Latest news with #Beaverbrook
CBC
04-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Beaverbrook Art Gallery launches 'jaw-dropping' exhibit of N.B. artists
About two months ago, the Beaverbrook Art Gallery in Fredericton began showing works by New Brunswick artists in the Harrison McCain Pavilion just as you enter the lobby area. They called it the "Made in New Brunswick" campaign and regularly switched out the works to showcase the province's roster of great artists, mostly since the Second World War. The initial display of works coincided with the onset of the tariff battle and the ensuing burst of patriotism nationwide. "We received a great response," said John Leroux, the Beaverbrook's manager of collections and exhibitions. "That was really as soon as the tariffs came down and [people were embracing] everything Canadian and New Brunswick." Leroux said they realized they were onto something and decided to put together an official exhibit, which opens this weekend, of works from their permanent collection, some of which have never been displayed before. He said the pride is genuine and justifiable in a province that's always "punched above its weight," winning four Governor General's Awards in the visual arts in the last 20 years alone. "It's a special place when it comes to [visual art]," said Leroux. "Even for me who knows our collections so well, to revisit these works and put them together in a new way has been revelatory." There are works by well-known artists like Thaddeus Holownia, Kathy Hooper, Molly Lamb Boback, Miller Brittain and Fred Ross. Leroux mentions, in particular, a large drawing by Ross, a Saint John artist who died in 2014. It's a portrait of his wife Sheila, who was a dancer. The work was "probably his most prized possession," said Leroux, and it's never been shown in a gallery before. "It could be right out of the Renaissance, [there] is a beautiful sort of glowing light coming from her face as she's lounging in this lovely 19th century city and Saint John house." It was given to the Beaverbrook by his daughter Cathy Ross, who is also an artist. She has a watercolour on display right next to the portrait of her mother. As part of the exhibit, there are also lesser-known works like 10 hand-blown glass pieces from the 1970s by Martin Demaine, who came here from the U.S. and set up the first "flame-powered, hand-blown" glass studio in Canada in Mactaquac. He's now in his 80s and an instructor in the glass lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston. "They're stunning," Leroux said. "They've never been shown." The exhibit will continue at the Beaverbrook until July 6. "It's a pretty broad show," said Leroux. "I don't think anyone will leave this exhibition feeling short-changed. In fact, I think they'll come with their jaw-dropping, saying this is outstanding and fills you with pride."
CBC
05-04-2025
- Politics
- CBC
For this Mi'kmaw creator, art is a way to amplify activism and promote Indigenous sovereignty
Mel Beaulieu, a queer Mi'kmaw artist, says their art is often influenced by politics When Mel Beaulieu prepared to work as the artist-in-residence at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery in Fredericton this winter, the world seemed ominous. Beaulieu, a queer member of Metepenagiag First Nation, says their art is often influenced by politics and the world around them. And this relationship only deepened in January, the month Beaulieu worked at the Beaverbrook gallery and Donald Trump was sworn in as 47th president of the United States. On inauguration day, Trump was quick to target transgender and gender diverse people, issuing an executive order that said the U.S. government would now recognize only two sexes — male and female. A few days later, Trump issued an executive order aimed at ensuring the military does not have transgender members. WATCH | During residency earlier this year, artist shared story behind their work: Media Video | CBC News New Brunswick : Unravelling the church through beadwork: How one Indigenous artist is healing Caption: Melcolm Beaulieu, an artist in residence this winter at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery in Fredericton, says growing up Indigenous and queer in the Catholic Church was suffocating. Now, they're exploring and unpacking those feelings in their beaded art. Open Full Embed in New Tab Loading external pages may require significantly more data usage than loading CBC Lite story pages. These were just two of the orders Trump has issued during his first months in power that threaten the transgender community in the U.S. and have alarmed the community in Canada as well. "Now isn't the time for allyship that is silent or allyship that is passive … I think people, especially in Canada, think that those issues don't exist here," said Beaulieu, who grew up in Stanley and now lives in Fredericton. Image | Trans Joy Beadwork by Mel Beaulieu Caption: An example of Beaulieu's beadwork. Their beading journey began eight years ago, and their creations have been shown in exhibitions across the U.S. and Canada. (Submitted by Mel Beaulieu) Open Image in New Tab As part of the transgender community, the Mi'kmaw artist has hopes that Canada will not follow in the steps of the United States. But they're also uncertain — they've seen a rise in transphobic rhetoric across social media platforms. "I'm seeing the kind of escalating hate happening where people are more bold in the things they say to me or message me," Beaulieu said. The work of the 29-year-old artist ranges across several disciplines: beadwork, 3D printing, virtual reality, teaching, writing and illustrating. Beaulieu wrote and illustrated the children's book Animals at Play in Mi'kma'ki. Beaulieu's beading journey began eight years ago, and their beadwork creations have been shown in exhibitions across the U.S. and Canada. One of Beaulieu's most recent pieces, Protect Your Heart, has the title words in bold letters that surround a white beaded heart with a golden double-curved motif in the middle. The background of the piece is red, with barbed wire behind the heart. The double-curved motif, which has several meanings in Wabanaki nations, is associated with nature and symbolizes the interconnectedness of all things. During their art gallery residency, Beaulieu said, they started on a work that's expected to take about seven years to complete. "It feels like, you know, if this project's going to be here in seven years, I'm still going to be here," Beaulieu said. "In seven years, I'm still going to be making art. In seven years, queer people will still be here." Image | Church windows by Mel Beaulieu Caption: One of Beaulieu's projects — lifesize wooden church windows — was started during their residency at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery. (Submitted by Mel Beaulieu) Open Image in New Tab The project consists of life-size wooden church windows with Beaulieu's beaded art in each pane. The overall theme is the Doctrine of Discovery, a centuries-old legal and religious concept that was rejected by the Vatican and Pope Francis in 2023. The doctrine provided justification for Christians to seize and inhabit land anywhere in the world that was not already inhabited by Christians. If the land was free of Christians, and was home instead to Indigenous peoples, Christian colonists could steal it and lay sovereignty over it, according to the doctrine. The church window piece is about religion being used as a tool used to perpetrate colonialism on Indigenous peoples in Canada, and how this affects Beaulieu today. The work in progress is currently in Beaulieu's shared studio, the Collective, a queer Indigenous-owned art studio that has a tattoo artist, a multidisciplinary fabric artist and group beading workshops, which Beaulieu instructs. Beaulieu said the political climate of the world has heightened their drive to create art with themes of Indigenous and transgender resistance to combat rhetoric they believe is seeping across the border. "It feels a little bit like we have limited time to say what we need to say," Beaulieu said. "Things are being censored — it feels like, you know, now's my time, and I gotta say what I gotta say." Emma Hassencahl-Perley, the Beaverbrook Art Gallery's curator of Indigenous art, says the gallery wanted to collaborate with Beaulieu and other local Indigenous artists in the recent Radical Stitch exhibition. "I think there's such a hunger for Indigenous art at the moment in the political climate that we're in," said Hassencahl-Perley, a member of Tobique First Nation who has worked at the gallery since 2018. "I think that being in charge of our storytelling in our art forms, like having agency — looking at and exhibiting art through an Indigenous lens is also really important." Radical Stitch, the largest survey of contemporary Indigenous beadwork in North America to date, was in Fredericton for for much of this winter. The colourful, bold and thought-provoking works show how art transforms Indigenous generations with themes of Indigenous resistance, decolonization and history. The gallery exhibition included two pieces by Beaulieu: Matriarchs and Tools of the Maker. Collaborations with artists like Beaulieu are needed to foster meaningful connections between art museums and Indigenous artists, Hassencahl-Perley said. Beaulieu said that being contacted by the Beaverbrook Art Gallery to contribute to Radical Stitch was a highlight of their career. "To have it come but then to also be included was like a dream come true for me — it felt like something kind of unattainable." Beaulieu is now looking forward to their work being part of Three-eyed seeing: Indigenous Futurisms, an exhibition at the Campbell River Art Gallery in Campbell River, B.C., starting this June.
Forbes
02-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Dine In A Hot Air Balloon At Royal Ascot This Summer
The Royal Ascot is getting a bit more whimsical. Beaverbrook Just when you thought Royal Ascot couldn't get any more extravagant, along comes Beaverbrook with an idea so delightfully over-the-top it makes the Royal Enclosure feel like a mere garden party. For the first time in its illustrious five-year history, Beaverbrook's famed hot air balloon dining experience is leaving the safe, rolling hills of its Surrey estate and floating—well, figuratively—into the lavender-lined heart of Britain's most glamorous week of horse racing. From June 17 to 21, six gloriously striped hot air balloons—done up in raspberry red and rose pink and anchored like objets d'art in Ascot's Lavender Courtyard—will serve as intimate, private dining rooms for the very well-heeled (and very well-connected). It's a collision of old-school opulence and modern-day spectacle that feels, frankly, like it should have happened already. But no: this is the debut appearance of Beaverbrook at Ascot and the first time these balloons—normally seen wafting gently above plates of lobster and conversation in the Surrey countryside—have ever ventured off-property. For those unfamiliar with the concept, the balloons are not actually airborne. (This is Britain, not Burning Man.) But what they lack in altitude they make up for in theater. Each balloon basket—authentic wicker, naturally—is transformed into a six-person alfresco salon dressed to the nines by luxury tableware doyennes Summerill & Bishop. Think Parisian floral prints with English eccentricity and more linen than a Venetian trousseau. The entire tableau is as if Peter Pan grew up and got into hospitality. Diners will experience three seatings daily: brunch from 10:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m., lunch from 1:15 p.m. to 3:15 p.m., and afternoon tea from 3:45 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. Each is a two-hour, full-service affair complete with dedicated waitstaff and a champagne service that flows faster than a racehorse at the starting gate. Prices range from £225 for afternoon tea to £250 for brunch or lunch. For the price of a modest pair of spectator shoes, you get a trackside table in the clouds—minus the motion sickness. But let's talk food. The menus are curated by two men whose names you'd do well to remember if you ever want to host a dinner party that makes Tatler. Michelin-starred chef Tom Shepherd (of Upstairs fame) is helming brunch and lunch, bringing seasonal flair and a few audacious flourishes to classic British fare. Think: Native Lobster Cocktail Crumpet and Smoked Salmon with Potato Terrine, Cream Cheese, and Caviar. Meanwhile, making his Royal Ascot debut is pâtisserie icon Benoit Blin, responsible for afternoon tea. His spread will offer elegant finger sandwiches, jewel-like pastries, and whatever confectionery magic it takes to make an aristocrat smile through losing bets. 'We are always trying to innovate and improve the offering across the venue,' said Jonathan Parker, Managing Director of 1711 by Ascot, with the type of polite understatement that suggests he knows exactly how fabulous this is. 'The Beaverbrook balloons will provide something new and exciting.' 'New and exciting' may be the understatement of the year. The Beaverbrook brand, after all, is not exactly known for subtlety. Named after the legendary press baron and wartime politician Lord Beaverbrook, the Surrey estate-turned-hotel is a riot of elegance, nostalgia, and finely tuned hospitality. With four distinctive venues, four restaurants, a wellness spa, and interiors that would make Nancy Mitford weep, the place has become a countryside playground for London's tastefully moneyed set. 'Bringing our signature summer balloons to the Royal Enclosure is a wonderful opportunity to share the charm and excellence of Beaverbrook's hospitality with racegoers,' said Jorge De Jesus, Group GM at Beaverbrook. 'We're excited to contribute to the unforgettable atmosphere of Royal Ascot.' In other words, they're here to make a splash—and not just with champagne.
