Teresa Doyle

Three seasons of experiencing nature through art workshops at Rock Barra Artist Retreat.

Rock Barra Artist Retreat Co-operative is delighted to announce a slate of workshops with artists and naturalists as part of the Canada 150 celebrations. As we honour our history as a nation our project, The Waters and The Wild, reminds citizens of Canada that we are blessed with an incredible environmental legacy to be treasured, enjoyed and protected for generations to come.

“Come away, O human child! To the waters and the wild.”

— W.B. Yeats

The workshops will be on Tuesdays beginning in late May and running until mid-October. Together we will explore pottery, seaweed identification, music, plover watching, visual arts, wild edibles, etc. Check out the Rock Barra Retreat website for exact details. We will be engaging people of all ages, school children, families, summer residents tourists, visiting artists, community elders, bird watchers, naturalists, and participants from many cultures. During the spring and fall these events will be open to school children for field trips.

Rock Barra Artist Retreat is located on one of the few wild places left on our shoreline. It is home to a large pond and river with trout and salmon, nesting piping plovers, a dune system and a beautiful beach full of shore birds. We welcome a partnership with The Island Nature Trust to add an educational component to many of our workshops in order to better understand and appreciate this unique environment. Together we hope to ignite a passion for our natural heritage in the hearts and minds of newcomers, Mi’kmaq, Acadians, Celts, visitors and all islanders young and old.

Through art workshops we will explore one of the countless stunningly beautiful places in this country we call Canada. Artists have a unique way of engaging with the public, helping people see their environment in new ways and making visceral connections to nature that participants will never forget. Protection of the environment grows from this deep personal bond with the land and sea.

All workshops will be free to the public. Rock Barra Artist Retreat Co-operative is grateful for the assistance provided by The Canada 150 fund.

The Waters & The Wild is a Canada 150 Project. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada / Nous reconnaissons l’appui financier du gouvernement du Canada.