Cultural trade between Maine and New Brunswick has been going on for a long time. Since the 2010 MOU the state of Maine has been looking at the exchanges more closely; in many cases contributing to their success. Some of the previous and ongoing examples of international cultural collaborations are highlighted on this page.
If you are aware of something that is not listed, please let us know. We love hearing about and promoting such work.
Ongoing Partnerships
Two Nation Vacation: The Maine Office of Tourism and New Brunswick Tourism and Parks have developed a cross-border tourism initiative that includes three vacation travel itineraries linking sites in Maine and New Brunswick. These include a Scenic Coastal Loop, an Acadia and River Valley Loop and a Fredericton and Bangor Loop.
Maine International Conference on the Arts: The Maine International Conference on the Arts is an event that happes every other year to support artists, arts organizations, educators, policy makers, and community developers. An inportant part of this event is the inclusion of artists, administrators, and academics from Canada and beyond, to share information and strengthen Maine's cultural infrastructure.
Historic Bold Coast Museums and Fundy Culture: An alliance of museums in eastern Maine and museums in New Brunswick’s southwestern coast. The goals of the collaboration are to create a collaborative structure of museums, historic properties and other cultural organizations from Ellsworth to Campobello, and The shores and isles of the phenomenal Bay of Fundy.
Schoodic Symposium and Sculpture Saint John: Since 2007 the Schoodic International Sculpture Symposium has brought sculptors from around the world to Winter Harbor, Maine, where they spent upwards of six weeks creating original large scale sculptures using Maine granite. In 2012, Sculpture Saint John held their first symposium. The event was closely modeled after the Schoodic symposium and has plans for five biennial events that will result in a Canadian sculpture trail of over thirty-five large scale sculptures by 2020. The two trails through Maine and New Brunswick make up a unique international contemporary art exhibition of large-scale granite works.
The Tides Institute & Museum of Art: The Tides Institute & Museum of Art acts as both cultural catalyst and cultural anchor for the eastern coast of Maine with strong links to neighboring Canada and ties to the broader world. The Tides Institute works closely with Canadian artists and arts-audiences sponsoring exhibits, artist exchanges, and organizing cross-border events like the the Two Countries/One Bay Art Studio Tour.
Contact East: For a more than a quarter of a century, the very best of Atlantic Canadian talent in theatre, music, and dance have gathered to showcase their performances for regional, national and international buyers at Contact East. Both an arts industry staple and a chance for the public to see dozens of showcasing artists. Maine artists showcase at this event and Maine talent buyers book Canadian artist to tour south.
East Coast Music Association: The mission of the East Coast Music Association is to foster, develop, promote and celebrate East Coast Music and its artists locally, regionally, nationally and internationally. A terrific industry event in maritime Canada that Maine music professionals enjoy attending.
American Folk Festival: The American Folk Festival is an annual large-scale, three-day event that takes place at the end of August in downtown Bangor, Maine. The Festival presents music and dance from the many cultures from around the world.
Roosevelt Campobello International Park: Located across the Maine/New Brunswick border on Campobello Island, this is the only U.S./Canada park in existence. The U.S. National Park Service maintains an interpretive area on the Maine side as does Parks Canada on the New Brunswick side. Franklin D. Roosevelt summered on Campobello Island. As an adult, he shared with his family the same active pursuits he enjoyed on the island as child. Today Roosevelt Campobello International Park serves as a memorial to FDR and a symbol of cooperation between the U.S. and Canada.
FrancoFête en Acadie: The annual FrancoFête en Acadie is a major Acadian event dedicated to performing arts, brings together artists, broadcasters, industry professionals and the general public. Produced by the Atlantic network of performing arts distribution (Réseau atlantique de diffusion des arts de la scène – RADARTS), the FrancoFête is a tremendous showcase to introduce the public and the industry professionals to the new material and talent.
Maine Public Broadcasting Network and Radio Canada: Maines Public Broadcasting Network broadcasts a variety of Canadian shows and features Canadian artists as part of regular programming. Radio Canada can be heard in many Maine communities.
Orchestre Philharmonique du Haut-Saint-Jean: The Orchestre Symphonique du Haut-Saint-Jean in Saint-Basile New Brunswick is comprised of amateur and semi-professional musicians from Maine, Quebec, and New Brunswick.
Annual Conferences of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers: These meetings have taken place since 1973. The conferences focus on topics like expansion of economic ties, the fostering of energy exchanges, environmental issues and the coordination of numerous policies and programs in such areas as transportation, forest management and tourism.