Saint John’s annual art-at-night event set to reimagine the city’s Uptown, August 19.
Saint John’s Third Space Gallery has announced plans for the 2016 edition of its popular outdoor contemporary art exhibit, Third Shift. Launched in 2015, Third Shift aims to inspire Saint John residents to “reimagine their city, reclaim vacant and under-utilized areas and engage with the surroundings of the uptown built environment”.
“We are presenting contemporary art outside of the gallery and in the public so that more people can see how contemporary art relates to them,” said Emily Saab, Third Space executive director. “This is especially important as the art is talking about where we live, our cultures, our lives.”
Last year’s event drew more than 1500 participants to take in 17 works of art that transformed the Trinity Royal area of the city’s uptown district into a living, breathing art installation with music, projections and impressive artwork incorporating the area’s unique geography and architecture.
“There is a resurgence within our urban core and a renewed artistic interest to activate our city streets,” said Nancy Tissington, executive director of Uptown Saint John. “Third Shift’s vision instills a positive vibe that we love our arts and we celebrate the people in our community.”
Amplified by last year’s impressive inaugural event, organizers of this year’s Third Shift saw the amount of submissions triple with interest coming in from across Canada, the United States and Europe. The 2016 event, which will take place August 19 running from 7 p.m. to midnight, will include the work of over a dozen artists from as far away as Brooklyn and Los Angeles working alongside several New Brunswick artists.
Third Shift is part of an international movement of art-at-night events that began with Nuit Blanche in Paris in 2002. Now with over a hundred similar events spanning the globe, each transforming everyday spaces into unique venues for art and performance, Third Shift has helped place Saint John on the map among many of the world’s most forward thinking, arts minded communities.
Third Shift | Uptown Saint John | August 19, 2016 | 7 p.m. – Midnight | Lean more at www.thirdshift.ca
