N.B. art installations aim to connect people and nature this summer

The Waterfowl Park in Tantramar, N.B., looks a bit different this summer with clear, Plexiglass canvases on the popular walking trail.

Artist-in-residence Michelle Czyzo made the bright blue frames. On Friday afternoon, she worked on her second installation.

“I spent a lot of time drawing and sketching and taking photos of the things that I saw throughout the park,” she said. “The different flora and fauna, the different birds and frogs and different things that you see throughout the park like dragonflies. I wanted to incorporate them even if you don’t see them at this particular time of the year.”

Within the next week-and-a-half, four more canvases will be set up with Czyzo taking inspiration from the views around her.

“There’s so much artwork in Sackville already, so much culture, but this is a place where we get a lot of visitors and young people who come through here so we just want to enrich that experience for them and expose them to the arts,” said Rob Kelly Spurles, tourism and business development manager. “The other part of it is we give an artist the opportunity to do something which is important.”

He says the artist-in-residence program has been taking place for the last six-to-seven years. It’s designed to give local artists an opportunity to showcase their work through a main project, either at the visitor centre or at the park, and provide an activity for young people throughout the summer months.

“We just hope that this also will get people to come to our Waterfowl Park, which also already has this fantastic 3.8 kilometres of trails, beautiful views, all kinds of amazing birds and things so this is just another thing that we add that we hope will bring people out,” he said.

While Czyzo will take the lead on the project, she’s not left doing all the heavy lifting on her own.

The idea is to encourage kids, young-at-heart visitors and everyone in between to pick up some paint sticks at the visitor centre and add to the canvases during their visit.

“They can add to the drawing with their imagination. They can look at the surroundings and see what they see. They can be creative or they can just colour,” said Czyzo. “I hope that it encourages people to slow down and take a look at what they’re seeing and appreciate the nature and the joy around them. I think there’s a lot of joy in finding a little dragonfly or a kingfisher fishing.”

Last year, Tantramar added an emerging artist-in-residence as well, giving two local artists a chance to step into the role.

“We have another artist, Pamela Wheaton who’s doing a program centered around kids and creating what she’s called a ‘wonderling boxes’ […],” said Kelly Spurles.

In an email, Wheaton says the miniature swallow boxes contain a handmade swallow pin.

“The boxes are for displaying and containing handcrafted creatures that I am calling Wildlings or Wonderlings (Wildlings rooted in nature and realism, Wonderlings in wild imagination) and their nests, allowing children to express their own creativity,” she said.

Through the project, participants will also get to find handcrafted creatures throughout the Waterfowl Park in a geocaching style activity.

Wheaton is hosting two events this summer: July 27th and August 17th from 9 a.m. until 11 a.m. at the visitors centre.

She is also creating a large canvas of ducks and swallows to both represent the park and incorporate the interactive boxes.

The program brings forward two different projects this summer that both aim to connect people and nature.

“I think art does have a place in nature and in this case it’s not permanent and it’s something temporary,” said Czyzo. “It encourages you to reflect on what you’re seeing and slow down. I think if art can do that and encourage you to experience your surroundings in a different way as opposed to just walking through causally, I think that’s a good thing.”

For her main piece this summer, she is creating an acrylic landscape painting at the visitor centre.

“It’s going to incorporate colours that will capture the beauty and, for me anyways I keep saying joy, but that’s really what I feel like living in Sackville. It’s such a beautiful place and it brings a lot of joy to my heart so I’m hoping to capture that in the painting as well as just the general landscape,” she said.

Czyzo will be holding outdoor canvas activities on July 31 and Aug. 2, and an open house on Aug. 4, pending weather. 

For more New Brunswick news visit our dedicated provincial page.