Baie des Chaleurs Bay

Artists Centre in Chaleur

A Community Arts Centre in Chaleur may be in the works.

Chaleur Region has been waiting a very long time.

This might have happened many years ago at the old Sacred Heart Convent in Bathurst. Plans were in the works until the Bulldozers came in and POOF the building became a memory and the property a parking lot for the beautiful new City Hall.

Years later we still have no Community Arts Centre in Bathurst, the largest community in the Chaleur Region.

Ahhh but things are beginning to happen, maybe. Facts can be fuzzy at times.

There has been some recent resurgence of interest in getting a community Arts Centre started in Bathurst.

AMDHHA has been working on this idea for at least 10 years so this is nothing new. What is new is that there seems to be yet another organization in the process of forming to bring this hope to fruition. This new agency may be looking at the Maison Doucet Hennessy House as a possible location for this centre. There also has been interest expressed that LaBarque in Green Point Pointe Verte might be a good location.

Several other local and provincial organizations and businesses also appear to be somehow involved in this move to build a community arts centre in Bathurst.

Personally I think it is wonderful that there is so much happening all of a sudden. The one concern I have is that local individual artists might be left out of this picture. For that reason I have begun to raise a series of artist meet ups.

My hope is that other independent artists like myself will be encouraged and permitted to also have a say in any plans to build a community arts centre.

The first meetup planned for May 11 is canceled
It will NOT be held …

We will NOT be meeting …

Since the house has been closed up most of the winter it might still be a bit cool inside so it would be good to dress warm.

We will NOT be meeting with … for artists who want to work in the house this summer, … and see what facilities are being offered.

Although the artist meet-ups will not be taking place at Doucet-Hennessy House I still support the idea that this house could play some part in the future of the artists of Chaleur.

The official name of this organization is AMDHHA Association Doucet Hennessy House Association by the way if you want to do a search. The house is an historic property and the organization has both a website and a Facebook site.

As for the next meet-up in a month’s time , well we had planned to fix a time and date on May 11. … But that one has been canceled.

Any suggestions anyone as to a venue for meet-ups?

I did approach the local Bathurst library with a request for meeting space but that was over a week ago and they have yet to get back to me.

Meanwhile I’ll be searching out other potential free art spaces in the region. If you have any suggestions please let me know Contact maggiequinn@rogers or call 783-7944

If you know of any artists who would like to join us, please invite them along to future meet-ups.

These will be informal get togethers. For anyone who can only spare a half hour that is fine. By just showing up to show support you are helping. If you you want to stay around for an hour or two to discuss future plans and share ideas that is wonderful. No fees, no committees no voting, no hierarchy, let’s try this.

Never Forget

I am the first artist-in-residence at the Doucet-Hennessy house in Bathurst, New Brunswick. My new exhibit opens to the public on Wednesday, July 3

By the way, I strongly identify as Irish. Yes, technically I am Canadian and one might suppose that today I would be celebrating Canada Day. However, for reasons I’ll not go into at present, I prefer to celebrate the Heritage passed down to by my ancestors, the Hennessys and O’Tooles among others.

The Don’t Forget You’re Irish art exhibit opens to the public July 3. Drop by Tuesday to Saturday for a cup of tea and a chat at the historic Doucet-Hennessy House in Bathurst, New Brunswick. If you play Celtic or Acadian music or any sort of traditional folk music, we hope to have informal music sessions on Saturdays from 2-4. Bring along your acoustic instrument and join us. Music workshops are in the planning for September.

This exhibit is open to the public from July 3 – 28 in Bathurst, New Brunswick. More about the exhibit in this press release: https://surmonbabillard.com/art-exhibit-dont-forget-youre-irish-doucet-hennessy-house/”>Irish Canadian family settled on Bay of Chaleur in Canada.

Spring Garden 2016

Snow will soon cover our lawns, our driveways, our walkways and wherever else we may enjoy spending our time outdoors. Do not despair. It will not last forever.

Spring 2016 is coming. With it comes an opportunity to engage in art-fare.
Chaleur Bay Artists are again being invited to participate.

As in the Spring Garden of Artists Festival 2015 …

A whole five months of preparation time lies ahead

Old Old Story

Bore belly button lint or a genuine attempt to understand where to find peace and justice in this world. Guess we’ll know by Wednesday.
2015 Annual Meeting of all the big talkers in world religions. See aarweb.org

That would be more belly button lint. If the little man in the machine would only co-operate or at least learn to spell. He insists upon anticipating what it is I intend to say then proceeds to speak for me. Sigh … So what has really changed for women who might have been scholars?

What has changed for the underclass?

Canada has an underclass?

In Hamilton?http://www.sprc.hamilton.on.ca/reports/

What has changed for Syrian refugees who went to Jordan?

What about jobs jobs jobs
Oil brings jobs
So they say
Build a pipeline
To save the day

Not in my backyard … Is that what the environmental folks in Ontario and Quebec said? … Did they really say that about crude oil from Alberta?

New Brunswick says OK to hundreds of CNS carloads of crude and millions of barrels …

Did New Brunswickers really say OK? … Or … Is that what Secure Energy Services Inc is saying? Did I hear someting about landfills and saltwater disposal and fracking ponds and … What was that again … Radioactive material management? Well now … Suppose all that radioactive waste eventually needs disposal facilities …

Any cultural backwater would do. Anyplace without those pesky artsy-enviro pests would be the ideal location.

So look around
Find some sleepy town
Where folks are nice
And hospitable
Where jobs are scarce
And artists are few.

Meanwhile … Back in sleepyvale … So close yet so far from Belledune some folks here in Gloucester wonder what is going to happen to our Beautiful Bay of Chaleur? More heavy industry creep?

Who will dare to complain? Certainly not anyone who expects to get a job … Hmmm wonder who gets the contracts … Hmmm wonder why we don’t read about this in our New Brunswick newspapers? Is investigative journalism extinct or merely endangered?

Who … What … Where … Is this Secure Energy Services Inc?
Dunno … Some American company? But but but … Surely we are not selling Crown Corporation held land to … No I am not biased … Not at all … Some of my best friends have been Americans.

By the way … http://canadians.org/blog/supertankers-set-export-tar-sands-east-coast-2015

Bathurst is Bathurst

Bathurst auditions are now over.

Best of wishes to all the young people who will be competing in the Battle of the Arts Competition finals taking place in Fredericton in November. More information on this competition may be found on the website http://www.battleofthearts.ca
And the FB page

Apparently auditions were held in Bathurst on August 15. If there was any local media coverage I am sorry to say I missed it.
I guess there must have been coverage since MAX 104 is a sponsor.

I think an art activity that encourages youth to stand up for their rights is of benefit to all of us.

Although I am an independent artist living in the area of Bathurst, New Brunswick, I myself am well beyond the age of youth competitions. However I have an open-to-the-public studio space at 212 St. Andrew Street in downtown Bathurst where I go to work three days a week and other artists are welcome to drop by.

An accident and the resulting surgury has curtailed my studio work over much of the last two months but I’ve tried to remain open and I expect to be walking again by December 1st.

I am a real people person, very familiar with the Bathurst business community, having written many stories and articles for a local home-owned newspaper in the past. I am also interested in womens’ poverty and unemployment issues and this is what I try to bring into my artwork.

Current artwork by Margaret Sharon Olscamp

Some of MaggieQuinn recent ongoing artwork

Although an art competition would be a rather rare occurrence in Bathurst, the spirit of competition is quite alive here. Fair weather soccer and bike rallies, cold weather hockey, and the dozens of trophies that adorn local rec-rooms attest to the fact that Bathurst people have an active sense of competition.

The more I think about this culture of competition the more I wonder why some people are watchers, some are joiners and some are neither.

One type of competition I’d love to see would be job openings that offer decent wages and are not restricted to only those who are welfare or EI recipients. I’m sure this would excite local interest and bring in plenty of joiners.

I wonder too whether there is any way that non-violence fits into this picture of a competitive community. Would people get along better? Would people have more respect for their neighbour’s property?

Each article I read on this website is an encouraging reminder that there are still people who believe in peace and write about it and try to live peaceful lives without giving up on the rest of the human race.

Today I was reminded that if non-violence is something we learn then maybe we seniors could all be teachers and help our young people learn about non-violence as a way of life.

Some question I might ask young people:
What is non-violence?
Are we born as non-violent beings?
Is non-violence something we learn?
If so, where do we learn non-violence?
How do we learn to be non-violent

What are the effects of arts, entertainment, games, sports?
Do these encourage us to be non-violent?

What about competitions?
Does the urge to fame and fortune allow us to be non-violent?
What about the need to compete in the job-market?

If we are a member of some team, is it a non-violent team that we have chosen to join?

As individuals are we confident enough to stand up for the right to be non-violent?

Job Share II

Today’s Job find
Sunday October 4, 2015
But this is Sunday. This is my day of rest.
About those folks who stop by and offer to pray for you …
Yes we know … Prayers won’t help pay the heating power during even the kindest Canadian winter. But smiles will help take away the chill and at least they took the time to stop by.
By the way, there is no day of rest for the wicked.

Do you fancy a job as
Senior Visual Designer?
Product Designer?
Design Director?
Senior Graphic Designer (UI)?
Junior Art Director?
Creative Director?
Product Designer?

Job Sharin’

My idea of Job Share is as follows.

I see a great job that I’d love to have but I don’t have the qualifications or background or the hundred other attributes that employers usually demand.

October 1,  2015 and I just found what looks like a great fob for someone

Not me I tell you

Not for me

I am an artist

You will agree

Not exactly

My cup of tea

But for someone

A Bathurst job

Paying good wages

Is  such a dream

Eureka!

An artist job

Can this be true?

Only multi-media need apply

Mixed-media artist

Just will not do

 

My dream job is in Toronto. Like any good Canadian I love Montreal. But I love Toronto even more and would be so happy to live there.

So, why do I mention it? Because I was born to share I guess. My need to share comes out of years of experience. No, I am not speaking about actual paying-job experience. I’ve had little enough of that. I mean the sort of experience one gets from years of job-hunting, groveling before gatekeepers and volunteering help wherever and whenever I have seen a real need.

So …
If I were a salesman I might tell you that you’d better jump at this job since the offer is only open for one or two more days. Sigh, how many times have we heard that one?

So … My name is Sharon (I love how that sounds like sharin’) and here is the dream job I found today.

https://ccednet-rcdec.ca/en/job/2015/09/18/associate-research-and-policy

And why would I need a job, some might ask. Don’t I already have so much to do in my lovely studio at 212 St Andrew Street in Bathurst? Yes, but like most artists I am unable to make a living by my art. While I love what I do, winter is coming, NBPower rates will be going up and the studio will be getting cold. Already I must wear a warm sweater and leg warmers. Soon I will be wearing gloves to work as I did when I rented my studio at the Doucet-Hennessy House a few years back. This year I am presented with an additional challenge. A broken leg keeps me somewhat immobile and unable to move around enough to keep warm while I am working.