About

About Billie

Made possible by the philanthropic support of the family of the late Marion (Billie) McCain, Billie: Visual ∙ Culture ∙ Atlantic is a forum for conversations about all aspects of Atlantic Canada’s art and culture. With regular reviews, interviews and insightful articles by some of our best writers, Billie: Visual ∙ Culture ∙ Atlantic will reflect the evolving idea of Atlantic Canada as seen in the work of its finest creators.

Our Vision

Looking at our present through knowledge of the past, and projecting a future that builds on our present, Billie: Visual ∙ Culture ∙ Atlantic is dedicated to communicating the excellence, the innovation, and the uniqueness of our regional culture. More than a publication, Billie: Visual ∙ Culture ∙ Atlantic is a platform, a way to reach beyond our geographic limits, and to expand horizons for Atlantic Canada’s artists, wherever they may be.

Above: Marion McGregor McNair (aka Marion “Billie” McCain”) in 1951 with her father John Babbitt McNair, who was premier of New Brunswick at the time, attending her graduation applied arts exhibit at the Owens Art Gallery. Photo: Mount Allison University Archives – Ref. 2007.07/201.

Marion Billie McCain

Meet Billie

Our mother, Marion (Billie) McCain, was a generous and life-long supporter of the visual arts. She saw far beyond the boundaries of the familiar, and recog-nized the strength and the potential for growth of practising artists in Atlantic Canada. Having grown up in New Brunswick and studied applied arts at Mount Allison University, she believed that the artists of our region needed greater recognition and wider audiences.

Her first art exhibition in 1987 focused on works by New Brunswick artists. Subsequent exhibitions show-cased artists from all four Atlantic provinces. After she passed away in 1994, our father, Harrison McCain, continued to support her vision through a series of curated shows.

Our immediate and extended family, as well as the Harrison McCain Foundation and The McCain Foundation, are using the building blocks that Marion McCain provided to continue not only her exhibitions, but also to launch Billie : Undercurrents in Atlantic Canadian Culture, a new journal that focuses on the creativity and uniqueness of our region.

We realize the challenges of taking on a project of this magnitude, but do so knowing that we are continuing the work Marion McCain began almost thirty years ago.

ANN MCCAIN EVANS
Chair of the Harrison McCain Foundation and member of the Gallery’s board of governors

Meet our Team

Ray Cronin

Publisher
rcronin@beaverbrookartgallery.org

Amy Ash

Editor in Chief
editor@billiemag.ca

The Details Design

Art Direction & Design
thedetailsdesign.com