- Acadia's primary ambassadors are its artists.
It is they who define it day-to-day, who alter it.
And those changes are influenced
greatly by how artists have described it,
whether through their writings, their plays or the cinema.
So I said if there is a place where I can contribute,
that would satisfy me, it would be there.
♪ Piano ♪
The Aberdeen Cultural Centre is a space for creation and sharing,
it's a welcoming space for both artists and the public.
It is one of Moncton's most important cultural infrastructure,
and I would even say of all Acadia.
It occupies a central place by virtue of the role it plays,
especially for modern art
or contemporary art
or new modes of artistic expression.
It is a multidisciplinary centre.
So it's a place which tries to do things differently.
- If you want this one, don't let yourself be intimidated
[ Laughter ]
He must not have it.
Christian, what's your opening bid? - A thousand!
- I've got eleven... now twelve.
I need twelve, now thirteen. I've got thirteen...
- What we tried to create here is a space
where everything takes place mainly or largely in French.
This doesn't mean that Anglophones aren't welcome here, on the contrary.
It's fast becoming a meeting place for both communities.
♪ Piano ♪
- I believe we bring enormous energy to our community.
Certainly, the fact that the Université de Moncton offers a...
that there is a visual arts department.
The fact that we can study art at home, in French,
is another reason why the community here in Moncton
is so strong, so alive,
and we continue to have new artists
each year emerging from the department.
So this department at the Université de Moncton
is really, really important
to the smooth operation of this ecosystem, in fact.
♪ Piano ♪
- The Aberdeen Centre for me is not an ordinary building like the others.
It's really a community, where people are there to help each other.
In that spirit, it makes me happy if I can contribute in some way
to burnishing the Centre's image.
The decision was made to choose a restaurant
that would fit in with the Centre.
I try to make it a bit sophisticated
to blend with the spirit of a cultural centre.
For my part, I'm really proud to be here.
I try to do my best
to thank them as often as I can.
- One thing that the Aberdeen Cultural Centre
does well through its artists
is that it brings beauty, it brings life,
it brings extremely positive things into this community,
to the point where it has become a reference.
We are widely solicited.
I have people coming from Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island,
we've even had a group from British Columbia,
coming to see how we do things here
and how we have succeeded with this project
to bring together artists, children,
because there are daycare facilities,
and there are many children in the building,
cultural enterprises and cultural associations,
working collectively to have a place
that allows for the diffusion and presentation
the results of an artist's work.
and to be an extremely lively space for the community.
- I truly believe that it is perhaps the philosophy of strength in numbers.
I think it's a desire to see the community at large
succeed and flourish.
Really just that idea,
that by supporting one another, we can go further.
♪ Piano and birds ♪