pARTicipate is a community festival of workshops and events that brings together professionals, amateurs, and the curious to participate in exploring art and nature. A collaboration between the Andrew & Laura McCain Art Gallery, Second Wind Music Centre, the Boardwalk Cafe & Wine as well as other community partners, the festival provides unique and enriching creative experiences for everyone over three days on September 5, 6 & 7, the weekend after Labour Day.
The Festival is an opportunity to explore and appreciate the geographical beauty of the Upper St. John River Valley while enjoying the unique local culture that includes arts and crafts, music and culinary expertise as well as featuring the beauty of the area in workshops and activities.
The Festival is launched with a gathering, 5-7 pm, at the Andrew Laura McCain Art Gallery on the Thursday evening (Sept. 4). The exhibition selected for the festival always bridges art & nature, reflecting the theme of the Festival.
Check back as the year progresses as workshops will be posted as soon as they are scheduled.
Registration for pARTicipate 2025 will open June 30, 2025
Information about 2025 workshops will be posted as confirmed.
Workshops are scheduled so participants can easily get from one to another in time and enjoy a variety of creative experiences over the weekend.
There are many options for places to stay, in the area.
To see 2024 workshops, scroll down.
2024 pARTicipate Workshops:

In 2024, the exhibition Of a Feather, a memorial for Gay Hansen, was a collaboration between poet Harry Thurston, the photographer Thaddeus Holownia and their muse and inspiration, biologist, Gay Hansen, bringing together art and science, the written word and photographic image.
Kitchen-to-Table with Bouwe Van der Hoek, with dinner for two
Sunday September 8, 2-6pm, $175
Meet in the kitchen at the Boardwalk Cafe with Chef Bouwe Van der Hoek and prepare a three-course meal. You will first tour the Boardwalk kitchen and then work alongside chef Bouwe to prepare dinner. The workshop price allows you to invite one guest for the 6 pm dinner that you have helped make—as well as a glass of wine for each of you. Please let the Gallery know of any food sensitivities and allergies when registering.
This workshop will be hosted at the On the Boardwalk Cafe & Wine
8754 Main St, Florenceville-Bristol, NB
Please register before August 29, 2024

Meet Bouwe
Chef Bouwe brought experience working in upscale restaurant environments, and he is a well-seasoned chef, dedicated to crafting unforgettable dining experiences and delivering remarkable service. He is looking forward to our second Kitchen-to-Table event at pARTicipate and expects to have as good a time in the kitchen as he had last year. See you there!


Solar and Lunar Eclipses with David Hunter
Friday September 6, 5:15-6:15 pm, Free
David Hunter, the force behind the weather Balloon with cameras that tracked the solar eclipse, is gathering to watch a video and talk about the impact solar and lunar eclipses had on how both solar and lunar eclipses advanced our knowledge about the solar system. David will be there to talk about the eclipse the balloon and answer questions. A nice interesting start to your weekend an you will still be able to make it to the Sing & Sip at Second Wind that starts at 7:30pm!
This workshop will be held at the Florenceville-Bristol Community Hall
8696 Main St, Florenceville-Bristol, NB,
Please register before August 29, 2024

Saturday September 7, 2024
You are invited to a Pop-Up show from 4:oo-5:30 pm, upstairs at the River Art Centre
You will examples of the art made in the workshops on the 6th & 7th, including the large Steam Roller Print celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Florenceville Garden Club, Plein Air Paintings, Books made in the Book Binding workshop, the Wheel Pottery will be drying on the drying shelves, and the Buttercream and Royal paintings and Sugar Flowers will be on display.
This is a free event for everyone, participants or not, to hear about the workshops, see the art, chat and enjoy a refreshment in good company.
The River Art Centre is at 8746 Main Street, Florenceville-Bristol, NB

Palette Knife Painting with Buttercream and Royal Icing with Heather Salmon
There are a few spaces left, call the gallery by Wed., Sept. 4
This workshop will be held at the Florenceville-Bristol Community Hall
8696 Main St. Florenceville-Bristol, NB


Meet Heather
Graphic Designer turned Cake, Cookie and Sugar Artist,Heather was recognized by the American Cake Awards receiving the prestigious award of Rising Star Canada 2024. She competed on The Food Network Canada’s The Big Bake Season 4 and Holiday Wars Season 5. Her edible art has been featured in D’Licious Magazine, American Cake Decorating Magazine, and many others. Heather’s sugar showpieces have won awards and medals. We are thrilled to welcome her to pARTicipate.
Bead Embroidery Basics with Cat Candow
There are a few spaces left. Call the Gallery by Wednesday September 4, thanks
Sunday September 8, 1-4pm, $45
As an introduction to bead embroidery we will make a pendant (which can also become a key chain or magnet if you prefer), exploring how to mix different colours, shapes and sizes of beads, stitching them down securely, as well as learning how to back and edge the project for a tidy and beautiful finish. No experience necessary, all materials provided – just bring your close-up glasses if you wear them.
This workshop will be held at the Florenceville-Bristol Community Hall
8696 Main Street, Florenceville-Bristol, NB
Please register before September 4, 2024


Meet Cat
You may remember the beautiful red dress from the Collections show last spring at the McCain Art Gallery. The central panel of the bodice shown here was beaded with the techniques you will learn in this workshop. Raised in Germany under her grandmother’s sewing table, Cat took her first stitches around age 3, attempting to make pants for her Teddy. She learned to crochet and cross stitch around the same time as learning to read and write but with much more enthusiasm. She moved to Canada as an exchange student and stayed to complete her diploma in Fashion Design from the New Brunswick College of Craft & Design (NBCCD). After spending 3 years in England making theater costumes, Cat returned to Canada and has been sewing, teaching, and making art ever since.
Introduction to the pottery wheel with Jenna Ross
There are two spaces left to attend this great introduction to the pottery wheel on the following dates & times:
September 6 1 pm – one spot
September 8, 10 am – one spot
Call the Gallery to register.
Learn the basics of “throwing” pottery on the wheel. Come to the workshop ready to be nessy, have fun and enjoy the challenge of taming a spinning blob of clay.
This workshop will be held downstairs at the River Art Centre
8746 Main Street, Florenceville-Bristol, NB
Register before 29 August 2024
2 spots remaining


Meet Jenna
Jenna Ross is a local potter who makes functional wheel thrown and handbuilt ceramics. She is the fearless leader of Clay Drop-ins, regularly teaching Newbies and Vets at the River Art Centre through th McCain Art Gallery – she totally loves sharing her passion for clay with others.
An Irish Set & Ceili Dance with Patty Hudson
Friday September 6, 1-3pm, By donation
Patty Hudson calls Irish Celtic and Ceili Dances around the maritimes. Join her for this fun traditional social dance where you will learn a variety of danses and a partner is not required.
This workshop will be held at the Western Valley Multiplex
698 Central St, Centreville, NB
Please register before August 29, 2024

Sip & Sing, start your pARTicipate weekend with Peter McLaughlin
Registration at the Gallery appreciated – thanks!
Friday September 6, 7:30pm. $20
Wine and Song, what a great combination! Join our “Sing a Long/Pub Choir with a few classic songs and some recent favourites.
Beverages included.
This sing along will he held at Second Wind, 16 Curtis Rd, Florenceville-Bristol, NB E7L 2E6


Meet Peter McLaughlin

Peter McLaughlin along with Anne Turner are the founders and directors of the Second Wind Music Centre. Their fabulous venue offers an outstanding place for local and visiting musicians from across Canada.
The Birds, the Bees the Flowers and the Trees with Peter McLaughlin
Sunday September 8, 2 pm, by donation
A Sunday afternoon concert designed to please! The title is a nod to the Florenceville Garden Club’s 50th and with some of your favourite tunes it is sure to be another lovely concert at Second Wind.
Requests? Send them to Peter @ Second Wind.
8754 Main St, Florenceville-Bristol, NB
Tickets available at the Door or through Second Wind

Meet Peter + Anne again. . .
Peter McLaughlin along with Anne Turner are the founders and directors of the Second Wind Music Centre. Their fabulous venue offers an outstanding place for local and visiting musicians from across Canada.
Steam Roller Printmaking Demonstration with Stephen Hutchings and the team
Saturday September 7, 11-3pm
Celebrate the 70th Anniversary of the Florenceville Garden Club in print! Stephen Hutchings, Michelle Corcoran, Joanne Pickard, Colin Smith, Cindy Pearson and Jennifer Stead will be carving floral themed images that will be combined to make this year’s Monster Print. You can see the 2022 print here.
Drop by to see the action at Brennan Home Hardware in Florenceville-Bristol at 9079 Main Street in Florenceville-Bristol, NB.
Pop-up show: From 4-6pm @ the River Art Centre
8746 Main Street, Florenceville-Bristol, nb
See the finished print. Individual floral prints will be available for sale, with funds going to the Garden Club for the flowers at Waterville Hospital. The other workshop participants will bring their work to the RAC to share with the community. Refreshments will be served.

Monster Fish Print from 2022
Meet lead artist Stephen Hutchings and the team

Sunday September 8, 2024
You are invited to a Pop-Up show from 4:oo-5:30 pm, upstairs at the River Art Centre
Branch Out to Weave for Climate Change Show
The weavings made by the participants of Branch Out and Weave workshops with Karen LeBlanc last winter will be on display.
Also on display will be the Bead Works, the Eco Print Silk Scarves , the Plein Air Paintings in various media
This is a free event for everyone, participants or not, to hear about the workshops, see the art, chat and enjoy a refreshment in good company.
The River Art Centre is at 8746 Main Street, Florenceville-Bristol, NB

Branch Out and Weave for Climate Change Exhibtion
Karen LeBlanc and the January Workshop participants
Sunday, September 8, 4-5:30 pm, Everyone welcome
Weaving is one of the oldest craft forms in the world. This exhibition features the woven and burnt art made in a workshop last winter – see the video.
Materials can include jute, raffia, birch bark, wool, cotton, Spanish moss, wood chips, twigs, roving, feathers, leather.
This exhibition will be held upstairs at the River Art Centre
8746 Main Street, Florenceville-Bristol, NB
as part of the pop-up show.
www.loominations.ca


Meet Karen …
and the last workshop participants on this video
Eco Printing a Silk Scarf with Renata Britez – Full
Sunday September 8, 10am-4pm, $65 FULL
All materials included
Dive into the world of natural dyes and learn how to create patterns on cloth with local leaves, flowers, and minerals with fresh plants foraged by natural dyer Renata Britez. Stu-dents will come away with an understanding of natural dyeing with fresh raw dye, surface, design techniques, and a square cotton smapler and a silk scarf dyed with local colour!
Renata is back by request, and many who have taken this workshop before would happily take it again. Renata is knowledgeable, skilled and guides everyone through the process seamlessly. There will be time for a lunch break as your art works steam, so bring a lunch or treat yourself and go for lunch next door at the Boardwalk Cafe (which closes on Sunday at 3pm). Bring your finished work upstairs at 4pm to share it with the other Sunday workshops participants at a small show and reception of the days’ work.
This workshop will be held downstairs at the River Art Centre
8746 Main Street, Florenceville-Bristol, NB
Please register before August 29, 2024



Meet Renata
Animal Portrait in Clay with Melissa Kennedy – Full
Friday September 6, 10am – 4 pm, $60
Learn from an amazing clay artist and model a relief of an animal portrait. Bring a couple of printed photos of your favourite furry friend and enjoy a day of carving in clay. Images on your phone won’t work – they need to be printed! All materials provided and a second session will be planned later in the fall, when the bisque firing ( the first time through the kiln) will be done.
This workshop will be held downstairs at the River Art Centre
8746 Main Street, Florenceville-Bristol, NB
Interested in another workshop with Melissa? Please call the gallery to be added to a wait list.


Meet Melissa
Melissa Kennedy is a NB visual artist and art instructor who began her career as a student at the Florence Academy of
Art, where she learned traditional methods of sculpture and drawing.
Exploration is a large part of her current art practice, which has led to
experimentation with many different mediums and techniques in both drawing
and sculpture. Melissa has also participated in many local opportunities such as
residencies in both Fredericton and Campobello Island, as well as an internship at
the Sculpture Symposium in Saint John.
Her work has been included in exhibitions both locally, and internationally in cities
such as London and Barcelona.
When she is not working in her home studio, Melissa also enjoys snuggling with
cats, gardening, and loosely following recipes while cooking.
Discover the Art of Plein Air Oil Painting – Celebrating Gardens with Vicky Lentz – Full
Saturday September 7, 10am-4pm, $60
An introduction to oil painting for beginners and for novices who have some experience in painting basics During this day-long introductory plein air oil painting workshop, participants will paint in a garden, under cover if necessary, and learn to build a composition from the bottom up. You will go over the equipment and set-up for working plein air. Vicky will guide you in selecting your subject matter and introduce the principles needed to get the image started in paint. You will have all day to complete your painting with the advice of an excellent guide! Vicky is a knowledgeable painter and has worked outdoors in most mediums. She’ll provide valuable tips and tricks to build your confidence in working outdoors. All materials and paint are provided This is a perfect opportunity to dip into a fascinating and rewarding medium for making art.
Bring your own chair, hat, rags and something to put your supplies on like a second chair, milk crate, cardboard box, and your lunch! 😊 Be sure to dress for the weather! Washroom available.


Meet Vicky
You may remember Vicky’s popular exhibition at the McCain Gallery in 2019. This award winning artist, mentor, instructor, curator and arts advocate, won the 2022 Prix Éloizes, Artist of the Year in the Visual Arts. While maintaining a rigorous art practice, she has worked tirelessly supporting the arts, sitting on prominent committees and boards both provincially and nationally . She received the 2022 Queen Elizabeth Platinum Jubilee Medal for her outstanding achievements and contributions. This is a great opportunity to work with such a talented teacher and artist.
Lentz ‘s diverse, multi-media practice revolves around the human/environment relationship, she exhibits in NB at Gallery 78 and internationally. Her work was selected for the prestigious Marion McCain Exhibition of Contemporary Atlantic Art in 2019, purchased for the NB Art Bank and she has received funding from ArtsNB and the Canada Council.
Vicky Lentz lives and maintains a full-time studio practice in Edmundston, NB.
Make a cloth covered single section book with Meg Clark – FULL
Saturday September 7, noon-4pm, $45
Returning instructor Meg Clark is going to teach us how to make a single-section 16/20 page Bradel Bound Cloth Covered Book that is 11×8.5 inches. It is perfect for binding pages you have already completed, for pages you might print, sheet music, or making a small notebook. In the end the book opens flat. If you want to bind pages you already have, they must be 10.5 inches high by 16.5 inches wide (10.5×8.25in when folded in half). This book style includes minimal sewing and is a great way to add polish to a small booklet for that special photograph, drawing or other memorabilia. Students will also learn a simple way of making book cloth. Students can bring a favourite piece of cotton (a fat quarter/half yard) of their choice or use one of the selections made by the instructor.
This workshop will be held upstairs at the River Art Centre
8746 Main St. Florenceville-Bristol, NB



Meet Meg
Meg is back to teach another new way to approach book binding. A lifelong artist from New Brunswick , Meg specialises in bookbinding, illustration, and design. Online Meg goes by Jackraken Design where they post current projects, workshops, and sales. Meg has been binding books since 2017, and enjoys sharing their knowledge of making books by hand. You may well know Meg’s work from Small Works, the Gallery’s annual Christmas show and sale.
Plein Air Paint Out – Celebrating Gardens with you slightly more experienced painters, and Vicky Lentz – FULL
Sunday September 8, 10am-4pm, $45 FULL
Intermediate to advanced, but all levels are welcome to participate and work independently
This workshop day is for painters with some, a modest amount or lots, of experience in painting and working plein air. An opportunity to renew yourself, reinvest in your art practice or just step out of your routine and hear some new ideas.
Vicky is an experienced painter who will offer valuable mentorship and guidance to artists at all skill levels, with instruction that will invite you to push working methods and take creative leaps!
Painters must work independently with their own equipment and materials and be prepared for the weather. We do have easels – so don’t go out and buy one… but bring your paints in the medium of your choice (oil, watercolour, acrylic, guache… ) and have a great day of painting. Want to sign up but need some supplies? Talk with Jennifer at the Gallery and a kit can be put together for a modest price.
Pack a lunch as we will be working onsite for the day.
Bring your own materials, equipment to work and your lunch! 😊Be sure to dress for the weather!
The workshop will take place in Jennifer’s garden at 2 Burnham Road with the option to work in Michelle’s garden right next door as well.
There is a covered verandah if it starts to rain.



Meet Vicky again…
Known as a painter, Vicky also works in sculpture, printmaking and recently tried her hand at Raku in the recent workshop at the RAC with Giorgio Azzaretti. Her work was selected for the prestigious Marion McCain Exhibition of Contemporary Atlantic Art in 2019. In 2018, Vicky’s work was purchased for the NB Art Bank. In 2019, she received the Margaret Nae Mentorship Award by the Sheila Hugh MacKay Foundation when she went to Italy to study painting.
Born in Ontario, Vicky Lentz has studied and taught the arts at both the university and college level and has continued focused studies with esteemed artists across North America. Vicky has completed several artist residencies and, most recently, has undertaken important curatorial and mentor roles for groups of New Brunswick artists with CraftNB, ArtsLink and the AAAPNB.