UNB Art Centre
9 Bailey Drive V2R4Y1 Fredericton, NB, Canada

It is not too late to sign up for one (or more) of our UNB Leisure Learning Online courses that begin next week! Learn anything from how to knit two socks at a time, to personal financial planning. With the variety of courses that we offer, you are sure to find a fit! https://www.unb.ca//enr/leisure-learning/online/index.html

Who remembers Le Cabaret Rouge, November, 2005? This write up, by our friend Andrew Titus who worked at UNB Art Centre at the time, was a perfect summary for the Leo Hayes yearbook for the some of the students who were involved in this production. We cannot wait until we can hold events like this again in the future. Until then, reminiscing is the next best thing. ... Held in the darkest days between the colours of autumn and the white of winter, Le Cabaret Rouge was a nigh...t of music, theatre, wine, poetry, song, dance and masquerade. In the midst of the coming cold, the hordes stepped inside the grandeur of Memorial Hall and slid back to the exotic underbelly of the 1930s as we recreated the sensorium of the era in an evening of artistic indulgences. Special thanks to all of the students from the University of New Brunswick, St. Thomas University, Leo Hayes, the Atlantic Hairstyling Academy, and the NBCCD who poured their creative energies into making this event such a resounding success. Your spirits are what lifted the roof off Memorial Hall and showed the stars to the more than 200 people who came for this once in a lifetime experience. -Andrew Titus ... Photo credit: Amanda Sullivan.

Today, we are sharing Sandra Rechico reading the prose poem 7 Steps to a Better Artist Statement from ruined stars, poems by RM Vaughan, ECW Press: Toronto, 2004 Sandra Rechico has maintained a long studio practice in drawing, photography, installation and object-making where she regularly looks at maps, routing, wayfaring, navigation and distance She is also interested in the residue and detritus from walks, and their representation. Rechico also has a long history of site-...specific work, responding to the galleries or locations where she is located. Her current work looks at women taking up space in the landscape using Barbara Hepworth, and the South West of Britain as a starting point. She has been involved in numerous community projects, the most significant being the co-curator of WADE, a series of temporary public art projects commissioned from artists that took place in the city of Toronto’s wading pools. She is currently an Associate Professor at the University of Guelph, where she is also the coordinator of the Master of Fine Arts program in studio art. Her work has been featured in numerous publications and is held in many public and private collections. Rechico has exhibited across Canada, in the USA, Europe and Australia. See more

TBT to Joyce Falkowski reading at a Poetry Slam held in the Memorial Hall Auditorium, 2006.

Today, as part of the reading accompanying the UNB Art Centre Online exhibition, Cut. Paste. Resist. Redux, we are sharing D. Boyd reading Saint Stanislaus Kosta 1550-1568 from R.M. Vaughan’s The InCorrupt Tables,Wild East Publishing Co-operative, Fredericton: 1992. The accompanying photo was taken from the Cut/Paste/Resist. exhibition co-created by UNB’s 2020 Writer-in-Residence R.M. Vaughan and Dr. Ken Moffatt, the Jack Layton Chair in Social Work at Ryerson University. Thi...s exhibition was presented at UNB’s Student Union Building February 10-12, 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic forced a total shut down of the UNB campus. Readings will be released on social media throughout the month of January to honour R.M. Vaughan’s memory and to mark the tremendous loss to the cultural community of this gifted Canadian artist. This clip is an excerpt of her reading. To hear/see the complete reading and more collage, please visit the UNB Art Centre website. https://www.unb.ca/cel/enrichment/art-centre/index.html D. Boyd is a comic artist and author of Chicken Rising, a graphic memoir, and is currently working on her second book, Fickle & Boycrazy. I met Richard in 1985 in UNB Saint John. I don't remember the conversation but I remember being delighted by his wit and way of truly engaging and listening. We became fast friends, which of course wasn't uncommon for him. He was so genuine, disarming, and hilarious that he made friends with (or at least a last impression on) everyone he met. And he kept all those friendships alive no matter how near or far, through the decades. He was a pillar of my life. I will always miss his laughter, his biting wit, his relentless encouragement, the evenings when we sat talking for hours, being completely ourselves, until whoops it's 2am. I will miss him. Boundless love and a broken heart always. - D. Boyd

Today’s reading is by David Bateman reading Lost Weekend from R.M. Vaughan’s Invisible To Predators. ECW Press, Fall 1999. I met RM Vaughan at Buddies In Bad Times Theatre in the 90's when he first appeared on the Toronto Theatre scene with his incredible play Camera, Woman (Coach House, 1998). I was presenting solo performance pieces with titles as baffling, gratuitous, and soul-searching as 'I Wanted To Be Bisexual But My Father Wouldn't Let Me', and What’s It Like?', a com...ic AIDS monologue. His generosity and support meant the world to me, and his articulate, critically attuned perceptions touched the lives of so many. I have always felt that he was a crucial touchstone for a large community of individual artists to go to, to test out ideas, to complain bitterly about queer arts representation, and to just laugh at all of it with a critical and frequently self-obsessed eye - and yet self-obsession as a kind of self-preservation in the midst of an often queer-unfriendly, mainstream arts scene. We became friends and colleagues and shared many experiences in theatre and poetry over the years. His work was always a great source of inspiration and enlightenment for so many of us starting out as arts practitioners within a variety of diverse genres. HIs intellect, wit, and genuine care for the artists he encountered will be deeply missed. His friendship and sincere/campy camaraderie will be cherished for so many years to come. - Davide Bateman David Bateman is a performance poet, painter, and educator who has taught literature and creative writing at various post-secondary institutions across Canada. He has a PhD form the University Calgary (Literature, Creative Writing) and has four collections of poetry from Frontenac House Press (Calgary). His first novel, DR SAD, was published by the University of Calgary Press in November of 2015.

This Meet the Teacher Tuesday, we’re introducing Shelley Egan who teaches our UNB Leisure Learning course, Fixing Common Writing Errors (Online). Sessions and dates are flexible. https://www.unb.ca///online/fixing-writing-one-on-one.html ... Shelley Egan is a professional editor and proofreader. Before starting her own business, she edited Hansard transcripts and taught ESL. She has a BA in English, an MEd in administrative leadership, and credentials in applied linguistics and teaching English to speakers of other languages. She has studied grammar and editing through the University of British Columbia, Ryerson and Queen’s Universities, Editors Canada, and ACES: The Society for Editing.

Happy Monday Everyone!

In this clip for today, we are featuring Kirsten Johnson reading 3 excerpts from R. M. Vaughan’s play Camera Woman (2001). The photo displayed after the intro text is of Kirsten Johnson and R.M. Vaughan on New Years Eve, 1999. Readings of R.M. Vaughan, will be released on social media throughout the month of January as a way to honour his memory and to mark the tremendous loss to the cultural community of this gifted Canadian artist. Kirsten Johnson is a painter / filmmaker and actor. She's been in six of R.M. Vaughan’s plays throughout the twenty years of their dear friendship. Camera Woman was one of the few plays that Richard produced in Toronto that she wasn't in.

UNB Leisure Learning Winter Online Courses are about to start! Curious about culture? Long to be a leader? Lost when it comes to meditation? NOW is the best time to learn. *... Starting Tuesday, January 26th (courses vary in length) Mandarin Beginners Level 1 https://1l.ink/GWRJNS3 Introduction to German 2 https://1l.ink/ZH5XJDN * Starting Wednesday, January 27th (6 week classes) Mandarin Beginners Level 2 https://1l.ink/BMXDJNZ LionHearted Leadership https://1l.ink/2R2VWWX * Starting Thursday, January 28th: (courses vary in length) Culture Awareness Workshop https://1l.ink/H48KCFR Crafting the Short Story https://1l.ink/XFJ5MGX French Intermediate Level A,B &C https://1l.ink/JCSV4RX Spanish Intermediate Level 1 https://1l.ink/SG4R82V * Starting Saturday, Jan 30: (1 class) Meditation Basics https://1l.ink/WDT6QGT * Registration still open!

Remembering in-person workshops at the UNB Art Centre. This image from a Canadian Conservation Institute workshop held in 2013. #ThrowbackThursday

Mandy Wright Untitled (Halifax), 1991, printed 2015 Inkjet print 49.3 x 73.7 cm UNB Permanent Collection

Now you can learn Italian from home! Sign up today for our online Italian for Travellers course starting Thursday, Nov. 5, 2020, and learn conversational skills in Italian. You'll also learn local expressions, as well as Italian culture and customs. The course starts in 2 days so don't delay - secure your spot now! https://www.unb.ca//leisur/online/italian-beginners-1.html

Michael McEwing C-Port, 2011 Mixed media on Board 122 x 122 cm

Attention: FREE workshop - Sharing Stories and Making Memories! We're thrilled to offer a FREE 3-hour workshop on Saturday, Nov. 28, 2020. This workshop is open to anyone interested in connecting, sharing, and learning with others about ways to find meaning and healing after loss through life story work. Register today!... https://www.unb.ca//leisu/online/sharing-stories-free.html

Hermann Koenig The Beer Drinker, date unknown Oil on board 34 x 17.8 cm UNB Permanent Collection

Henry Purdy Attitude for Two Generations, 1972 Acrylic on Masonite 154 x 124 cm UNB Permanent Collection

Our Winter Leisure Learning Schedule is now online! We’ve got new writing courses, new drawing courses, and more. Visit go.unb.ca/leisurelearning to see all our upcoming courses.

Happy Halloween! What are you and/or your kids dressing up as tonight? Post photos of your costumes in the comments.

UNB Remembers with MC Sarah King; an annual tribute to the people who gave their lives for our country in the First and Second World Wars.

Can you believe it’s nearly November? Today, we’re focusing on a piece of artwork by Fred Ross from 1984. We hope everyone has a great weekend and we’ll see you all next week! Still Life with Shell (1984) Fred Ross Tempera and chalk on paper... 80.4 X 100.5 cm See more

Have a great weekend and a safe Halloween, everyone! Here are a few safety tips if you’re going trick or treating this year: Stick to smaller groups, maintain social distancing (between yourself and homeowners, as well as between you and your friends), try to avoid sharing props, masks, or toys, practice not touching your face, and carry hand sanitizer or wipes with you. If you’re handing out candy, make sure you wear a face mask every time you open the door or you could put candy into small bags and place them on your porch/steps for the trick or treaters.

For today’s Throwback Thursday (#TBT), we’re remembering the Rabbittown Printing Press used by David Brewer to create the publication featuring the poems of Bliss Carman, Charles G.D. Roberts and Francis Joseph Sherman. This limited-edition book was produced to honour the opening of Poets’ Corner in 2014.

There's still time to register for the following upcoming Leisure Learning online courses! Visit go.unb.ca/ll-register-now to sign up today. Starts Tuesday, Nov. 3: Mandarin Beginners Level 1 (https://www.unb.ca//leisu/online/mandarin-beginners-1.html)... Introduction to German 2 (https://www.unb.ca//leisure-lea/online/intro-german-2.html) Digital Photo: SLR Basics (https://www.unb.ca//l/online/digital-photo-slr-basics.html) Starts Thursday, Nov. 5: Italian for Travellers (https://www.unb.ca//leisure-/online/italian-travelers.html) On Saturday, Nov. 7: Novel Writing: Next Steps (https://www.unb.ca//leisure-le/online/novel-writing-2.html) An Intro to Publishing (https://www.unb.ca//leisure-l/online/intro-publishing.html)

For the past few Sundays, we have had the privilege of seeing some of you back in our gallery spaces. It has brought home to us how much the pandemic has affected our lives. It was a joy to see everyone and chat about the exhibit (among other things) and we hope you’ve enjoyed the experience as well. Stay tuned for an announcement about our next exhibition!

Red Slippers (2019) Cathy Ross Watercolour on paper 60 X 46.3 cm

Kulahsihkulpon. Welcome. Bienvenue. Epjila’si. Today’s Throwback Thursday is the dedication of the Welcome Arch in College Corner at the WU Centre during Peace and Friendship Treaty Days, 2017.

If you want to get into the gallery to see Attending the Apocalypse before the exhibit closes, there’s only 1 Sunday left (Oct. 25). Book now: https://www.unb.ca/cel/enrichment/art-centre/index.html https://www.unb.ca//art-/online-exhibits/east-gallery.html https://www.unb.ca//art-/online-exhibits/west-gallery.html

Today’s #TipTuesday comes from language instructor, Yanhong Liu, who teaches our new (and popular) Mandarin courses: Some people say Mandarin Chinese is one of the hardest languages to learn. However, it is far from being true. Compared to English, Mandarin has very simple tenses and grammar. It does not have grammatical genders as do French and Spanish. Knowing the phonetic sound system of Mandarin and its word order in forming sentences is fast, which provides an efficient... way to vocalize the language. A prerequisite for new learners of Mandarin Chinese, is a good memory of vocabulary. Being able to speak Mandarin will open a new world of opportunity for speakers of the language. It is absolutely a valuable investment and a pleasureful way to spend your leisure time. https://www.unb.ca//leisu/online/mandarin-beginners-1.html https://www.unb.ca//leisu/online/mandarin-beginners-2.html

Happy #MotivationMonday everybody! What are your tips and tricks for motivating yourself to do something? Share them in the comments below.