New director says Beaverbrook gallery is place he fell in love with art
While the Beaverbrook Art Gallery will soon be Bernard Doucet's workplace, the new executive director says it's also the spot he first fell in love with art as a nine-year-old.
Doucet, who grew up in Saint John and Cap-Lumière, will arrive in Fredericton with 12 years of experience at the helm of the Sobey Art Foundation, and earlier work at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia.
In December, he will take the reins from Tom Smart, who retired in April.
Tom Smart retired from the Beaverbrook Art Gallery in April after seven years at the helm. (Ed Hunter/CBC)
"This is such a good feeling, to return home not just to New Brunswick but also to the place that, you know, sort of launched my lifelong passion for art," Doucet said in an interview.
The incoming director said he wants to strengthen the gallery's connection to the capital region and the many communities within it.
Being the first Acadian to hold the position, Doucet hopes to make Acadian art and culture a priority — and, in turn, welcome more Acadian audiences.
"There are remarkable artists from across Acadian communities," he said.
"The sense going forward should be, on a cultural and community exchange level, that the doors are wide open at the Beaverbrook for Acadian artists and Acadian audiences, and I intend to work very hard on making that happen."
He also sees an opportunity to better serve military members and their families living in Oromocto, and hopes to build programming specifically for them.
Letting community members know about the gallery and what it can offer them is a key priority for Doucet. (Jon Collicott/CBC)
"I believe in the responsibility of institutions like the Beaverbrook to proactively engage with communities," Doucet said.
"To not, you know, sort of wait for audiences to appear, but to demonstrate their relevance to various constituencies and strengthen the emotional attachment that citizens have with an institution like it."
