What's Inside?
- A Message from President Peggy Shannon
- A Message from Alumni Association President Ashley Delaney
- Alumni Events
- Alumni News
- NSCAD in the Community
- Inside NSCAD
- Opportunities

Message from President Peggy Shannon, PhD
Dear friends

As May slowly comes to an end, so does our 2023-2024 academic year. And what a year it has been! Through alumni engagement events all over the world, I have had the pleasure of meeting so many of you. With alumnus Duane Jones, I had the opportunity of co-chairing the Envisioning Our Future committee - a group comprised of 26 dedicated faculty, technicians, staff, students, alumni, board members, creative thought leaders, and artists throughout North America. Together we tackled the crucial work of developing the Seriously Creative Strategic Plan to guide our next six years. This upcoming period will be a time of intense growth. It will be full of preparations for the move from our current campuses into a new, purpose-built consolidated campus on the waterfront by 2030.

This academic year marked other firsts: we launched the NSCAD Mayhem Festival which included the NSCAD University Film Festival Presented by TD Insurance, the Fashion Show, the Student Art Award Gala, the Graduate Exhibition, and a beautiful in-person Convocation with almost 700 in attendance, the largest audience to ever join us for this celebration. The magnificent Laurie Anderson, this year’s honorary degree recipient, spent several days with us in Halifax and presented a standing-room-only Artist Talk and offered a rousing speech to our graduating class. Now, as we finally catch our collective breath, it is time to turn our attention to the summer. I will be visiting London, Berlin, Frankfurt, and Athens to meet with alumni, supporters, and potential students. I will also accompany ten students and one of our incredible faculty members, Rebecca Hannon, to San Diego where our students will participate in the international Society of North American Goldsmiths conference in San Diego. What an amazing opportunity for our students!

Thank you for being such an important member of the NSCAD family.

From all of us to all of you, have a great summer!

Peggy

Message from Alumni Association President Ashley Delaney
This month, I want to start by warmly welcoming our new alumni! Welcome to a proud community that can be found in galleries, studios, classrooms, boardrooms, all around the world. This is also a milestone moment for this community as we now include over 10,000 people.

I had the honour of speaking at the 2024 Convocation last week. In our last issue, I asked for you to share any advice you had for our new graduates. Thank you to those who took the time to share such thoughtful comments and words of wisdom. I shared the five main themes from your responses with our new grads. I'll share them here as well as great reminders as we all navigate those inevitable twists and turns of our journeys and to help us continue these conversations:

Believe you are capable. Opportunities are everywhere but only if you are open to them, only if you believe in your own abilities. So go ahead and apply for the job. Start the project. Stay as persistent and as resilient as you can.

Stay curious. Never stop learning and exploring. Graduation shouldn’t be seen as an end of your learning, but as a beginning. You have a foundation to continue to strengthen and build upon.

Get involved. Join professional organizations, seek mentorship, attend events, participate, collaborate. Work to curate a community that you are proud to be part of.

Know how to market yourself. Get clear on your purpose and your voice, to understand yourself and how you best stand out. Then, lean in.

Stay Connected. Nurture those relationships that support you. You have a community of supporters who share a similar NSCAD experience and care about your success.

Once again, congratulations to the NSCAD University graduating class of 2024. And welcome to the alumni community!

Ashley

Read more on our website and to stay connected with the latest news.

Laurie Anderson (DFA 2024) Visits NSCAD: NSCAD University’s honorary degree recipient, Dr. Laurie Anderson,
addressed the graduating class of 2024 at the convocation ceremony on May 14. "I have to say that right now is an amazing moment to be an artist. There are more opportunities now to make things —to invent things—than I’ve ever seen before. And there’s this new and wonderful freedom to move between art forms — music, fashion, film, sculpture, painting, design. The boundaries have become very fluid, making it easier to move around and experiment. Even though I love technology and I use it in most of my work my favourite quote about it comes from a cryptologist who said, “If you think technology can solve your problems, you don’t understand technology and you don’t understand your problems.” Read Laurie's full address to new grads here. Listen to her interview with CBC's Q here.

STAY IN TOUCH for a chance to win a Lawrence Weiner Poster: Attention NSCAD Alumni, update your contact information with the university for a chance to win this amazing Lawrence Weiner poster designed by the artist for the first exhibition of his posters. Why should you update your information? To be kept up-to-date about alumni events, opportunities, ways to connect with other alumni and much more! (Poster: Offset print, 17 x 24 1/2 in., 1983) DEADLINE TO ENTER DRAW: June 30, 2024
Update your information here.

ART WORK: Colour Science.
June 18, 12:30 p.m. (Atlantic)
Join painter Nam Nuygen (MFA 2008) and Pam Juarez (BFA 2021) as they discuss the science behind pigments and creating / foraging your own. Registration Required.

Did you miss an edition of Art Work? Find the recording on NSCAD's YouTube Channel.

Alumni receptions in England and Germany! Save the Dates: President Peggy Shannon, Advancement Director Kara Holm, and Director of the Anna Leonownes Gallery Systems Erinn Langille (BFA 2002) will be visiting alumni, supporters, and partners in Europe this summer. Stay tuned for further details about alumni gatherings on the following dates:

London: Tuesday. July 30, 2024
Frankfurt: Thursday, August 1, 2024
Berlin: Friday, August 2, 2024

Exhibitions: Radical Stitch. Beading is one of the defining mediums of contemporary Indigenous art on this continent, and this landmark exhibition brings much-needed critical attention to the breadth and impact of this practice. See work by alumna, Carrie Alison (BFA & BA 2014, MFA 2018), they built fields of grass on sawdust. Until Sept. 30, National Gallery of Canada, 380 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, Ontario. Read more here.

Exhibitions: Sarah Moloney's (BFA 1988) Pleasure Ground catalog launch/closing reception. This relaxed event will begin with introductory remarks, followed by a guided tour of the exhibition by Sarah. Light refreshments will be served, and copies of the catalogue will be available for purchase. June 1st, 1 p.m. - 3 p.m. MSVU Art Gallery,
166 Bedford Highway Halifax, NS
Read more here.

Exhibitions: SF_retake, 22
photographers take on San Francisco.
Again. In 2004, 20 established photographers from the art and editorial world, as well as newly-emerging photographers, to documented the post-internet megaboom-to-bust moment in time. Twenty years later, our world is yet again in the midst of disruptive change. Setting aside the many larger societal issues, the impact of remote work on the character of downtown San Francisco is unmistakable. Curated by alumni David Peters (ANSCAD 1975, BDes 1976) and Rhonda Rubinstein (ANSCAD & BDes 1983). In person
Artists & Curators Talk: May 29 at 6:30pm. On view until June 8, The Gallery at Harvey Milk Photo Center, 50 Scott Street, San Francisco, California. Read more here. A virtual talk for NSCAD is alumni is planned. Details TBA.

Exhibitions: Rita McKeough (MFA 1979) feel through the deepness to see. Billed as a new immersive exhibition, we journey below ground, where plants and animals gather and try to make sense of the activities of machines that labour above. Together, we are invited to imagine interspecies relationships beyond the destructive exploitation of extractive industrialism. Until June 18. Dunlop Art Gallery, 2311 12th Avenue
Regina, SK. Read more here.

Exhibitions: Recently artist Ben Skinner (BFA 2000) had a two day show of his new works named Don’t Get Any Ideas. Exploring a variety of image making techniques the exhibition is a feast for the senses. Explore the catalog for the exhibition here.

Honorary Doctorate: Congrats to Leonard Paul (1971-1975) who was awarded an honorary Doctorate from Acadia University this month. Leonard
will be returning to NSCAD to finish his degree at NSCAD in the fall. His watercolour career covers over four decades of wilderness travels, and the artwork is dynamic, memorable and exacting, informed by his humanism and abiding love and appreciation of nature. Read more here.

Sobey Art Award Longlist: Congrats to all longlist nominees especially NSCAD Alumni Carrie Alison (BFA & BA 2014, MFA 2018) and Séamus Gallagher (BFA 2019). Read more here.

Award: Congrats to Jenn Grant (BFA 2006) on her dual ECMA wins this month for “Song of the Year”, Judy and “Songwriter of the Year.” She won both in Charlottetown at the 36th annual ECMAs. Read more here.

Interview: During her time in Halifax for the third annual NSCAD University Film Festival, alumna Chris Hegedus (BFA 1973) took some time to chat with CBC's Jeff Douglas. Chris talked about her time at NSCAD and her film The War Room. Listen to the interview here.

Mag Feature: Arjun Lal (BFA 2019) was recently featured in C Mag, for their exhibition Leather Bar in Bangalore, at the Eltuek Arts Centre. Part performative piece, part sculptural exploration, and photo documentation Arjun's work is an exploration of self, identity and sexuality. Read more here.

Public Installation: Congrats to Carrie Phillips Kieser (MFA 2022) for her win of Halifax Marriott Harbourfront and Nocturne Rising Artists award. Her installation is called Soft Landing. Carrie's work is now activating the entrance of the hotel. See more here.

Now Showing: Christian Sparkes (BFA 2004) is launching not one but two of his films this year, The Kingtide and Sweetland are in theatres now. Christian is best know for his dark tales set in his home province of Newfoundland. See more here.

Innovation: Christine Goudie (BDes 2007) continues to advance women’s healthcare. This year Granville Biomedical will launch a novel educational model that will assist with healthcare training in the early identification of cervical cancer. Read more here.

Residency: Congrats to Julie Rosvall (2019) who was selected to participate as one of the artist in residences for Terra Nova National Park for 2024. During her residency her plan is to connect with local knitters, use found objects in the park to knit, print, and create pigments and ink. She will be doing weekly events at the Terra Nova National Park visitor centre if you are in the neighbourhood. Read more here.

Book: Congrats to Ray Cronin (ABFA 1987) who recently launched his book Halifax Art & Artists. Ray's book presents the stories of the Halifax’s creators from craftspeople and portrait painters to filmmakers and multidisciplinary makers from time immemorial to the present. Read more here.

Book: Congrats to Janet Wallace (ANSCAD 1971, BFA 1981) who recently published her first book. It is more than just a narrative; it is a potent call to action urging us to reevaluate our industrial paradigms. Chronicling the saga of Northern Pulp, Wallace unveils the complex interrelationship of economic, ecological, and social threads that are intertwined in its story. Read more here.

Interview: Before her graduation as valedictorian, 2024 Student Award winner Page Cowell (BFA 2024) took some time to chat with CBC's Rose Murphy. Page talked about the honours and how making connections with others has been key to her art. Listen to the interview here.

Exhibition: Les Fleurs d’Émail, NSCAD professor Craig Leonard. Through a series of drawings and objects, Craig pursues correspondences in the exchange of letters, mistaken meanings, accidental shapes, and the de-mystified blurring of means and materials. Until June 15. Art Garage, 66 B Lebreton St. N, Ottawa, On. Read more here.

Scotia Festival of Music May 27 - June 9, 2024 at the Dal Arts Centre: On Friday, June 7, 7:30 p.m. minimalist masterpiece Drumming will be performed. Reich and Drumming have an association with NSCAD. Alumna Chris Hegedus (BFA 1973) shares that he was a visiting artist at NSCAD while composing this work. Apparently, Reich was frustrated with the art students' inability to keep the beat. Reich's 1974 book Writings about Music was co-published by The Press of the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design and New York University Press. Buy Tickets for the Scotia Festival of Music here.

In Memorial: Stephen Brookbank (NSCAD 1992 -1994) It is with the deepest sadness that his family announces his heartbreaking passing, surrounded by loving family, on May 18, 2024. He loved working with the students of the Photography Department at NSCAD. It gave him such pleasure to see a student learn a new photography skill or stretch themselves with a new way of doing a photograph. A celebration of life will be held at the Sackawa Canoe Club (159 First Lake Drive, Lower Sackville) from 2 p.m. - 5 p.m. on Sunday, June 23. A prayer and reading for Stephen will take place at 3 pm. Read more here.

TD Insurance: Take advantage of your alumni benefits. As a trusted partner, the TD Insurance Meloche Monnex Program is dedicated to helping NSCAD alumni get access to preferred insurance rates on car, home, condo and tenant coverage. For more information or to get a quote here.

Call for Collaboration: Seeking collaborative Mi'kmaq artist. Illustrating/designing/beadwork (open to individual expression) for elements of a sports jersey Canadian curling team qualifications. Final product to be showcased on a world stage. Email Steph Schmidt Design by June 7, 2023.

Alumni Benefit: Young Drivers of Canada is offering NSCAD Alumni a special discount. Free Young Drivers of Canada program with purchase of a course on yd.com - OR - 50% discount on Young Drivers of Canada program For more information email alumni@nscad.ca

Work at NSCAD: NSCAD is hiring! Check out our careers page to see the open opportunities .

Stay in Touch

We want to hear from you! Please send us your news. What are you working on? Where are you living? What inspires you? Any recent achievements? Use the online form, and tag your work on social media with #keepcreatingNSCAD.

Email us at alumni@nscad.ca if you are interested in being profiled for your work or business.

Header image: Old Fish Plant, Stephen Brookbank image courtesy of the artist.