Meet Our 2025 Artists-in-Residence
Ysabelle Vautour & Jeremy Murray
The JL Legacy Fund is delighted to host Ysabelle Vautour for her Artist-in-Residence activities in 2025. Ysabelle was awarded a $7,500 Artist-in-Residence grant from artsnb.
The grant will enable Ysabelle to expand her outreach efforts while also strengthening her personal artistic development.
Ysabelle’s dedication to inclusion and outreach to the creative disabled community is the cornerstone of the residency, making her work not just about art, but about making a real difference in people’s lives.
Ysabelle’s commitment to mentorship is unwavering. She is an ongoing mentor through the JL Legacy Fund’s 2024 provincial mentorship engagement program and has also shared her knowledge with other artists through the Fredericton Arts Alliance. Her most recent activity was as a panelist at the Arts Atlantic Symposium in Moncton, where she and other special guests discussed the importance of centering BIPOC voices in NB.
Activities:
Workshops, artist talks, and socials as well as group mentorship of selected artists facing challenges in their creative development.
New Brunswick Disability Art Collective Lab Intensive
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Dream it.
Participant-driven intensive through the JL Legacy Fund created to foster a sense of community by connecting a group of New Brunswick creatives with JL Legacy Fund 2025 Artist-in-Residence Ysabelle Vautour for five months.
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Build it.
The lab runs from March 1 to July 31, 2025. Selected mentees will spend 90 minutes each month with Ysabelle and time with the Legacy Fund getting grantwriting and artist branding help.
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Grow it.
Funded by artsnb with resource assistance from the JL Legacy Fund.
2025 Lab Mentees
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Abby McCartney
Music
Abby is an emerging singer-songwriter in Fredericton. Since winning the JL Music Award in 2022, she has showcased at the ECMAs, filmed an artist spotlight for Roger’s TV, been featured on local and national radio, and released her debut EP, Everything At Once. Her acoustic melodies, smooth vocals, and vulnerable lyrics focus heavily on emotion and storytelling. Everything At Once was nominated for Song of the Year and Record of the Year at the Prix MNB Awards.
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Celine Gorham
Soft Sculpture Art
Celine is a soft sculpture artist based on the Wolastoq river. They've created a universe of little creatures and tiny homes primarily from recycled materials. An ongoing focus of Celine's work is a series of "little guys," small triangular critters in a variety of sizes, made from vintage and thrifted materials.
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Amélie Archer
Painting/Drawaing
Amélie has been drawing since childhood. Since 2012, she has done several exhibitions. She started painting with her feet during the summer of 2024. She has been a member of the Acadian Association of Professional Artists of New Brunswick (AAAPNB) since 2024 and is preparing work to hold an exhibition in 2026.
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Shelley Biggs
The JL Legacy Fund received a $10,000 Artist-in-Residence grant in 2024 from The New Brunswick Arts Board. The residency focus is on inclusion and outreach in filmmaking.
Jeremy Murray will be our artist for the residency for the next several years.
“I am beyond excited about the opportunity the JL Legacy Fund is giving me with this residency. As a disabled artist, filmmaker, and barrier breaker (advocate), my mission has been to give voices to people who otherwise may be marginalized or unheard in traditional media.” Jeremy Murray
Jeremy Murray is a University of New Brunswick graduate with a focus in media arts and cultures (2017) and film production (2011-2018), specializing in film editing. Jeremy is a wheelchair user and has limited access to creative opportunities.
Activities:
Production of a short film based on Jeremy’s script.
Exploration of funding available to help Jeremy have a more independent life on his own as a filmmaker.
Networking with other film creatives in NB through socials, workshops, JL Legacy Fund Creative Podcast shows, Silver Wave Film Festival, and artist talks.