CALL FOR PARTICIPANTS:

ROADSIDE ATTRACTION

a collaborative group exhibition by Connexion ARC in partnership with the Beaverbrook Art Gallery

Roadside Attraction is a collaboratively created & curated group exhibition that brings together New Brunswick artists, writers, and curators to examine NB identity through the lens of the tourism industry, using the province’s kitschy, nostalgic, unusual, or forgotten attractions as a catalyst. Connexion is seeking emerging & established New Brunswick-based artists working in any media for this collaborative exhibition project, to be presented at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery from July to December of 2020. This project is Connexion’s followup to a previous exhibition in partnership with the Beaverbrook, 2018’s Depository Park.

ABOUT THE PROJECT:

The Trans-Canada Highway officially opened in 1961 and was completed in 1970, ushering in a new era of car-based tourism and cementing New Brunswick’s status as the “drive-through province” of cross-country travel. This mid-late 20th century tourism boom also coincided with still and motion photographic technology becoming more accessible to the masses; colour film and Super 8 became widely available in the 1960s and ‘70s. This led to the rise of the roadside attraction, and Canada’s “Picture Province,” as was touted on the license plates of the time, became littered with World’s Biggests and natural oddities which now mainly exist on forgotten stretches of two-lane highway and in shoeboxes full of old slides in closets across the country.

This project examines the histories of New Brunswick’s tourism industry – vestiges of the infrastructure that remains from its heyday; the effects of trends in tourism on local communities & the natural landscape; and tourism’s ongoing relationship to colonial power. Roadside Attraction poses questions about New Brunswick identity, art vs. kitsch, and ever-changing trends in public interest. Where does one draw the line between public sculpture and tourist trap? How can we re-imagine the roadside attraction for a 21st century world? 

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:

For written applications, please send the following materials to info@connexionarc.org,

• Artist bio & CV, or equivalent information about yourself & your practice.
• Images, audio, and/or video files documenting your recent work (approx. 10 images/10 minutes)
• A short informal statement addressing your interest in the subject. What is your favourite NB tourist attraction, past or present, and why? How has the growth or decline of tourism affected your community? How do you see tourist attractions in relation to art, craft, or popular culture?

Alternatively, send us an email or call 506 478 4484 to set a meeting if you prefer to share your practice through conversation.

DEADLINE: FEBRUARY 16, 2020

 

INFORMATION FOR ARTISTS:

Participating artists commit to the following:

• Sharing your thoughts & processes with with organizers & participating artists through occasional meetings during March-July 2020 (video and/or text chat-based; English language.)
• Creation of at least one artwork for inclusion in the ROADSIDE ATTRACTION exhibition at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery, to be delivered in June 2020.

Connexion will pay CARFAC group exhibition fees for all participants. Additional funding may be available (pending grant results).

A note on language & accessibility:

Connexion ARC does not currently have the capacity to provide fully bilingual facilitation or translation services for this project. Facilitation will take place in the English language; however, Francophones and other language minorities are encouraged to apply and we will do our best to accommodate everyone. If you have questions or accessibility requests concerning the application or creation processes, please contact us at info@connexionarc.org or (506) 478-4484.