KIRA: an intense creative experience
By Roger Moore
On March 2, I was informed that I had been selected to participate in the first of the three one-month KIRA (Kingsbrae International Residency for Artists) residencies planned for this inaugural year (2017). My residency ran from June 1-28, with other sessions planned for July and August. Four artists completed our initial cohort: Carlos Carty, a pan-piper from Peru, two painters, Anne Wright from Ottawa and Ruby Allan from Fredericton, and Elise Muller, a sculptor from Muskoka.
Roger at work in the Red Room (photo contributed by Roger Moore)
My writing schedule at KIRA often ran from 5:30 am, when the sun peeped into the room where I was staying, until midnight, with breaks for food, excursions, and artistic conversations. This 18-hour writing / thinking day gave me an intense creative experience that it would be difficult to reproduce elsewhere.
My presence in the Red Room, on the Second Floor of KIRA, allowed me the luxury of sitting at my desk, looking out of the window towards Minister’s Island and Passamaquoddy Bay, and working / writing whenever I wanted to, day or night. Breakfast at 8 am and supper at six pm were provided. We lunched on our own. The freedom of this schedule accounts, in part, for my productivity.
When I received news of the award, I started to write preparatory material in my journal. I studied the Kingsbrae Gardens online, looking at photos and videos. These activities gave me a preconceived set of artistic ideas that I was then able to revise and reshape while in situ at KIRA.
Artist Studio (photo courtesy Roger Moore)
I had originally proposed two projects for my KIRA stay: the completion of Echoes of an Impromptu Metaphysics and, should there be time, the revision of my novel Witch Doctor. The creative impetus I received from my acceptance into the KIRA residency allowed me to complete A Cancer Chronicle, the new title for Echoes …, and to publish it before I arrived at KIRA. My high work rate plus my new Bakhtinian dialog with my time and place allowed me to write (June) and publish (17 July 2017) One Small Corner (subtitled A Kingsbrae Chronicle). This book (available online at Amazon) consists of 101 pages and 78 poems, all of which were written and / or revised at KIRA.
Statuary at KIRA (photo courtesy Roger Moore)
Before coming to KIRA, we were asked how we intended to ‘engage with the community’. I suggested that my community commitment might include workshops and public readings, but these did not materialize. However, I engaged with several mini-communities throughout my stay. Principal among them were (1) the community of my fellow artists; (2) Kingsbrae Gardens; (3) the Passamaquoddy region, including JAREA; and (4) the delightful town of St. Andrews-by-the-sea.
The KIRA experience was exceptional and I benefited greatly from it, both artistically and spiritually. I would encourage any and all New Brunswick artists, in whatever medium, to apply for a place next year. KIRA will allow them to produce, develop, and grow.
