Be part of our land, beach, and arts project in Nova Scotia, Canada

Details

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  Description

  PLEASE NOTE due to some upheavals the past few years the arts centre et cetera is not currently operating. We are just beginning to work on slowly reopening the gallery and bookshop. There is much to do. This includes general maintenance, cleaning, help sorting and disposing and reorganizing, cataloguing artwork, gardening, landscape, and forest work. For someone who is handy, small repairs and building projects are also a possibility. i have three dogs so perhaps occasional pet care or walks.
  
  i live half an hour from the village adjacent to a huge acreage of fields, forest, and beach. Help is needed with clearing old pathways and logging roads of shrubs and saplings. i would also like help to clear up deadwood from various areas and pack it into hugelkulturs. For those who wish, camping is also a possibility. Because of the rural area and the distances between locations, i cannot easily host anyone without their own vehicle.
  
  Various accommodations are possible depending upon wants and needs. Whether meals are shared / included will depend some on which accommodations are chosen:
  
  - shared house with retired gentleman near the Cove
  - shared house with retired woman + dogs at the Cove
  - camping at the Cove
  - in a former church or former post office in the village of Parrsboro
  
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  We run an independently operated arts and residency centre based in an abandoned government (a former post office, customs house, and armoury) building which has been transformed into an art space and secondhand bookshop.
  
  The project began with the ambition to save a derelict building, the old post office, which had been boarded up for over 40 years and had been ransacked and left to rot. In 2011, when we started, the roof leaked, there was no plumbing or electric or heat. The space is now fully functional. The top floor of this heritage building is now a large apartment for visiting friends, artists, travellers, and volunteers. It has views over the Main St and the water. The second level is a multifunctional space used as a gallery and for performances, workshops, and studio space. The main floor is home to a secondhand bookshop where we host poetry nights, lectures, musical acts, etc. The basement has a kiln, storage space, and lots of potential. In May 2017 a former united church in danger of demolition was added to the operation. The church building is 2 blocks away from the former post office. We mostly use it as performance space and studios.
  
  Outside of the village we also have some big land, a couple of cabins, and many places where it is possible to camp. There is good access to beach and forest.
  
  Hosting artists, scientists, volunteers, and others is at the core of much of what we do. AIRs (artists in residence) are given opportunities to exhibit, to teach workshops, and to connect with other creative people. There is an ongoing call for outdoor sculpture and public art. In 2016 and 2017 M&S organized and hosted an international Art of Paper Awards & Exhibitions, Over the years there have been regular poetry evenings and other literary events, performances, artists’ talks, lectures, et cetera
  
  
  The philosophy behind it centres on 3 areas: (1st) making the old new again by preserving and/or repurposing old buildings, old furniture, old clothes, and all sorts of other abandonned or discarded materials (2nd) providing space, opportunity, and support for artists, scientists, and others, to initiate, engage, and participate in creative acts (3rd) having fun.
  
  
  We host visitors in all of the indoor spaces and also allow the pitching of tents in the fields and forest overlooking the water. The land at the Cove has a 58 step staircase down to the beach where you can witness the highest tides in the world changing every 6 hours. When in the village of Parrsboro it is never a far walk to be at water's edge and, with a vehicle or a longer walk, there are many beaches to explore.
  
  The village itself has a population of around 1000 and is home to a summer theatre, a geological museum, and a historical museum. The last weekend of October there is an Atlantic film festival in town which is small but excellent. At all times of year there are regular open mic and music events. The town is famed for its annual gem and mineral show which has been happening for over 50 years and has also been the site of some important fossil finds.
  
  Everyone (AIRs, volunteers, friends, et cetera) who stays here is expected to help with the general cleaning of the spaces and to keep their own space clean and neat as well as the bathrooms and kitchen areas.
  
  We offer a place to stay and the opportunity to participate in various creative activities and events. If there are workshops, volunteers can take them at half price (the other portion of the fees goes to the artists giving the workshops). If you teach something and want to offer a workshop or event, this is possible (make a proposal :-) . If you charge $ for the workshop, the centre takes 50%.
  
  We do not currently provide meals. Although meals are oftened cooked and/or shared, everyone here is responsible for themselves and that includes food so sometimes we cooperate to have group meals and sometimes everybody makes their own. Each kitchen is provided with some staple fare to start... seasonings, rice, beans, lentils, cereal, pasta, flour, et cetera. No one who stays here goes hungry but ultimately everyone is responsible for their own food and we appreciate if people replace things before they leave.
  
  Bilingual in English and French. Some German. Learning Spanish.
  
  Please message with any questions.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Art Projects

  Language practice

  Help with Eco Projects

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Animal Care

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance
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  Interests

  

  Water sports

  

  Yoga / Wellness

  

  Winter sports

  

  Dancing

  

  Mountain

  

  DIY & crafts

  

  Charity work

  

  Culture

  

  Events & social

  

  Politics / Social justice

  

  Vegetarian or vegan

  

  Sustainability

  

  Pets

  

  Writing

  

  Cooking & food

  

  Plant care

  

  Drawing & painting

  

  Languages

  

  Gardening

  

  Books

  

  Art & design

  

  Animals

  

  Outdoor activities

  

  Hiking

  

  Nature

  

  Camping

  

  Beach
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  You may have the opportunity to meet artists, poets, musicians, writers, and more from both here and elsewhere. We have hosted many visitors from all over Canada and the world: poets, dancers, sculptors, shipbuilders, geologists, papermakers, etc. You may be invited to participate in poetry evenings, art projects and other programming that happens while you are here. If you are an artist, you will have access to space in which to work on your practice.
  
  You will experience the phenomenon that is the Minas Basin of Fundy Bay and see the awesome power of these highest tides in the world (the difference between high tide and low tide is often as much as 44 vertical feet (13 metres) or more. The landscape is spectacular and there are many beautiful beaches to explore and places to hike.
  
  Bilingual in French and English plus some German and Spanish.

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  Help

  We always have lots to do and, depending on the time of year, are looking for help with everything and anything ranging from general maintenance, construction projects, gardening, repairs, and cleaning. If you have a project to propose, suggestions are welcome.
  
  In pre-pandemic times help with events and hosting would also be needed but since COVID the Café is now closed and there are very few events or residencies.
  
  Instead there is plenty of outdoor work at a large piece of land… fields, forest, sky, beach… or in town cleaning and repairing and maintaining both indoors and out.
  
  Some projects may include: repairs and painting to a couple of cabins, digging vegetable / herb gardens, planting trees, building raised beds, yard work, tidying up around the outside of the buildings and doing small repairs, help to plan and build an outdoor oven; help to plan and build outhouses, building a grape arbor; help moving furniture around and keeping the living spaces in order; help with art projects, and cleaning trash from the beaches; clearing brush, trimming pathways, et cetera
  
  In your message, please indicate which tasks appeal to you most.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent
  French: Fluent
  German: Beginner
  Spanish: Beginner

  This host offers a language exchange
  This host has indicated that they are interested in sharing their own language or learning a new language.
  You can contact them directly for more information.
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  Accommodation

  We offer accommodations in one of the following: the 3rd floor apartment of the main building (waterview), bedrooms in the former church. The main building has wifi. Half an hour east from the village in Lower Economy there is also an acreage overlooking the water where camping is an option. i live nearby and have wifi at the house. There is access to stunning beaches, fields, and forest. A great place to fly a kite. Depending upon mutual considerations, accommodations are also possible in my home or in the home of one of my neighbours.

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  What else ...

  There is much to see and do for the nature enthusiast. We are also a 2 hour drive from Halifax and an hour and a half to the Halifax or Moncton airports. Volunteers who come with their own vehicle will have more independence and be better able to take advantage of all the area has to offer.

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  Can host digital nomads

  The main building (old post office) has a 60mbps connection.

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  Space for parking camper vans

  This host can provide space for campervans.

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  Can possibly accept pets

  This host has said they are willing to accept those travelling with a pet.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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