Saint John Community Arts Board
P.O. Box 1971 E2L 4L1 Saint John, NB, Canada

Meet Board Member Mostafa Aboelneil! Mostafa has been a board member since February 2021. Mostafa is a community-minded professional with proven volunteer experience working with multidisciplinary teams nationwide who has always had a long-cherished hope for community development. This year, Mostafa has become a member of Accessibility Standards Canada's Technical Committee on Accessibility requirements for Information and Communication Technology Products and Services, whic...h aims to support The Accessible Canada Act. Mostafa helped the NBCC’s Centre for Applied Research in Mobile & Ubiquitous Computing establish the User Experience (UX) research lab to help companies create world-class Human-centered design products. Mostafa was a team member in the Egyptian Cabinet Think Tank (IDSC) for more than 12 years and joined its strategic planning committee, and participated in many projects with different stakeholders like the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the Italian Development Cooperation, The Spanish Transition Foundation and more. With a community-driven approach in focus, Mostafa started the initiative with the founding group in mid-2018 to lay the bedrock for the community of Egyptians in New Brunswick within a legal and regulatory framework. He also volunteers in many programs with the Saint John Local Immigration Partnership (SJLIP) and is the Acting Co-chair of the Newcomers Advisory Panel (NAP).

Congratulations again to all the recipients of the Community Arts Grants!

Today members of the Saint John Community Arts Board, Mayor Donna Reardon, and Arts & Culture Coordinator Kate Wilcott handed out Community Arts Grants at the Saint John Art Club! Congratulations to all the recipients. Lots of exciting projects happening in Saint John

Meet Board Member Chris McFarlane! Chris joined the board in November 2021. Working for the past 25 years in Nova Scotia’s post-secondary education sector and cultural industry, Chris has been involved with a variety of not-for-profit visual, performing arts and educational organizations, including: NSCAD University, Visual Arts Nova Scotia, Eyelevel Gallery, Halifax Dance, Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, Studio Rally, and the Spring Garden Road Memorial Public Library. Chris’s ...roles have varied from contract creative work, leadership roles as president of volunteer organizations, and operations management and support for an editorial board. He has worked with paid employees, volunteers and volunteer boards, and though roles have varied, his approach is one of consultation, consensus, diplomacy and tact in successfully managing and delivering executable goals in keeping with an organization’s strategic plan or desired outcome of a project. See more

We want to take a moment to celebrate Andre's time at the Saint John City Market as our Inaugural Artist in Residence. Andre sincerely adds so much energy to th...e space and other spaces and homes with his incredible personality and fantastic art. We will not be letting Andre get too far as we still have some projects we are collaborating on. Andre has created such a positive impact and mark on the market and its patrons, and we are so excited to see him popping up in the market in the future. THANK YOU, ANDRE! #saintjohncitymarket #andrehaines

From ArtsLink: BUDGETING- Nov 21-22 For many, the term budgeting immediately brings to mind people who wear pocket protectors and love the colour beige. But budgeting is extremely important, especially if you are living on a limited income. It’s not just essential to know how to manage your business’s finances, but also how to manage your own so that you can make the most of your money, no matter how much you have.... The first day of this two day intensive will focus on your art business’s budget. When and how do you register for HST? What kinds of deductions are allowable for your business? Do you file as a sole proprietor, or should you incorporate? How do you keep track of everything for your business? The second day will focus on personal budgeting. How do you make a budget and stick to it? What kind of software should you use? How do you deal with your debts? What kinds of investment opportunities are out there? How can you stretch your paycheque to cover all your expenses, plus set aside some for emergencies? This two day workshop is free for ArtsLink members and takes place socially distanced, in person, at the Saint John Arts Centre. Travel subsidies are available for out of city participants. Workshop space is limited: to apply, email a CV and cover letter to [email protected] by November 8. For any questions, contact ArtsLink NB's Programming Director, Jeri Knopp at [email protected] or (506) 647 6201.

This week, two major festivals are taking place, both supported by your Community Arts Board. The Fundy Fringe Festival has performances both in-person and online all week, and THIRD SHIFT kicks off tonight at the THIRD SHIFT Launch Event x SJ Night Market. Congratulations to the organizers and artists who have worked so hard to bring these festivals back to Saint John!

The City of Saint John is conducting a survey for both business owners and residents about ways to use our streets for community activities and help stimulate the businesses around them. Please take 5 minutes to complete this survey!

This poem was written by Shannon Webb-Campbell and commissioned by the United Empire Loyalist Association with a grant from the Community Arts Board. It was presented as a gift to the City to commemorate the 237th anniversary of the arrival of the Loyalists, and the 235th birthday of the City!

A new initiative by the province for artists, arts organizations, and cultural businesses who have had to cancel in-person performances, to aid in putting their products online.

New funding opportunities for Artists from the Canada Council

Dear Colleagues, In these challenging times, ArtsPond / Étang d’Arts is pleased to announce the launch of two ambitious initiatives supporting the whole arts an...d culture industry in Canada: I Lost My Gig Canada and DigitalASO (Phase 2). We hope you might find one or both of interest. I Lost My Gig Canada Cancellations and postponements due to COVID-19 are having unprecedented impacts on the arts, culture, heritage, tourism, and creative industries in Canada affecting the livelihoods and careers of vulnerable workers as well as closing large to small venues and institutions in rural and urban communities alike. If you are an arts, culture, heritage, tourism, or creative industries worker, please share your story and impacts by completing our first national COVID-19 Impact Survey. This survey is intended for individuals. A survey for organizations is being developed. So far, 695 respondents from across Canada have reported $16.6 million in lost or at-risk income ($23,840 average each). For more background information, please read our introductory press release or join our growing Facebook Group with 7,400+ members from all regions of Canada and internationally for networking and community support. DigitalASO (Phase 2) DigitalASO (Phase 2) is a national strategic collaboration to bolster digital justice and foster an inclusive ecosystem for shared digital innovation in Canadian arts and culture. Made possible with the support of Canada Council for the Arts’ Digital Strategy Fund, Phase 2 will explore the design of a Digital Arts Services Alliance fostering national networks and stewarding a collective strategy for the digital transformation of Canadian arts and culture with a focus on under-served, equity-seeking groups. Read the full press release, register for the first free English-language information webinar on May 13, 2020 to learn more, or sign up to join the DigitalASO Ecosystem here. Upcoming events include monthly national and regional webinars, and pending the impacts of the pandemic, a national public consultation tour to 10 Canadian cities (including St John’s, Halifax, Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Edmonton, Calgary/Banff, Vancouver, and Whitehorse). English, French, and ASL interpretation provided. Thank you for your consideration. ArtsPond.com | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook [email protected]

As many of our artistic projects, events, and rehearsals have had to move into an on-line format at this time, the International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies has published a helpful paper on using digital means to create and showcase.

We’re happy to announce that we've teamed up with CBC/Radio-Canada to launch Digital Originals, a new fast forward initiative created to help artists, arts grou...ps and organizations pivot their work for online sharing. Through this initiative, the Canada Council will offer $5,000 micro grants to artists, groups and organizations who either adapt their existing work or create a new work for digital distribution during the COVID-19 pandemic. Funded projects will be housed on a dedicated CBC/Radio-Canada website. #DigitalOriginals2020 To know more about Digital Originals, please go to: https://canadacouncil.ca/initiatives/digital-originals To read the press release: https://canadacouncil.ca/press/2020/04/digital-originals

Next week at the Saint John Arts Centre. The Early Music Studio is one of the many Arts and Culture initiatives funded through your Saint John Community Arts Board.

The deadline for the Community Arts Board Small Grant program is next Wednesday February 19th at 4:00 p.m. This program was created to provide small grants to Arts and Culture organizations or groups for festivals and special projects. Have an idea for a project that would benefit the community? You can follow this link to the application and guidelines, or contact [email protected]

As described in the City of Saint John Arts and Culture Policy, adopted by Common Council on September 26, 2005, the arts make a substantial contribution to the quality of life and vitality of our community. The City of Saint John believes that one of the most effective means of facilitating the development of arts and culture in Saint John is to provide funding support to non-profit arts and/or cultural organizations serving our community. In this way, arts and culture organ...izations are encouraged to establish themselves, enhance their services, and provide their programming to the community. Accordingly, the City through the Saint John Community Arts Board has implemented the Community Arts Funding Program. This Program is designed to provide project support for non-profit organizations or groups wishing to offer quality arts activities in any discipline of the creative arts within the City of Saint John. Deadline for applications to the Arts Funding Program is Wednesday February 19th at 4:00 p.m.