Introducing our 2026 guest speakers
Roxanne MacKinnon
Roxanne MacKinnon is the Executive Director of ACAP Saint John and oversees an amazing team that strives to create meaningful environmental change in our region.
Her background is primarily in aquatic environments and water quality however she has been actively involved in numerous other projects including climate change adaptation and other terrestrial based initiatives.
She has a keen interest in connecting environmental issues with community members through active engagement and inspiring people to take local action.
She’s going to be our special guest speaker on Friday August 28th and you don’t want to miss it!!
Marcia Poirier Shell Carver
Marcia Poirier Shell Carver, previously known as Wildabout Wampum, is a unique business specializing in hand-carved jewelry and artistic compositions made from Quahog, Conch, and Abalone shells. Marcia meticulously carves, sands, and polishes each piece, revealing the natural beauty of the shell. Her collections include pendants, earrings, bracelets, and framed compositions. Marcia creates one-of-a-kind pieces by blending traditional carving techniques with her artistic vision.
Acadian artist Marcia Poirier from Moncton, New Brunswick, has spent the past 25 years transforming her creativity into a career in carving and crafting.
She discovered her passion in 2001 while exploring a local beach, where she found a shell and carved it into a heart-shaped pendant. That moment sparked a lifelong dedication to the delicate art of shell carving, turning quahog shells into unique and meaningful jewelry.
A premium master carver in Canada, Marcia is self-taught and uses grinders, saws, and hand-polishing techniques to transform quahog shells into exquisite pieces.
Her intricate designs and craftsmanship have gained international recognition, with features in publications and media across North America and Germany.
Today, as both an artist and small business owner, Marcia continues to craft each piece with precision and care, sharing the beauty of New Brunswick’s coastal treasures with customers across Canada and beyond.
She is going to be our special guest speaker on Saturday August 29th at 10:00 am
She’s also one of our vendors this year!
We’re sure you are going to love her and her stunning collection!
Diane Greene
In 2004, Diane Greene and her husband, Ted, did what many only dream of: they stepped off the corporate treadmill, sold their Toronto home, and set sail into the sunset. For the next 18 years, they lived a wonderfully nomadic life aboard their 65-foot trawler, spending winters cruising the beautiful islands of the Bahamas and returning each May to successfully operate Canada's very first Boat Bed and Breakfast in downtown Toronto. It was on those sandy Bahamian shores at low tide that Diane first spotted glistening shards of sea glass rolling in the surf. She and Ted were instantly hooked, splashing in the waves like kids and shouting with glee at every new treasure they found.
By 2015, with pockets and jars overflowing, Ted challenged Diane to finally do something creative with their collection. Diane made it her New Year’s resolution to learn jewelry making—and she proudly notes it is one of only two resolutions she has ever managed to keep (the other was publishing a cookbook!).
While she laughingly admits her first few pieces were a bit "ugly," she quickly found her groove. Rejecting traditional wrapping techniques, Diane accidentally discovered her own unique fluid technique and style. By allowing the wire to intuitively follow the natural shape and energy of each ocean-tumbled piece, she developed a line of distinct and elegant jewelry under her brand, Greene Turtle Designs.
For Diane, creating sea glass art became the perfect peaceful hobby to relax and unwind. These days, her deep curiosity has taken her in an exciting new direction of historical research. Driven by the belief that every piece of glass has a unique story to tell, she actively studies the origins, manufacturing history, and age of her collection to figure out where pieces came from and how old they might be, because she truly believes every piece of glass has a story to tell.
Now back in her native New Brunswick, Diane recently bought a home in Riverview to be close to the ocean. During the summer, you will almost always find her walking the beaches somewhere in Atlantic Canada, forever searching for those elusive rare reds and oranges, while winters will undoubtedly find her chasing the tides on a remote beach somewhere in the Caribbean
She’s going to be our special guest speaker on Saturday August 29th at 11:00am and you don’t want to miss it!!