The East Coast Artists' Collective
“We want to give young artists a voice” - ECAC
I came across the East Coast Artists’ Collective on social media a few weeks back and thought, “hmm who are these guys, I don’t think I’ve ever heard of them…” It turns out they are a group of young artists banding together to encourage and promote each other’s work, and they had just launched their Facebook page a few days before. I decided to do a feature about them because I think what they are doing is gutsy and deserves to be noticed. The art world can be a scary and solitary place, especially for a someone just starting out, and the idea of creating a sort of tribe is actually a very good idea. Frankly I’m surprised no one has thought of it before…
Vena Carr and Nathanael Hartley
The East Coast Artists’ Collective was founded by Vena Carr and Nathaniel Hartley, two emerging multidisciplinary artists who are actually still in school. They came up with the idea because they were discouraged by how challenging it is for a young artist to get a career started. Vena and Nathaniel wanted to create a platform to support emerging artists in all disciplines, including less traditional (and sometimes looked down upon) disciplines such as graffiti art and tattoo art. They describe the Collective as progressive, experimental and diverse, hoping to make a place for themselves in the local art world as well as in the wider community.
The group includes eight artists so far, working in a range of media from digital media, photography and jewelry, to more traditional media like paint and ink. They have already had several requests to join the group. The ECAC is primarily based in Fredericton at the moment, but Vena and Nathaniel would like to open it up to a wider geographic area. They plan to meet once a month to stay connected and encourage each other in their work, and also to host quarterly events to showcase the work of its members as well as collaborate with other artists.
Their first group show is entitled “East Coast Artists’ Collective: Unveiled”, and will take place on Saturday, September 10 at the Mazerolle Gallery in Fredericton.
Are you interested in joining the East Coast Artists’ Collective?
Applicants must be between 18 and 35 years of age, and must pay a $5 monthly fee. Contact eastcoastartistscollective@gmail.com for more information