professional development

The VANS logo and the words Spring 2024 Workshop Survey on a white background framed with diagonal geometric shapes in shades of blue.

What workshops should we offer?

VANS will be offering online and in-person workshops for our Spring Workshop Series in March, April and May. We’d love to get your feedback about which professional development workshops we should offer, where and when. Let us know what you would like to see VANS offer by completing the Spring 2024 Workshop Survey, here: https://forms.gle/VqdDt7xogUVhjorEA. Then we would really appreciate…

VANS Spring Workshop Series

VANS Spring Workshop Series has been announced! Check out our workshops page on the VANS website to see what workshops we have programmed, as per your request. We have a couple of favorites returning, including Community Connection and Collaboration with Heather Wilkinson & Melissa Marr and Taxes for Artists with Sally Wolchyn-Raab. Plus, DIY: Website for…

VANS Fall Workshop Series

VANS Fall Workshop Series has been announced! Check out our workshops page on the VANS website to see what workshops we have programmed, as per your request. We have a couple of favourites returning, including Grant Writing with Becka Barker and Taxes for Artists with Natalie Slater. Plus, Critical Arts Writing with Julie Hollenbach, How to…

Meet the 2022-23 Mentorship Program

Visual Arts Nova Scotia is pleased to officially announce the participants of this year’s Mentorship Program. After receiving some great applications, the program will be supporting four dedicated emerging artists in Nova Scotia. AGLENNCO, Sonia Chow, Gabrielle Theano, and Julie Rosvall, have been individually paired with established artists and mentors Andrea Dorfman, Leesa Hamilton, Frances…

VANS Spring Workshop Series

VANS Spring Workshop Series has been announced! Check out our workshops page of the VANS website to see what workshops we have programmed, as per your request. We have a couple of favourites returning, including Pricing Your Work with Stacey Cornelius and Exhibition Prep and Installation with David Dahms. We also have three new workshops including Teaching an Online Art…

Have a fellow member give feedback on your application

It’s time for another round of the Peer Application Review Groups. Visual Arts Nova Scotia is facilitating this six week peer-review process to help current members strengthen their upcoming proposals. Artists will get and give feedback by email on applications from two peers, matched based on the type of application that is being made. You can still take part in this program that connects you…

Sign up for workshops today!

VANS has been offering our workshop series over Zoom for over a year now, and we have received some great feedback from participants about how it is more convenient and allows more people from all areas to take part. So, even as restrictions and gathering limits change, we will continue offering online workshops, including our…

Meet the 2021-22 Mentorship Program

Visual Arts Nova Scotia is pleased to officially announce the participants of this year’s Mentorship Program. After receiving some great applications, the program will be supporting four dedicated emerging Nova Scotian artists. Nancy Chiasson, Jessie Fraser, Jeighk Koyote, and Boma Nnaji  have been individually paired with established artists and mentors Louise Pentz, Bonnie Baker, Jan…

The 2021 New Grad Program!

VANS is pleased to announce the start of the fourth New Grad Program with ten amazing emerging artists! This year participants will get weekly professional development workshops, mentorship from artist Michael McCormack, studio visits from curator Julie Hollenbach, and studio space in the new Wonder’neath Studios in North End Halifax. The New Grad Program participants…

Take our Fall Workshop Survey (please)!

VANS has been offering our workshop series online for over a year now, and we have received some great feedback from participants about how it is more convenient and allows more people from all areas to take part. So, even as restrictions and gathering limits change, we will continue offering online workshops, including our Fall…

New Grad Program deadline extended!

Sign up for Visual Arts Nova Scotia’s New Grad Program! This 14 week program is designed to help recent graduates navigate the transition from a full time student to a professional artist. During the program, all participants will be given the opportunity to take weekly professional development workshops on topics such as budgeting, applying for grants, writing about…

Take our Workshop Survey

Most years, VANS would offer a webinar series in the winter and an in-person workshop series in the spring and fall, but this year we are offering all our workshops online for the safety of our members. So we’re combining the usual winter and spring online workshops to offer a single Spring Workshop Series over Zoom…

The New Grad Program begins!

We are pleased to announce the start of the third New Grad Program! It’s going to be an interesting year navigating this new pandemic reality, but we are so pleased to be running this program again with ten amazing artists! This year participants will get weekly professional development workshops, mentorship from artist Eryn Foster, studio…

Hear Tell Podcast Training Program!

Attention Artists, Arts Workers and Arts Organizations in Atlantic Canada! Are you interested in learning about podcasting? Visual Arts Nova Scotia has developed HEAR TELL, a 6 week online podcast training program tailored to meet the needs of those working in the arts in Atlantic Canada. Registration for this exciting program opens June 2! The…

Hear Tell Podcasting Training

HEAR TELL: A Podcasting Survey! Attention Artists, Arts Workers and Arts Organizations in Atlantic Canada! Are you interested in learning about podcasting? Or do you have some experience with podcasting already? If you answered yes to either of these questions, we would like to hear from you! Participants can be entered to win a gift subscription…

Studio Sessions Webinar Series: Proposal Writing

VANS will be offering Studio Sessions 3-part webinar series again this winter – this time the topic is Writing Professional Proposals! Each of the hour-long webinars will be instructed by artist and gallery director Melanie Colosimo, who has taught our workshop on the same topic in VANS’ regular workshop series. The webinars will allow artists…

Maintaining Respectful Workplaces Workshop

The Cultural Human Resources Council (CHRC) project, Respectful Workplaces in the Arts, addresses harassment in the workplace, including sexual harassment, bullying, discrimination and violence. As a part of this initiative, this workshop will ensure that artists and arts organizations across Canada have the tools, resources and training to prevent harassment of any kind, and build…

Fall Workshops from VANS!

VANS has announced our Fall 2019 Professional Development Workshop Series! This season we have workshops in Truro, Port Williams, Lunenburg, Sydney and Halifax on some of your most requested topics. New this year is Community Connection and Collaboration (addressing how to be engaged in the local community through art workshops, volunteering, open studios, and how…