This fall, students at UNB's Saint John campus will have the opportunity to explore what it means to build and sustain artistic community both in theory and in practice through a new course that blends literature, history and hands-on experience.
The course, ENGL 3716: Reading and Writing Community, taught by Dr. Gemma Marr, will use the Lorenzo Society an arts and culture organization serving the Saint John campus and the broader community as a living case study. In it, students are invited to engage directly with the Society's programming, explore its archives and contribute to a final exhibit that celebrates its 50th anniversary.
"The goal is to offer students hands-on experience in different types of arts writing that they may not get in a traditional English class," said Marr. "Alongside reading and discussing novels, poems and short fiction, they'll write event reviews, create social media content and even learn how to curate an exhibit."
Students will attend Society events, meet visiting authors and work with ArtsLink NB to learn the fundamentals of exhibit curation, including how to write catalogue entries and display descriptions. The term will culminate with a public exhibition in December, showcasing student work alongside archival materials and visual art tied to the Society's legacy.
For Marr, the CEWIL-funded course is about more than skill-building: It's about showing students that careers in the arts are possible.
"This course gives students tangible examples of the kind of work they can do. They'll be able to say, I was a co-curator on an exhibit at the university.' That's a hard skill they can put on a resume."
The course also offers a chance to reflect on the Society's long-standing role in Saint John's cultural landscape this fall marks its 50th anniversary. For decades, the Society has been a cultural cornerstone, connecting campus and community through literature, music, film and visual arts. Now, with a renewed sense of purpose and a fresh wave of programming, it is poised to reintroduce itself to a new generation.
Named after 15th-century poet and patron of the arts Lorenzo de Medici, the Society quickly became a hub for readings, concerts, film screenings and art exhibits. It supported local publications, including The Cormorant, a literary journal that published early works by authors such as David Adams Richards, and hosted events that drew crowds of over 100 people.
"There used to be a gallery on campus" Marr explained. "They would commission or bring in art, host lectures and even put on plays. It was a really robust group of people who were passionate about the arts. The Society is indebted to a dedicated group of faculty, staff and students who kept it thriving for so long."
Like many arts organizations, the Society faced challenges during the pandemic. While dedicated individuals worked to sustain its presence, the absence of a full-time coordinator and limited programming eventually led to a quieter role on campus.
"When I started as coordinator of the Lorenzo Society in January 2025, I realized we needed to slowly tiptoe back in," said Marr. "Last term, we hosted four reading series events, and showcased film and live music on campus. People are aware of it again, and I'm hopeful that this fall it'll be on people's radar."
This fall's programming includes an Indigenous film series planned for September, a partnership with the Fog Lit Literary Festival, a poetry event with Shane Neilson, a reading from Elliott Gish's neo-gothic novel Grey Dog to ring in the spooky season and more. The literary programming for 2025-26 is supported in part by the Government of New Brunswick's literary promotions funding. The Saint John String Quartet is also returning as musicians-in-residence, supported by Arts NB.
Marr hopes the upcoming events will capture attention and reinvigorate the spirit of the Lorenzo Society, bringing renewed energy to a longstanding tradition of arts and community on the Saint John campus. With a lineup of readings, music and film screenings, she aims to reconnect students and the broader Saint John community with the Society's creative legacy.
"If the spark in the 1970s was to create a space that brought campus and community together around the arts, my hope is to recapture that," she said. "It's still there. It's just been a little sleepy."
