Fredericton’s artist-run-centre will partner with Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival to add contemporary art to this year’s programming line up.
Matt Carter
It seems the new energy radiating from Connexion Artist Run Centre (Connexion ARC) is contagious. Since announcing a new Executive Director back in April, Fredericton’s only artist run centre has relaunched its popular This Is Where It Happens series of artist talks after a lengthy hiatus and has now begun to partner with Fredericton festival organizers in an effort to bring contemporary art (and artists) into the city’s established arts ecology.
Last week, Connexion ARC announced it’s latest project, a collaboration with the Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival to add contemporary art to the festival’s annual street closure programming.
“As Connexion is currently operating without a fixed location. A partnership with Harvest is a great opportunity to activate new spaces for the presentation of contemporary art by engaging with a broader public,” said Connexion ARC’s Executive Director Kasie Wilcox. “This will be the first time contemporary arts will take the stage during the festival’s street-closure.”
In an announcement posted on the organization’s website, the city’s contemporary art champions described the new initiative as an opportunity for local, national and international artists to have their work presented as part of the collaboration. “Given the logistical nature of presenting projects in public, street-level spaces during a music festival, a preference will be given by the selections committee to video, sonic, interactive, temporary, performance-based, or site-specific installation projects. Projects considering the context of the community, exploring experimental and emerging ideas, discussing issues of social urgency, and presenting diverse perspectives and lived experiences, are welcome.”
“This is another way for Connexion to operate in a generative, responsive, and flexible manner, mirroring the experimental nature of contemporary art,” said Wilcox. “We believe that collaborating with businesses, organizations, and institutions within the community is an effective way to mutually share resources and to compound impact. Connexion will be presenting diverse and critically-rigorous programming, by facilitating supportive, open, and equitable spaces for the discussion of contemporary art during this year’s festival.”
Submissions for the project are now being accepted. Deadline for proposals is July 31, 2017.
For more information and a full description of the project, visit www.connexionarc.org.
