Jasmine Cull, Urchin III; Pod, 2011 Reed

Looking at the artworks, think how the artist refers to nature through materials, their shapes and the woven patterns. Do the hand-made quality and traditional uses for reed help connect the works to the environment? Why? What other similar materials can be formed into shapes? (yarn for hats, rope for fishing nets, etc)

Consider what a ‘work of art’ should be. Do hand-made works with cracks and bubbles meet your criteria for perfection? Using local clay from the St. John River, the artist makes a statement about the impact of nature in our lives. What messages do you get from the artwork?

Why is the forest encircled by the outline of an animal? Could the lines representing the animal serve as a barrier between it, the forest and the rest of the world? Barriers are not always lines we can see. What other barriers, invisible as well as visible, are there between us and nature?

2011-12 NB Acquisitions ExhibitionTOUR GUIDE FOR MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOLS

The artworks in this exhibition were created by contemporary New Brunswick artists using media like oil and acrylic paint, silk thread, glass, plastic, clay, ink and reed. The artists delight in the materials they use and encourage us to explore and discover their working processes. Some experiment with possibilities and ideas; other artists test and challenge materials.

Your Artist’s Eye – When looking at artworks, look for:• Elements of Art - lines, shapes, colours, texture, space. These are the

building blocks to create an artwork.

• Principles of Art - pattern, balance, repetition, unity. These are the guidelines all artists use to create an artwork.

How does artwork communicate?Some artists compare the media they use to language. Like the spoken word, media is a form of communication - a sculptural object, a picture on canvas or a photographed image may be like the words of a poem or sentences in a story. How does an artwork communicate? What is verbal and what is non-verbal? What is gesture in an artwork? What is sensation? What is a symbol? Can an artwork contain rhythm like a song? Can a painting contain silence?

First response to an artwork

• What is the first thing you think or feel when you look at the artwork?• What is it made from? Can you tell how it was made and the tools the

artist used?• Describe the patterns, textures and colours you see.• What shapes can you see? Does it have an inside and outside? • How is the space organised? Can you walk around it and look at it from all

angles? Can you imagine yourself in the space and move within it?• Where is it? Does the setting affect the way you think or feel about it?

By depicting familiar everyday objects in unexpected ways, artists create surprising objects or make us think about things in different ways. What does the small grey structure look like to you? Why? You can walk around the objects and appreciate them from every angle. What is the impact of the mirror?

Artists are often influenced by the world around them. How would your outlook change if you moved to a very different culture? The artist looks at her new home in Canada using ancient Chinese landscape painting traditions she studied at art school in China. How is this artwork unlike others in the exhibition? How is it similar? By using a book as the format, how does the artist make the landscape different?

Darren Emenau, Mediterranean Blue Bell, 2011, Ceramic

Erik Edson In Arcadia, 2011 Etching with monoprint on paper

Joël Boudreau, Niveau I, (Level 1) 2011 Metal, bismuth, plastic, cotton rope, and glass mirror

Dan Xu, Millidgeville Tucker Park Beach, 2011 Hand-made book with silk cover and Xuan paper with Chinese ink

New Brunswick Art Bank

Design 8822

Inspired by the atmosphere of empty space, the artist chooses colours, lines and shapes to create feelings. What sounds do you hear? How do the telephone wires, line of trees and colours make you feel? How would you change the artwork to change the mood?

Jared PetersTamed Horse, 2011, Oil on canvas

Throughout history, horses have been depicted in art representing power, control, freedom, value, etc. As an icon of social status, the image of the horse can take on meanings and myths. In this artwork, however, the artist wants us to ignore these connections. Is there only one way to ‘read’ the painting? What alternative ways can we think about horses?

Art can be a powerful tool for expressing ideas, thoughts and feelings about important issues. The artist visited concentration camps in Europe; his images address our collective memory about inhumanity and evil. By linking a cure for evil (goodness) and a cure for his wife’s cancer (science, research), the artist connects personal and collective memories. The works’ dream-like qualities may suggest that memories can change. Have memories of the Holocaust changed? Why, why not?

Evan Rensch Shake Out, 2010 and Harry Steeves, Moulder, 2010 Silver gelatin print on paper

Is it possible to capture a particular moment in time that represents events as they actually happened? These photographs of Sackville’s Enterprise Fawcett foundry show an industry dominated by hard work and tough working conditions. Imagine these images in a newspaper, as a portrait, or in a police file – in each case, the images mean something different. What story do they tell you, at this moment?

Inspired by her young sons’ drawings, the artist shows how children communicate before they can talk. Signs, body language, guessing and empathy become lines, shapes, connections, order and disorder. What does the artwork mean to you? Using lines instead of words, communicate your emotions and thoughts with pencil on paper.

Luc Charette Chat prit dans un labyrinthe, 2011 (Cat Stuck in a Maze, 2011), Acrylic on canvas

Like a game, the cat has a challenge to escape through a complex of paths – which path does it take? The painting is one of a series of 4 artworks, each one presents a different challenge for the cat. Is this funny? Why or why not? Humour in art can add magic to the viewing experience, help make art less serious, and encourage a physical response. How does the painting make you laugh?

How does this image of a landscape differ from that of other landscapes in the exhibition? If you think the picture is beautiful, does that make it a work of art? What words do you think best describe this place …peaceful, dangerous, mysterious, pollution, sanctuary, climate change? Why do you think the artist chose this place to photograph?

James Wilson, Flooded Forest, St. John River, 2010. Inkjet print on Hahnemuhle Photo rag paper

Anna Torma, Transverbal 2, 2010 (detail) Hand embroidery on silkrag paper

Dan Steeves, I’ve also felt the aftershocks, 2010; It’s Pressing Reality, 2010 Etching on paper

Dennis Austin Reid, Canopy, 2009-2010 Oil on canvas