An exhibition of artworks and photographs by Biff Mitchell, featuring a memorial portrait by Deanna Musgrave.
Silence Says It All: May 8 to June 5 | UNB Art Centre
Celebration of the Life of Biff Mitchell: June 5 from 7 - 9 p.m.
Memorial Hall (9 Bailey Drive) | UNB Fredericton campus | Hosted by the UNB Art Centre
Organized in conjunction with the Biff Mitchell Memorial Collective, this exhibition and celebration of life pays tribute to artist, writer, and friend of the New Brunswick Arts Community – Biff Mitchell.
Biff was well known as a writer, photographer, and collector of moments, but was also a prolific creator of ink drawings. Silence Says it All seeks to shine a light on Biff’s never-ending desire and ability to create, and show gratitude for the legacy Biff left behind.
This exhibition will feature a projection of Biff’s Fredericton arts community photographs, an oversized contact sheet filled with portraits of Biff (taken by friends), a selection of Biff’s ink drawings, and a memorial portrait, “Biffy” (2025), painted by beloved friend, Deanna Musgrave.
Deanna shares that “the process of the painting involved collecting objects from his close inner circle to create a "Watermark" imprint on the painting. This process allowed for community contribution and acknowledgement of individual grief. It is a traditional portrait of Biff; however, the marks and process carry with it an energy that speaks to how he was beloved by his community.”
To preserve Biff’s creative legacy, The Biff Mitchell Memorial Collective is establishing a collection of Biff’s papers, books, and digital ephemera to be housed at UNB Libraries Archives & Special Collections in Fredericton. This archive will be dedicated to preserving the life’s work of this remarkable author for future generations.
They are looking for help to create this collection and are seeking donations of Biff’s books. By donating a book, you will ensure that Biff’s writing will continue to shape conversations, spark ideas in readers and researchers, and inspire aspiring writers who will benefit from access to his words and ideas. Together, we can honour Biff, celebrate his imagination, and invest in his legacy - one book at a time.
Silence Says It All will be on display at the UNB Art Centre from May 8 to June 5. The Celebration of the Life of Biff Mitchell, hosted by the UNB Art Centre, will be held on June 5, 7 - 9 p.m., in Memorial Hall on the UNB Fredericton campus.
This will be a time to celebrate the joy, humour, love, and gratitude we still hold because of Biff’s presence.
Magical realism in literature expresses many of its components in the visual arts, especially in terms of the questions that arise when you blur boundaries so that reality melts into dream. In Kazuo Ishiguru’s Never Let Me Go, the kids in the school seem normal but their routines and talk of donations and completing rub like sandpaper in the back of your mind.
The lead character, Kathy H. is like any other child with fears, hopes and joy…in fact, she’s to the extent that the emotional distance between narrative and reader is so close it creates an intensity of involvement that forces the reader to accept the fantastical reality of the child’s situation. Sorry, but you’ll have to read the book to see what I mean. I don’t want to ruin the surprise.
Cuba writer Alejo Carpentier puts it nicely: “…to seize the mystery that breathes behind things.” And this is the idea that breathes at the back of my mind when I do macro photography. The intensity of being super close to the subject highlights the foreground and presents the viewer with a well-defined object.
However, the background is blurred and mysterious. I’ll often spend more time getting the right background than I do on selecting the subject. Sometimes the background presents identifiable objects such as a bridge or building. Mostly though, I pick a background that will be abstracted into movement, the rhythm behind the subject that causes the viewer to ask, “What is that?”
The boards are still more abstract. The pen follows the rhythms of the grain either in macro or in big patterns that I believe act as a portal into vestiges of the tree’s life energy containing the tree’s memories, similar to Eugene T. Gendlin’s focusing-oriented psychotherapy in which memories are not just stored in the brain, but at the cellular level throughout the body.
At first glance, there will be the shape of large memories, but on closer inspection other forms appear, calling into question what you are actually looking at: a face peering out from behind that curve or sinister apparitions embedded in the foot of a larger apparition? The closer you look, the more reality drifts into dream.
Written by Biff Mitchell (UNB ’74), when Kim Vose Jones curated his exhibit at UNB Libraries, Magic in the Real: The Mystery That Breathes Behind Things , 2019.
The first time I met Biff Mitchell, it was his birthday at a local bar (what used to be the Tap Room). When I heard it was his birthday, I insisted I draw his “Gothic Portrait” as a gift in his sketchbook journal. The portrait sealed the deal on our lifetime friendship from that point on. Soon after he began to photograph me while I painted. I remember the day he visited with me during a Fredericton Casemates 2007 residency that same year and exclaimed “Deanna, I’ve decided I am going to photograph all the artists of New Brunswick, make a record of this time of creativity and publish a book someday.” Biff went on from there to become very well known in the local art scene as a community leader supporting artists by documenting their exhibitions, progress and intimate moments. The photographic record of my art career from 2007 – 2025 is owed to Biff, as is the case of many other artists of New Brunswick.
I knew very quickly after Biff's death in June 2025 that I wanted to do a more formal portrait of him as a form of closure to that moment when drawing him began our friendship. Biff spent his life making others feel seen and I wanted to create a place in paint where that gift was offered to his memory in reciprocity. Painted portraits have a different energy than photographs and, through history, are often of people of significance that are valued: kings, queens, politicians, presidents and university professors. By painting Biff's portrait, I seek to draw attention to our value systems and how they need to shift. What Biff offered as a person to his community is as valuable as what is offered by institutional leaders. Biff offered a way of being that was kind, gracious and curious. It was a form of rebellion through caring acts. It is my wish to see this painting permanently installed in a Fredericton location where the public may visit "Biffy" and connect with his painted image.
The process of the painting involved collecting objects from his close inner circle to create a "Watermark" imprint on the painting. This process allowed for community contribution and acknowledgement of individual grief. It is a traditional portrait of Biff however, the marks and process carry with it an energy that speaks to how he was beloved by his community. In August 2025, with the assistance of Mel McCarthy, I began collecting objects from a select group of Biff’s closest friends. I couldn’t get everyone, but, I received from a significant and close circle. In some cases where a watermark object was not found the person offered an image or words to be included in the painting.
What follows is a list of all the contributions with a few quotes from the participants:
“A lilac that dad use to leave on the passenger seat when he picked me up from school and the song “Dancing on the Ceiling” by Lionel Richie we use to dance to every day before we left the house. “Silence Says It All” somewhere.”
“When Biff died, I was helping Cassie at his apartment. She found a notebook with a list of names in it that mystified her, but when I looked at it, knew immediately that it was a gift list - probably for Cuba!
Biff was one of the most generous friends - he always had presents for friends - bright, creative, handmade jewellery for me, and notebooks and journals with super cute sayings on the front covers.”
“It's a piece from my backgammon board that Biff and I used to play on all the time. We had a tradition of getting together some time on the weekend to have dinner and play a few rounds. This piece that I'm giving to you has its own backstory.
We were playing our game in my backyard a few summers ago and while I was bringing everything back into my apartment I tripped and dropped everything that was in my hands. The board flew open and a piece fell between the step and the house. We left it there after trying unsuccessfully to fish it out.
Biff got frustrated and wanted to pull the step away from the house to go get it. He talked about it for weeks. It had been left under the front step ever since. But after Biff died and you got in contact, I spent a little more time with a bigger and thinner stick and managed to fetch it out. This is the piece that I'm giving you for the portrait.”
“I’ve included a pencil and his notepad from Biff’s desk. started to write this note using the pencil but, the lead broke. Sad and fitting, don’t you think? …
We found some of Biff’ doodles, which he used to create during downtimes at work. He used to jokingly call them his ‘demons’ but, I think they’re an outlet to his limitless energy and creativity.”
Jeff Maston: “I was there when Tom became Biff. CIHI/CKHJ Radio, Creative Department, early 1990s. There were two Toms in the stations. The receptionist would intercom, "Call for Tom." Both would scamper to the phones, but the calls were always for Other Tom.
I was there at his elbow when he dashed off his manifesto. Great plans had he for this name. From a Miller play. And he was not just another Tom. I was there. And forevermore he would be Biff. I was there when Biff became the novelist. We all can fly, but he taught us how to soar.
He deputized me to be his Sacred Vow to write anything about anything, precisely at the moment of rising from the bed. Tomorrow. The next tomorrow. And forevermore. He never forsook The Vow. And soon came Heavy Load, his existential masterpiece of witnessing life in oneself and in others around. Tough it was at the beginning, he said. "Writing hurts like hell," he said. I was there. And now Biff is here - always with me - forevermore.”
Hope Maston: “Jeff had a hard time thinking of something tangible that he could share in your art installation. Other than many fond memories and a few photos he wasn't sure what would be appropriate. This "business card" was given to him by Biff.”
“I was enrolled in Biff’s writing class this spring but, we never finished the class… This year I planned a canoe trip down the St. Croix River with my family. A week before we went on the trip Biff had died. I didn’t tell my family about it but, the whole time I was on the river I was thinking about him.
[As] we packed up the vehicles and got ready… I decided to say one last goodbye to the river and give my thanks to it… And there was this golden dragonfly sitting on the bank, just hanging out, looking at me. And for some reason it reminded me of Biff and so I thanked him.”
“I’ve chosen a camera to represent my memory of Biff—not only for obvious reasons, but because it holds a deeply personal meaning for me. The object itself is a small keychain toy camera, one that actually makes a clicking noise and flashes when pressed.
It was a Christmas gift my son gave to my daughter this past year, something she had really wanted and that he thoughtfully bought for her. When I asked her if I could have it for this project, she said, “Yes Mom, you can have it—because I know how special he was to you, and he was your friend.”
The fact that she was willing to let go of something meaningful to her, simply because she understood the place Biff holds in my heart, impacted me greatly.”
“Oh - the item is the plant, which is likely dried by now. It’s a “devil’s paintbrush” which has presence of 4 stages of life (as per msg from Biff in spirit) pictured in a regenerative circle or these words: Seed, Root, Weed, Flower (words cycle like the reduce/reuse/recycle thingie)… that’s the message of that plant in this context.”
“Oh! That butterfly is from me I guess. It was on a craft project thing I received as thanks for communicating with someone’s dog who had died suddenly, before expected. He and his person both needed to have a conversation about how things ended, and he particularly wanted her to know that whenever she saw a particular shade of blue (the royal blue colour of the FB emoji for blue heart), that was “his sign.” I told her that, and she burst into tears and went to get his collar to show me… it was that exact colour (of course!).
Anyway, the “safe place” where I was stashing the Biff objects was right beside that craft, and that butterfly drifted down into the pile of things as I was preparing to put them in the bag to send to you. So, I figured it also belonged there, with the items. I wondered what the “Sidestepper” dog character that Biff created looked like… I’d read some story excerpts but did not see any illustrations.”
“Here is the cheesy little collar my rescue Wheaten Terrire, Emma, was wearing when I picked her up… This relates to Biff because he met us often when we were walking and always took pictures.
He really liked Emma since shew as such a sweet little girl. I often ran into him when he was walking in my neighbourhood with his brother who was such a nice guy,”
“I’ve never known anyone who deserves to be celebrated more.”
"I contributed 3 rosehip branches, and 3 river stones- the number often symbolizing the perfect union of beginnings, middles, and ends. Biff once gifted me a photograph of frozen river roses with their hips peeking through the blossoms.
Rose hips symbolize enduring love, the fruitful, protective outcome after the rose petals fall. River stones symbolize quiet strength; they go with the flow and are keepers of deep time, often acting as a reminder to remain calm during difficult life transitions."
“Biff always complained about my driving and on the way home from Sackville once he claimed that I had received my license in a Cracker Jack box.
I answered, yes that is true. And as a second prize they gave me this car I had wanted to put a dinky car, an invalid driver’s licence of mine inside a Cracker Jack box.”
“Oh! Maybe the clouds! Because just before we found this barn, we were all running and jumping in the mud in our rubber boots in some random farm field. And Biff made some comments about the clouds that day, which both Karen and Biff captured in photos.”
“It's the best story. After Biff passed, I came up to the studio to find them on the floor in front of the door with a really nice card from an old studio member. He had them put in a beer pitcher to represent all the fun times we had together and the bond we all created during that time.
It melted my heart. I put them on my table beside the project I was working on so I could look at them, sit in my feeling and remember. It really helped me process and made me feel better.”
“The Black Top Motorcycle Gang was an idea that he and I conceived of, over drinks and poetry... it was the single strongest bond and craziest thing we did. The piston represents that and what a driving force he (and we) was”
“He left his mark on every corner of Studio4ward, and as he and all of us would always say...Once a member of Studio4ward always a member of Studio4ward.”
“It's a cool Saturday afternoon, Halloween season, 2017. Wedding day. We didn't have an official photographer, but instead invited all the guests to take pics and upload them where we would compile them into something. Biff was invited purely as a guest, but as you know, he never went anywhere without his camera, like an extension of himself.
He fired off well over a hundred shots that night, all in black and white which suited the theme and feel of the event perfectly. Of all of them, none captured the essence quite like this one. Just unrehearsed, unbridled joy in the face of having our souls stolen yet again, always a threat with Biff lurking.
He had such an eye for the perfect shot. And then he was gone, just slipped away without fanfare, as the evening went on. In my experience he loved people, but never wanted to be the center of attention. So, he came, made his mark, and quietly moved on. In a way, an apt metaphor of his life, at least in the time I knew him.”
“It was related to an event I attended, when local writer Joe Blades passed away. There was a gathering for him, and a poetry slam broke out. Biff strongly encouraged me to participate and once I started writing, it flowed really well and the piece I came up with was cathartic and healing for me. He really brought out the best in people. Maybe "keep the cold at bay." It fits best, I think. And your project kind of helps in a similar fashion. Honoring him and keeping the memory alive.”
“I watermarked the oval turquoise necklace Biff gifted me in 2008. On the day he gifted it, he told me he had a vivid dream of our past lives where we were brother and sister. He told me that in a past life our village burned to the ground, and he saved me from death. I believe him.
I also included watermark objects that I have collected over the years. Most notable was the cardinal. It is said that when a cardinal visits you it is a loved one who has passed coming to check on you.”
Deanna Musgrave is best known for her watery and titanic paintings. Her large installation, “Transcendence” (2022), filled a 20’ by 37’ wall and served as a counterpoint to Salvador Dali’s “Santiago El Grande” during opening celebrations for the Beaverbrook Art Gallery’s (BAG) Harrison McCain Pavilion.
Her recent work “Shipwreck” (2024) continues conversations from her earlier large works acquired by permanent institutional settings, including “Diversity” (2021), “Mirror” (2019), “Cloud” (2015) and “Tropos” (2011).
With water being a central theme in her work, she is based in Menahqesk/Menagoesg (Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada), a place where the waters change with tidal rapids as the Wolastoq (Saint John) River meets the Bay of Fundy on its journey to the Atlantic Ocean.
She graduated from the Mount Allison University Fine Arts program in 2005 and was soon after selected by the Beaverbrook Art Gallery for the 2007 Studio Watch Award. She has also won numerous grants from the New Brunswick Arts Board and the Canada Council for the Arts.
In 2019, she completed her Master of Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of New Brunswick (Psychology and Fine Art) where she delivered her thesis titled “Connecting Crossmodal Interactions in Visual Music to Create ‘Mindful’ Experiences.”
She completed the Orca Institute’s Counselling Skills and Counselling Hypnotherapy Program in 2025 and has additional training in Energy Psychology, which informs her psychologically attuned approach to creativity.
Advocating for a healthy arts community, water, and wellness is central to Musgrave’s interdisciplinary practice. In collaboration with her supervisor, Danielle Hogan, she supports fellow artists through her part-time role with CollectionARTNB, fostering and promoting New Brunswick art and mindful visual literacy in public schools.
She lectured about art and wellness as a presenter for the 2024 Arts Atlantic Symposium and she presented “Creation with Care” for CARFAC Maritimes and ArtsLinkNB in 2026.
Alongside Caroline Walker, Director of the Sunbury Shores Arts and Nature Centre, she organized the 2024 hybrid artist talk “Peace in Water Through Boundaries,” featuring environmental voices including Eastern Charlotte Waterway’s (ECW) ocean scientist, Kalen Mawer, and Fundy Baykeeper, Matt Abbott.
This year, she will be completing a new work titled, “Porpoise Echo” in collaboration with scientific research about porpoise click train communication from ECW, which will be presented at the Saint John art Centre as part of the 2026 Ocean Week celebrations.
The UNB Art Centre is located at Memorial Hall, 9 Bailey Drive, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton. The galleries are open 9 am - 4 pm weekdays and during special events. Admission is free and all are welcome.
Hours: Monday - Friday: 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. | Open during special events
Admission: Free and open to everyone
Location: Memorial Hall, 9 Bailey Drive, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton.
Lori Quick
Exhibitions & Communications Coordinator
lquick@unb.ca | 506-453-4623
