Exhibition: Step into the world of internationally acclaimed artist Joan Jonas (DFA 2025) in We come from the sea, a powerful and immersive multi-sensory exhibition featuring her installation Moving Off the Land II. In the exhibition, Jonas — a central figure in video and performance art — pays homage to the beauty, biodiversity, and vulnerability of oceans. Through layered projections, soundscapes, movement, drawing, and storytelling, We come from the sea examines the line between art and nature, fact and feeling. We come from the sea runs until October 4, 2026 at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, 1723 Hollis St., Halifax, NS. Read more.

Award: Sojourner Truth Parsons (BFA 2008) is among three finalists for the Jean-Francois Prat Prize in France. The prize seeks to promote mainly contemporary painting and to support emerging artists of any nationality. The Jean-Francois Prat Prize is a program from the Bredin Prat Foundation for contemporary art and is by invitation only. It includes an award of €20,000 for the winner and €2,000 for each of the other two shortlisted artists. Shortlisted artists are featured in a two- month exhibition in the offices of the Bredin Prat law firm in Paris. The winner will be announced June 25, 2026 at the exhibition opening. The public exhibition will run June 26 to August 31 at the Bredin Prat Foundation (53 quai d’Orsay, 75007 Paris). Read more.

Exhibition: Work by Marla Benton (BFA 2001) will be included as part of an upcoming exhibition What's Hidden in the Shadows, an immersive sculptural exhibition that explores the delicate interplay between form, light, and shadow through a series of porcelain tile installations. The body of work centres around hand-formed, semi-translucent porcelain tiles shaped into birds, fish and flowers. The exhibition opens Sunday, July 5 at the Hazelwood Gallery, part of the Charles Macdonald Concrete House, 19 Saxon Street, Centreville, NS. Read more.

Public Art: Oakville Galleries invites visitors to experience Janet Cardiff's (DFA 2021) immersive outdoor audio walk A Large Slow River as part of its Summer Public Art program. Commissioned in 1999 and recorded live on-site at Gairloch Gardens in Oakville, A Large Slow River responds directly to the landscape, creating a unique sensory experience that encourages visitors to slow down, observe and listen closely. Anyone can drop in to experience the audio walk on Fridays from 11 a.m. to noon until September 18 at Oakville Galleries in Gairloch Gardens, 1306 Lakeshore Road East, Oakville, ON. Read more.

Exhibition: It's not too late to catch Shelley Mansel's (1995-1998) solo exhibition Young Summer, a series of paintings inspired by Shelley's childhood summers of the 1970s and '80s. Vivid depictions of rock pools, damp forest floors, and blackberry thickets evoke a nostalgic sense of wonder, curiosity, and discovery. The exhibition runs until June 26 at The Prow Gallery, 1479 Lower Water Street, Halifax, NS. Read more.

Permanent collection: Hangama Amiri's (BFA 2012) At the Table has been purchased for the Yale University Art Gallery for its permanent collection of prints and drawings. At the Table is a mono print, 7-colour silk screen, and mixed media collage on coventry rag paper. Congratulations Hangama! Read more.

Top: Caito Earrings II by Michelle Ross. Bottom: Coin Piece (Dentil, No Dentil), 1997

Event: The Toronto Outdoor Art Fair (TOAF) is Canada’s largest and longest-running juried contemporary outdoor art fair. Each summer, TOAF brings together over 400 visual artists and 170,000 visitors at Nathan Phillips Square. Participating NSCAD alumni include Sara Caracristi (BFA 2006), Marcel Kerkhoff (ANSCAD 1989, BFA 1990), Michelle Ross (2006), Emily MacLellan (BDes 2000), Sadaf Pourghorbani (BFA 2015), Lauren Blakey (BFA 2008), and Ellen Sears (BFA 2003). Governor General’s Award–winning artist Micah Lexier (MFA 1984) will present In One Day as part of the Art Nest Public Art Program. Micah has minted 23,980 aluminum coins—one for every day he has lived.⁠ Beginning at TOAF65, he will give them away, one per person, until they are gone.⁠ The outdoor art fair runs July 10 to July 12 at Nathan Philips Square, 100 Queen St. W., Toronto, ON. Read more.

News: Well-known textile artist and gallery owner Laurie Swim (BFA 1972) has made the decision to retire this fall. For 50 years, Laurie has pushed boundaries in the fibre art world with her intricate textile pieces. This summer will be the final season to see her work at The Laurie Swim Gallery, 25 Cornwallis St. Lunenburg, NS.  Read more.

Top: Karen Stentaford & Natalie Goulet, Gallery view at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery Bottom: Séamus Gallagher, OH BABY, 2025

Exhibition: Document/ary: New Photographs from Atlantic Canada presents the work of 14 contemporary lens-based artists from and/or based in Atlantic Canada. NSCAD alumni represented in the exhibition include Natalie Michelle Goulet (MFA 2022), Séamus Gallagher (BFA 2019), Karen Stentaford (2000-2001), and Tanea Hynes (BFA 2019). The exhibition examines the photograph both as documentation of art-making processes (document), and as documentary praxis—in the world documenting our time (documentary). This exhibition is part of the Photo East Festival's core programming and runs until September 6 at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery, 703 Queen St. Fredericton, NB. Read more.

Exhibition: The full-career survey exhibition Hyperobjectivity: Colleen Wolstenholme Works 1992-2025 brings together sculpture, painting, drawing, jewellery, textiles, photography, mixed-media collages, and multi-media installations by Colleen Wolstenholme (BFA 1986). The exhibition moves from Wolstenholme's iconic silver and copper casts of anti-anxiety meds to sweeping paintings of deep sea life, tracing a practice that is "cerebral and direct, esoteric and popular, easy to look at and hard to forget,"according to exhibition curator Ray Cronin (BFA 1987). The opening reception is Thursday, June 18 at 5:30 p.m. at the Harrison McCain Pavilion. The exhibition runs June 20 to November 1 at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery, 703 Queen St., Fredericton, NB. Read more.

Colleen Wolstenholme, Hexagraphy, mixed media, 2018

Exhibition: Works by Eilidh J. Bassani's (BFA 2022) are featured in an upcoming exhibition Catch a Fallen Sky, inspired by her roots in Mabou, Cape Breton. Eilidh's paintings and photographs incorporate an eco-critical perspective and a celebration of the natural. Her art is propelled by inspiration from the violin, words from mentors and an image of an old road. The exhibition will be at the J. Franklin Wright Gallery from June 29 to August 21 in the Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre, 606 Reeves Street, Port Hawkesbury, NS. 

Exhibition: Featuring work by 13 textile artists,Textiles as Resistance: Contemporary Textiles from the Atlantic Region brings textiles into the spotlight and features installations that push the nature of textile as medium, durational work that explores the nature of textiles, the body and acts of labour, and textiles that explore complex personal and social histories. NSCAD alumni are among the artists featured, including Hannah Genosko (BFA 2015), Sarah Mosher (BFA 2016), Chloe Lundrigan (2019-2020). There will be an opening reception Friday, June 26 at 7 p.m. The exhibition will run until November 4, 2026 at Acadia University Art Gallery, 
10 Highland Avenue, Wolfville, NS. Read more.

Exhibition: In Place: Photographs, objects, stories features photographic, sculptural, and participatory work by Barbara Lounder (Professor Emerita, MFA 1984) and Katherine Knight (BFA 1980) that is connected by an interest in landscape, movement, memory, and the traces of human activity. The works reflect related approaches to observation, experimentation, and storytelling. Using staged self-portraiture, Katherine Knight places figures within environments marked by weather, industry, ecological change, and history. Barbara Lounder's work Writing Walking Sticks, 2011-2026, is a set of 26 custom walking poles with 3D printed handles and feet that were initially designed for public walking art events that Lounder presented in Vancouver BC, Halifax NS and Newcastle UK. She worked with NSCAD Jewellery faculty member Greg Sims in 2011 and again in 2026 to produce and present this project, using facilities at the Port Campus Fabrication shop. On the last day of the exhibition, Saturday, July 25, the Writing Walking Sticks and two other walking-based projects from In Place: photographs, objects, stories will be in action in a participatory workshop at ArtsPlace, from 1 p.m. to 2:30pm. at ARTSPLACE Main Gallery, 396 St. George St. Annapolis Royal, NS. Read more.

Awards: The Hnatyshyn Foundation Mid-Career Awards for Excellence in Visual Arts and Curatorial Excellence has announced its long list of 28 Canadian artists and curators selected for consideration by the selection committees, composed of peers working in the visual arts across Canada. NSCAD alumni Melissa Bennett (BFA 2004), Lou Sheppard (BFA 2006), and Crystal Mowry (MFA 2003) are included on the long list. The short lists will be announced July 15. Laureates and juries will be unveiled August 15. Congratulations on this amazing honour. Read more.

Art Basel: New York gallery CANADA NYC is on site at Art Basel 2026 in Switzerland this weekend. The gallery is showcasing work by artists Ken D. Resseger, Lee Mary Manning, and Rachel Eulena Williams. Phil Grauer (BFA 1990) is a partner at CANADA NYC, which also represents Luke Murphy (BFA 1988). Art Basel will feature exhibits by galleries from Europe, Africa, North America, Latin America, and Asia. CANADA NYC is in Booth N2 at the art fair, which runs June 18 to 21 at Messe Basel, Messeplatz 10, 4058 Basel, Switzerland. Read more.

In the news: April Gornik (BFA 1976) was featured in the April edition of the Brooklyn Rail. The story is based on an illuminating conversation with artist and writer Hearne Pardee, and delves into April Gornik's life and art, shedding light on her recent solo exhibition Liminal States that ran in April and May at the Miles McEnery Gallery in New York. Here's what Gornik said about NSCAD "The Nova Scotia College of Art and Design had a reputation for being more advanced and more interesting than my college, the Cleveland Institute of Art. I was in my fourth year there—CIA was a five-year BFA—and I was getting very antsy. I wanted to make conceptual art and generally be more experimental. So when I read an article in Art in America called, 'The Best Art School in North America?' of course I thought, 'I have to go there!' and I impulsively transferred." Read more.

April Gornik, World of Light (for GMH), 2026. Oil on linen, 75 ¼ × 94 inches. Courtesy the artist and Miles McEnery Gallery, New York.

Appointment: NSCAD University is proud to welcome Dr. Joshua Schwab-Cartas as the newest Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) in Global Indigenous Cultural Practice. An assistant professor in NSCAD's Master of Art Education program, Dr. Schwab-Cartas has spent more than 20 years working alongside Indigenous youth and Elders across numerous Indigenous communities. His research, teachings, and creative practice are grounded in relationship-building, community engagement, and Indigenous ways of knowing. “My goal has been to foster connections among Indigenous nations by creating opportunities for us to learn from one another within our own cultural contexts and environments," he says. Read more.

Award: NSCAD's Jewellery department is pleased to announce Qing Wang as the winner of the inaugural Fairmined Initiative & Student Award. Qing’s two-in-one, locket and tea infuser, Facetted Bud, stood out for its captivating presence, artistry and finely resolved filigree construction. The course project was led by Associate Professor Greg Sims and Fairmined silver for the project was generously donated by John Esposito at Malleable Jewellery to encourage the use of responsibly sourced precious metals and to help offset student project costs. Read more.

Awards: NSCAD University staff and faculty gathered at the FAB to celebrate colleagues whose combined years of service represent more than 300 years of dedication to the institution. During the event, employees were recognized for reaching five, 10, 15, 20, and 25 years at NSCAD—each milestone representing years of creativity, care, collaboration, and dedication. Assistant Professor Becka Barker (BFA 2000) and Interim President David B. Smith (BFA 1992) received Long Service Awards for 25 years and 20 years, respectively.

In memoriam: We are saddened to share the passing of Ian Austen (BDes 1973), a longtime member of the NSCAD community whose contributions to the university spanned decades. Ian served the university in numerous roles, including faculty, Director of Extension Services, Chairperson of the Craft Division, Board member, and Life Governor. Throughout his career, he was deeply committed to accessible, lifelong learning and helped shape creative education both within NSCAD and beyond. In retirement, Ian continued his dedication to the university, serving on NSCAD’s Board of Governors and being named an Honorary Life Member of the Board in 2017. We extend our sincere condolences to Ian’s family, friends, former students, colleagues, and all those who knew him through the NSCAD community. Read more.

In memoriam: The NSCAD community is mourning the loss of Toshiko Horiuchi MacAdam, a much-loved NSCAD faculty member from 2009 to 2018, and a textile artist who greatly influenced the fibre arts movement. Toshiko was well known for her work with large-scale textile structures. She got the idea to create textile playground spaces after seeing children climbing in one of her three-dimensional textile sculptures, that was on display in Tokyo. One of her best-known projects is a children’s play area in Takino Suzuran Hillside National Park in Sapporo Japan. Toshiko and her husband Charles MacAdam established Interplay Design and Manufacturing, Inc to develop the concept of play ‘sculptures’ for commercial environments. Our thoughts go out to Toshiko's family and friends. Read more.

Call for applications: Nocturne is inviting applications for 2028 Festival Curator. The Festival Curator will develop a vision/theme for the festival and will curate the Anchor Project program. Nocturne’s Anchor Project program consists of site-specific installations and performance art activations at sites across Halifax and Dartmouth. The selected applicant(s) will receive a curatorial fee of $10,000 CAD for development of the theme, selection of artists, and administration of the curator-selected Anchor Project program for the 2028 festival. Proposals for curatorial teams will also be accepted. The deadline to apply is July 6, 2026, 11:59 p.m. Atlantic. Read more.

Call for submissions: Halifax Public Libraries Art Selection Committee invites artists to submit an application to display their work at Central Library. The Sunroom at Central Library is a complimentary space, where rotating art exhibits highlight emerging and professional local artists, and reflecy Halifax's diverse artistic expression. Application deadline: August 28, 2026. Read more.

Residency: The Hnatyshyn Foundation is proud to support the third year of the DARC Indigenous Residency, a one-month intensive on-site artist residency (October 1-31, 2026) offered to mid-career Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit, and Métis) media artists who are seeking to develop their current practice, experiment with a new medium, or continue an existing project. The residency will take place at the Digital Arts Resource Centre (DARC) in Ottawa. The program is now open for applications from Indigenous artists living across Canada. The submission deadline is Tuesday, June 30. Learn more.

Call for submissions: The 7th Mosaic International Film Festival is now calling for film submissions! Do you have a captivating story to tell? Bring it to life and connect with an enthusiastic Atlantic Canadian audience this Fall. The deadline for submissions is Tuesday, June 30. Read more. 

School project: NSCAD faculty member Jordan Bennett, Associate Professor in the Division of Media Arts, led a team of NSCAD student artists who worked with 100 elementary students to transform the dated library space at St. Catherine's Elementary School in Halifax. Together they created a vibrant underwater-themed mural inspired by the children's ideas, stories, and creativity. "We treat the kids in the school as knowledge keepers, which doesn't happen enough in primary school. The students really took it upon themselves to not only design the art, but create this narrative for their space,"Jordan explains. Read more.   

Professional development: Expanded Media professor David Clark (BFA 1985) will travel to Berlin this month to attend the Saas-Fee Summer Institute of Art (SFSIA) session In the Fog of the Digital: AI and Neural-Digital Entanglement in Cognitive Capitalism. The session will be in preparation for the undergraduate Expanded Media seminar class Clark will be teaching in the winter 2027 semester MDIA-3066: Fully Automated Luxury Gay Space Communism. Saas-Fee is a nomadic, intensive summer academy with shifting programs in contemporary critical theory. The program consists of seminar-style lectures, deep readings, and experimental workshops. David will be attending the session from June 29 to July 4. Read more.

Top to bottom: 1. Miet Warlop's exhibition-performance IT NEVER SSST. 2. Abbas Akhavan: Entre chien et loup, 2026, © Abbas Akhavan. Photo: Francesco Barasciutti. 3. Michael Armitage. The Promise of Change, 2026

Venice Bienniale: Earlier this month, Kyla Mallett, NSCAD's Vice President Academic and Provost, visited Italy with her partner, painter and part-time NSCAD faculty Damian Moppett, and attended the Venice Bienniale. This was her fifth trip to Italy and the Venice Bienniale, and she says this year did not disappoint. Here's Kyla's account of the experience. "Some of the notable pavilions in the Giardini included the Belgian Pavilion, which featured work by Miet Warlop, the Spanish Pavilion which had an impressive collection of postcards by Oriol Vilanova which took over 30 years to accumulate, and the Nordic Pavilion which had a relatively eclectic display of sculptures by Benjamin Orlow (Finland), Klara Kristalova (Sweden) and Tori Wranes (Norway). Also, Kyla noted the Canadian Pavilion featured Abbas Akhavan’s “Entre Chien et Loup” which, relative to the entire Biennale, read as a very thoughtful and subtle commentary on colonial histories and horticulture with an installation that gave the viewer a great deal of room to contemplate the works’ breadth. Another stand-out exhibition was Michael Armitage’s colourful and complicated paintings, exhibited in an expansive exhibition at the Palazzo Grassi. All in all, it was more art than anyone could possibly take in five days, but what we did, experienced in the context of the amazing and historic city of Venice, was inspired and exhilarating." The Venice Bienniale runs until November 22 at the Giardini and Arsenale venues, in various locations across Venice and at Forte Marghera. Read more.

Workshop: Charley Young (BFA 2009) is leading Explorations in Printmaking… on the press! a week-long workshop that will explore a variety of printmaking techniques, including drypoint, chinecollé, water-soluble monotypes, reductive monotypes, and pochoir (stencils). The workshop takes place July 13 to 17 at Lunenburg School of the Arts, 6 Prince St., Lunenburg, NS. Read more.

Workshops:  Lunenburg School of the Arts has announced new workshops for August, including Patchwork Shortcuts: Starry Night with Marilyn Smulders (BFA 2019). In this beginner-friendly quilting course, participants make a traditional quilt block, the “Sawtooth Star,"a basic building block of quilt making. It can be used in combination with other blocks, such as the single “Irish Chain,” or on its own to create a delightful quilt in any size, from crib to queen. Quick piecing techniques for the block make sewing easy.The workshop runs August 10 to14 at the Lunenburg School of the Arts, 6 Prince Street, Lunenburg, NS. Read more.

Summer Studio & Campus Renewal: Studio spaces in NSCAD’s historic buildings are what makes our university exceptional. It's where students come up with ideas, test techniques and build their practices. Studios are also some of the most heavily used spaces on campus, leading to wear and tear. This summer, NSCAD is hiring a small group of students to undertake improvement work across studios and common areas at the Fountain Campus, under the direction of the Studio Services Manager John Deal. The vision is to update the spaces that matter most to students with painting, minor repairs, organizing storage, improving signage, and restoring furniture. By contributing to the new Head, Heart, & Hand Fund: Powered by NSCAD Alumni, we can help to make this possible. A shared commitment from alumni now will help pay student salaries and buy supplies and equipment to complete the work, producing immediate, visible improvements while laying the groundwork for a program that could be strengthened in the years to come. Please donate here.