Guest curator John Leroux, ONB
John has practiced in the fields of art history, architecture, visual art, curation, and education. He holds a Bachelor of Architecture (McGill), a M.A. in Art History (Concordia), and a PhD in History (UNB). He has worked at award-winning architecture firms in Canada and the United States, and has taught at the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design, the University of New Brunswick, and St. Thomas University. He has won awards for architectural and public art projects throughout Canada, and was a team member of Canada’s entry at the 2012 Venice Biennale in Architecture. For many years, he was chief curator at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery in Fredericton. A passionate advocate for the arts and for architectural conservancy, John has authored 21 books on architecture and visual culture.
He has volunteered on boards dealing with heritage, health, technology, culture, and homeless housing. He was a personal tour guide to Prince (now King) Charles;been a cast member in four feature film documentaries on New Brunswick architecture and art;and played varsity university lacrosse at the age of 43. Along with his wife Meghan, he is the father of Tait and Ana. John was awarded the Order of New Brunswick in 2024.
Opening: Saturday 25 July 2026, 2:00-4:00 pm
Tour the exhibition with John Leroux starting at 2:30 pm.
The early 1970s were a time of deep social and cultural change in New Brunswick. The era witnessed diverging views on what it meant to be a connected citizen, and how material items held deeper consequence.
Mactaquac became a beacon for this movement, where a group of young artisans opened one of Canada’s most celebrated cultural enterprises: Opus Craft Village. Fuelled by the growing interest in the handmade and a back-to-the-land spirit, Opus and its artists are a fascinating tale of a creative destination briefly glowing bright and extinguished far too soon.
In 1971, two young potters Allan Crimmins (1943-2020) and Bill Norman (b.1942) opened a studio near Mactaquac, and were soon joined by American-born glassblower Martin Demaine (b.1942). With audiences hungry for locally handmade objects, Crimmins devised a full-time craft village based on successful European precedents. A studio campus was built across the road from Mactaquac Provincial Park, and Opus Craft Village officially opened on June 21, 1975. New Brunswick Premier Richard Hatfield cut the ceremonial ribbon in front of an enthusiastic crowd of 500 onlookers – his white Bricklin in the parking lot nearby. In addition to Crimmins, Norman, and Demaine, the original Opus craftspeople included Martin’s wife Sue Demaine (wax candles), Bill Graff (ceramics), David and Barbara Murphy (leatherwork), Don Pell (blown glass and ironwork), Jane McLellan (wax candles), Paddy Ormiston (glass blowing), and other apprentices.
Opus set out to demystify how crafts are made and to promote craftsmanship in the province. Visitors and buyers were welcome to tour the studios and meet the makers in a real workshop setting. Opus positively affected the spirit and harmony of the community, and attitudes throughout the province incorporated new creative ideas and artistic experimentation.
At its peak, Opus Craft Village housed seven craft studios and 25 craftspeople. When Queen Elizabeth visited New Brunswick in 1976, her official gift from the province was a set of six hand-blown glass goblets made at Opus. But like all good things, it wouldn’t last. After Opus was sold to a local businessman in 1978-79, challenges arose between the artists and the new owner, and the original craftspeople left. By 1983, Opus Craft Village had closed its doors.
It was the end of an era, as the ensuing decade saw changes in the types of fine craft that appealed to the public. But for the original Opus artisans, it was a stepping stone to longer careers in craft. Beyond the handmade creativity Opus Craft Village offered, and its innumerable items that were sent around the world, perhaps the greatest gift Opus offered was a sharing and an understanding of different ways of living and creating.