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“Let people be who they are, and let the art do the work.” – Kim Cookson 

On this week’s episode, Abigail Smith speaks with community art teacher, Kim Cookson, about the value of setting aside time for creativity, working through grief with art, and Kim’s approach to her work and art-making.

Kim’s passion is to share the love of creating art to help people feel good about themselves because art brings out an individual’s feeling of peace, love, joy, collaboration, mutual respect, positive energy and most of all the world of play. Everyone has it in them to create a natural state of being. Doing creative activities such as art is a positive health benefit to improve the quality or life for all humans. 

Find Kim online http://artmamma.ca and on social media @canadasartmamma

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KC Wilcox is an artist, designer and shopkeeper. She graduated from NSCAD with a B.Des in 2014. Her artwork was shown at THIRD SHIFT (2020, 2019), the Beaverbrook Art Gallery (2018), Third Space (2017), and The Unlovable Gallery (2017). Her most recent design project was Harbour: A Compendium, curated and published by Amy Ash (2020). She lives in Menagoesg/Saint John, New Brunswick, where she started Visitors, a shop and studio, in 2019, with her collaborator, Emily Saab. Wilcox is a descendant of European settlers of English and French origins. Her ancestors settled on the unceded land of the Wolastoqiyik and Mi’kmaq peoples during the 19th century. She is a former Executive Director of Connexion, an artist-run centre for contemporary art in Fredericton, NB.

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Welcome to the Third Space Gallery Podcast, I am your host Abigail Smith. Today’s episode, Rural Art Making with Cheryl Johnson. I loved this conversation with taxidermist and entrepreneur Cheryl Johnson about her relationship with her rural surroundings and how they relate to her art practice and business. I did end up going hunting with her last winter after we recorded this interview and while I didn’t snag us a meal I did have a lot of fun in the Woods, so thank you Cheryl both for this interview and that experience. 

The Third Space Gallery Podcast is produced by me, Abigail Smith through Third Space Gallery, with huge support from Local 107.3fm. Third Space Gallery and Local 107.3fm operate on the traditional, unsurrendered territories of the Wolastoqey, Mi’gmaq, and Peskotomuhkati Peoples. The City of Saint John sits at the mouth of the Wolastoq, the beautiful and bountiful river, where Indigenous Peoples have lived, travelled, traded, celebrated, and made music for thousands of years. Thank you for recognizing and respecting the custodians of the lands and waters upon which we now collectively live, create, and reflect. At recording time of this podcast, the Government of New Brunswick recently announced to all government employees that they are to cease using land acknowledgements in their correspondence, events, and documents. I would like to quote from the letter released by the six Chiefs of the Wolastoqey Nation in New Brunswick; 

“Rather than acknowledge the historical truth of lands within New Brunswick, GNB is issuing a gag order against its employees to stop them from speaking the truth as well. It is obvious to any rational thinkers that this prohibition is disrespectful to First Nations people. But beyond the obvious, the memo is clearly a scare tactic and speaks to an underbelly of censorship that is now on full display at GNB.” 

As per the recommendation of this letter by the six chiefs of the Wolastoqey Nation in New Brunswick, I will repeat that the land on which we operate and the land discussed in the rest of this episode is the unsurrendered and traditional territories of the Wolastoqey, Mi’gmaq, and Peskotomuhkati Peoples. 

APTN Article that includes the six chiefs letter. 

Cheryl Johnson is an artist and teacher in rural New Brunswick. They work with found objects and natural materials from the backwoods to create unique pieces through various methods of preservation, including taxidermy. Her work is dependent on what nature provides and varies according to the seasons: It is structural, whimsical, and sometimes scary. She can be found online at deadstuff.ca.

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Guylaine Cyr is fascinated by shiny things and the infinite possibilities of metals. She started her education with a certificate in Foundation Visual Arts at the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design (NBCCD) in Fredericton in 1998. She was attracted to larger scale work but decided to pursue jewellery and small objects design at Kootenay School of the Arts in Nelson, British Columbia, where she also learned aluminium and bronze sculptural casting. She worked alongside a master blacksmith as well as a specialized contractor of large scale public art works where she assisted in the fabrication of multiple large sculptures of steel and aluminium destined for permanent installation at public areas around Quebec and Ontario.

In 2014 she was approached to create a sculptural piece for the World Acadian Congress. Since then she has created and fabricated public sculptural work for the city of Edmundston, and Dieppe in New Brunswick. She has always kept up her jewellery practice.

Check out Guylaine’s website: https://guylainecyr.com/en

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Chroma: Pride, Inclusion, Equality Inc. is a community organization focusing on advocating for 2SLGBTQIA+ people in the Saint John Region. Their goal is to promote initiatives and highlight issues impacting our community by maintaining a strong cohesive voice. They promote inclusion through their programs and services, and address community needs including basic human rights, employment equality, health and well-being, and housing in collaboration with local community partners.

Alex Ash (they/them) is a passionate believer in community, grassroots movements for change, building connections, and the power of learning. Originally from London, UK, they have called Saint John home for two and a half years. Alex is currently a coach at the Saint John Learning Exchange, a non-profit organization that strives to empower people to reach their education and employment goals. Alex strives to collaborate in all areas of their life and is driven by a desire to create safe space for all members of their community. 

Learn more about Chroma at www.chromanb.ca

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This episode on “Cripping the Arts” features interviews with artist Ysabelle Vautour on her own painting practice and accessibility in art spaces, as well as an interview with artist and curator Christiana Myers on arts organizations evolving relationship with accessibility work.

About the artists:

Christiana Myers is a curator, writer, artist, and museum educator based in Menagoesg/Saint John, New Brunswick. Her practice often revolves around the concept of care—for oneself, others, communities, or the environment, and her recent writing on disability and access, public art, and the intersection of art with climate justice have appeared in Canadian Art, C Magazine, and publications by the Owen’s Art Gallery and Goose Lane Editions.

Ysabelle Vautour is an Acadian artist and art teacher, who started out working in the mental health and disability support sector. She began painting two years ago when she decided to paint and create art every day for a year. Ysabelle uses a contemplative approach to her portraits. She has ten years of experience in both improv and swing dancing, so it’s not surprising that she paints intuitively and enjoys the process of creating things in the moment as they are happening.

Ysabelle Vautour’s full bio and website: http://www.creatingaccess.org/

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Welcome to episode one of the Third Space Gallery Podcast! We’re kicking off the launch of this podcast with a retrospective look at the genesis of Third Space Gallery in a conversation with founders Judith Mackin and Chris Lloyd. Following that is a conversation with Emily Saab, the first Executive Director of Third Space Gallery, and oversaw the first iterations of the Gallery’s contemporary art festival THIRD SHIFT. 

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Position: THIRD SHIFT Digital Media Associate

Location: Saint John, NB 

Details: Part-time, 25 hours/week

Hourly wage: $15/hour, flexible hours

Position start and end dates: June 14 – September 3, 2021

Application deadline: May 18th at 11:59pm AST

Submit all applications electronically through the Young Canada Works Portal: https://young-canada-works.canada.ca/Opportunity/ProjectDetails?projectId=12425&showBackToSearch=true

About THIRD SHIFT: THIRD SHIFT is a contemporary arts festival presented by Third Space, a not-for-profit artist-run centre in Saint John, New Brunswick, that includes temporary installations, interventions, performances, projections, and events. The festival spans four days in August and includes a public art exhibition throughout Uptown Saint John as well as a variety of presentations and workshops in-person (where possible) and online.

About the Position: The THIRD SHIFT Digital Media Associate will be the main support for the digital needs of the festival. The Executive Director will defer to the Digital Media Associate on all matters related to web development, video streaming, and digital accessibility measures. The purpose of this position is to help Third Space better support artists working in digital media and to help our festival be as accessible as possible in the digital sphere.

The tasks will include but will not be limited to:

• Updating and maintaining the THIRD SHIFT WordPress website
• Working with artists to find the best way to present their artwork on our website and beyond (i.e. helping them choose between Livestream platforms, video hosting sites, and video conferencing software)
• Researching and implementing digital accessibility measures where possible, including closed captioning, ASL interpretation, and/or translation software

The successful candidate will demonstrate:

• Their capability as an independent worker
• Experience with WordPress websites
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Knowledge of a variety of live streaming and video sharing platforms
• Knowledge of the Saint John community and contemporary art is an asset

Who is eligible to apply?

A student may be eligible for employment if they:

• are a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident, or have refugee status in Canada (non-Canadians holding temporary work visas or awaiting permanent status are not eligible);
• are legally entitled to work in Canada;
• are between 16 and 30 years of age at the start of employment;
• are willing to commit to the full duration of the work assignment;
• will not have another full-time job (over 30 hours a week) during the Young Canada Works (YCW) work assignment;
• have been a full-time high school, college, CEGEP or university student (as defined by their educational institution) in the semester preceding the YCW work assignment; and
• intend to return to full-time studies in the semester following the YCW work assignment.

How to apply

To apply, students are required to:

• visit the Young Canada Works login page;
• create an account by clicking on the “Sign up” link, then complete and submit a candidate profile;
• browse job opportunities via the “Search for a job” link in their account; and
• express their interest in a position by clicking on the job title and then on “Express interest in this job”.

More details about the Young Canada Works application process here: https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/funding/young-canada-works/students-graduates/heritage-organizations-students.html

Notes on Access:

Third Space recognizes our participation and complicity with the historic barriers to accessing job opportunities in the arts. Applicants are welcomed to self-identify as BIPOC, LGBTQ2SIA+, disabled, femme, or any other community that is important to their identity. If you have specific accessibility needs that you would like us to address, or any concerns please reach out or mention them in your application.

Do not hesitate to send us an email if you have any questions! tiersespace@gmail.com

Fill out this form by March 8th at 11:59 AST to express interest in joining the committee: https://forms.gle/h29R35WPci9EYuq8A

Time commitment: – 5-6 hours reviewing artist applications (at your leisure) March 26 – April 9- Zoom meeting with the Committee on Thursday, April 22 from 6 pm-8:30 pm

After the Expressions of Interest deadline, the THIRD SHIFT Steering Committee chairs will review the responses and create the THIRD SHIFT Selections Committee. Successful and unsuccessful applicants will be notified by March 12th. We’re looking for lots of variety in this group so that we can hear from many perspectives to make sure we’re bringing in the best and most engaging artists for THIRD SHIFT 2021! We encourage applications from those who identify as women, trans or gender diverse, Black, Indigenous, Persons of Colour, 2SLGBTQIA+, and/or Persons with Disabilities.

We look forward to hearing from you!

We are looking to bring together the Third Space community together with this new, ongoing, low-commitment program called “Members Helping Members”.

How does it work? We are looking for volunteers who are willing to donate 1-2 hours of their time to help out another Third space member in need. If you volunteer to help out, you may be contacted by our Executive Director if another member is seeking help with a specific task. If any of our members are struggling with something, such as writing an artist statement, getting high-quality photos of their work, or if they just want to speak with a more experienced artist about pricing, framing, printing, or anything else, please let our Executive Director know and they can reach out to one of the members who has volunteered to help out.

If you’re interested in having your name on our internal directory of Helping Members, please get in touch and let us know what skills or knowledge you would be willing to offer! 

Some helpful skills may include:

• Writing
• Budgeting
• Photography (for artwork documentation, for instance)
• Grant writing
• Website development
• Or anything else a fellow creative person may want help with!

Some areas of knowledge may include:

• Provincial and Federal granting programs
• How to price artwork
• Where to get high-quality prints
• Marketing or social media experience
• Advice about getting gallery representation
• Or if you’re just willing to chat with another artist or maker about their work!

Anyone can become a Helping Member and anyone can ask for help at any time – this will be an ongoing community-building initiative within our organization. We can’t wait to hear from you! 

Contact:
Kathleen Buckley tiersespace@gmail.com