For the 6th consecutive year, this July and August the Fredericton Region Museum is set to open a gallery as a studio for a local artist. The museum’s artist-in-residence program is run annually as a collaboration with artists to encourage a relationship between historical institutions and the art industry.

This summer, the museum will be welcoming two artists, each joining the program for 3 weeks. Beginning her residency on July 3rd is Melissa Kennedy, and Mary Grant will begin on August 7th.  During their respective residencies they will complete a series of works that is tied to and inspired by history.

Melissa is working on a small scale sculpture in clay based on a poem written by New Brunswick poet, Charles G. D. Roberts (1860-1943).  In “Philander’s Song”, Charles describes himself reading when his eye is caught by a charming woman as she passes by.

Philander’s Song
(from “The Sprightly Pilgrim”)
I sat and read Anacreon.
Moved by the gay, delicious measure
I mused that lips were made for love,
And love to charm a poet’s leisure.
And as I mused a maid came by
With something in her look that caught me.
Forgotten was Anacreon’s line,
But not the lesson he had taught me

Melissa is excited about this project because it combines aspects from all of her post-secondary education.  She studied poetry while at the University of New Brunswick, costume design at the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design and sculpture at the Florence Academy of Art in Florence in Italy (where she now teaches).

Mary will be using traditional rug hooking techniques to create a montage of the Ingraham family’s flight from the eastern seaboard, their arrival in New Brunswick by boat in late September, survival through the first winter and settlement of farms, etc.

Mary is a Certified Rug Hooking Instructor with the Rug Hooking Guild of Nova Scotia.  She began rug hooking in 2002 and is currently the President of the Rug Hooking Guild of Nova Scotia (RHGNS).  She also has a Master’s Degree in Industrial and Vocational Education focusing on teaching skills to adults.  She is a member of the Heritage Rug Hooking Guild of New Brunswick – Fredericton, the Association of Traditional Hooking Artists, the Rug Hooking Guild of Newfoundland and Labrador and the Fibre Artists’ Network.

We are excited to welcome Melissa and Mary to the museum and look forward to seeing to results of their hard work.  We are thankful to the city of Fredericton for the funding for this project.

A reception will be held at the museum on Wednesday, July 26th at 7pm.  We welcome all guests, however, we ask that you let us know that you will be joining us in advance so that we can put out enough chairs.