Friday night I attended the Member's meeting of ArtsLink NB at the New Brunswick museum. There was a positive response despite the horrid weather and I was very pleased to see familiar faces and get a chance to meet new and interesting people.
Sarah Jones spoke on Basics of Business for Arts Entrpreneurs as it applies to the arts. Sarah is vibrant, engaging as well as talented. A true entrepreneur, Sarah owns her own gallery on Germain Street, Saint John and identifies herself as an urban artist. Check out her website http://www.jonesgallery.ca/about/
As we had to opt for one workshop for the evening, I missed Judith Mackin of Punch Productions. From conversation with others who did attend, they found useful information on dealing with the Press in Judith's workshop Developing your Press Kit and Working with the Media. Judith is a strong supporter of arts in New Brunswick, and a very creative and enterprising woman.
I wish I had heard René Cormier speak on Why and How to Create a Unified Arts Community. My thoughts are: There are strong debates, some of which I start, on defining artists as professional, amateur or somewhere in between.
It is important to recognize the value of art education, experience and talent, and that these artists have earned their status. And there is also a thrill of watching beginners discover the joy of creating their own works and seeing their skills develop and confidence grow. Artist - no matter what their level is, share the struggles and frustrations as well as their love of creativity. My rant for the day - thank you.
I am not able to attend Saturday's events, but It will be interesting to see what comes out of this event.
