Conference schedule
Schedule
All times are listed in Atlantic time.
Thursday, March 19
4 - 7 p.m. | New Voices film lab screening (8 Cafés) and Q&A
In person event: Tilley Hall, room 102
Join us for a special screening of the New Voices Film Lab series 8 Cafés. The New Voices Film Lab took place over fall 2025 with the goal of providing eight developing filmmakers with the opportunity to step into key leadership roles on set. The film lab focused on inspiring and supporting new voices in filmmaking.
Learn more about New Voices Film Lab and filmmakers.
Popcorn, candy and beverages will be provided.Friday, March 20
10:30 - 11:30 a.m. | Hybrid event: Student Presentations | Panel 1A
Harriet Irving Library | Research Commons Event Space | 3rd floor, room 318
Break
10:30 - 11:30 a.m. | Hybrid event: Student Presentations | Panel 1B
Harriet Irving Library | Research Commons Event Space | 3rd floor, room 318
Break
11:45 a.m. - 1:15 p.m. | Zine Workshop: An introduction to (and subversion of) scholarly publishing
In person event | Milham Room (Room 100), Harriet Irving Library
About the workshop
This hands-on workshop will serve as a brief introduction to the industry of scholarly publishing, how publishing and research shapes the lives of people who teach you, your place in it as students and researchers, and how you can engage in publishing outside of it.
About the facilitator
Mike Nason is the Open Scholarship & Publishing Librarian at the University of New Brunswick and an Open Scholarly Infrastructure Advisor with the Public Knowledge Project. He's a passionate advocate for collective action, open access, cool hats, advancing publishing and metadata literacy, dismantling the cultural trappings of professionalism, and the principles of open scholarly infrastructure.
Light refreshments will be provided.
Break
1:30 - 2:30 p.m. | Hybrid event: Student Presentations | Panel 2A
Harriet Irving Library | Research Commons Event Space | 3rd floor, room 318
Break
1:30 - 2:30 p.m. | Hybrid event: Student Presentations | Panel 2B
Harriet Irving Library | Milham Room | 1st floor, room 100
Break
2:45 - 3:45 p.m. | Hybrid event: Student Presentations | Panel 3A
Harriet Irving Library | Research Commons Event Space | 3rd floor, room 318
2:45 - 3:45 p.m. | Hybrid event: Student Presentations | Panel 3B
Harriet Irving Library | Milham Room | 1st floor, room 100
Break
4 - 5 p.m. | Hybrid event: Student Presentations | Panel 4A
Harriet Irving Library | Research Commons Event Space | 3rd floor, room 318
4 - 5 p.m. | Hybrid event: Student Presentations | Panel 4B
Harriet Irving Library | Milham Room | 1st floor, room 100
Saturday, March 21
10:30 - 11:30 a.m. | Hybrid event: Student Presentations | Panel 5A
Harriet Irving Library | Research Commons Event Space | 3rd floor, room 318
10:30 - 11:30 a.m. | Hybrid event: Student Presentations | Panel 5B
Harriet Irving Library | Research Commons Event Space | 3rd floor, room 303
Break
11:45 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. | Hybrid event: Student Presentations | Panel 6A
Harriet Irving Library | Research Commons Event Space | 3rd floor, room 318
11:45 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. | Hybrid event: Student Presentations | Panel 6B
Harriet Irving Library | Research Commons Event Space | 3rd floor, room 303
12:30 - 1:40 p.m. | LUNCH BREAK (provided for in person attendees)
Research Commons | Innovation Hub, room 316
1:40 - 3:20 p.m. | In person event: Arts Matters Living Library
Harriet Irving Library | Research Commons Event Space | 3rd floor
About the event
The Arts Matters Living Library offers you the opportunity to engage in person with our ‘living books’/storytellers, i.e. real people from our community on and off campus who have unique perspectives and expertise to share.
Attendees will have the opportunity to speak at least three different ‘living books’ over the course of the event. No preparation or materials needed, just show up ready to learn and engage in conversation with someone new.
Our ‘living books’/storytellers
Aloke Chatterjee
Aloke Chatterjee is a blind legal academic who teaches in the Faculty of Law at the University of New Brunswick. His teaching and scholarly interests focus on the Constitution and Human Rights (especially issues of disability law and policy) and Judicial Process (especially procedural and evidentiary issues in private and public litigation). For example, he is currently working on projects that consider how class proceedings can advance disability rights and what meaningful access to justice for persons with disabilities should entail.
Professor Chatterjee holds law degrees from Dalhousie and Harvard, served as law clerk at the Supreme Court of Canada, and practiced law with a national law firm before joining UNB. His academic work has been informed by his work with the New Brunswick Human Rights Commission, the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, the Human Rights Committee of the Council of Canadians with Disabilities, the CNIB, and Vision Loss Rehabilitation Canada.
Musa Jasim Musa
Hi! I’m Musa, a fourth-year student double majoring in Economic Studies & Political Science. I was born and raised in the UAE and am fully fluent in four languages: Arabic, English, Urdu, and Balochi! My academic interests lie at the intersection of forced (and voluntary) migration, public opinion, and public policy.
I bring with me a lived experience of displacement, refuge, and what I refer to as “permanent temporariness manufactured by policies,” all of which I look forward to sharing with you as one of your many hosts in the Living Library.
Through this event, I hope to highlight that refugees and displaced people come from a diverse range of backgrounds and seldom move from one place to another solely to escape persecution and conflict, but rather for a variety of reasons whose interplay can differ even within the same household. This serves as a testament to the cross-disciplinary nature of human migration, making it a fascinating and, at times, head-scratching phenomenon to study
Sabine LeBel
Dr. Sabine LeBel is an Associate Professor in the Culture and Media Studies Department at the University of New Brunswick Fredericton. Working in the area of environmental media studies, her research is in the areas of queer ecologies, affect, and the visual. Her research has been published in Globalizations, the Journal of Lesbian Studies, and Canadian Women Studies/ les cahiers de la femme, among others.
She also has an art practice, mostly consisting of video and installation work, with pieces screening internationally at Inside Out Festival (Toronto), Out on Screen (Vancouver), and Cineffable (Paris), among others.
Her 2022 online collaborative art project Omicron Exhaustion Project (with Casey Burkholder) was featured on CBC and her installation Seely Beach was featured in the Connexion ARC group show at the UNB Art Centre in the fall of 2025.
Dr. LeBel’s current academic and artistic practice deals with lesbian ecologies and the queerness of fungi.
Matthew MacLean
Matthew excels in converting research and empirical data into actionable, innovative approaches that nurture mental health and development, both within communities and for individuals. Boasting a robust background in counselling, mental health, and accessibility, Matthew has dedicated fifteen years to the realm of Higher Education.
His career journey spans across various institutions and provinces. Matthew currently holds the position of Mental Health Strategist at the University of New Brunswick. In this role, he is instrumental in shaping and guiding the university's mental health policies and practices.
Fatou Sarr Sedore
Fatou is a talented chef originally from Senegal, West Africa, where she grew up in the picturesque town of Somone. Now residing in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada, she balances her professional pursuits with family life alongside her husband and three children.
As the owner of her caf?, Fatou’s Healthy Eats Healthy Sips, located at 440 York Street, Fatou provides customers with convenient grab-and-go options. She is also excited to launch a new line of beverages, including Red Bissap, White Bissap, and Tamarind drinks, set to be available both online and in various local stores.
Fatou’s work is deeply inspired by her mother, Rokhaya Cisse-Sarr, a skilled chef and accomplished entrepreneur. Rokhaya’s teachings have played a crucial role in shaping Fatou's business acumen and personal values. Though Rokhaya passed away in 2020, her legacy continues to inspire Fatou in her culinary endeavors.
Learn more about Fatou and her restaurant.
Jesse J. Simon
Jesse J. Simon is the son of the late William John and Sarah Simon from Elsipogtog First Nation. He is a former teacher and principal at his community school, as well as the Executive Director in various leadership organizations under the direction of the 9 Mi'kmaq Chiefs of NB.
He is the former Chief of Elsipogtog and is currently in his second year of his PhD studying the revitalization of Indigenous languages, specifically, the Mi’kmaw language. Jesse is fluent in his ancestoral tongue and is currently teaching Intro to Conversation Mi'kmaq at UNB.
Hailey Swasson
Hello/ Gwe everyone!
My name is Hailey Swasson (she/her), and I am in my 4th year of a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Sociology. I was born and raised Listuguj, Quebec, and my community continues to inspire me in everything I do. I am proud to bring the teachings, values, and perspectives I grew up with into my academic journey and campus involvement.
This is my first year being part of the Arts Matters Team, and I am very excited to contribute to an event that highlights creativity, passion, and research within the Faculty of Arts. Alongside this role, I am a peer mentor who works to support other students through their own academic paths.
Outside of my studies, I enjoy spending time with my friends and family. I am super excited to see how this year’s event goes while being a part of creating a welcoming and inclusive space for everyone’s work.
Cierra White
My name is Cierra White (she/they). I am in my 3rd year of a Bachelor of Arts with honors in Psychology with a minor in Gender and Women’s studies. I am particularly interested in relationships and how they affect individuals.
This is my first year on the Arts Matters team, and I am very excited to be part of this project. I am definitely looking forward to seeing what my peers have been working on. Other than Arts Matters I am also a Peer Mentor and the treasurer of the Gender and Women’s Studies Society.
Break
2:30 - 4:30 p.m. | Panel discussion: The Art of Belonging
UNB Art Centre, East & West Galleries, Memorial Hall
About the event
In recognition of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, this community-centred conversation explores belonging, identity, and cultural histories.
Rooted in the themes of Trayces, the panel reflects on how our stories shape who we are and what it takes to build dignity and belonging across difference.
(This event is organized by the Human Rights and Equity Office and the UNB Art Centre as part of their exhibition, Trayces and Tributes: Celebrating Black Identity.)
7:30 - 10:30 p.m. | In person event: Arts Matters Gala
Memorial Hall UNB | All are welcome to attend
About the gala
Join us for an evening of fun to celebrate the end of the 11th Arts Matters Conference. Enjoy hors d’oeuvres, a cash bar, a free mocktail bar and karaoke!
The East and West Galleries of the UNB Art Centre will also be open during the event so attendees can view the exhibition Trayces and Tributes: Celebrating Black Identity.
The gala is an excellent opportunity to show off your favourite outfit, traditional dress, or cultural regalia.
