Reimagining Arts and Culture in New Brunswick: A Call for Community-Led, Inclusive, and Sustainable Change
The arts and culture sector in New Brunswick is at a pivotal moment. As the Department of Tourism, Heritage and Culture invites residents to help shape the future through its Arts and Culture Sector Survey, we have an opportunity to create an ecosystem that truly reflects our diverse communities and meets the needs of today, while honouring the knowledge of the past.
Drawing on recent insights, local initiatives, and academic research, this post outlines the essential values, challenges, and solutions that can guide us forward.
🌾 Elevating Indigenous Art and Knowledge in the East
New Brunswick is home to vibrant Indigenous and Acadian artistic traditions, yet many barriers still limit full participation in the cultural ecosystem. Research shows that Indigenous artists and communities are often underrepresented in leadership and decision-making roles, and that funding structures rarely accommodate the intergenerational, land-based, and relational aspects of Indigenous knowledge.
What we need:
- Indigenous-led programs co-developed with Elders and youth.
- Long-term funding models that support cultural transmission—not just short-term projects.
- Space for hybrid identities (e.g., Indigenous-Acadian youth) to shape new cultural narratives.
🤖 Embracing Technology Without Losing Traditional Knowledge
AI and digital tools are transforming how culture is created, preserved, and shared. While these technologies open doors for Indigenous and multicultural youth to explore new forms of expression, they also risk eroding the traditional knowledge transmission that depends on in-person, land-based learning.
What we can do:
- Create digital archives with community ownership and Elder participation.
- Train youth to become creators of culturally rooted tech content (e.g., language apps, VR storytelling).
- Ensure digital tools support—not replace—relational learning and ceremonies.
🧒🏽Youth & Newcomers Deserve to See Themselves Reflected
For arts and culture in NB to thrive, youth and newcomers must feel safe, represented, and empowered in the sector. Right now, many face systemic racism, cultural erasure, and logistical barriers that make it hard to engage or lead in cultural spaces.
How we fix this:
- Embed youth advisory boards and newcomer co-leads into cultural planning processes.
- Host public, multilingual cultural events where diverse communities showcase their art, languages, and heritage.
- Fund programs like USNN’s Nature Through Our Senses that bridge emotional connection, cultural storytelling, and ecological learning in accessible ways.
🏛️ The One Thing We Must Include: Face-to-Face Collaboration
One non-negotiable ingredient in any future action plan is the commitment to regular, in-person community gatherings. These aren’t just town halls—they are relationship-building spaces where local residents, non-profits, and government officials sit together to surface concerns and co-create solutions. These events must happen in community spaces, in multiple languages, and with clear accountability for how feedback is used.
In practice:
- Cultural feasts, storytelling circles, land-based workshops, and arts showcases that feed into provincial policy.
- Elected officials attending not just to speak—but to listen, follow up, and build with.
- Programs co-funded and co-governed by communities and public institutions to ensure sustainability.
📈 How We Measure Success: Community Impact Over Metrics
Using the example of the United Spirit Nature Network (USNN), success should be measured not just in attendance numbers or grant outputs, but in community transformation:
- Are youth more confident and culturally connected?
- Are newcomers leading and creating in their own voices?
- Are Indigenous teachings embedded in school curricula and government policy?
- Are community gatherings frequent, inclusive, and driving real decisions?
If we can answer “yes” to these questions, then we are building more than a cultural sector, we’re building a future rooted in relationship, belonging, and creative sovereignty.
POINT OF VIEW
If there is one thing that must be included in the Arts and Culture in New Brunswick Action Plan to make it a success, from USNN’s pont of view, it would be:
— A sustained mechanism for direct, in-person community engagement and decision-making
This means formally embedding regular, face-to-face gatherings, such as community forums, listening circles, cultural events, and participatory planning sessions, into the implementation process. These gatherings should not be one-time consultations, but ongoing spaces where local residents, youth, Indigenous leaders, non-profit organizations, and government representatives meet as equals to identify priorities, assess progress, and co-create solutions.
By institutionalizing these gatherings in the Action Plan, with clear roles, timelines, and feedback loops, it ensures that the plan stays grounded in real community needs, not assumptions or top-down mandates. It also builds trust, accountability, and local ownership, which are essential for long-term success, especially in a province as diverse and community-rooted as New Brunswick.
💬 Make Your Voice Heard
The Arts and Culture Sector Survey is your chance to be part of that future. Share what’s working, what’s not, and what your community dreams of. The more honest and hopeful we are now, the more powerful the outcomes will be later.
Let’s build a New Brunswick where every story, every language, and every child’s curiosity is reflected in our cultural future.
