Gary Crosby | June 26 – July 7 | Fredericton Botanic Garden
Gary Crosby is a visual artist who specializes in woodcarving. He spent 35 years in the Canadian Armed Forces, living abroad for much of that time. Gary was able to learn from many experienced artists around the world—including the prolific woodcarvers found within the Black Forest region of Germany—which allowed him to spend his spare time honing his carving skills and developing his unique style.
During his residency, Gary will carve a sculpture out of New Brunswick cedar of a group of seven larger-than-life salmon. Entitled “River Run,” the project is inspired by the Atlantic Salmon that run the Miramichi River each summer and fall.
Social Media
Watch Gary’s social media where he will be documenting his progress, offering live streams, reels, and Q&As of his residency experience.
Website: https://dwcarving.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dwcarving/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DIYWoodcarving/
Cyndi Nash | June 26 – July 7 | Killarney Lake Park
Cyndi Nash is an indigenous artist and basket maker from St. Mary’s First Nation. Her childhood experience as a survivor of the Sixties Scoop greatly inspires her work. Cindi’s paintings focus on indigenous women and children, nature, animals, and birds, with a particular focus on feathers. Painting has helped Cyndi connect with others, as well as facilitate her own healing.
The theme of Cyndi’s residency, “We Are Not Going to Be Forgotten”, focuses on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Children. She plans to produce at least one painting per day, hoping to spark discussion and bring awareness to a subject held close to her heart.
Social Media
Keep an eye on Cyndi’s Facebook for daily updates and workshop times.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cyndi.hughesnash
Shinaid Jane Grace | July 10 – 21 | Fredericton Botanic Garden
Shinaid’s work explores interconnectedness, in particular the human experience in relationship to the natural world. She is a writer, mixed media and clay artist, and her ceramic art designs are inspired by flora, fungi, and fauna. Shinaid uses clay to explore a sculptural perspective on functional forms.
Inspired by the earth-made objects we find in our pockets after walking in nature, Shinaid will be crafting holders out of red clay for these kinds of found objects, sometimes placing them alongside various sculpted memento-inspired objects. She plans to decorate the holders using various slips, some of which will be made of wild clay from the Maritimes. These pieces will offer storytelling through objects, bonds to place, and the appreciation of the natural world.
Social Media:
Daily updates on Shinaid’s progress and inspiration.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/earthsol.ceramics/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SimplyShinaid/
Website: https://shinaid.wixsite.com/artist
Marie Osmun | July 10 - 21 | Killarney Lake Park
Marie Osmun is an emerging landscape and portrait painter whose works begin with careful observation and are imbued with vibrant color, bold brushstrokes, and a strong sense of personal experience. Marie draws inspiration from everyday moments—from quiet afternoons at home, to the beauty of the natural world around us—incorporating play and experimentation into her artistic practice. Her goal with each painting is to truly capture the essence and feeling of a person or a moment in time.
During her residency, Marie will create daily oil paintings of the surroundings, including the landscape, and portraits of patrons who give their consent. She will also be hosting community activities including a group painting session and an artist talk.
Social Media
Check Marie’s socials for updates on activities, processes, and her paintings.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marieosmunart/?hl=en
Website: https://www.marieosmun.art/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@marieosmunart/
Steph Kincade | July 24 – August 4 | Fredericton Botanic Garden
Steph Kincade (they/them) is an emerging sculptural embroidery and fibre artist. They have a long history of working in the theatre industry and now work in visual art. Steph is greatly inspired and influenced by the plants and animals they’re surrounded by, and their recent embroidery work is comprised of a collection entitled “MicroWorlds,” which explores tiny worlds under water and foot.
During the residency, Steph will work on new designs, including sketches and photographs based on the organisms observed in the Botanic Garden. Steph is hoping that the connection between their art and the location will bring awareness to the diversity found in the Garden, allowing people the opportunity to feel more connected to things found in their own backyard.
Social Media
Check Steph’s socials for works in progress, and the inspiration behind them.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephaniekincade/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SKartistpage
Website: www.stephkincade.com
Robyn Shortt | July 24 – August 4 | Killarney Lake Park
Robyn Shortt is a fine art nature photographer with a background in biology and art, and is happiest working out in the field, observing and photographing plants and animals in their natural environment. Her study of life has helped her appreciate the complexity, diversity, and interconnectivity found in the world around us. Using a variety of photographic approaches, Robyn’s work interprets these features in a way that expresses our fundamental connections to the natural world.
During her residency, Robyn will explore different areas of the park, from the beach and lakeside, to seeking out woodland scenes, special trees, and wildflowers. Robyn looks forward to developing and practicing techniques for photographing wildflowers and other macro subjects in the park. Mini workshops will be offered in creative photography, guiding photographers of any skill level in the techniques of nature photography.
Social Media
Daily posts describing Robyn’s explorations and preliminary photographs can be found via her socials.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robynshortt/
Website: https://www.robynshortt.com/
Alex Rioux | August 7 – 18 | Fredericton Botanic Garden
Alex Rioux is an emerging non-binary theatre artist, improvisor, and educator. Their work focuses on using physical theatre to enhance traditional narratives to create rich and unique theatre experiences. Their debut piece “Fruit Machine” chronicled Canada’s gay military purge and utilized physical theatre as the catalyst to examine this oppressive time in Canadian history.
During their residency, Alex plans to work on a semi autobiographic solo show titled “Late Bloomer,” exploring the ways in which being a queer person in New Brunswick has shaped their life. They will explore themes of home, growth, and environments using authentic movement practices, and will create a corresponding script that translates their experiences into a straightforward narrative.
Social Media
Alex will provide daily updates to their Instagram stories prompting reflections on the natural beauty of Fredericton.
Website: www.alexjrtheatre.squarespace.com
Instagram: https://instagram.com/riouzz
Connie Wheaton | August 8 - 18 | Killarney Lake Park
Connie is, first and foremost, an educator, having spent 20 years working with children and teaching them about the value of art and artmaking. As a mother of four, she wanted to join her passion for art and design with her love of parenting, which resulted in the development of her home studio and business. Connie specializes in acrylics, oils, and watercolours, and is known for her abstract realism and bright, bold colours. Her work often focuses on the natural world, including florals, landscapes, and animals.
During her residency, Connie will be creating a large-scale mosaic made of 42, 3x4 inch flat wood panels. Up close, the viewer will be able to see small still life scenes of Killarney Lake Park, but from afar, the image will be of wildflowers found at Killarney.
Social Media
Daily pictures and/or videos from her explorations of the park, as well as some of the work performed that day will be found on her Facebook and Instagram accounts.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/houseofartbyconnie/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/house_of_artbyconnie/
Nat Cann | August 21 – September 1 | Fredericton Botanic Garden
Nat (he/him) is a printmaker whose projects focus on the haunting of lands and the ideologies and industries perpetuating Canadian notions of colonial heritage and their subsequent degradations. These notions of commorancy are further expressed through lens based printed matter, material choice, and installations.
The focus of Nat’s residency is to raise climate awareness to the fragility of the flora we cherish, especially within Fredericton, a notoriously flood prone area. Nat will be constructing a large scale collagraph print inspired by the flora localized in the Fredericton Botanical Gardens, prompting thoughts and discussions surrounding our need to avert climate crises. While on location, Nat will host live printmaking demos where participants can make and print their own monotypes.
Social Media
Follow Nat’s socials for updates and photos. Those directly affected by climate shifts may also share their experiences directly on Nat’s website to be incorporated and exhibited alongside the final print.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/natcannart/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nattcann/
Website: nattcann.com
Kennedy MacKeen | August 21 – September 1 | Killarney Lake Park
Kennedy is a visual artist who creates her art in the hopes that the beauty she marvels at in this life can be shared with others. She specializes in live performance paintings and the areas and atmospheres she inhabits inform and inspire her work. Motivated by the magic of nature, whether through observation, dream state explorations, or her experiences, Kennedy brings to life whimsical and electric visions.
During her residency, Kennedy will create a series of sculpted acrylic paintings, as well as a series of smaller study pieces featuring botanicals, pollinators, and animals from the gardens which will be painted on locally sourced wood slices.
Social Media
Kennedy will be providing daily updates through photos and videos on her social media, including story updates, works in progress, photos of inspiration and more.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MidasWellCreations
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/midas.well.creations/
Website: https://www.midaswellcreations.com/
