Shop & Support [Community]

The COVID-19 Crisis is affecting every which way we engage with our Creative Economy. This includes our support systems, our sense of community, and the way we engage with each other. For a quick beat, we were left on our own before we rapidly adapted to #TheNewRegular. Luckily for us, we’re creative. The rapid adaptation to our new circumstances is nothing short of miraculous, and we would expect nothing less from the resilient and inspiring artists and arts administrators of New Brunswick.

 

Here are some of the new and creative ways to stay connected to your arts community and to help your creative business weather the storm:

Alone Together: a self-directed artist residency

 The New Brunswick College of Craft and Design Residency program is adapting to the new climate of self-isolation, and has pivoted its direction to be a home-based residency. In the face of the Covid-19 pandemic, the program has moved to a virtual platform, forming community through online communication paired with at-home creation. Alone Together Residency draws on supportive planning and motivational tools that invite artists to embrace creativity, with whatever capacity is possible for them. 

There is no application process, no mandatory check-ins, and it doesn’t cost a thing to participate. It is completely self-directed, meaning participants are able to create their own parameters based on the materials, time, and space available to them.

 Crit Sesh: isolation edition

 As artists, nearly all of us are facing substantial shifts in our lifestyles. Many have been laid off from day jobs and suddenly have time to devote to creative practice but have lost financial resources. Some full-time artists have also become full-time homeschool teachers. Others are working from home and having a hard time keeping a regular schedule and adhering to the standards of productivity we’ve become accustomed to.

Connexion ARC is launching another block of dates in our series of Crit Nights, this time in virtual space. This twice-weekly series of critique sessions is intended to keep our artists connected in this time of physical distancing, whether you’re working on your professional practice or just making things to pass the time. We welcome artists at any stage in their career to network with fellow artists, practice delivering constructive criticism to others, and contextualize their work as a valuable contribution to the community - or just ask for support & encouragement. Although the session will be facilitated from a visual arts perspective, all creative disciplines are welcome to participate.

Join them at 7pm on Wednesdays.

The CreatedHere Postcard Exchange

This is an exciting opportunity to cultivate new connections with local makers while brightening up someone’s day!

Have you felt the gratitude of finding handmade mail in your mailbox? Have you experienced the improved wellness that comes with stretching your creative muscles? Our mission with this project is to find new ways for the people of New Brunswick to connect while using art as a means of self-care. We believe that the underrated gesture of sending handmade mail has a timeless quality that could never be replaced by cyberspace.

 Want to participate? Deadline: May 15, 2020.

 Covid-19 New Brunswick Artist Resource Network

This is a group intended for sharing resources with New Brunswick artists affected by postponed or cancelled gigs, events, and other modes of income as a result of Covid-19. The definition of artist is loose and includes various art forms: visual artists, photographers, writers and poets, drag performers, musicians, etc...

Resources can include updates from arts organizations, means of funding/support and calls for artists for example.

 Craft NB Boost Online Activity & Events Guide

Craft NB Boost  is a weekly listing of craft/arts related online content compiled in one place for you to enjoy! During these tough times, it’s now more important than ever to share the wonders of fine craft and art to inspire, comfort and appreciate. 

Canada Council for the Arts

This is an updated page of Information and support for the arts sector. Check back regularly.

The arts and culture are an indispensable public service because they meet a vital need. The current popularity of the arts in the digital space is proof enough. The arts express our will to create and to live—it is worth reminding our fellow citizens and our governments of this.

The ways in which artists are conveying their solidarity with Canadians and bringing them together will resonate long after this crisis has passed. This compassionate solidarity will be worth more than any approximate calculation of the financial losses that will result from performance and exhibition cancellations.

Craft Alliance Atlantic

COVID-19 – Response and Resources for the Craft Community.

Craft Alliance has been collecting loss estimates from across our region to build a picture of the potential impact of COVID-19 on craft makers and craft retailers in Atlantic Canada. The results of this survey show an estimated $56.5 million overall impact on the craft industry in 2020 –  approximately $17.8 million in losses for craft producers, and $38.7 million in lost income for craft retailers.

UNB Art Centre Design Works Wednesday Series

The UNB Art Centre presents Design Works Wednesdays – Create at Home Series.

Join the UNB Art Centre on Facebook for a series of Facebook Live workshops, Wednesdays from 10 – 11 a.m. (AST) with our new ‘Design Works Wednesdays - Create at Home series.