SAINT JOHN -- A popular New Brunswick art festival has shifted its format this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
THIRD SHIFT is a contemporary art festival organized by the artist-run Third Space Gallery in Saint John, N.B.
“The mandate of the gallery is to transform unused spaces, or to reimagine different spaces in the uptown and beyond, to be an outdoor gallery space,” says Abigail Smith, festival associate.
THIRD SHIFT is in its sixth year and has drawn thousands of people to the city of Saint John.
The festival is usually a one-night only event, however, this year it will run for an entire week to accommodate for physical distancing.
“The idea is that, instead of having one event that happens for a few hours for one night, that if you're not there you miss it, the idea is with the expansion of the festival, in terms of time and in terms of space, that we'll prevent gathering that way,” says Katie Buckley, the executive director of Third Space Gallery.
“I think it's really kind of a staple in the summer calendar in Saint John, so we're really happy that we're not cancelled and we're going ahead in a new way.”
This year’s festival will showcase a series of temporary public art installations, along with digital programming.
“It actually has opened up a lot of possibility of having artists across Canada participate because so much of it is going to be online,” says Smith.
The THIRD SHIFT Festival will take place from August 21 to 28.
