‘scape to change the scenery at the Charlotte Street Arts Centre

On Saturday, June 18, the Emerge Artists Collective will launch ‘scape, an indoor/outdoor exhibition, at the Charlotte Street Arts Centre (CSAC) from 2-5pm. The exhibition will span the Charlotte Glencross Gallery and the backyard Culture Garden.

Formed in 2004, Emerge Artists Collective is a group of Fredericton-based visual artists working in various genres. Joss Richer, Oliver Flecknell, Pierre-Luc Arseneau, Mark Cameron,  Carrie Lenentine, Adam Jones, Nancy Smith, and Rachel Greenwood explore exhibition potential within the city while also forming a creative community of like-minded emerging artists.

The members of Emerge have developed their ’scape pieces in their own style, using a wide variety of materials and techniques for a non-traditional approach to creating landscape art. ‘scape will be Emerge’s 15th exhibition and their first exploring both indoor and outdoor spaces simultaneously. “We’re such a diverse group, working in so many different mediums, that coming up with a specific idea for an exhibition can sometimes prove difficult. The Charlotte Street Arts Centre is the perfect place to explore this theme, giving us the added opportunity to exhibit outside, in the landscape itself,” says Joss Richer, on behalf of Emerge.

WhiteFeather, Executive Director for Fredericton Arts & Learning is enthusiastic.  “What’s really exciting about the work this group is doing at the Charlotte Street Arts Centre is not just their unconventional approach to the theme of landscape, but also their actual use of the landscape of the Culture Garden. Our newly developing Culture Garden space is a venue designated specifically for outdoor installation art, a unique initiative in the province. Emerge artists will be interacting with the space in a responsive way, incorporating features of the property into their work. Given the opportunity, artists will take up the challenge of creating something site-specific, installing their work in a way that is special to our venue.”

The exhibition opening will showcase improvised music by PLA & F-Hilo, a local electro-experimental duo, and is free to the public. ‘scape runs until July 31st and is an integral component of CSAC’s Garden and Gallery 2011 exhibition series.