curatorial residency with a project entitled “Harbour”. Amy Ash will be managing all elements of the exhibition, which includes a publication of thematically linked contributions from the wider arts community and a curatorial essay to accompany this body of work. This residency is a new direction for Saint John Arts Centre, a leader in exhibition in southern New Brunswick, as it seeks to foster critical discourse through the advancement of curatorial practice.
Sunbury Shores Arts and Nature Centre is expanding its capability in the exhibition of fine craft with the appointment of Sarah Brinkhurst, an accomplished UK goldsmith, as director and curator of the centre. SHMF is proud to contribute to the tradition of excellence in the exhibition of local hand crafted art and celebrates their 2019 focus on the specific exhibition needs in metalwork.
Curated by the national executive director of the Canadian Craft Federation, Maegen Black, Citizens of Craft: the Podcast is a virtual exhibition series highlighting artists from across Canada. SHMF is proud to sponsor the New Brunswick podcast which will feature the unique craft and vision of selected New Brunswick based artisans. The jury recognised the importance of multi-faceted and far reaching documentation of exhibitions, applauding this initiative of the Canadian Craft Federation to build national recognition for artists.
SHMF has been Investing in arts organizations devoted to the promotion of visual art since 1987. These gifts are a legacy of Sheila Mackay who believed that art enriches us all. The Board of Directors wishes to thank the following individuals from across the province, for professional assistance in the adjudication of the 2019 applicatons: Mario Doucette, Julie Forgues, Caleb Jones, Paul Mathieson, Barbara McAllister, Adda Mihailescu, Elizabeth O’Hara, and Dan Steeves and Vicky Lentz.