Annette Savoie, Holistic therapist, Life Coach and Motivational Speaker.

Annette Savoie, owner of Annette`s Alternative Healing in Miramichi, started her business out of her own quest to create the life she always wanted. She is passionate about helping people be the best they can be!

Annette uses a holistic approach to revamping people`s lives by helping people heal from past traumas, identifying the emotional and energetic blockages in their body, helping them gain confidence and then motivating people to reach their highest potential.

“Find your passion and go for it!” she says. “Fear will get in your way at first but once you identify it and realize that fear is an illusion stopping you from getting what you want, you can go forward with it.”

Whether you see her in private coaching or as a motivational speaker you will quickly pick up on her energy. Annette uses her energy to get people to step out of their comfort zone and reach for the sky. Having triumphed over many challenges herself she is a prime example that when you own your power you can do anything no matter what your challenges are in life.

“You have the power within yourself to have the life you always dreamt about. Many people think that this unrealistic thinking because most have been told settle for less,” she says. “Did you know that at least 70% of people are unhappy in their workplace?”

With statistics like this Annette is determined to help employers realize that it is in their benefit for their business growth to have their employees happy and motivated.

“If you look at the most succesful companies in the world you will notice that they make it their duty to have employees who are recognized for their work, happy, and motivated which greatly increases productivity, creativity, profit and people want to come to work,” Annette says. “As a leader you have a responsibility to them! Survey after survey shows that employees dont need more pay, they need a positive atmosphere that will help them grow as individuals and also help them create a balance in their life.”

Annette can help with her energy by giving a motivational speaking that is bound to motivate your employees to give their best and to learn to deal with stress.

“Stress is a daily part of life but it doesn’t have to affect people negatively. There are techniques to deal with it effectively and that is what I do in my individual sessions or in conference,” she says. “I help take away your stress.”

Annette offers a variety of conferences that will touch leadership, energy, motivation, wellness, women and adolescents. If you have any questions please email her at annette@annetteshealing.com or phone 506-625-2240.

“The journey of life is sometimes challenging but I will teach you to take the challenges you have and make a difference in this world. That`s what we’re all here to do:  is be the best we can be!”

For more information visit Annette’s Alternative Healing website.

Dr. Paul Goobie recently presented $5,000 to Danielle LeBlanc, Frye Festival Executive Director.

Dr. Paul Goobie recently presented a cheque for $5,000 to Danielle LeBlanc, Frye Festival Executive Director.

This contribution brings Dr. Goobie’s total donation over the years to more than $50,000.

The Frye Festival is Canada’s only bilingual, international literary festival and Atlantic Canada’s largest literary happening.

The Frye Festival will take place in Moncton April 23-29, 2012. For more information visit: www.frye.ca .

The five finalists of the 2012 Award will be announced in June, 2012. Selected work from the shortlisted artists will be featured in Toronto in an exhibition hosted by the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art (MOCCA) from October to December, 2012. The winner of the 2012 Sobey Art Award will be announced during a gala event at MOCCA in Toronto in November, 2012.

Curator of the Sobey Art Award, Sarah Fillmore says:

“The call for nominations is open to Canadian artists 40 and under. We welcome this opportunity to survey the Canadian art landscape and see the wealth of work being produced therein. Curators, artists, galleries, critics – we call on you to bring forward those names you feel most passionately should be on everyone’s lips. Let this tenth anniversary of the Award be its best yet.”

The 2012 curatorial advisory panel is made up of five distinguished representatives from a Canadian art gallery in each of the five regions: the Atlantic Provinces, Québec, Ontario, the Prairies and the North, and the West Coast and Yukon.

The deadline for nominations is March 1, 2012.

For more information and nominations guidelines please visit www.sobeyartaward.ca

BACKGROUND

The Art Gallery of Nova Scotia is responsible for accepting nominations for the 2012 Sobey Art Award, from recognized agents and institutions. A panel of curatorial advisors, consisting of a representative from a noted gallery in each of five regions (Atlantic, Québec, Ontario, Prairies /North, and West Coast/Yukon), develops the shortlist for the Award. The curatorial panel creates a list of five artists from each region; these are selected from the list of nominated artists, and based on their professional knowledge of their regions and of the national art scene. The curatorial panel then meets and chooses one representative from each region to be included on the national shortlist. The panel will choose the winner in November 2012.

In 2002, the Sobey Art Foundation created the largest art award for a Canadian artist age 40 or under. Since its inception the Sobey Art Award and accompanying exhibition have been organized and administered by the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Sobey Art Award.

Sobey Art Foundation
The Sobey Art Foundation was established in 1981 with a mandate to carry on the work of entrepreneur and business leader, the late Frank H. Sobey, of collecting and preserving representative examples of 19th and 20th century Canadian art. One of the finest private collections of its kind, the Sobey Art Foundation has assembled exemplary examples from Canadian Masters like Cornelius Krieghoff, Tom Thomson and J.E.H MacDonald. The collection is housed in an intimate setting at Crombie House, the former home of Frank Sobey and his wife Irene in Pictou County, Nova Scotia. Tours are regularly scheduled throughout the summer months and by appointment year round.

Art Gallery of Nova Scotia
The Art Gallery of Nova Scotia strives to act as a gateway for the visual arts in Atlantic Canada by bringing the art of the world to Nova Scotia and the art of Nova Scotia to the world. It is an agency of the Province of Nova Scotia responsible for the preservation, exhibition and education of art through its branches in Halifax and Yarmouth.

We’ve also decided to move beyond our traditional sphere of publishing – specifically, five anthologies (and counting) containing funny stories about travel and the great outdoors. This time ’round we’re opening up the contest to other genres of storytelling.

So: do you have a wacky, funny or outrageous yarn that would fit into one of the four categories we’re seeking? If so, we want to hear from you!

Please click here for complete contest guidelines in PDF format.

Story contest deadline has been extended to February 29, 2012 at midnight PCT

Jimmy Rankin picked up eight ECMA nominations today.

Singer-songwriter Jimmy Rankin has earned a leading eight music award nominations for the 2012 East Coast Music Awards.

Artist and Industry award nominations were announced today at Casino New Brunswick for East Coast Music Week 2012 to be held April 11–15 in Moncton, New Brunswick.

“Celebrating the incredible talent in Atlantic Canada and supporting the hard work of our artists is our primary focus,” said Su Hutchinson, executive director of the East Coast Music Association. “Preparations are underway for an ECMA Week that will present our artists and industry in exciting new ways.”

Several other artists followed closely behind Rankin including Classified with six nominations and David Myles, The Trews and Matt Andersen each walking away with five.

The presentation of music and industry awards will be distributed throughout the event at various times on showcasing stages, at the Industry Awards Brunch, and at the Music Awards Gala on Sunday, April 15 at Casino New Brunswick in Moncton.

Voting for music and industry awards begins on January 27th and closes March 1st. This year, there are two awards for the fans to vote on – Bell Aliant Fan’s Choice Entertainer of the Year and Bell Aliant Fan’s Choice Video of the Year. Fan’s Choice voting opens March 1 and closes April 5, 2012.

Launching today at ECMA.com is the entire showcase schedule for ECMA Week 2012, with artist performance times and award distribution highlights, as well as a few musical surprises and guest performers including Canada’s very own Maestro Fresh Wes.

April 11–15 in Moncton, New Brunswick

GALA PERFORMERS ANNOUNCED TODAY:
ECMA is ecstatic to announce the Music Awards Gala performers for 2012! Andy Brown, Ben Caplan & The Casual Smokers, Catherine MacLellan, Classified, Jimmy Rankin, Joseph Edgar, Kim Stockwood, Lisa LeBlanc, Matt Andersen, Matthew Hornell, Meaghan Smith, Roch Voisine, The Olympic Symphonium , The Once, and Tim Chaisson and Morning Fold will all share the stage Sunday, April 15, at Casino New Brunswick during the last day of East Coast Music Week 2012. To purchase tickets for official ECMA showcases as well as the Awards Gala, please visit http://www.ecma.com/Moncton. Complete showcase schedules will be available on http://ecma.com/event.asp.

Also announced today were highlights from the International Business Program being held in conjunction with East Coast Music Week. Over 50 high-profile international delegates from the around the globe, will descend upon Moncton to do business with the East Coast music industry during East Coast Music Week 2012 April 11 – 15.

“The ECMA and Atlantic Film Festival partnership program, Music & Image, brings together buyers and supervisors from the film and television industry to explore opportunities for today’s musician in the new global marketplace,” Says ECMA Conference Manager Shelley Nordstrom. “The Music & Image 2012 Program presents an In-Conversation Spotlight on Music Placements and an up- close and personal snap shot with some of Atlantic Canada’s finest artists unveiling their Music Placement Success Stories in the world of film and television.”

The ECMA 2012 International Program highlights include advanced Interactive Export Business Development sessions, pre-scheduled One-on-One Business Meetings, spotlights on America, Australia and the United Kingdom, the popular Canadian Music East Coast Style Export Buyers Showcases, and ‘Two for the Show’ – Live Performance Pitch Sessions.

The 2012 Industry Conference – ‘Turn It Up – The World Is Listening’ – features some of the music industry’s biggest and best minds, who will lead four days of seminars, forums, workshops, showcases, and business meetings.

The 2012 International Export Buyers Program and East Coast Music Week have received financial support from the Government of Canada through the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) Business Development Program and Service Canada, MUSICACTION, the Department of Canadian Heritage (Interpretation and Translation, and Canada Music Fund) and the Government of New Brunswick. The East Coast Music Association would also like to acknowledge the financial support of FACTOR and of Canada’s private radio broadcasters.

East Coast Music Week 2012 will take place in Moncton, New Brunswick, from April 11–15.

The event is part of the ECMA’s mandate to foster, promote and develop East Coast music.

Complete List of Nominees

Bell Aliant Fan’s Choice Entertainer of the Year
Artiste de l’année – Choix du public – Présenté par Bell Aliant
BLOU
Dave Gunning
David Myles
George Canyon
Hey Rosetta!
In-Flight Safety
Jenn Grant
Jimmy Rankin
Matt Andersen
Paper Lions
The Trews
Tim Chaisson and Morning Fold

Bell Aliant Fan’s Choice Video of the Year
Vidéoclip de l’année – Choix du public– Présenté par Bell Aliant
Classified – The Day Doesn’t Die (Feat. David Myles) (Director: RT)
David Myles – Simple Pleasures (Director: Hiep Vu)
George Canyon – Better Be Home Soon (Director: Oswaldo Quiroz)
Ghettosocks – Stolen Kicks (Director: Darrell Faria)
Gypsophilia – Agricola & Sarah (Directors: Sydney Smith, Jason Levangie)
Hey Rosetta! – Bandages (Director: Noah Pink)
Jimmy Rankin – Here in My Heart (Director: Jeth Weinrich)
Jimmy Rankin – I’m Just Saying (Director: Jeth Weinrich)
Matt Andersen – Fired Up (Director: Troy Niemans)
The Trews – Hope & Ruin (Director: Drew Lightfood)
Three Sheet – Stamina (iphone4!) (Director: Aram Kouyouamdjian)
Tim Chaisson and Morning Fold – Slippin’ Away (Director: J.P. Poliquin)

African – Canadian Recording of the Year
Enregistrement de l’année – Musique afro-canadienne
Awakening Souls – God Is Love
Ghettochild – In the Making
Stahmenah – Rasta Love
Stahmenah – Stahmenah Rewind

Album of the Year
Album de l’année
Catherine MacLellan – Silhouette (Producers: David Baxter & Catherine MacLellan)
Hey Rosetta! – Seeds (Producer: Tony Doogan)
Jenn Grant – Honeymoon Punch (Producer: Daniel Ledwell)
Jimmy Rankin – Forget About the World (Producer: Bill Bell)
Matt Andersen – Coal Mining Blues (Producer: Colin Linden)
Ron Hynes – Stealing Genius (Producer: Paul Mills)

Blues Recording of the Year
Enregistrement de l’année – Blues
Dan Doiron – Even My Guitar is in Love With You
John Campbelljohn – Celtic Blues
Matt Andersen – Coal Mining Blues
The Hupman Brothers – Loveseat Volume 1 & 2
The Terry Whalen Band – The Terry Whalen Band – A Work in Progress

Children’s Recording of the Year
Enregistrement de l’année – Jeunesse
Art Richard – Chanter, danser et s’amuzzzer avec Art Richard
Colleen Power with Crooked Stovepipe – For Little Ones
Dan Bursey – God is in My Corner
First Nations Songwriting Sessions with Angelo Spinazzola – First Nations Songwriting Sessions with Angelo Spinazzola
Keith Mullins/Thom Swift/Steven Bowers – The Wood Buffalo Youth Song Project
On The Back Porch – Tales Tall & True

Classical Recording of the Year
Enregistrement de l’année – Classique
Duo Cantilena – The Green Bushes: Dances, Airs and Lullabies
La Tour Baroque Duo – Les caractères de la danse
New Brunswick Youth Orchestra – MUSIKFREUNDE – Friends of Music
Newman Sound Men’s Choir – The Green and Salty Days
Scott Macmillan – Within Sight of Shore

Country Recording of the Year
Enregistrement de l’année – Country
George Canyon – Better Be Home Soon
Gordie Sampson – Almost Beautiful
Jimmy Rankin – Forget About the World
Ryan Cook – Peaks & Valleys
Tara Oram – Revival

DVD of the Year
DVD de l’année
Art Richard – Chanter, danser et s’amuzzzer (Director: Art Richard/Vincent Bordage)
George Belliveau – George Belliveau ”live” au Rockin’ Rodeo (Director: Botsford Productions)
Scott Macmillan – Within Sight of Shore (Director: Ian Macmillan)
Shelter with Thieves – Live at The Seahorse (Director: Terrance Hand)

Folk Recording of the Year
Enregistrement de l’année – Folk
Catherine MacLellan – Silhouette
Christina Martin – A House Concert
David Myles – Live At The Carleton
Ian Foster – The Evening Light
Jordan Cameron – My, What a Lovely Hate
Madison Violet – The Good in Goodbye

Francophone Recording of the Year
Enregistrement francophone de l’année
George Belliveau – whisky amer
Luc Tardif – Et sans aucune raison apparente
Tradition – Un Autre

Gospel Recording of the Year
Enregistrement de l’année – Gospel
Derrick Paul Miller – It Is Well…
Devin Cooke – Be Ready
Elizabeth Deveau – A Joyous Hallelujah
Mike Biggar – The Season
The Sky Family – Celtic Revival

Group Recording of the Year
Enregistrement de l’année – Groupe
Chris Colepaugh and the Crew – Missed A Page
Gypsophilia – Constellation
Hey Rosetta! – Seeds
The Navigators – Soldiers & Sailors
The Olympic Symphonium – The City Won’t Have Time To Fight
The Trews – Hope & Ruin

Jazz Recording of the Year
Enregistrement de l’année – Jazz
Gypsophilia – Constellation
Jake Hanlon – Follow
Jeri Brown – Storytelling
Ocean Sounds Quartet – Live at the Ship’s Company Theatre
Robin Jessome Quintet – For Whatever Reason

Loud Recording of the Year
Enregistrement de l’année – Loud
Death Valley Driver – Choke The River
Dischord – Casualties of War
Get Bodied – Harbingers
Hero’s Last Rite – Inevitable is the End
Shelter with Thieves – Someday is Never Soon Enough
Uigg – Of Moose and Men

Pop Recording of the Year
Enregistrement de l’année – Pop
Andrew James O’Brien – Songs for Searchers
Carleton Stone – Carleton Stone
Classified – Handshakes And Middle Fingers
Molly Thomason – Beauty Queen
Rebekah Higgs – Odd Fellowship
Ria Mae – Under Your Skin

Rap / Hip–Hop Recording of the Year
Enregistrement de l’année – Rap / hip-hop
Classified
Something Good
Teenburger
Three Sheet
Twin Peaks

Rising Star Recording of the Year
Enregistrement de l’année – Étoiles de demain
Babette Hayward – You Might Be Somebody
Brooke Miller – Brooke Miller
Carmen Townsend – Waitin’ and Seein’
Keith Mullins – Localmotive Farm
Molly Thomason – Beauty Queen
Ryan Cook – Peaks & Valleys

Rock Recording of the Year
Enregistrement de l’année – Rock
Andrew Hunter & The Gatherers – Warhorses
Carmen Townsend – Waitin’ and Seein’
Gloryhound – Electric Dusk
Jenn Grant – Honeymoon Punch
Mark Bragg – Your Kiss
The Long Distance Runners – The Long Distance Runners
The Trews – Hope & Ruin

Roots / Traditional Group Recording of the Year
Enregistrement de l’année – Folklore / traditionnel – Groupe
Bb Sisters – Versatility
Before The Mast – Rolling down
Cassie and Maggie MacDonald – Fresh Heirs
Kenneth and Angus MacKenzie – Pìob is Fidheall
Rawlins Cross – Heart Head Hands
Ten Strings & A Goat Skin – Tri
The Navigators – Soldiers & Sailors

Roots / Traditional Solo Recording of the Year
Enregistrement de l’année – Folklore / traditionnel – Artiste solo
Angelo Spinazzola – Beautifully Imperfect
Irish Mythen – Open Here
Katherine Moller – Bright-Eyed and Bushy-Haired
Kim Stockwood – Back to the Water

Solo Recording of the Year
Enregistrement de l’année – Artiste solo
Catherine MacLellan – Silhouette
Classified – Handshakes and Middle Fingers
Gordie Sampson – Almost Beautiful
Jimmy Rankin – Forget About the World
Matt Andersen – Coal Mining Blues
Ron Hynes – Stealing Genius

Songwriter of the Year
Auteur-compositeur de l’année
Classified – That Ain’t Classy (Composer: Luke Boyd)
David Myles – Simple Pleasures (Composer: David Myles)
George Canyon – Sacrifice (Composers: George Canyon & Dean Brody)
Jimmy Rankin – Here in My Heart (Composers: Jimmy Rankin & Patricia Conroy)
Mark Bragg – Roll Baby Roll (Composer: Mark Bragg)
Paper Lions – Stay Here For A While (Composers: Rob MacPhee, John MacPhee, Colin Buchanan & David Cyrus MacDonald)

Song of the Year
Chanson de l’année
Classified – That Ain’t Classy
David Myles – Simple Pleasures
Jenn Grant – Getcha Good
Jimmy Rankin – Here in My Heart
Paper Lions – Stay Here For A While
The Trews – Hope & Ruin

World Recording of the Year
Enregistrement de l’année – Musiques du monde
Chris Church – Across the Sea
Keith Mullins – Localmotive Farm
Mia Martina – Devotion
Stahmenah – Rasta Love
THE FLUMMIES – THE FLUMMIES

2012 Industry Awards
Prix de l’Industrie 2012

Audio Professional of the Year
Professionnel de l’audio de l’année
Chris Colepaugh
Dale Murray
Daniel Ledwell
Dave Skinner
Denmark Productions Recording Studio
Ferguson Music Productions
Jon Matthews
Nick Fowler

Event/Venue of the Year
Événement/Salle de spectacle de l’année
Festival of Small Halls
Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival
New Glasgow Riverfront Jubilee
SappyFest
The Carleton Music Bar & Grill

Graphic/Media Artist of the Year
Artiste de l’année – Arts médiatiques/Arts graphiques
Cheryl Smith
CHR!S SM!TH
Daniel Ledwell
Jocelyne Vautour
Mark Young
Scott Blackburn

Management/Manager of the Year
Gérant/Maison de gérance de l’année
Forward Music Group
Ian McKinnon/GroundSwell Music
Jason Burns
Jeff Liberty – JL Artists
Music for Good

Media Outlet/Contributor of the Year
Média/Collaborateur des médias de l’année
101.5 The Hawk
Doug Gallant
East Coast Countdown
Karen Mair
Mark Roberts East Coast Music Show
The Buzz
Wendy Bergfeldt

Retail/Company of the Year
Détaillant/Entreprise de l’année
GroundSwell Music
Malkin Music / Cyber PR Army
Marcato Digital Solutions
Sound of Pop

Narrators for the night will be: Amanda Curti, Louise Edwards, Maggie Pitts, Ian Mauro, John Murchie, and Zacharias Kunuk. Our featured orators will spin a range of ten-minute tales about new babies and no running water, Italian grandmothers, lying mothers, pleasure principles, weird science, and straddling the gap between the Stone Age and Digital Age.

Amanda Curti is a student at Mount Allison University; Louise Edwards is an Assistant Professor of Physics at MTA; Ian Mauro is a Canada Research Chair in Human Dimensions of Environmental Change at MTA; John Murchie is the former coordinator of Struts Gallery; and Maggie Pitts is a Geographic Information Systems Analyst.

Special guest Zacharias Kunuk is the Nunavut-based Director of Atanarjuat The Fast Runner. Kunuk is visiting the region under the auspices of Mount Allison’s Centre for Canadian Studies and the Department of Geography and Environment. He will be screening films on February 5th and 6th, details of which can be found on the Mount Allison website.

The Baked Ham takes place at the Royal Canadian Legion, Branch #26, 15 Lorne Street, Sackville, New Brunswick and is open to the public. There is a suggested donation of $5.00 and all proceeds go towards funding future speakers for the Baked Ham Community Speaker Series.

This series hopes to create an informal environment to share ideas and conversation on a variety of topics. Admission is open to the public, though it is a licensed event. Baked Ham is supported by the Owens Art Gallery, Struts Gallery, and CHMA radio, 106.9FM. For more information contact: info@redesignsackville.com or lgarnett@mta.ca. You can also visit our Facebook page.

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

Deadline February 21

As part of the W(here) Festival, community members and local artists are encouraged to submit an idea for a field trip or performative walk in Pictou County, NS.

Field trips may take place anywhere and be between 1 and 2 hours. Through walking and talking, this project seeks to discover new stories about “place” in Pictou County and share local knowledge in an artistic way.

Lead us to a special place, start a conversation or tell us a site-specific story. Is there something to do when we arrive? What makes this place special? Delve into history or make your own.

Field trips can be informal or staged. All forms of presentation are encouraged from historical research and tour, to on-location performance and site-specific sculpture. Artists, poets, storytellers, historians, filmmakers, environmentalists and star-gazers are all welcome to submit their idea for consideration by February 21st. Three walks will be selected and an honorarium of $250 paid to field trip hosts.

Through visiting local sites and listening to local stories, the goal of Walking in Place is to encourage new ways of thinking about “here”.

Your proposal should include:

- 1 page description (where you will take us? what will we talk about? what will we see?)

- 100 word biography (who are you, what do you do or make?, CV encouraged but not necessary)

- images, video, audio (Images and other media can add rich content to your proposal)

Some ideas:

- lead us through the night and tell us about the night sky

- read a poem you have written in the place it was inspired

- play us a piece of music on location

- take us on a boat tour, a picnic, a hike and tell us a tale

- lead us in a drawing class or another workshop in an interesting place

How to Submit:

Email your submission to wherefestival@gmail.com by Feb 21 2012 with the subject “Submission”. Documents may be Microsoft Word (.doc) or Adobe PDFs (.pdf). Pictures .jpg only please.

If you would like to discuss your idea before you submit, please contact Mary directly at wherefestival@gmail.com, 647 389 6393, or arrange a Skype chat. She is happy to discuss any questions you may have about this project and the festival more broadly.

ABOUT THE FESTIVAL

W(here) Festival – June 26th to June 30th 2012

Where? Here.
Placing rural art practices on the map in Pictou County
In June 2012 the W(here) Festival* begins and ends on its feet, exploring ideas of place, art, and community. Taking place in Pictou County, Nova Scotia, local and visiting artists will lead audiences in a series of “field trips” engaging participants in an interactive way. In addition, the festival will feature an exciting evening of local artist talks, a special roundtable discussion about place-based art, and a public video drive-in downtown.

Discover new terrain, new histories, and new possibilities for artistic thinking at the W(here) Festival this spring in Pictou County. All events are free and family friendly.

Visiting Artists

Marlene Creates is an acclaimed environmental artist and poet who lives and works in Portugal Cove, Newfoundland. Born in Montreal, Creates studied visual arts at Queen’s University (ON). For over thirty years her work has been an exploration of the relationship between human experience, memory, language and the land, and the impact they have on each other. http://www.marlenecreates.ca

Sheilah Wilson was born in Caribou River (NS) and studied photography at the Instituto Allende (Mexico) and visual art at NSCAD University before receiving her Masters of Fine Arts from Goldsmiths College (UK). Wilson’s work is an investigation of the seam that binds experience to language, story to teller and fantasy to history through photography, site-specific public art and performance. http://sheilahwilson.com

Curator

Mary MacDonald is an artist, arts administrator and curator hailing from Pictou. Mary graduated from Mount Allison University (BFA 2006) and is presently studying towards a Masters of Fine Arts in Criticism & Curatorial Practice at OCAD University (Toronto). Most recently as Assistant Director of Eastern Edge Gallery (St. John’s), Mary organized the presentation of exhibitions and events, facilitated community programming, and produced the graphic design for the gallery. http://mfmacdonald.wordpress.com

The W(here) Festival is a part of Mary MacDonald’s graduate thesis work and ongoing research and is supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.

* Pronounced Where Here Festival

Money received from Canadian Heritage is invested to assure that the Capitol Theatre’s Presents Season, which has evolved over the past ten years, is balanced and varied. Marc Chouinard, the Capitol Theatre’s General Manager is grateful for this Federal government’s contribution: “While playing the central role as southeastern New Brunswick’s only state of the arts facility, we feel that the Government’s continued support to our organization helps us compliment the offering of other performing arts centres in the region. This government’s commitment to culture is important to not only those working in the creative economy, but necessary to enhance the quality of life of all Canadians.”

Two exciting seasons under way!
Offerings from the following sectors remain priorities for the Capitol Theatre: Family/youth, contemporary dance and classical ballet, world music, East Coast/Acadian music, English Theatre, classical music. The primary focus of the theatre’s 2012-2013 Season entitled When I grow up, I’m going to run away and join the Circus is of course, circus performances. “Since Moncton held the World Junior Athletics Championship in 2010, a burgeoning circus audience was nourished with the creation and performances of Circus Stella in our region,” said Chouinard. The circus acts proposed for 2012-2013 are from the East Coast, Quebec, the United States and China.

The 2013-2014 Season We are the world promises to be equally exciting with the presentations of an eclectic group of world music artists. Chouinard adds, “These shows will increase the visibility and enhance the promotion of world music in the region as well as foster a greater sense of connection to cultures from around the world.”

For more information on the Capitol Theatre as well as the many shows and events, please visit the website www.capitol.nb.ca.

4 – A celebration of our seasons
The theme for this semester is 4 – A celebration of our seasons. Whereas the previous themes Pétcudiac and Resurgo Redux focused on the history of our community, and Hey! We live in a Diverse Community focused on the present day, 4 will be focused on the beautiful and varied environment of the region. According to school director Tim Borlase, “the goal is to show our appreciation of our land by creating a collective piece of theatre that presents the beauty and feeling of an entire year’s cycle in the Moncton area. As more and more Canadians arrive in our communities, this theme will show the rhythms of the seasons and how aboriginal cultures in NB created a culture and lifestyle that related to them. It will also show how adaptations became modified as new people settled in the region.”

A curriculum made for all ages
The school’s curriculum focuses on the Department of Education interwoven themes of creation, appreciation and performances. Students are led through stimulating journeys in improvisation, storytelling, script analysis, characterization, voice production, movement and mime.

The Rising Stars class is for children in grades 3-5 (Feb 4-April 28, $240); On Stage is for children in grades 6-8 (February 4-April 28, $300). For those who want to work in video, The Creators – Camera! Action! will give you the tools. This class will take place from February 6 to May 1 ($300). The Master Class (Grades 9-Adult) will help the students bust out of their 9-5 job and delve into the world of drama! For students with theatrical experience who wish to further hone their skills, they can audition for Encore! People from grade 8 teenagers to adults are accepted in this class ($310). It will start on February 7 and end on May 1st ($310). There is an additional opportunity for adults in the form of short courses in directing, technical production, playwriting and clown for people. These workshops are $100 and are offered according to participants’ availability.

There is a discount available for early registrations (10% before January 21), seniors, post-secondary students and teachers (20%). There is also a 30% for a second family member based on the lower tuition fee. A bursary for each class is provided for those who have an interest in theatre but limited financial means.

More information as well as a registration sheet is available at www.capitol.nb.ca. People may also contact Tim Borlase, Director or Lynne Surette at 506-383-6200 or tim@capitol.nb.ca lynne@capitol.nb.ca for further details.

Esther Clowater Sarchfield of McNamee, NB, holds her prize, a signed copy of Doug Underhill's best-selling book. (Photo by Les McLaughlin.)

Recently Bread ‘n Molasses magazine held two different contests where winners were awarded a signed copy of Doug Underhill’s most recent book, Salmon Country.

Before the holidays we asked our followers on Facebook and Twitter to sign up for our email updates and we would pick one winner from all our online subscribers. Congratulations to B. Godin from Oromocto, NB, who won that contest!

More recently, during our annual Twelve Days of Christmas event, we asked readers to leave comments on each post for a chance to win Doug’s book. We received many positive comments and Esther Clowater Sarchfield from McNamee, NB was the winner.

Congratulations to both our winners and thank you to everyone who entered!

Congratulations also to Miramichi author, Doug Underhill, as Goose Lane Editions have just announced that his book, Salmon Country, was their number one top-selling book for 2011! Way to go, Doug! You make Miramichi proud!