Artists: Alisa Arsenault, Sara Griffin, Emma Hassencahl-Perley, Nienke Izurieta, Sarah Jones, Chantal Khoury, Ann Manuel, Sarah Power, Dan Xu; curated by Amy Ash
A harbour is a place on the coast where ships may moor in shelter, protected from rough water by piers, jetties, and other artificial structures. The entry or exit point of solid land, it is the beginning and end of a migration. The act of harbouring refers to keeping something guarded, safe, often in secret; it can be one of loyalty, either empowering or debilitating.
A blend of archival imagery (from New Brunswick Museum) and contemporary art that spirals out from the geographic term which at once defines the Maritimes and a poetic act of safekeeping, this exhibition will compose a polyphony of local lore. Together, these works speak to the human experience of inhabiting a coastal area and being inhabited by things we cannot let go; they build a collective voice through the etymology of the commonly used maritime descriptor for our
locale: Harbour.
HARBOUR features the work of nine contemporary artists with strong ties to New Brunswick, and includes a mix of painting, sculpture installation and print. Together, Alisa Arsenault (Moncton), Sara Griffin (Grand Manan), Emma Hassencahl-Perley (Tobique First Nation), Nienke Izurieta (Saint John), Sarah Jones (Saint John), Chantal Khoury (Montreal), Ann Manual (Fredericton), Sarah Power (Saint John) and Dan Xu (Saint John) look to the metaphors which resonate within the geographical term used to describe our coastal home.
SJAC is thrilled to host our first curatorial residency, generously funded by the Sheila Hugh Mackay Foundation. From the SHMF’s press release:
Saint John Arts Centre will launch is inaugural curatorial residency with a project entitled “Harbour”. Amy Ash will be managing all elements of the exhibition, which includes a publication of thematically linked contributions from the wider arts community and a curatorial essay to accompany this body of work. This residency is a new direction for Saint John Arts Centre, a leader in exhibition in southern New Brunswick, as it seeks to foster critical discourse through the advancement of curatorial practice.