The Jane LeBlanc Legacy Fund purchases and collects art from talented artists in New Brunswick in different creative disciplines. This community art bank will hold many gems: poetry, short stories, films, music, photography, visual art, and craft. The late artist and adventurer Jane LeBlanc is the source of inspiration for this art collection.

These sweet little books written by NB poet and writer Charlene Coburn are a delight for the senses. She wrote them while sitting in New Brunswick photographer Janet Crawford's wonderful backyard. If you want to add them to your private collection, they are $20 per book. They are treasures to be held close.

"Summer in Paris is like being in another world. I love my family, and the children are dear to me. They have set me up in a homey area, and books and light surround me. When I am not with the children, I read and dream of sunny days outside surrounded by green and sunshine."‍

1983, Paris

Alicia Robichaud is a fine art multi-disciplinary artist who resides in Saint John, NB with her husband and son. She finds that living by the ocean she is constantly surrounded by inspiration. She loves to show the beauty that can be found in the natural and industrial worlds around us.

Instagram

‍"Water flows through my veins. I grew up on the Miramichi surrounded by water, I often walked to it down the hill. I'm sailing to Africa now, and the water has been stormy and choppy. Walt called out to me, "Up on the mast, sailor." I went up with a grin.  I sat there surveying my kingdom. The waters were now calm. When I leave one day for the outer limits, I hope the place I go to will be like this."

1983, Portugal

A beautiful book from New Brunswick filmmaker, writer, and artist Asha Bear entitled Mahtoqehs Gets Lost. You can purchase her book on Amazon.ca

(Search Tobique Books).

"It's so bright, even in the middle of the night. People are walking and laughing out loud as if they have a special secret in the middle of the crowds. I want to find out that secret; it beckons to me, it whispers, come close, and you will be free."‍

1983, Paris

a beautiful compilation album (24 songs) from recordings produced in the filming for Anthems and Acres, a musical TV series based in Atlantic Canada that pairs diverse local talent with iconic outdoor locations.

Instagram

‍"I love blasting my heavy metal, scares the parents and freaks out my little sis who is playing ABBA 24/7. Then I put on some John Denver to create confusion."

1980, Miramichi

Saint John artist Ada Onuora mixes her African heritage with Maritime surroundings in her paintings. A blend of acrylic and encaustic painting, Onuora's work ranges from still life subjects to landscapes of Maritime shores and the African savannah. She is a fan of tropical colours, and she enjoys mixing seascapes with her own "African twist." Ada Onuora's 2016 art show featured 28 paintings, spanning a career that she didn't begin until her mid-50s. Onuora, who moved to Saint John in 1991 after living in Nigeria, said she didn't get her start until her church minister Ed Coleman, who was also an artist, encouraged her to explore the medium.

"We sailed along Africa's Western Shore from Durban to Casablanca. The trip took us through Cape Town, Dakar, Morocco, and more. Everybody was kind, and we made many new friends. We had dinner with a family, and they sang a song to us to welcome us to their home and their table."

1985, Morocco

Bea Waters has been writing stories since childhood. Today, she strives to provide an escape into adventure for all who need one while fostering a sense of belonging and cooperation. Her favourite characters are the weirdos, those who have been downcast by the status quo, because the future is never created by the status quo. Her favourite themes center around the secrets we keep and the quest to find our tribe, our community.

Project Human is Bea's first published novel, the first in a series that fuses the genres of Science Fiction and Fantasy with Ancient Mythology from around the world.

Instagram

‍"Dear family, I'm leaving my Paris family at the end of March and meeting up with Walt and his boat in England. Then, we will sail to Portugal; Walt has friends there. Afterward, we adventure to the Canaries. Then, depending on the weather, we will sail to Brazil (I'll mail you some coffee beans), onto the Antilles where my dutch friend lives, then to Caracas and Ávila‎. I have my guitar and will entertain if my friends don't throw me overboard. There are so many more places we plan on going but make sure dad is sitting down when you read this letter to him. I know how much you both worry about me. I miss you all. I love you. Distance and time are making me, unlike myself, sentimental."

1985, Paris