Totality: David Hunter and James Wilson
2025-10-04 - 2025-11-08
The show is open from October 4, to November 7. The opening is on Saturday, October 18 from 2pm-4pm

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We are pleased to invite you to a special guided tour of our current exhibition, led by exhibiting artist, David Hunter.

Thursday, October 23 from 6:30pm-7:30pm
The Andrew & Laura McCain Art Gallery, 8 McCain St, Florenceville-Bristol

This tour offers a unique opportunity to gain insight into the artist’s creative process, inspiration, and the stories behind the works on display.

Admission is always free, and all are welcome to attend.

James Wilson
James Wilson is a fine art photographer living and working from his home based studio in Hampton, New Brunswick. His art works are in many public, corporate, and private collections throughout North America and Europe. He specializes in large format rural landscapes, still-life, and natural-light black and white studio portraits which he calls “Social Studies”. He has been teaching photography and mentoring people on the art of the medium internationally for 19 years, with annual workshops in Mexico, Italy, and Japan.
“…My approach to making these photographs was not as a scientist, but as an artist. So I experimented slightly to explore different effects mostly through exposure changes and zooming in and out.
Properly exposing the image of the corona of the sun around the moon would stay white like one would naturally expect as shown in this first image. (Leftmost)
Underexposing the image the corona would take on a much warmer look which some might find more appealing as shown in the image. (#2)
There was a point when the corona expanded and as I remembered it seemed to have a slight cyan colour. (#3)
This is a classic shot that eclipse photographers try to always get when the sun is slightly exiting its hidden stat behind the moon with a bright flare. It’s called the ‘Diamond Ring Shot’. (#4)
This image I took just after putting my solar eclipse filter back on the camera lens. It exaggerated the flaring of the sun coming out from behind the moon and added more drama to the event. (Rightmost)” -James Wilson
“Total solar eclipses are very rare occurrences for any given spot on Earth…Prior to 8th April, 2024, the last total solar eclipse in central New Brunswick happened in 932! Therefore, since the last total solar eclipse in Central NB has been more than 1000 years ago, and that the path of 2024 totality went through Central Carleton County, a special effort was mounted to bring this to the attention of the community and nation. However, there was a potential problem: there was a 70% probability that it would be cloudy on the day of the eclipse. Therefore, a project was started to send a stratospheric balloon above any clouds to observe the eclipse.” -David Hunter
Science Engineering Team for the Total Solar Eclipse Balloon Project
David Hunter, BSc, MSc
In his professional life he was involved in the development of high resolution X-ray digital mammography systems based on the material amorphous selenium. This work was conducted at the University of Toronto and the affiliated Sunnybrook Research Institute. He has had a long standing interest in physics, astronomy, meteorology, and electronics, which all contributed to the development of the Total Solar Eclipse Balloon Project.
Lewis Cobb, MSc
An Electrical Engineer from the University of New Brunswick, his career is in industrial microcontroller system design and he was involved in contributions pertaining to 3D modeling, 3D printing, and CNC routing.
Stephen Downward, BCS
A graduate of the University of New Brunswick, he worked in communications, programming, and electronics.
Dr. Don Plewes, Phd
Professor Emeritus from the Department of Medical Biophysics of the University of Toronto, his contributions related to the engineering design of the project testing, analysis and mathematics, and general advice.
Tom Sisk, MSc
A retired Electrical Engineer who worked at NB Power, Irving, and Coleson Cove, contributed to the engineering design of the project and payload, as well as general advice.
Ken Strauss, MSc
A retired Electrical Engineer who worked with Comshare and Ontario Hydro made contributions related to the mechanical design and testing of the Balloon Solar Eclipse Project.

University of New Brunswick Student Engineering Team

UNB Liaison and Faculty
Troy Lavigne, Project Officer, Electrical and Computer Engineering, UNB
Andy Simoneau, Chair, Department of Mechanical Engineering, UNB

UNB Engineering Student Project Group 1
Roshan Peri
Savishta Rattun
Jacob Snider
Benjamin Thomson

UNB Engineering Student Project Group 2
Ethan Albert Garnier
Spencer Frederick Gowlett
Alex Thomas Johnson
Zachary Michael Titus

UNB Engineering Student Project Group 3
Olivia DeMerchant
Zachary Demerson
Matthew Snell
Zoe Devries
To learn more about the Total Solar Eclipse Balloon Project, click the button below.
Learn more!

Sarah Petite, The Line is the Canon
2026-02-14 - 2026-03-21
“In 2015, for the second time in my long practice, I became impatient with the eternal rectangle. I began experimenting with shapes, cut from plywood and intruded with meandering jigsaw ‘lines’. Everything the jigsaw does is like a line that can’t ever be erased. It’s the given, the canon. The paint has to answer to it.

A shape in my head becomes a sketch, becomes a plywood cutout, becomes a photograph, becomes a more precise sketch, printed out, for plotting the painting – which sometimes takes a few days before I pounce. Gazing at the beautiful shape. The paint – its colours, how it is applied, how its expression responds to the shape, is the project.
It’s true, my paintings are about encaustic paint, they reflect my fascination with its virtuosity, and the beauty and richness to be found in its effects. The process itself is what has kept me loyal to this medium for many years.” Sarah Petite
For a YouTube introduction to Sarah, Click Here
Born Pennsylvania, U.S.A., Sarah grew up near Boston and then settled in Canada, receiving Canadian citizenship in 1971. Sarah attended the Nova Scotia College of Art And Design, graduating with a BFA in Painting and in 1985 she studied Art History (early Christian, 12th century European, 16th century Italian architecture), at the University of East Anglia, Norwich, England. Sarah is represented at Gallery on Queen, Fredericton and is in major public and private collections in Canada. Having lived in various parts of Canada, Singapore, Italy, and England, she currently splits her time between Port Maitland, Nova Scotia and Fredericton NB.
Sarah began encaustic painting, and was largely self-taught. She won the Marie Hélène Allain Fellowship Award from the Sheila Hugh MacKay Foundation in 2022 for her encaustic work. As part of its mandate to promote the visual arts in New Brunswick, the SHMF recognises the accomplishments of mid-career New Brunswick artists who are engaged in the exploration and deepening of their creative endeavour. The jury was convinced by the accomplishments and perseverance Sarah demonstrates in discovering new directions through considered engagement with her materials and process, revealing a practice that contributes to and is in discourse with modernist painting traditions.
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“With encaustic, ‘hot’, or melted, means ‘wet’. Beeswax and pigment are combined in a small can (tomato paste, actually), melted down and dipped into. I use natural-bristle brushes whose long handles have been sawn off, to allow them to stand ready in the paint without tipping the can over. The paint stays ‘wet’ for about ten seconds, after which I must dip again, or may begin to cut and sculpt, using a variety of tools. The heat gun allows me to re-melt the paint right on the panel, making for textural enhancements like troweling, stippling or puddling”. Sarah Petite

Pop-Up Art Show: Artworks by Colin Smith, Jenna Ross, and Celia Gallardo
2026-05-21 16:30 - 17:30 (America/Halifax) | River Art Centre, 8746 Main St., Florenceville-Bristol, New Brunswick
Join us at the River Art Centre on Thursday, May 21st for a Pop-Up Art Show made up of works by local Artists Colin Smith, Jenna Ross, and Celia Gallardo!
Colin, Jenna, and Celia were accepted into the 2026 Territorial Dialogue Residency, a residency designed to foster artistic research and creation in a linguistically diverse environment. This program is a collaboration between the New Brunswick Arts Centre Association and the Centre des arts d’Edmundston, with support from the Ministry of Official Languages.
This Pop-Up show will contain works created by Colin, Jenna, and Celia for everyone to come see!

Terre de passions: St. Pierre et Miquelon
2026-06-13 - 2026-07-11
A Photographic Portrait by French artist, Gregory Pol
Grégory Pol is a renowned French photographer whose work explores landscapes and the natural environment. A former navigator and diver in the French Navy, he lived for three years in Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, an archipelago off the coast of Newfoundland. Since then, he has continued to return to the islands, developing a body of work shaped by his experiences on the islands with its open, wild spaces.
Through photography, Pol documents the landscapes and wildlife of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon. His images reflect his ongoing engagement with the territory and its environment, offering perspectives informed by recurrent observation and repeated encounters with the islands.
Grégory Pol’s practice is grounded in a sustained connection to the natural world. As an artist, sailor, and avid scuba diver, he brings an understanding of place that informs his photographic exploration of these islands.Often associated with a fishing history, Saint-Pierre and Miquelon remain unfamiliar to many people. This exhibition provides an opportunity to encounter the archipelago through his eyes, images taken over multiple visits explore the natural beauty of Saint-Pierre, Miquelon, and Langlade, tracing the changing conditions, landforms, wildlife and rhythms of the seasons.
Saint Pierre and Miquelon is a self-governing territory of France located near Newfoundland and Labrador. It is an archipelago of eight islands, covering 242 km2 (93 sq mi) of land. It had an estimated population of 5,513 in 2026 and its residents are French citizens; they elect their own deputy who represents them in the French National Assembly.

OPUS: A Handmade VIllage, Guest Curator John Leroux
2026-07-18 - 2026-08-22
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.
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20 July 2026
Hi Jennifer,
This is wonderful news. Opus craft village was a wonderful adventure. We built the village and created wonderful art and craft. We learned we
could make any dream come true.
One story that comes to mind is that the three principals, Bill Norman, Alan Crimmins, and I, didn’t want to waste time in meetings. So we decided
anyone could make a decision for Opus Craft Village. We discovered that our decisions were very carefully made and likely better this way. We
wanted to spend time creating.
An extreme example of this was the checking account which required 2 signatures on each check. We practiced each others signatures so one person could sign both names. If two of us were available at the same time to sign a check, we would not sign our own names. We would sign each others name with a smile.
I remember Alan bought a woodlot, and the three of us would go and cut down trees to go to the sawmill to be used in Opus. We found an architect from
Montreal who was travelling through. He was excited about being part of crew constructing the buildings. It was a family atmosphere.
I am currently in San Diego and unable to come to the gallery.
The images you sent look fantastic.
Best,
Martin Demaine

Jennie Weeks: A Life with Art
2026-07-18 - 2026-08-29
Celebration reception, 22 August 2026, 2-4 pm. Everyone is welcome. Light refreshments will be served.
Jennie Weeks of Woodstock, New Brunswick, discovered her passion for painting as a child. After receiving art lessons as a Christmas gift from her husband, Dean, she studied with artist Lloyd Fitzgerald in Fredericton and Woodstock, where she developed a distinctive photorealist style in acrylic on canvas.
Throughout her artistic journey, Jennie found her greatest inspiration in the people and places she loved. Jennie’s studio was in the living room of the family home. Surrounded by the life of her musical family, she painted what was most important. Her children, and especially her grandchildren, became the subjects of a remarkable series of slightly larger-than-life portraits that capture their spirited expressions and individual personalities with warmth and sensitivity. Her body of work also reflects a lifelong commitment to mastering the figure, alongside paintings of the landscapes of Carleton County, cherished family pets, and carefully observed still lifes.
Influenced by the work of Mary Pratt, Jennie approached each painting with patience, precision, and an appreciation for the quiet beauty of everyday life. A dedicated member of the Woodstock Art Club, she continued to paint with unwavering enthusiasm throughout her life. Her final canvas remains on her easel, with only a few details left to complete—a poignant reminder of an artistic journey that, while unfinished, leaves behind a lasting legacy.
This exhibition celebrates Jennie’s enduring love of painting and the legacy of an artist whose work continues to reflect the people, places, and moments she held closest to her heart.

Open Studio Art Camp - Pop-up Show!
2026-08-08 15:00 - 15:45 | River Art Centre, 8746 Main St., Florenceville-Bristol, New Brunswick
