“We spent a lot of years to get to this point. I’m looking forward to getting through [social isolation] with a new focus.”

—Chris Griffiths, Commercial Photographer at Bang-On Photography

Last weekend—do we still have weekends?—I received an email from Wes Tyrell, the president of the Association of Canadian Cartoonists and Caricaturists, of which I am a member. He was gathering cartoons to exhibit in the Association’s online gallery, with a daily cartoon to be shared on social media. The email read, “#CartoonistsAgainstCovid, this is an initiative from the ACC to aid Canadians with cartoon humour. We are all affected by Covid 19 and we hope that by sharing a daily cartoon, as well as a gallery, we can bring some sunshine, ideas and public service reminders to help everyone get through this together. Please share widely.” I jumped at the chance to join in.

After the New Brunswick government called for a two-week quarantine, Fabiola had one thing in mind: “We have to advocate for the arts.” Separated from her students and working at home with her two children, Fabiola realized how important it was for everyone to have the chance and space to participate in “creative time.” Taking advantage of the technology at her disposal, Fabiola went live for the first time on her Facebook page on March 16th, starting what would be a two-week endeavour to bring art classes into the homes of children and families.