Critical Reflection

Sprawl
Natasha Krzyzewski
February 2 – 27, 2012

New works by emerging artist Natasha Krzyzewski encircle the Corridor Gallery from February 2 – 27. Describing the exhibition, Krzyzewski explains:

These drawings explore the suburbs in an attempt to address the presence of alienation in modern life. The imagined spaces of the drawings consider the behaviors that people adopt in public and private places.

Much of the negative associations surrounding the suburbs are a result of how large they are, and the physical as well as mental barriers to inhabitants when creating meaningful relationships with each other. These works draw attention to vast expanses, streets, buildings, private property, and colour to highlight them as the causes for this malaise.

Natasha Krzyzewski graduated from NSCAD University in 2011. She has participated in several group shows including, Feminism: Now, and Soapbox with the NSCAD Feminist Collective at the Anna Leonowens Gallery as well as Pre-Shrunk at Argyle Fine Art. Krzyzewski is currently co-curating the Eyelevel Reshelving Initiative 5, to be exhibited in March featuring printed matter and artist multiples from local, national and international artists.

Image for press available for download: Natasha Krzyzewski, Critical Reflection, gesso, graphite and watercolour on wood, 9″x12″, 2012

Located inside the Visual Arts Nova Scotia (VANS) office at the Halifax Seaport, since 2000, the Corridor Gallery is complimented by a historical legacy of Nova Scotia culture, simple yet modern architectural elements and an array of current cultural activity in the Cultural Federations of Nova Scotia office. The Corridor Gallery is located at 1113 Marginal Road, Halifax, Nova Scotia and is open Monday through Friday, 9am-5pm.

Visual Arts Nova Scotia works for the advancement of the visual arts and visual artists in Nova Scotia.

For further information regarding the Corridor Gallery or this exhibition, please contact:

Becky Welter-Nolan
Programming Coordinator
Visual Arts Nova Scotia
1113 Marginal Road, Halifax, NS B3H 4P7
902.423.4694    1.866.225.8267   f: 902.422.0881
communicate@visualarts.ns.ca
http://www.visualarts.ns.ca

New Civilizations

New Civilizations
Chris Foster
January 4 – 30, 2012

Selections from the upcoming self published book of collages by Chris Foster: New Civilizations surround the Corridor Gallery during the initial exhibition of 2012 from January 4 – 30. Describing the project, Foster explains:

The book “New Civilizations” features 21 elaborate collages created with collected imagery from old magazines and books. The works depict improbable landscapes that integrate modern and ancient architecture. They depict figures engaged in ambiguous activities of construction and destruction suggesting a state of flux. They use a dark sense of humour to explore patterns of futility in human activity. New Civilizations negotiates feelings of optimism and hopelessness at a time of paramount challenge to the continued standard of living for not only the western worlds but all of the inhabitants of earth.

Chris Foster graduated form NSCAD University in 2007. He now lives in the North End of Halifax working in illustration, installation and printmaking. Foster has recently exhibited work at the Mount Saint Vincent University Art Gallery and at the Khyber Center for the Arts. He co-produces a quarterly publication called the PERIODICAL PROJECT that promotes Halifax based emerging artists. The publication New Civilizations will be officially launched as part of Eyelevel Gallery’s 2012 Reshelving Initiative this winter featuring a preface by Halifax based Artist and Curator Kate Walchuk.

Located inside the Visual Arts Nova Scotia (VANS) office at the Halifax Seaport, since 2000, the Corridor Gallery is complimented by a historical legacy of Nova Scotia culture, simple yet modern architectural elements and an array of current cultural activity in the Cultural Federations of Nova Scotia office. The Corridor Gallery is located at 1113 Marginal Road, Halifax, Nova Scotia and is open Monday through Friday, 9am-5pm.

For further information regarding the Corridor Gallery or this exhibition, please contact:

Becky Welter-Nolan, Programming Coordinator, Visual Arts Nova Scotia, 1113 Marginal Road, Halifax, NS B3H 4P7, 902.423.4694 1.866.225.8267 f: 902.422.0881, communicate@visualarts.ns.ca

As technology shifts, so do the marketing and media services VANS provides to its members, what has stayed consistent, since 1976 however is VANS continuing mandate to work for the advancement and rights of the visual arts and artists of Nova Scotia.

For the last 35 years, VANS has provided many services and opportunities to its members.  VANS’ ability to reach a much larger audience has significantly increased, and now more than ever, with the launch of VANS’ new website earlier this spring.

One such service is the VANS e-studio directory (artist web page) which is accessed by a wide range of users, including artists, educators, critics, curators, gallery directors, designers, publishers, filmmakers, corporate buyers, researchers and private collectors.

Similar to its originator, the VANS slide registry, the VANS E-Studio directory, created in 1998, is an online artist database, whereby information on the artist can be located, including up to 6 images of their individual work. With an average of 58,000 website visits per month and a third of VANS’ membership with a registered e-studio page, the e-studio directory is an essential professional and marketing tool for visual artists in Nova Scotia.

Since 1998, the VANS staff has overseen the annual updates made to each individual E-Studio directory page, creating a number of challenges administratively, particularly due to a lack of sufficient human resources. Now, with the organizations new WordPress website, VANS is excited about being able to offer VANS members the opportunity to update their own personal e-studio page at their own leisure, by following VANS’ E-Studio Tutorial, accessible only with a e-studio username and password, distributed by VANS staff.

With the VANS 2011 memberships expiring on December 31st, 2012 renewing members and E-Studio artists will receive an email with their username and password when they renew their VANS membership and e-studio page. New users of the VANS E-Studio directory will also receive a username and temporary password, through email, when they pay the administration fee.

Any and all changes made to individuals e-studio pages will be approved by VANS personnel, before being published on the website.

As was the case in the past, each member will still be held accountable for following the Submission Guidelines for the VANS E-Studio Directory upon creating or making updates to their E-Studio page. If the submission guidelines are not followed, hence the image documentation is not of professional quality or if the word count is not respected, the e-studio update will not be approved by VANS staff, making e-studio updates much slower and time-consuming; when guidelines are followed and achieved, e-studio updates will be made quicker and the public can learn about your professional practice and contact you faster.

Given these administrative requests, approval of changes may take anywhere from 2-3 weeks, depending on demand and if guidelines are not followed.

VANS staff encourages members to consult and read the submission guidelines, in detail, before updating their directories. VANS staff will still continue to assist in updates with the hopes that members will eventually be able to update their own pages as they get more comfortable with using the WordPress template and technology.

Renew your VANS Membership or register for the E-Studio directory today!

For more information about your membership, visit www.visualarts.ns.ca or contact:

Becky Welter-Nolan
Programming Coordinator
Visual Arts Nova Scotia
1113 Marginal Road
Halifax, NS B3H 4P7
902.423-4694, 1.866.225.8267
communicate@visualarts.ns.ca

LIMITED OFFER, SUBSCRIBE AND SAVE BIG UNTIL DECEMBER 15TH, 2011

December 1st, 2011 – In perfect tandem with new year to do lists and reflections of 2011, the spring 2012 issue of Visual Arts News will be distributed in January 2012 and features reviews, responses, reflections of and re-considerations on our states of being, among our experiences of contemporary art as we (re)cycle through another calendar year. The spring 2012 issue will no doubt intrigue the imagination of and potentially evolve its 2012 readers.

With the Holiday season approaching, Visual Arts News is excited to offer a special promotion to holiday shoppers this season that saves them 39% off the newsstand price (includes HST), when they purchase a 2-year gift subscription to Visual Arts News from now until December 15^th, 2011.

Written in a clear and sophisticated style by some of the most talented arts writers in the province, Visual Arts News is the only magazine dedicated to contemporary visual art in Atlantic Canada. While primarily Nova Scotia focused, the magazine also publishes stories about regional, national and international art events that we believe are of interest to our readership.

When you purchase this limited gift subscription special, Visual Arts News will be delivered to someone you love three times a year with each issue featuring engaging exhibition reviews, artist profiles, exhibition listings and in-depth features on current topics of interest in  the visual arts.  As one of the oldest publications in Atlantic Canada, it is a well-trusted and sought after source of information for readers with a passion for its thriving visual arts scene.

Sincerely,

Crystal Melville
Publisher
Visual Arts News
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Purchase a Gift Subscription to Visual Arts News

o 1-year (in Canada) $15    o 2-years (in Canada) $25 
o 1-year International $20   o 1-year Institution $32

The free talk will deconstruct the word “occupation”, alongside the visual arts, creative professional practices and transnational social movements.

In the visual arts we have seen a recent surge of interest, provincially, in the visual arts through festivals like Nocturne, Lumiere and Antigonight where visual artists work occupies public and alternative spaces. This past year, the visual art community in Nova Scotia has also experienced shifts, including the physical movement of artist-run centres, artist studios and galleries around Halifax, NS. Such a talk on “creative occupations” is not only interesting within the public’s increasing interest in and engagement with public art, but also within both infrastructure transitions in the visual art community and transnational social movement, as seen  through the rippling of Occupy Wall Street to a worldwide movement. Such phenomena creates  fodder for the perception of “creative occupations.”

Max Haiven is a writer, teacher and organizer living in Halifax, Nova Scotia.  He works as adjunct faculty in the Division of Historical and Critical Studies at NSCAD University and is a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Art and Public Policy at New York University.  His writing, both academic and editorial, focuses on the fate of creativity and the imagination under global capitalism.

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Situated at the Halifax Seaport and home to 8 provincial cultural federations, the Culture Federations of Nova Scotia is located in the Immigration Annex building at 1113 Marginal Road in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Working for the advancement and rights of the visual arts and artists of Nova Scotia, Visual Arts Nova Scotia (VANS) is an inclusive, province-wide non-profit organization, reflecting the richness and diversity of the Nova Scotia visual arts sector. Acting as a leader on issues affecting visual artists, advocating support and advancement of the visual arts in the provincial and national arenas, and being a resource for visual artists and the arts in Nova Scotia, the public frequently consults and refers to VANS, regarding the visual arts in Nova Scotia.

For additional information on VANS, please click here; for more information about this talk, please contact  902.423.4694, 1.866.225.8267, vans@visualarts.ns.ca.

Giving members of Visual Arts Nova Scotia an opportunity to create an exhibition of their work.

Kate Walchuk, Kaleidoscope Eye #3

Thoughts Kaleid
Kate Walchuk
November 8 – December 12, 2011

Kate Walchuk’s paintings line the Corridor Gallery at Visual Arts Nova Scotia from November 8 – December 12, 2011.  With regards to her sculptural painting practice, Walchuk describes the work exhibited as

A collection of new works exploring my interest in the shaped Minimalist paintings of the ’70s, as well as her love of folk or “outsider” art. The geometric patterns created by Kaledioscopes serve as a loose template for my portraits of the Beatles and image of a cartoon cat. The shapes of a sausage or rumpled fabric are the ground for my other works. My current studio practice follows “hunches” and trying to find new ways of making interesting shapes.

Kate Walchuk is an emerging artists living in Halifax graduating from NSCAD University in the spring of 2011. Since then she has exhibited at Eyelevel Gallery, Lost and Found, The Hub Gallery as well as the Mount Saint Vincent University Art Gallery and is currently represented by Seeds Gallery.

Located inside the Visual Arts Nova Scotia (VANS) office at the Halifax Seaport, since 2000, the Corridor Gallery is complimented by a historical legacy of Nova Scotia culture, simple yet modern architectural elements and an array of current cultural activity in the Cultural Federations of Nova Scotia office. The Corridor Gallery is located at 1113 Marginal Road, Halifax, Nova Scotia and is open Monday through Friday, 9am-5pm.

For further information on the Corridor Gallery or this exhibition, please contact Visual Arts Nova Scotia at 902.423.4694    1.866.225.8267 or  communicate@visualarts.ns.ca.

Following the inaugural collaboration between the Hub and Visual Arts Nova Scotia (VANS) in 2010, both VANS and the Hub are excited to launch the second of two exhibitions in 2011 at The Hub Gallery.

Karen Gaudet, Daffodils Red, acrylic on canvas, 2011

The Hub Gallery exhibition VANS in The Hub is on public view from November 8, 2011 until February 2, 2012. The exhibition features large-scale 2 dimensional works by visual artists Sharon Irving-Kennedy, Karen Gaudet, Judith Leidl, Maritza Miari and Kate Walchuk.

The work displayed examines elements of familiar experiences in a contemplative manner.  This exhibition by VANS members elevates daily experiences and brings that consideration into the workplace at The HUB. The Hub serves as an ideal VANS exhibition space with its vibrant minimalism, classic design elements, and collaborative spirit.

The Hub is a work-inspired office space located at 1673 Barrington Street on the second floor in Halifax, NS. The Hub is open Monday through Friday, 8:30am to 6pm. For more information regarding the Hub, please visit http://thehubhalifax.ca/.

For further information about this exhibition or VANS, please  contact:

Becky Welter-Nolan
Programming Coordinator
Visual Arts Nova Scotia
1113 Marginal Road, Halifax, NS B3H 4P7
t:902.423.4694    1.866.225.8267   f:902.422.0881
communicate@visualarts.ns.ca

It can take a substantial amount of trust to turn over artwork you’ve just completed to somebody else who can, for example, take the piece in a completely different direction, if that seems warranted. But that’s just part of the collaboration process, which involves setting aside some of the traditional ideas surrounding art and artists. [...] In collaborative art-making, each artist tries to build on what is already on the page, amplifying or clarifying what is there. (The Arts Collective, Montreal, QC).

On October 17th, 2008, Members and supporters of Visual Arts Nova Scotia (VANS) gathered at the Saint Mary’s Boat Club in Halifax, Nova Scotia for what was a very unique VANS awards celebration and fundraiser, titled CANVAS.

Working collaboratively, participating visual artists took creative risk in creating three double-sided panels (3x6x2) at CANVAS, taking inspiration from a literary passage. Alongside the collaborative intention, artists were also encouraged to experimentally react to each other through drawing, mark-making and painting, similar to an improvisational music piece.

Following the layers of work which were created over the evening, CANVAS was on display from October 2008 to October 2009 at the Nova Scotia Community College in Dartmouth and from October 2009 to May 2011 at the Halifax International Airport. Since then, 2 of the 6 panels have been sold to interested art patrons.

VANS is now advertising the sales of the remaining 4 panels to the public. As a non-profit organization, all proceeds will be contributed back to VANS’ operations and programs which work to advance the visual arts and artists in Nova Scotia. For more information concerning the purchase of one of these unique pieces of art work (detail from work featured above), please contact director@visualarts.ns.ca.

Participating artists at CANVAS  were Wayne Boucher, Izzie Colpitts-Campbell, Terry Drahos, Leya Evelyn, Susan Feindel, Carolyn Fish, Maxine Hannaby, Janet Larkman, Ruth Marsh, Mandai Mohan, Carol Morrison, Andrea Pottyondy, Sheila Provazza, Laurel Rath, Zeqirja Rexhepi, Lynn Rotin,  Jacqueline Streudler, Anna Horsnell Wade, Ken Ward, Violet Rosengarten, Robert Williams and Charlotte Wilson-Hammond.

For more information about VANS, please click here.

October 31, 2011 – On Friday, October 28^th at the sixth annual Creative Nova Scotia Awards Gala, hosted at the Cunard Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Visual Arts Nova Scotia (VANS) member and artist, James MacSwain won the Portia White Prize, naming the VANS Mentorship Program as the prizes secondary recipient.

Born in Amherst, Nova Scotia, MacSwain is an artist whose work spans many regions of practice. He is a photographer, collage artist, video and filmmaker. He is also a programmer, curator, teacher, mentor, poet and actor.  MacSwain received a BA in English from Mount Alison University and studied theatrical arts at the University of Alberta. After traveling and living in Europe, he settled in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where he began a career in theatre and arts administration.

In the 1970s, MacSwain was instrumental in the establishment of the artist-run centres, the Atlantic Filmmakers Cooperative – AFCOOP (1974) and the Centre for Art Tapes – CFAT (1979), not only as a creator but as a volunteer board member and later administrator. These centres gave birth to a new era of independent media production in Nova Scotia, a legacy that continues to flourish. He established and taught the 8mm and 16mm film program at NSCAD University which created the foundation for the current film school. He has served as an instructor and mentor at AFCOOP and CFAT and several artist-in-the-schools programs.

Since 1980, he has been working in film and video, receiving Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council and Nova Scotia grants as a media artist. His work has been screened at festivals nationally, including a retrospective of works, recently, at the Toronto Images Festival in 2011, and he has been recognized by his peers as a pioneer of animation in Nova Scotia.

MacSwain’s endless spirit of generosity, evident in his willingness to participate, engage, exchange ideas and enrich the creativity of others without sacrificing his own creative vision, has made him an ideal candidate for this esteemed provincial prize.

It is fitting, therefore, that as an esteemed mentor to, and resource in, the visual arts community in Nova Scotia, MacSwain would designate the protégé prize recipient as the VANS Mentorship Program. Pairing emerging artists with established artists for the last 6 years in a 10-month mentorship, the VANS Mentorship Program continues to advance the visual art practices of Nova Scotia’s emerging artists. MacSwain’s prize designation will go towards shaping and sustaining the visual arts sector into the future.

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Visual Arts Nova Scotia (VANS) works for the advancement of the visual arts and visual artists in Nova Scotia.

For more information on James MacSwain, read Andrew Paterson’s review of MacSwain at Toronto Images Festival, “Unravelling the Prankster”, in the Fall 2011 issue of Visual Arts News.

For more information about VANS, visit www.visualarts.ns.ca or contact Becky Welter-Nolan, VANS Programming Coordinator at 902-423-4694, (toll-free) 1-866-225-8267, communicate@visualarts.ns.ca.

Impressions
Galerie Père-Léger-Comeau
Université Sainte-Anne
November 1^ST to December 31^ST, 2011
Opening Reception: November 4, 2011

Belliveau Cove, NS  – Visual Arts Nova Scotia (VANS) is pleased to announce an exhibition of works by VANS members from VANS’ Southwest region (Region 1) of Nova Scotia. The VANS members’ group exhibition, titled Impressions, commences November 1st and will be on view to the public until December 31, 2011.

All are invited to come and meet the artists at the opening reception on Friday November 4^th at 7pm. At the opening reception, the public will be transported through time as participating artist and storyteller, Anne LeBlanc of Concession, NS, brings back to life – both in words and paint – ­the Acadian stories and legends from the past.

Artists Poppy Balser, Nora Robicheau, Mariette Amirault, Ivan Blades, Dianne Surette, Caroline Loose, Anne LeBlanc, Anne Marie Clow, Nadine Belliveau, Kelli Janson, Dan Earle, Maurice LeBlanc, Cecil Day, Pierre Ferron, Lio Lo, Virginia Stoddard, Simone d’Éon and Imelda Currans are the eighteen participating artists exhibiting in Impressions. Many of the participating artists will be at the opening reception to discuss their work. Much of the work in the exhibition is also available for purchase and so, provides an additional opportunity for visual art patrons to support Nova Scotia artists.

“I am very excited about this exhibition and have been impressed by the quality of the work and by the enthusiasm the visual artists of this region have demonstrated in collaborating for the preparation and installation of this exhibition” said Nadine Belliveau, VANS Region 1 representative.

Hosted at the Galerie Père-Léger-Comeau at Université Sainte-Anne in Church Point, NS, the public is invited to view the exhibition daily from 9am to 4:30 pm. For more information, please visit http://www.usainteanne.ca/galerie-pere-leger-comeau.

Impressions is made possible with the support of VANS, Université Sainte-Anne, volunteers and other community supporters.

Working for the advancement and rights of the visual arts and artists of Nova Scotia, VANS is an inclusive, province-wide non-profit organization, reflecting the richness and diversity of the Nova Scotia visual arts sector. Acting as a leader on issues affecting visual artists, advocating support and advancement of the visual arts in the provincial and national arenas and being a resource for visual artists and the arts in Nova Scotia, the public frequently consults and refers to VANS, regarding the visual arts in Nova Scotia. For additional information on Visual Arts Nova Scotia, please visit www.visualarts.ns.ca.

For further information on this exhibition, please contact VANS’ Regional

Representative, Nadine Belliveau at (902) 837-4772.