Culture Days are starting this weekend. Which means that all across the country there will be thousands of free, hands on, art related events. This year there are over 20 activities spread across Fredericton. There’s a bunch of activities set up like a horror writing workshop, bookbinding classes, an open rehearsal with the Fredericton Youth Orchestra or just chatting with some local artists.
The festivities are put on by a group of the same name. Culture Days is a non-profit organization dedicated to making cultural connections with Canadians and providing opportunities for people to participate in and appreciate art.
A new group in the city are welcoming this opportunity to attract some locals.
The Fredericton Makerspace group is non-profit art organization which will be opening up it’s studio on Saturday. The Makerspace group acquired a warehouse at the beginning of this month and are still finishing renovations. This will be the first time the group has opened their doors to the public.
A makerspace is a place where artists and hobbyist of many varieties can come together. Fredericton’s own group is brand new, but they’ve grown to be 10 artists with 10 individual studios.
“We would like to create awareness for our group. We are trying to make this into a larger community centre,” said Allison Green, an artist with the Markerspace group.
The makerspace will consist of painters, potters, sculptors and even robotics. Literally, all types of art are welcome under this studio’s roof. The group is trying to expand the art community within the city and encourage new artists to have a look at the space and connect with the already involved artists.
“In time we are going to have a larger area of the warehouse dedicated to partial members who wouldn’t have a complete studio space,” said Green.
“People in the engineering community no longer have a space, so that’s why we have people coming in to work on robots and computer programs.”
The Makerspace is always looking for more people to fill out the building and Culture Days brings the perfect opportunity for any clubs or organizations which might like to use the space to hold workshops. The event makes it easier for community members to meet with these artists who share the space.
On Saturday, Sept. 27, locals are invited to see where art meets industry. The Markerspace group will be holding an interactive tour packed with demos and hands on activities.
“We are really interested in what the other members of the community would like to do with the space,” said Green.
The tour will be held from 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. and like all Culture Days events, it’s free of charge. Checkout the online schedule for other events throughout the weekend.
