ART WORK Talk: Creativity with a Conscience. Join ceramist Doug Bamford (BFA 1995) and jewellery designer Dorothée Rosen (BFA 2005) for a discussion about sustainable practices in art and craft. The two will share more about how their work has developed, the steps they took to adopt greener materials and techniques, and the role sustainability plays in their creative process. Thursday, Feb. 26, Noon to 1 p.m.  Register here 

*Art Work: NSCAD Alumni Talks are supported by TD Insurance

Visiting Artist: Prominent transgender artist Cassils (BFA 1997) will be in Halifax as part of NSCAD's Visiting Artist Program. Cassils will discuss their latest work regarding social sculpture, the human body, and gender. Cassils will deliver a presentation as part of NSCAD's Public Lecture Series on Thursday, March 5, 2026 at 7p.m. at the Halifax Central Public Library, 5440 Spring Garden Rd., Halifax, NS. Read more.

NSCAD in Halifax - Halifax area alumni of all ages came out to The Marquee on January 15 for a fun evening of connection and conversation. NSCAD Board Chair Bill Barker welcomed the group and provided an update on what's happening at the university. He was joined by Jacqueline Warwick, academic dean, and by faculty member David Clark (BFA 1985). Some of the other alumni who attended were: member of the Alumni Association Board of Directors Donn Sabean (BFA 2016), Sydney Smith (BFA 2006), Peter Wünsch (BFA 1989), Sydney Currie (BFA 2025), Lila Gorey McSorley (BFA 2025), Kwame Brobbey (MFA 2024). The event happened just before the NSCAD Public Lecture featuring Hyperallergic editor-at-large Hrag Vartanian at the Halifax Central Library.

Photo Caption: 50,000 Years, 2025. Stephanie Stoker (BFA 2006)

Photo Caption: Blue Box with Copper Wire and Garnets, 2024. Alexandra McCurdy (BFA 1980)

Exhibition: A select group of Atlantic Canadian artists will participate in Collect Art Fair in London, UK from February 27 to March 1, 2026 as part of an exhibition organized by the Craft Alliance Atlantic. The exhibition, The Power of Objects: Voices of Contemporary Craft, explores how craft objects carry memory, identity, resistance, and transformation. Participating artists include Alexandra McCurdy (BFA 1980), Heather Pitts (BFA 1983), Kristi Farrier and Neil Forrest (Professor Emeritus), Maja Padrov, Ralph Simpson, Wendy Johnston (BFA 1988), Yalda Bozorg, Darrell DesRoches, Stephanie Stoker (BFA 2006) and Urve Manuel. Good luck! Read more.

Award: The AGAC Foundation has selected Emily Falencki's (BFA 2001) The Blue Building gallery as the inaugural recipient of the Michel Cohen Prize. Awarded annually in collaboration with the family of the Montreal collector, the prize supports an emerging gallery by helping cover costs to take part in Montreal's Plural Art Fair. Read More

Exhibition: It’s About Time: Dancing Black in Canada 1900-1970 is a nationally touring exhibition that brings long-overlooked histories of Black dance and performance in Canada into focus. Curated by scholar, artist, and educator Dr. Seika Boye, the exhibition pairs archival research and materials with commissioned responses by contemporary Nova Scotia–based artists including Ibe Ananaba (Faculty), Anja Clyke, Allen D. Crooks, Kay Macdonald, and Preston Pavlis (BFA 2023). The exhibition continues until April 12, 2026 at Dalhousie Art Gallery, 6101 University Ave., Halifax, NS. Read more.

Artist in Residence: Sculptor and professor emeritus Thierry Delva (BFA 1985, MFA 1993) is currently working as artist in residence at the University of Ottawa. He is producing 44-inch-long bas reliefs cast in hydrocal plaster. "I purchased a cheap plastic rifle case that has on one side a relief illustration of an idyllic nature scene that includes wildlife. I am interested in the ironic relationship between this illustration, on the exterior of the case, and the intended content of the container." He is making 80 bas relief units that will be mounted end to end to create a frieze that runs throughout the gallery at eye level. Thierry's work will be exhibited at Hermes Gallery in Halifax and Beaverbrook Gallery, Fredericton. More info to come!

Concert tour: Musician Jenn Grant (BFA 2006) invites audiences into an unforgettable new world with Cradled by the Waves, a groundbreaking live tour that transforms her forthcoming album, Queen of the Strait, into a stunning multimedia performance blending music, film, theatre, and dance. Grant’s most personal work to date, Queen of the Strait draws from her childhood in Prince Edward Island and the timeless pull of the Atlantic. The tour kicks off in Charlottetown March 5, then heads west to east, with stops in North Vancouver, BC (Mar. 7), St. Albert, AB (Apr. 1), Calgary, AB (Apr. 3), Greater Sudbury, ON (Apr. 11), Kingston, ON (Apr. 14), Montreal, QC (Apr. 15), Ottawa, ON (Apr. 16), Toronto, ON (Apr. 17), Moncton, NB (May 1), Halifax, NS (May 2) and St. John's, NL (May 8). Read More

Exhibition: Sarah Maloney's (BFA 1988) exhibition Pleasure Ground is currently open at the Confederation Centre Art Gallery in Charlottetown. This is the fourth and final venue for the exhibition, which showcases artworks created between 1993 and 2021, tracing Maloney’s artistic development while highlighting her ongoing explorations of sexuality, reproductivity, economics, and colonial systems of representation. The exhibition runs until May 17, 2026 at the Confederation Centre of the Arts, 145 Richmond Street, Charlottetown, PE. Learn more.

Book: Tara Walker at Tundra Books has acquired Fox Fairies by Elly MacKay (BFA 2005), a picture book about sisters Celeste and Miriam and their search for magic, and The Island of Wild Horses, a picture book about the horses who call Sable Island home. Publication is planned for summer 2027 and 2028 respectively. Read more. 

In the News: Laura Bucci (BFA 1992, MAAE 2025) and Katherine Diemert (MFA 2025) have co-written a journal essay titled Critique as Gift  that has just been published in Canadian Art Teacher journal. The essay explores the idea that to offer our work up for critique asks us to be vulnerable, and as the critic, to operate from a space of extremes. The authors reflect on their research on doing critique as creative process and generous offering. Critique as Gift is an ongoing research project that will result in the formation of a monthly crit group in Halifax in 2026. Read more.

Exhibition: Louise Pentz (BFA 1973) and Brandt Eisner (BFA 2005) have co-curated Making it Right - Unlearning Colonialism, a socially relevant and timely exhibition of blankets by Louise Pentz. Louise has used wool blankets to visually demonstrate the destruction we have caused our planet and each other through our continued discriminating, colonial practices. The exhibition runs until February 23 at The Craig Case Gallery, Alderney Landing, Dartmouth, NS. Read more. 

Exhibition: Throughout history, the creation of objects for clothing, sustenance, and decoration have reflected both individual and collective identities and cultures. Conversation Threads presents works by Atlantic Canadian weavers, sculptors, quilt makers, basketmakers, and storytellers to broaden the discourse on fibre arts. Artists Include: Darlene Baker, Joanna Close (BFA 2004), Frances Dorsey, Oakley Wysote Gray, Hannah Genosko (BFA 2015), Margaret Gould Pelletier, Ryan Josey (BFA 2016), Charlotte Lindgren, Albert Lohnes, Flora May, Alana Morouney (BFA 2003), Sarah Mosher (BFA 2016), Meagan Musseau, Anna Torma, Courtney Wagner, Laurence Weyand, Jane Whitten. Curated by: Fabiyino Germain-Bajowa, TD Curatorial Fellow. The exhibition opens February 28, 2026 at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, 1723 Hollis St., Halifax, NS. Read more.

In the News: Written and curated by Leah Collins, Hi, Art is a weekly CBC Arts newsletter featuring work by Aralia Maxwell (MFA 2019) in its February 15, 2026 edition. Maxwell titled her piece Wave (Euphorbia) after a houseplant in her Montreal studio, drawing inspiration for the tile pattern from plant cuttings and their capacity to generate new growth from a single stem, leaf, or root. Photo credit: Paul Litherland (former faculty).  Read More.

Visiting Artist Series: Aaron Coleman will deliver an artist talk at NSCAD University to discuss his artistic practice. The talk will take place on February 25, 2026 at the Fountain Campus, Bell Auditorium, 5163 Duke St, Halifax, N.S. Aaron Coleman will also be holding a Q&A panel discussion with Nova Scotia-based artist and designer, Duane Jones (BDes Hon 2004) on February 24, 2026 at the FAB, 1873 Granville Street. Read More.

Photo caption: Delicate and Filled with Dynamite, Aaron Coleman. Boat made from basketball court flooring and abandoned playground remnants 15ft long x 13ft tall, 2023.

NSCAD Student Art Award: NSCAD University is now accepting submissions to the 2026 NSCAD Student Art Award. This celebration of achievement rewards talented NSCAD students with one $5,000 Purchase Prize, and nine $1,000 best-in-category prizes. The grand prize-winning artwork will also be added to the President’s Art Bank, part of NSCAD University’s permanent collection. The winner will be announced April at the exhibition showcase & awards gala.  For more information check out the application or email elangille@nscad.ca.

Exhibition: The Anna Leonowens gallery will feature two exhibitions by undergraduate students in the last week of February. In The Shoes of Someone New is an exhibition of paintings and drawings by Olivia Rockwell that captures the endless passion that exists in the cycle of inspiration that travels constantly from artist to artist, with each work taking part in the process of artists being inspired by other artists. Colours Live! features mixed media paintings by Jade Douglas with vibrant depictions of people, landscapes, and fantastical worlds inspired by the artist’s heritage. Rooted in childhood memories and archival photographs, the work explores identity, family, and the Caribbean diaspora, challenges colonial symbolism, celebrates cultural strength, and centers the Black experience. The exhibitions run February 24 to 28, 2026 at the Anna Leonowens Gallery, 1891 Granville Street, Halifax, NS. Read more.

Events on Campus: This African Heritage Month, NSCAD joins communities across the province in marking this year's theme "Strength in Unity: Moving Forward with Purpose, Prosperity, Power and Progress" with events throughout February that celebrate Black brilliance across art mediums. Monday, Feb. 23, 7-10 p.m. Blame it on the Boogie Karaoke (The FAB, 1875 Granville St.) We invite everyone to bring a selection of music only by Black and African artists.
Thursday, Feb. 26, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Mindfulness & Meal session (Drawing Studio (D241) – Fountain Campus) focusing on meditations created by African Diasporic practitioners.
Friday, Feb. 27, 3-5 p.m.
Pɨtewey Friday Tea & Craft with an African Heritage Month theme (Treaty Space Gallery). Learn more.

Research project: NSCAD design professor Glen Hougan is leading a Brain Canada funded research project called In-Home Dementia-Centred DIY Adaptations and Innovations with Dalhousie University, and the Alzheimer’s Society of Nova Scotia. NSCAD alumni are invited to share their "home-grown" solutions, whether it’s a modified household object, a unique organization system, or a simple DIY fix that improves safety and comfort. To learn more or submit your ideas.

Call for submissions: Nocturne is currently seeking artists to participate in 2026 programming through the development of temporary public artworks that will be exhibited during Nocturne’s signature night-time art experience (Oct. 17, 2026). Nocturne’s 2026 Festival Curator, Annalise Prodor (BFA 2011) selected the theme Embodied City to inform this year’s festival. Artists are invited to explore this theme within their proposals. Deadline to apply is: Tuesday, March 10, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. ADT.  Read more.

Call for Submissions: Thunder Bay Art Gallery is thrilled to announce the return of the Northern Ontario Juried Exhibition in 2026. This triannual exhibition showcases art from across Northern Ontario, bringing together artists from a wide range of lived experiences. Juried by a panel of local, regional, and provincial artists, the Juried Exhibition highlights the strength and significance of makers and artists in Northern Ontario. Artists are invited to submit their online application by March 31, 2026. Learn more.

Call for Submissions: Cape Breton Centre for Craft & Design invites Atlantic Canadian artists to submit handcrafted earrings for the Earring Show 2026 juried exhibition and sales opportunity celebrating earrings as wearable art. Artists may submit 1–5 pairs across one-of-a-kind, limited edition, or emerging artist categories. Selected work will be featured in a month-long retail exhibition from June 1–30, 2026. The deadline to apply is April 13, 2026. Cape Breton Centre for Craft and Design, 322 Charlotte St, Sydney, NS. Learn more

Call for Submissions: Toronto's East End Arts recently launched ArtLabs, a new umbrella program that offers free space at St. Matthew’s Clubhouse, and basic support for artists looking to launch a new idea or experiment within their artistic practice. During its pilot season, ArtLabs will prioritize emerging artists, and/or applications that are about new experimentation, pivoting artistic practices, and/or trying out new ideas that have not yet been explored. These ideas can be open to the public, or private and limited to an internal group. The deadline to apply to ArtLabs is Sunday, March 1, 2026 by 11:59 p.m. EST. Read more.

Artist in Residence: Visual Arts Nova Scotia, in partnership with le Conseil des arts de la Baie (le CAB), is excited to announce the VANS In Residence program this spring in Church Point, NS. The residency balances personal creative time (60%) with community-focused activities like workshops and talks (40%). Artists of Acadian heritage are encouraged to apply. The residency runs four consecutive weeks between April 1 - May 9, 2026. The deadline to apply is March 1, 2026, 5 p.m. Read more.  
 

In the News: NSCAD ceramics student Denise Martin Lynch was asked to create the Threads of Time awards that were presented to three trailblazers representing the past, present, and future of the Pictou County Women’s Resource and Sexual Assault Centre (PCWRSAC). The awards were were custom-crafted Medusa-inspired ceramic pieces that reclaimed the mythological figure as a symbol of "righteous rage," resilience, and the "fierce guardian" of survivors. Read more. 

Workshop: Faculty member and Chair of the Craft division Rebecca Hannon recently travelled to New York to deliver a workshop at Brooklyn Metal Works. The course included tried-and-true methods for achieving durable colour pencil finishes on metal. It covered metal preparation, patina, and coloured layers in addition to sealing for permanence. Read more. 

Workshop: Erin Hollingshead (BFA 2016) will lead a Printing on Fabric workshop on March 15 at Argyle Fine Art. Participants will have the opportunity to carve linocuts and print on t-shirts and fabric patches. Contact the gallery to register. Argyle Fine Art, 1559 Barrington Street #102, Halifax, NS. Learn more.

Workshops: Lunenburg School of the Arts is offering winter/spring workshops in painting, felting, drawing, ceramics and more. Many of the workshops will be led by NSCAD alumni, including Joan Bruneau (BFA 1988), Joanna Close (BFA 2004), Heather Sayeau (BA 1981), and Michael Peters (MDES 2012). Workshops are filling up, so register soon. Learn more.

Head, Heart, and Hand Alumni Fund: As NSCAD alumni, we know the value of what our university community gave us — spaces to create, mentors who inspired us, and experiences that shaped our lives. Now, we have a chance to give back in a way that ensures those opportunities remain vibrant for future students. The new Head, Heart, and Hand Fund: Powered by NSCAD Alumni supports what makes NSCAD exceptional—studio access, creative spaces, mentorship, and experiences that aren’t covered by the operating budget.  Supporting this new philanthropic initiative is a simple but powerful way to make an even bigger impact. Donate here.