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Issue (Archive)
Saint John is fortunate to have a long and distinguished connection to the arts. The Saint John Arts Centre is located in a three-storey heritage building which was formerly used as the Saint John Free Public Library. The building was opened in 1904 as one of over 2500 public libraries donated by Andrew Carnegie, the American philanthropist. Today there are only about 40 of these buildings still in existence in North America and the Carnegie Building in Saint John is one of only six left in Canada. It is a magnificent building. The entrance hall features baked clay geometric tiles set in a fan shape. Around the edge the tiles are set in the shape of a Greek key. The ceiling features a beautiful stained glass skylight reflecting the colours of the Art Nouveau period and the geometric shapes of the floor tiles. In 1985, the Library moved to its present location in Market Square and the Carnegie building was converted with a sponsorship from Lady Aitken into the Aitken Bicentennial Exhibition Centre. It featured Art and Science displays and exhibitions. In December 2001 because of lack of funding, the ABEC closed its doors. A group of people were dismayed at the loss of the centre. They met and petitioned City Hall to let them use the building as an Arts Centre. Through this group of volunteers, the building reopened September 2002 renamed as the Saint John Arts Centre. Since that time it has remained active through the hard work and dedication of over 70 volunteers and the support of the people of Saint John. There are five galleries on the three floors of this building. Exhibits change monthly with a reception generally held the first Friday of each month at 5:00 p.m. Admission is free and everyone is welcome to attend. In the next few months the exhibit areas will feature photographs, maps, stained glass, art work from schools and clubs as well as individual artists. The Saint John Arts Centre promotes the art and artists of the area in many disciplines. There is a small gift shop on the third floor which sells books by local writers as well as items prepared or produced by talented local people. The centre has been the site of various types of workshops - painting, fibre art, cartooning, videography, creative drawing, paper mache, magic, appreciation of Shakespeare, storytelling, maskmaking, photography, music, rug hooking, creative gardening and writing. With its spacious but intimate room settings, this is the preferred site for many musical performances by local performers. All visitors are welcome
at The Saint John Arts Centre which is open Tuesday to Sunday: 12
noon to 4 p.m.
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