Art meets archeology in Tantramar
When Mount Allison University staff member and artist Angela Thibodeau ('02) heard about an archaeological dig happening in the Tantramar region, she saw more than just a research project — she saw inspiration.
Thibodeau, who works as an administrative assistant at Mount Allison and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University, often spends her summers immersed in art. “I try to make as much artwork as I can during those two months off,” she says. “It’s a good balance between family time and creativity.”
The dig was organized by Dr. Leslie Shumka through the Community Engaged Learning (CENL) program in partnership with Saint Thomas University, the Tantramar Heritage Trust, and other collaborators. Initially, Thibodeau joined simply to photograph the site for social media. But watching the archaeologists work sparked an idea: what if the project was documented through art, preserving a modern-day chapter of Tantramar’s history for the future?
With support from Dr. Shumka, Thibodeau applied for funding from the Marjorie Young Bell Fine Arts Awards and Arts NB, creating an informal artist-in-residence program. She spent nearly two weeks on-site in July, sketching in the mornings and painting in her studio each afternoon. The result: nine watercolour paintings capturing not the artifacts, but the archaeologists themselves — hands in the soil, piecing together the past.
The full collection is now on display in the lobby of Tantramar’s Town Hall until early October, with a public talk by Thibodeau planned in the council chambers Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025, at 12 p.m.
“I wanted to tell the story of people working on this landscape today,” she explained. “Three hundred years ago, no one was painting scenes of people digging these dikes by hand. Maybe one of my paintings will survive another 300 years and show future generations what life was like here in 2025.”
The project also pushed Thibodeau’s artistic boundaries. Known primarily for landscapes, she focused this time on people — their gestures, movements, and connections to their intricate work.
For Thibodeau, the experience reflects what makes Sackville unique: “The arts are so accessible here. Projects like this bring together the university, the town, and local heritage groups — it really is a whole community effort.”
Over the next five to ten years, the Boultenhouse Shipyard project aims to continue growing into a vibrant community archaeology initiative, where students, residents, and volunteers of all ages come together to uncover, document, and interpret the site’s history. Volunteers will be trained on-site to ensure an engaging, educational, and safe experience, making the excavation accessible to anyone interested in connecting more deeply with our shared past. The Boultenhouse Shipyard Archaeological Project is more than just an excavation — it’s an opportunity to strengthen our connection to place, bring new life to forgotten stories, and foster collaboration between the university, the Trust, and the wider community. Together, we are digging into the past to better understand who we are today.
