“The fact that it made money was almost insulting.”
- Martin Demaine

When Queen Elizabeth II visited New Brunswick in 1976, one official gift from the Province was six hand-blown glass goblets created at a new, visionary, and truly remarkable artist collective located just steps from where Jewett’s Mills had stood less than ten years earlier, before the construction of the Mactaquac hydroelectric dam.

Opus Craft Village was the brainchild of potter Allan Crimmins and glass blower Martin Demaine, and marked a seminal moment in the history of the area. Modelled on similar collectives in Scandinavia, the complex of futuristic, wooden buildings housed craftspeople and apprentices in metal working, pottery, glass blowing, candle making and leatherwork. The craftspeople cooperatively shared operational and material expenses, and sold their wares at a large, on-site shop. The public was invited to watch as artisans worked, and in many cases, invited to try it for themselves.

It’s popularity, bolstered by a burgeoning arts and crafts movement, vaulted the annual Mactaquac Handcrafts Festival (begun in 1972) to nationally-recognized status, and the Village was netting in excess of $100,000.00 annually. Alas though, it wasn’t sustainable: the mix of capitalism and the arts is always problematic, and Opus, after being sold to a local businessman in 1979, closed its doors for good in 1983.

Opus Craft Village

The effect Opus Village had on the community cannot be overstated. Drawing thousands of tourists and visitors to the area, which now included the new Mactaquac Provincial Park, meant a boom for many local businesses. Most importantly though, the craftspeople of Opus integrated themselves into the community, renting from, and boarding with local families, bringing new ideas and attitudes to a relatively conservative, rural community.

Today, the structures of Opus Craft Village stand largely derelict, but fond memories echo throughout the community, and the seeds of creativity and entrepreneurial spirit they planted have taken firm root.

In fact, the last business to occupy the building that is now our Mckeen Store museum, was Middle Earth Leather, run by Dave and Barbara Murphy, two of the original craftspeople at Opus.

(gallery below)