ATLANTIC VISUAL ARTS FESTIVAL
30th EDITION
The 30th edition of the Atlantic Visual Arts Festival (FAVA) will take place from June 5 to 7, 2026, at the Carrefour de la mer in Caraquet, under the theme The Gift: from the artist’s gift to the creation of their art and its transmission to the general public.
“A work of art speaks to that part of ourselves which is itself a gift and not an acquisition.” Joseph Conrad
The production of all manner of objects that we consume and then discard differs vastly from that of a work of art that we receive—that we appreciate as spectators—and which sometimes makes us feel so intensely alive. For works of art—sometimes daring, sometimes humorous, sometimes exploratory, sometimes poetic—make us, as viewers—as recipients—experience a whole range of emotions. Think of certain works that have left a mark on us, whether a piece of music, a film, a painting, or a poem. Art that touches people is generally passed down from person to person, from generation to generation, and has been for a very long time.
The theme of this edition thus reaffirms FAVA’s vision of encouraging recognition of the artist’s status, who, through the gift they give through their art, contributes—in a way that is too often overlooked—to the collective effort aimed at social cohesion and the well-being of our communities.
When we are moved by a work of art, we connect, through it, with the artist who created it; we resonate with another person’s sensibility, and we experience a shared humanity.
In conclusion, the entire program for this 30th edition is underpinned by the theme of passing on the gift that artists give us through their artistic practice, and their full and complete contribution to the growth of our communities through their art.
Some thirty artists will gather for this 30th edition of FAVA, which will take place from June 5 to 7, 2026.
FAVA 30th Edition. This year at FAVA, art is running wild to offer you encounters with inspiring artists and present works that, we hope, will delight you.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
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Passport (3 days) - Adult: $25
Pass (1 day) - Adult: $15 Student: $5
Sunday: $10 per person - Free for ages 12 and under
Information: (506)727-7726
SCHEDULE
FRIDAY, JUNE 5 - 1 PM TO 10 PM
ALL DAY
Luminous Presence – Live Creative Challenge
Art Is a Gift with artist Renée Gélinas
ARTIS Space – 18 artists
Claude Roussel Space – A Great Cultural Ambassador
First Constellation Exhibition
Scratched Space – Collective Work
Open Workshop: Cyclops and Pufferfish (for children)
Fingerprints and Drawing
Click! The Beautiful Portrait
7:00 PM
- OFFICIAL OPENING of the 30th edition of FAVA
- Musical performance
- 50/50 Raffle Launch
7:30 PM
- FAVA’S TABLE
CAFÉ
ARTHUR RACKHAM
(1867 - 1939)
Come discover great coffee, delicious dishes, and desserts prepared by the team of the Boulangerie Grains de Folie in Caraquet—what a treat!
Arthur Rackham was born in London into a family of twelve children. At age 18, he worked as a clerk at the Westminster Fire Office and began studying at the Lambeth School of Art. By 1888, at the age of twenty, he was invited to exhibit at the Royal Academy as a watercolorist. He then worked as an illustrator for the weekly Westminster Budget.
SATHURDAY, JUNE 6 - 9AM TO 12 PM
ALL DAY
Luminous Presence – Live Creative Challenge
Art Is a Gift with artist Renée Gélinas
ARTIS Space – 18 artists
Claude Roussel Space – A Great Cultural Ambassador
First Constellation Exhibition
Scratched Space – Collective Work
Open Workshop: Cyclops and Pufferfish (for children)
Fingerprints and Drawing
Click! The Beautiful Portrait
7 PM to midnight
- Emerging musical Artists
- Gino Tomato
NIGHT OF ART
SUNDAY, JUNE 7 - 9 AM TO 3 PM
ALL DAY
Luminous Presence – Live Creative Challenge
Art Is a Gift with artist Renée Gélinas
ARTIS Space – 18 artists
Claude Roussel Space – A Great Cultural Ambassador
First Constellation Exhibition
Scratched Space – Collective Work
Open Workshop: Cyclops and Pufferfish (for children)
Fingerprints and Drawing
Click! The Beautiful Portrait
2:30 PM
- 50/50 Raffle
SPACE
ARTIS
This year, ARTIS invites you to explore the creative work of eighteen visual artists. The general public is invited to come and view the artists’ works in their studios and watch them create live. It’s a wonderful opportunity to discover new talent and talk with artists about their artistic practice.
LIVE CREATIONS
LUMINOUS PRESENT
“Where there is no gift, there is no art.” Lewis Hyde (The Gift: Imagination and the Erotic Life of Property, 1983)
Without the gift, there is no art.
A project that combines contemporary art with interpretations by emerging artists of works from the collection of the Beaverbrook Art Gallery in Fredericton. The project “Présent lumineux” is developed with the support of the Cultural Initiatives Fund of the Acadian Cultural Foundation and the Club Richelieu.
The artists will begin their work in their respective studios and add the finishing touches during the 30th edition of FAVA. These ieces will then be permanently installed in a public space in the region.
In conclusion, the works created by the artists, through their presence in our lives, help fuel our own creativity and support the cultural growth of our communities.
This project aims to contribute to the visibility of emerging artists, their inclusion in the cultural and community spheres, and the recognition of artists’ contributions to the creation of cultural values.
Claude Roussel
A great cultural ambassador
Pionnier de l’art postmoderne en Acadie, Claude Roussel a fait ses études à l’École des beaux-arts de Montréal durant les années 1950. Artiste prolifique, il œuvre pendant plus de 80 ans dans le domaine des arts visuels. En 1963, il est le fondateur du premier département des arts visuels et de la galerie d’art de l’Université de Moncton, dont il deviendra le directeur. Il compte à son actif plus de 200 expositions ainsi que 60 projets de sculptures monumentales et de nombreuses œuvres faisant partie d’importantes collections publiques. L’excellence de ses réalisations, ainsi que sa contribution à la vie culturelle du Nouveau-Brunswick lui ont valu plusieurs prix, dont l’Ordre de la Pléiade (1982), l’Ordre du Canada (1984), l’Ordre du Nouveau-Brunswick (2002) et le Prix du lieutenant-gouverneur du Nouveau-Brunswick pour l’œuvre de toute une vie (2005). L’artiste Claude Roussel a apporté une contribution inestimable au développement des arts visuels en Acadie et au Canada. En 2003, nous avons réalisé une édition hommage à l’artiste Claude Roussel (parrain de la 8e édition). Découvrez donc dans cet espace qui lui sera réservé une œuvre intitulée Anxiété du pêcheur, réalisée en 1961, qu’il nous avait alors présentée. Mosaïque et béton sur base en bois avec neuf photos.
ACTIVITIES
SCRATCHED SPACE
The Scratched Space is a collaborative project bringing together the public and professional artists. The starting point is a 14-foot-long by 4-foot-high panel primed with white paint.
A variety of materials will be made available to the public: charcoal, felt-tip pens, pastels, and collage supplies (glue, brushes, wrapping paper, magazines, etc.) .This collective artwork, to be created at FAVA 2026, will feature your signature in cursive script, which we invite you to draw in a very free and artistic manner—like a flock of birds taking flight, a wave breaking on the shore, a branch revealing a bud, or a letter transforming into a dragon or arching its back like a cat. In short, give free rein to your creativity through your signature in cursive. A facilitator will be on site to guide you through this fun creative process.
Don’t hesitate to participate in this collective creation, which we’re offering as a birthday card to sign—stamped with your artistic signature—as part of this 30th edition of FAVA.
EXPOSITION
FIRST CONSTELLATION
The exhibition *Première constellation* invites you to discover drawings and paintings by young ARTISTS from the region. The exhibition was organized by artist, curator, and coordinator Trevor Murty, who directs the Galerie Lore Akadie and presents traveling exhibitions in Neguac, Shippagan, Tracadie, and Saint-Isidore. A project in partnership with the Peninsula Youth Activity Centers and the schools of the DSFNE.
So keep your eyes open, because you might just discover budding artists in the Première constellation exhibition who will become the next generation of visual artists in our communities.
CLIC!
WHAT A BEAUTIFUL SHOT
For the general public and FAVA artists, two vibrant and artistic spaces where you can take beautiful, artistic photos as part of this 30th edition of FAVA. For the brief moment it takes to snap a photo, become a precious element of a floral tableau, or take a picture alongside a creature straight out of a fairy tale.
FOOTPRINTS
& DRAWINGS
Various animal footprints will be placed on the ground along the FAVA exhibition route. Join in the fun, follow the footprints, and at the end of the route (on a panel provided for this purpose), draw the animal that might have left the footprint. For young and grown-ups, this fun observation and drawing activity will give participants the chance to enter a drawing for various prizes.
ART IS A GIFT
“An artist’s spirit of giving can awaken our own.
The work appeals, as Joseph Conrad puts it, to
a part of our being that is itself a gift
and not an acquisition. Our sense of harmony can
hear the harmonies that Mozart heard.
We may not have the power to realize our
gifts as the artist does, but we come to
recognize, and in a sense to receive, the gifts of our
being through his creation.” Lewis Hyde
The project titled Art Is a Gift, launched this year by FAVA, is the result of a partnership with UNI. It is an artistic and community-based project focused on printmaking and intended for children and youth participating in FAVA. This project will be led by master printmaker Renée Gélinas.
The project will result in the creation of a tondo. Nature is one of the greatest sources of inspiration in art. It offers us the most beautiful gifts: food, shelter, the environment, the earth, the air, the wind, water, plants, and animals—not to mention scents, music, and poetry. Together with the young people at FAVA, we will create a tondo to celebrate it. How? By printing, drying, coloring, cutting out, and arranging shapes of seashells, striped bass, flowers, spruce trees, moose, and other imaginative creations on a round panel (tondo).
GOLDEN CRACKS
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Discover the exhibition GOLDEN CRACKS by artist Trevor Murty at the CORRIDART space in the Caraquet Cultural Center.
Through this new series created using collages of photographic prints and printed text, the artist explores the themes of romantic relationships, the bond between artists, resilience, and artistic expression as a source of joy.
A touching, colorful exhibition that is definitely worth seeing at the CORRIDART space, on view from June 3 to October 2, 2026.
This exhibition is presented by FAVA in partnership with the Caraquet Cultural Center.
The Dragon’s Riddle
Activity for children accompanied by a parent.
Scattered throughout the FAVA space, discover an exhibition of thirty miniature paintings—almost all of which feature dragons—but among them are eight paintings containing letters of the alphabet. Search for and find these eight letters—they will allow you to compose the answer to the riddle posed by a certain dragon. The riddle to be solved will be given to you on-site during your visit to the 30th edition of FAVA.
Search, find, and write your answer to the riddle and your name on the provided entry slip, then drop it into the box labeled “The Dragon’s Riddle” that you’ll find on a table at the entrance to this space, and enter a drawing for several participation prizes.
