[EDIT]ION, Volume 17

THE VOICE OF ATLANTIC CANADA, DELIVERED DIRECTLY TO YOUR INBOX.

Welcome to the seventeenth [EDIT] bi-weekly boost.

Stories, thoughts and opinions to inspire you in these unique times and to enjoy between issues of the original, award-winning print magazine.

The same quality journalism and world-class photography that you expect from [EDIT], but all unique content exclusive to THE [EDIT]ION. 

Cover Story: Atlantic Canada in Black & White by Morgan Leet
Photograph: Lawrencetown Beach, Nova Scotia by Jeffery Faulkner
Design by Lindsay Vautour
Proofreading by Alexandra Fournier

Featured in the seventeenth issue below are:

The brand new winter volume of [EDIT] is on newsstands across Canada now! But in the meantime, scroll down to enjoy the exclusive content in [EDIT]ION Volume 17. 

Click here to subscribe to the [EDIT]ION email newsletter.

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Looking at Fundy National Park & Alma Area Coastline. Albert County, NB.

Jeffery Faulkner Photography

by Morgan Leet 

New Brunswick photographer Jeffery Faulkner has a passion for the outdoors, nature, and adventure, all clear through his beautiful black and white fine art photography that celebrates the unique East Coast landscape. 

Jeff grew up in New Brunswick, exploring the bountiful nature with his parents, from whom he inherited his love for the outdoors as owners of a sea kayaking company called Baymount Outdoor Adventures which they recently sold. Jeff met with [EDIT]ION and noted how his childhood memories include hiking with his father, saying that “he introduced me to photography at a young age. I received my first camera when I was about 11 years old.” As he got older he kept up with both of his passions, nature and photography, now blending the two in his landscapes. While in high school he was the designated photographer of his friend group while they went out to explore the province. “I think technically I was the first person to finish the Fundy Footpath back in the 1990s. It wasn't fully finished, but in the summer of 1993, my friends all backed out so I ended up hiking it alone in the midst of a hurricane! I had the waterproof camera hanging around my neck, the winds blowing like crazy, and you know just having a blast,” says Jeff. 

Jeff met his wife at the University of New Brunswick before they moved together to Toronto, Ontario, where they lived for 20 years. In 2012 Jeff’s wife passed away and a year later he returned to their home province with his two children. He keeps up their family tradition and regularly takes his kids out with him hiking and sea kayaking, taking shots along the way. 

His love for Atlantic Canadian nature is clear, but as for the inspiration behind his photography, “it's the people too. To me even though I’m taking a picture of a physical landscape in the Maritimes, I always feel like I'm kind of capturing the local essence of the people too. And it's the experience of the memories, part of it is my wife too because we hung out a lot in the Maritimes. I love black and white photography anywhere but I was brought up here, I have childhood memories and I think back on high school friends and going hiking here.” The history and meaning behind his art comes through in every photograph and are beautiful representations of the province. 

To learn more about where to get Jeffery Faulkner photographs, visit his website below. 

jefferyfaulkner.com
Instagram: @jefffaulknercdn
Email: jeff@jefferyfaulkner.com

A 4 Foot-Wide White Pine Tree: 240 Years Old. Central NB.

Looking at Fundy National Park & Alma Area Coastline. Albert County, NB. 

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FROSTival 2021

by Jennifer Wood

Fredericton’s FROSTival will be held over three wintery weekends starting January 21^st. Like most events, this year’s FROSTival may look a little different, but the planners behind the magical winter festival have worked extra hard to curate the best talent and events that you can safely enjoy.  The itinerary includes socially distanced performances, activities, and virtual options so that everyone can partake.

Featured events of this year’s FROSTival include the Shivering Songs music festival with live performances by Jeremy Dutcher (January 22^nd) and Grand Theft Bus (January 23^rd) at The Fredericton Playhouse. Chef Richard Chiasson is returning with his hand tools to chip and carve stunning ice sculptures throughout the downtown core, and our very own James Mullinger will be performing live at The Fredericton Playhouse on February 5-6. His show promises a much-needed night of laughter that will melt away the winter chills.

Check out the FROSTival website for up-to-date COVID-specific information and programming details.

frostival.ca

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[EDIT]ION: What does your everyday look like running the inn?
Tara: As this was my first season open - during a pandemic no less - what I thought my everyday would be, hasn’t been. Ivy and I bake treats in the morning for guests. There’s loads of cleaning, washing sheets and working on our marketing and social media platforms as we ride out this unfortunate world situation. Ivy is the big boss and my title is cleaning lady. But anyone who knows me, knows I love cleaning and am very happy to wear this hat. We have also pivoted into the elopement or mini-wedding business and are now open to hosting weddings of 25 people or less. It’s a very exciting venture and one that is truly close to my heart. We love love here at the Ivy House.

[EDIT]ION: You also started Two If By Sea Café, another successful business. What advice would you give to another female entrepreneur looking to build a successful brand such as yours?

   

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Tara Audibert

How the Wolastoqiyik Artist Has Created A Life And Career On Her Terms

by Jennifer Wood

Wolastoqiyik artist, film maker, game developer and illustrator Tara Audibert combines traditional First Nations art and storytelling with contemporary designs and digital mediums. She is the founder of the independent animation studio, Moxy Fox Studio and her first short, The Importance of Dreaming has been screened worldwide. The film has won several awards, most notably the UNICEF Best Children’s Film Award from the Indianer Inuit North American Film Festival, held in Stuttgart, Germany. 

A career in the arts was a dream Audibert always wanted to pursue. But to ease her parents' anxiety of becoming a ‘starving artist’ she enrolled in a Bachelor of Science program and (fortunately) failed miserably. When she heard about a new animation program on offer at NBCC she jumped at the opportunity. Following graduation (where she earned high honours), she moved to Halifax and worked on several children’s television shows and she later returned to NBCC to teach. The combination of teaching and working helped her realize her dream of establishing her own studio and creating her award-winning short film.

“The Importance of Dreaming is about the forbidden love between a Snowy Owl and a Red Fox,” explains Tara from her studio. “The film is an allegory of my parents’ marriage which was prior to Bill C-31, which gave back status right to Indigenous women who married non-indigenous men. My father is non-native, and my mother is Wolastoqi. Both of their families opposed the marriage, so my parents ran away together. Fortunately, my family reunited when I was born. I have tried to tell this story in its most simple form, so children can understand the injustice. I feel that it is through educating children that we will improve the world and not repeat past digressions. Animation is a great way to pass on this message and parts of my culture.”

Today, Tara is working on her next project, an animated TV show that will be released in 2022 on APTN, and has hired 25 industry professionals to help her realize her production. She enjoys the high energy of working with world-class talent and retreating to the woods outside her home in rural New Brunswick, where she lives with her two dogs.

“I enjoy living and working in Sunny Corner – I get to work with gifted and passionate people from all over the world who allow me to do what I do from anywhere. I live by the river, so after work, I kayak, and in winter, I snowshoe. This is why I work rurally – so that I can enjoy living in the woods along the river. It’s been a great career and life choice, and I am happy to report that I have been far from starving for over two decades.”

The Importance of Dreaming will be screened at Fredericton 2021’s FROSTival at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery’s café courtyard on the Green.

moxyfox.ca

 

 

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[EDIT] + TOURISM NEW BRUNSWICK 

Winter Staycation

In New Brunswick we know how to do winter. And once the snow falls nature is truly our playground. Round up your household bubble and see what adventures unfold in the outdoors that surround you - from winter walking and snowshoeing, to skiing, sliding and skating. Warm up post-adventure with take-out comfort foods or craft beverages from your favourite local spot to stave off the winter chill.

That's the great thing about our province, even when we have to spend time apart, there is still so much beauty to celebrate and enjoy. Let the crisp air help you recharge as we look toward the year ahead.

Staying safe doesn't mean we have to stop enjoying winter's delights, but it does mean we need to be responsible. Please stay up to date on current Public Health alerts and travel restrictions at gnb.ca/covidrecovery.

tourismnewbrunswick.ca 

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Couple Turns Abandoned Car Garage Into Award-Winning Brewery 

by Morgan Leet 

Photography by Denis Duquette 

What was once a run-down car garage is now an innovative and modern brewery in Moncton, New Brunswick. Since their opening day in November 2019 Tire Shack Brewing Co. has faced a global pandemic yet still managed to win a Gold Medal at the Canadian Brewing Awards as well as a Gold and a Bronze Medal at the US Open Brewing Championship! The geniuses behind the operation are Jerrica Kennedy and Alan Norman and of course the brewmaster, Henrique Soares. Together they work to create unique flavours that reimagine beer, such as their Lime Margarita Gose Sour, Toasted Marshmallow Stout, and Vanilla Latte Blonde. 

Jerrica and Alan moved home to Atlantic Canada after living in Toronto to open up their dream business and have an overall better quality of life. Alan met with [EDIT]ION to discuss Tire Shack and all that they have done in just a year. 

[EDIT]ION: What made you both decide to move back to the East Coast, and then soon after open up Tire Shack Brewery?
Alan: We actually moved back to the East Coast to open this brewery. We were living in Toronto for about 16 years and we loved it there. We were brought there for our careers and work, and we could see a life there, but we always loved the East Coast and loved coming home and we just decided one day that we could either live in Toronto and get a crazy mortgage and be stuck in traffic for hours and hours a day or we could move back home and try to start a business and that's kind of what drove us to do it. It's just a better quality of life! People are so friendly down here! The weather’s amazing even - the East Coast in the summer time is pretty much the best place you can possibly be. We’re so happy we made the decision. It's been great and we're having an awesome time.  

[EDIT]ION: What made you decide to keep the name Tire Shack, the same as when you bought it as an auto-garage?
Alan: We were in Ontario and we wanted to do this, and one thing we had to keep doing was to look online at properties and we loved the Tire Shack from the start. It was amazing. But then when we came down at Christmas to look at it, it was like a dump. It sat abandoned for three years and it was just a mess! We knew it was going to be like a lot of work to do something to this. We basically stripped it down to four walls, tore out the old floors, all the plumbing, everything. We stripped it down to a shell and started to build it back up. We didn't want to have to do that much work, but we couldn't seem to find anything else and we loved the Tire Shack and then finally with some help from some handy family members we just did it. That's how we got the building, and we were just calling it the Tire Shack for so long that it just kind of made sense. We also found that here people don't know addresses as much as they know landmarks, so we told people the street name that nobody knew where that was but then as soon as we said , “you know the old Tire Shack”, everyone knew exactly where that was! So it just kind of naturally made sense, and it's been here since the 70s so kind of always has been a part of the community and we're happy to be able to keep it a part of the community and repurpose the space and breathe new life into it. 

[EDIT]ION: The space isn't exactly traditional, and neither is your beer, it really pushes flavour boundaries. Who comes up with your brews?
Alan: That's the three of us! Myself, my wife Jericca, and our brewmaster Henrique. We like to be creative. Our whole goal of this place is to push the boundaries of what beer can be. Think outside the box, maybe combine some flavours that you don't normally associate with beer or you think would be in a beer. And it's working, it's a lot of fun for us and people really like it because you never know what we're going to have next. The one thing we didn't want to be is a factory, making the same beers over and over again. 

[EDIT]ION: What do you love about the community in Moncton and the business community in Atlantic Canada?
Alan: It's so supportive, people are so great. We've been back for about two years, and one year was basically just renovating, and I feel like I know so many people! People welcomed us with open arms. And because we have a bit of a bigger space we try to support local businesses as much as possible. We do pop-up shops here and pop-up kitchens and everything. So we get to meet people and share our space and it's just a collaborative thing. We really wanted to come home and be a member of the community, which you can't really do in Toronto, you just get washed out with everything else and here you can really get to know people which is awesome. 

Instagram: @tireshackbrewing

 

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Jennifer Wood Meets With Co-Founder Thandiwe McCarthy

Spoken word artist Thandiwe McCarthy is the Chair of the New Brunswick Black Artists Alliance (NBBAA) - the first known association of its kind for artists of African descent in the province. Established in November of last year, the alliance aims to nurture and promote current Black artists living in the province, while discovering and shining a light on the many talented and successful artists throughout New Brunswick’s history. Establishing the alliance came about as McCarthy began to explore his Black heritage through his art.

“Growing up I was unaware of my culture and that I am Black,” McCarthy tells [EDIT]ION from his home in Fredericton. “I tell people that I wasn’t raised Black, but I was raised to embody a strong character and decent values. My poetry and the arts helped me on my journey of discovering what it means to be a Black New Brunswicker. But the more I dug into my creativity, and the creativity of others, the more I learned that Black artists of the province are largely not part of the conversation.”

McCarthy later spoke with multi-disciplinary artist, David Woods, who co-founded the Black Artists Network of Nova Scotia. Woods offered his assistance to create a similar alliance in New Brunswick.

“David inspired me to establish the NBBAA. He said if you can fill a room, I will be back in two months to meet, and the response was amazing. Together with other co-founders, we were able to locate graphic designers, writers, painters, poets and photographers as founding members, many of which are on the board.”

“We are so grateful to David Woods for mentoring us this early on; we don’t want to put the cart before the horse. We want to exist well into the future and not be a flash in the pan. We have a lot of work to do, but it’s work that we are excited about.” 

The NBBAA is gearing up to host their first event at Fredericton’s Gallery on Queen in February where they will be showcasing celebrated photographer Gary Weekes’ work. Other artists will soon be added to the bill. Be sure to check out their Facebook page for up-to-date information.

Facebook: @New Brunswick Black Artists Alliance 

 

 

Urban Shoe Myth

by Morgan Leet

Photography by Kelly Lawson and Glerups Canada

Urban Shoe Myth opened in Uptown Saint John, New Brunswick in 2011, breaking ground as one of the first high-end boutiques in the area. The stylish boutique has an open concept design, with warm lighting highlighting the shoe-lined walls. With its big-city vibe, it also manages to fit perfectly into the Uptown setting with its classic brick exterior. Owner Shelley DeMerchant met with [EDIT]ION to tell us how she made her vision come to life.

[EDIT]ION: Did you always have the goal of owning a boutique?
Shelley: We moved here in 2007, and I was a construction engineering technologist, so I worked for 10 years in the industrial construction field and literally wore hardhats and work boots every single day of my career! But since I was young I always loved to dress up and I always loved shoes. I grew up in Fredericton and went to university there and I would always be that university student who would eat ramen noodles but always had a really nice pair of shoes. So priorities! I came from a long line of entrepreneurship though on my side of the family; everybody was an entrepreneur as their main business, or they had a small side business. So, it was always in me and something I definitely wanted to pursue eventually. It wasn’t until I moved here in 2007 when I was working for Atomic Energy of Canada on the Point Lepreau project and I got pregnant with my second daughter, and decided to write up a business plan when I was on maternity leave. I was seeing what was happening in Saint John and there were some cool shops, restaurants, and boutiques popping up and I thought, “Well I’ll see where this takes me.” About a month before I was set to go back to work I received my loans from the bank to open up my shop and that’s what I did.

[EDIT]ION: And since opening, how have you seen the community Uptown grow?
Shelley: It’s definitely ebbed and flowed. We’ve seen a few things close and a few things open and that sort of thing but the independent business community in the Uptown community I found right away, and still to this day, is so welcoming and so helpful. It really makes it an exciting place to operate your business. There are so many like-minded individuals up there. I’ve seen a lot of little places and some really cool ideas and I think because of the community people feel comfortable and confident fostering these really different and unique types of businesses.

[EDIT]ION: What is your curation process like for the boutique?
Shelley: I’ve tried to stick to my core values but over the 10 years have definitely made changes with brands, and maybe some price points and that sort of thing. It’s something you have to be able to do. They talk about pivoting in this last year with the pandemic, but I really think smart business owners are constantly pivoting and changing. You really have to stay in tune with your customer and what they want. And what they want one day may not be what they want the next day either. I go to trade shows though and a lot of my suppliers are in bigger city centers like Toronto and Montreal so I would always take a trip there although obviously this year is different, and it is virtual. But I would go to Montreal to meet with all my suppliers, go to their showrooms and really take the time to sit with them, talk to them, and see what products they have. Not only that but go around to all the other little bouquets in those areas, so I get a lot of inspiration from going to say Downtown Toronto and visiting those and going to Montreal or New York.

[EDIT]ION: How would you describe the boutique to those who have never been?
Shelley: We’ve definitely evolved since we first opened. When we initially opened, we were just women’s shoes and a few accessories and fast-forward ten years we’ve evolved to encompass more. We’re still primarily shoes and we have women’s accessories and jewelry, but we’ve evolved to men’s shoes and accessories too. Then during the pandemic this past fall I was faced with probably about 40% of my product that I ordered for fall and winter being cancelled because of supply chain issues so I was trying to figure out what I was going to do to bring in that revenue that I was obviously going to lose because I didn’t have that product in the store. From there we evolved to kind of like a mercantile aspect of the store. Now we have all kinds of gifts, bath products and candles, that sort of thing.  

[EDIT]ION: Do you think you will keep that going?
Shelley: Oh 100%. It was one of the - if not the only - silver lining to this pandemic: discovering that. I know a lot of people embraced shopping local this Christmas which was amazing. They really did come out and support us and we’re so appreciative of that. It gave me a great idea of what else people are looking for. I’m careful to curate the selection of items that I bring in so it fits with the feel and my other accessories and footwear too.

 

theurbanshoemyth.com

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What I Know: Say It Out Loud

by Travis Lindsay

Travis Lindsay is the most prolific writer in East Coast comedy. He has been captivating audiences with his great mix of jokes and storytelling since the early age of 16. Travis shares his story of being a Black comedian in the East Coast exclusively for [EDIT] magazine. 

Click here to read the inside story free on the [EDIT] website.