Caroline Walker, Joel Rumson
Students from high schools in St. George, Saint Andrews, St. Stephen, and Campobello will participate in the first-ever arts festival—a day of exploration, creativity, and discussion—at Sunbury Shores Arts & Nature Centre on April 25, 2025.
Across the art studios, gallery media lab, local artists, art instructors, and volunteers will guide students through a full day of printmaking, ceramics, metalwork, painting, and drawing, alongside literacy skills development through Word Art and filmmaking using cell phones in the media lab.
Supported by generous funding from the Sheila Hugh Mackay Foundation (SHMF), and with assistance from Cox Electronics, the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design, and Sir James Dunn Academy (SJDA), the festival aims to engage Charlotte County high school students in exploring their creativity and highlighting potential career pathways in the arts.
Conceived by SJDA art teacher Angel Commins, the festival’s goal is to deepen student engagement in the visual arts—an area that may not have been strongly emphasized during their education. Scheduled activities for the day include Word Art/Blackout Poetry, lino printmaking, jewelry-making with copper, glazing ceramic pendants, drawing in the style of Banksy, painting pet portraits, and creating experimental films using iPhones or Android devices.
In addition, “The Adventures of Rivetboy,” a film by Saint Andrews filmmaker David Norris, will be featured. Feedback from participants will be collected by a student documentary team from SJDA, working alongside videographer Dawson Hatt of Blacks Harbour.
The arts festival is a community-driven event, with local artists, instructors, and volunteers generously donating their time and expertise to support the students. Following the festival, the student-produced documentary will be posted on the Sunbury Shores website for all to enjoy.
