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From clay to television: �� alumni Brendan Tang shares his journey in ceramics

Sarah Poko — Fri, 26 Apr 2024 18:30:31 +0000

The Vancouver-based artist and ceramist is a celebrity judge on ��’s The Great Canadian Pottery Throwdown.

Vancouver-born �� alumni, (he/they), enjoys working in their home city, but his studies took him to different landscapes like Edwardsville for his MFA at Southern Illinois University, and to �� University for his BFA.

“What drew me to the East Coast was the great studio-based, practice-based program at ��,” they say.

Now an instructor at Emily Carr University, Tang works with multiple mediums—including a life-size Ford F150 truck constructed out of watercolour paper—but is best known for his sculptural ceramics. This is part of the reason he ended up as a judge on the inaugural season of executive produced by recreational potter and actor Seth Rogen.

How did you end up in Halifax from all the way across the country?

Most of my education has been looking for a studio-based program. Academia means a lot of reading and philosophy, but I was looking for a program that would meet my technical making needs. When I went to �� to visit, I met Walter Ostrom and immediately, that East Coast welcome was there— he’s such an open, generous man.

I ran into him at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia and he said, “Come down to Ceramics [at ��] and I’ll get someone to show you around.” That open-door vibe that is so great about the East Coast.

You talk about belonging to “the remix generation,” what does that mean to you and how does it apply to your work?

A lot of my training comes out of that late-90s post-modernism vibe, a deconstruction/reconstruction kind of aesthetic; that really informed my practice. As a young person I was emulating a lot of pop culture—it’s almost like I understood it through a lens of popular culture, hip hop, EDM. I feel in a lot of ways, my work approaches it that way. Reprocesses it and remixes it.

I feel like back in my day, finding trends was a way of defining yourself and finding the communities you wanted to be a part of. When I came out to �� in the late 90s, rave culture was really big and that was such a wonderful experience as part of my education. It was a way of finding your people.

You work with lots of materials but what is it about ceramics that you connect to?

��Working with my hands is a draw. I like the order of a process—I find something delightfully predictable about knowing what you have to do next. It’s a little more sophisticated than a Sudoku puzzle, but there’s joy in completing it.

There’s a flow state about these things that’s satisfying on a mental level, getting into that zone. The process gives you a structure, the space created with the process helps me figure out the world. I’m always in awe of painters—there’s a process but it’s also so amorphous. Ceramics has a timeline.

A lot of ceramicists dive into the alchemy, but I’m so controlling of the process of how I’m carving things and painting things. Where there’s more improvisation is how I do my compositions or modelling things, there’s space to do the free-form jazz sort of thing. So, it’s less ‘gifts from the kiln’ and more ‘that’s exactly what I wanted.’

Competition shows usually have a template—there’s the nice judge, the mean one, the wild card. How did you fit in at The Great Canadian Pottery Throwdown?

��I could just be myself, which is a big ceramic nerd!

We all know these competition shows and the kinds of characters that are part of them. During COVID, The Great Canadian Baking Show was my comfort show, and I knew it wasn’t the backstabbing, teaching through cruelty and shame that a lot of competition shows tend to be.

Essentially the goal was to have the people compete with themselves and be the best they could be. Basically, the rising tide lifts all boats approach. I teach from a place of care and I’m genuinely interested in what these people are doing. They were into that vibe.

Are you getting recognized?

��I haven’t been recognized yet, but I did cut my mullet off so maybe I’m incognito. I miss that beautiful mane.

followers are definitely going up though, which is a hoot, but I don’t know what to do about this. Art school in the 90s did not prepare me for social media management.

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The Dawson Print Shop opens doors to artist Ashes Withyman and his Wandering Calendar project

Sarah Poko — Wed, 24 Apr 2024 14:14:00 +0000

The Dawson Print Shop continues to be a hub for creativity, learning, and innovative creations in printmaking.

Some of the posters produced from the ‘Wandering Calendar’ project. Credit: Paul Kajander.

If the history of print had a face—a typeface, that is— it would most likely live in the at �� University.

Housing one of Canada’s most extensive collections of functional typographic material, the Dawson Print Shop has myriad historic letterpress printing technologies, with more than 1000 typefaces— each with unique fonts that you won’t find anywhere else today. ��

, an artist and part-time faculty at ��, was in the Dawson Print Shop for the first time on April 16, working with artist as part of the , a project co-organized with �� sculpture faculty, HaeAhn Kwon. Kajander was amazed by the depth of resources at the site.

“My jaw dropped to the floor,” he says with a laugh. “I was really grateful to see that there is a facility like this existing at ��. There are so many fonts, type sets, and sizes, and I think this kind of collection is really unparalleled. Some of those fonts are wild, unimaginable, and they definitely don’t exist in your standard Microsoft Word program.”

‘It would have been impossible to realize this without the Dawson letterpress’

The Dawson Print Shop is not only a learning space for students, it is also a hub for visiting artists and creatives who want to push the possibilities of printmaking. For Withyman, the Dawson provided the space to teach declining skill sets that would be hard to find in a modern classroom.

“Amongst the ongoing de-skilling of material practices and processes, it’s incredibly important to give students access to these alternative hands-on technologies and empower them to explore slower methods of text and image making,” says Withyman. “This is what makes the Dawson such a unique place. “

Hosted by Kunstverein Toronto, the Wandering Calendar project explores the ways different cultures and communities have historically recorded time. Withyman’s contribution resulted in a series of 13 posters made with typeface and fonts that would have been popular decades ago or even hundreds of years ago, transforming them into a sort of time-travelling message that has inserted itself in a modern space. The vast variety of fonts and type available at the Dawson gave Withyman and Kajander the tools needed to bring the project to fruition.

“It would have been impossible to realize this work without access to the Dawson letterpress,” says Kajander, who facilitated the workshop while Ashes joined remotely. “You can’t just fit something like a letterpress studio into your kitchen or in your basement. Even if you were able to access a small press or an independent letterpress, there’s no way that anyone else has the amount of material for you to work with.

“I don’t think Ashes anticipated that there would be this richness of fonts available for us to try to incorporate into his work. It was really meaningful to see how happy he was with the outcome of the project,” he continues

'It's a great example of print-related research-creation work that can be hosted in the Dawson'

�� student, Lee Richard, had the opportunity to work with Withyman and Kajander during the Wandering Calendar project, and says it gave him the opportunity to work with established artists in the field.

“As a printmaking student, it was an exciting first step into working with established artists using print media in their work,” he says. “T�� collection of wood and metal type at the Dawson is incredible, and you can get a sense of the potential the space has for projects like Wandering Calendar. I hope that through future classes and projects like this, the collection can continue to be used and cared for.”

�� currently uses the Dawson Print Shop as a teaching space for short modules in classes across various divisions. Interim dean Dr. Jacqueline Warwick says a project like the Wandering Calendar is one of the many reasons the Dawson remains an invaluable resource at the university.

“T�� Wandering calendar is a great example of print-related research-creation work that can be hosted in the Dawson,” says Warwick. “T�� shop will be active in the fall with more research projects, and �� is in the process of designing new course offerings for 2025 that will focus on contemporary approaches to book arts, letter pressing, and post-digital forms of making.”

For Kajander, the Dawson Print Shop is a resource of historical importance that will hopefully continue to provide valuable learning experiences for students and teachers at ��.

“I could imagine really exciting possibilities for teaching a course there,” he says. “Even when I was helping Ashes realize his work, I had so many thoughts about works that I would love to make at the Dawson. It’s been really inspiring to be there.”

To learn more about the Dawson Print Shop and upcoming workshops, visit .

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Laurie Anderson to receive an honorary degree from ��

Andy Murdoch — Wed, 17 Apr 2024 15:53:45 +0000

�� University will give groundbreaking artist Laurie Anderson an honorary degree at its May 14 convocation ceremony.��

During her visit to ��, Anderson has a busy schedule. On May 13, she will give an artist talk to the �� community, meet with �� Student Art Award Finalists, and attend the Graduate Exhibition closing reception at the Anna Leonowens Gallery. On May 14, Anderson will deliver a convocation address to graduating students on the day.��

“We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Laurie Anderson to �� University. The last time she spoke here was in 1977. We are grateful to have this opportunity to formally recognize the incredible achievements of her ground-breaking career. Our students will benefit from her insights and advice,” says President Peggy Shannon.��

Anderson is a writer, director, composer, visual artist, musician and vocalist whose works span the worlds of art, theater, experimental music, and technology. Her recording career was launched by O Superman in 1981.��

Anderson’s live shows range from simple spoken word to expansive multimedia stage performances such as the eight-hour United States (1982), Empty Places (1990), Songs and Stories from Moby Dick (1999), and Delusion (2010). In 2002, Anderson was appointed the first artist-in-residence of NASA which culminated in her 2004 touring solo performance The End of the Moon.��

Anderson had created numerous audio-visual installations as well as films- the feature film Home of the Brave (1986), Carmen (1992), and Hidden Inside Mountains (2005).�� Her film  Heart of a Dog (2015) was chosen as an official selection of the 2015 Venice and Toronto Film Festivals.��

��In the same year, her exhibition Habeas Corpus opened at the Park Avenue Armory to wide critical acclaim and in 2016 she was the recipient of Yoko Ono’s Courage Award for the Arts for that project.��

As a performer and musician, she has collaborated with many people including Brian Eno, Jean-Michel Jarre, William S. Burroughs, Peter Gabriel, Robert Wilson, Christian McBride and Philip Glass.��

Her works for quartets and orchestras, Songs for Amelia (2001), has been played in festivals and concert halls around the world and she has invented a series of instruments and electronic sculptures.��

Anderson has published ten books and been nominated for five Grammys throughout her recording career with Warner Records and Nonesuch. She released Landfall, a collaboration with the Kronos Quartet, which received a Grammy award in 2018.��

As a composer, Anderson has contributed music to films by Wim Wenders and Jonathan Demme, dance pieces by Bill T. Jones, Trisha Brown, Molissa Fenley, and scores for theater productions including plays by Robert LePage. She has created pieces for National Public Radio, France Culture and the BBC. She has curated several large festivals including the Vivid Festival in Sydney (2010) and the Meltdown Festival at Royal Festival Hall in London (1997).��

Her visual work has been featured in many galleries and museums including in 2003, the Musée d’art contemporain de Lyon in France produced a touring retrospective of her work entitled The Record of the Time: Sound in the Work of Laurie Anderson.�� In 2010 a retrospective of her visual and installation work opened in São Paulo, Brazil and later traveled to Rio de Janeiro. Anderson’s largest solo exhibition at The Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum in Washington D.C., titled The Weather (2021-2022), showcased the artist’s storytelling process through her work in video, performance, installation, painting, and other media.��

Her visual work is on long term display at MASS MoCA and her three virtual reality works, Chalkroom, Aloft, and To The Moon, collaborations with the artist Hsin-Chien Huang, won several awards including Best VR Experience at the 74th Venice International Film Festival in 2017 and were featured in the Cannes Film Festival in 2019.��

A retrospective of her work opened in 2023 at Moderna Museet in Stockholm.��

She has received numerous honorary doctorates, prizes and awards including the Guggenheim Fellowship, Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize, and the Wolf Prize. In 2024 she received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Recording Academy.��

In 2021 she served as Charles Eliot Norton Professor of Poetry at Harvard University and delivered the Norton lectures as video, now available online. She has worked on numerous projects in AI with the Machine Learning Institute in Adelaide, Australia where she was artist in residence in 2020. Anderson continues to tour her evolving performance The Art of Falling and is working on an opera, ARK, commissioned by the Manchester International Festival, premiering in 2024.��

Her life partner as well as her collaborator was Lou Reed from 1992 onward. They married in 2008 and worked on numerous projects together until his death in 2013. Anderson lives in New York City.��

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Make Your Mark: ��䴡��’s new alumni ring is fully customizable to ensure each student graduates with a unique piece

Sarah Poko — Wed, 17 Apr 2024 14:36:17 +0000

Using ethically sourced materials, the new �� alumni ring is a testament to the academic achievement of the students and the ethical values of the university.

As plans for convocation are underway at �� University, graduating students are excited to make that unmistakable stride of pride across the stage. In addition to having a diploma in hand, there is another significant emblem of academic achievement —an alumni ring.

Designed by �� student, Erin Fleming, the alumni ring is created with students in mind. As a Jewelry Design and Metalsmithing student, Fleming has used all the knowledge she learned at �� to make a piece of customizable art that graduating students can look at with fond memories.

“I wanted something that felt personal for everyone,” she says. “Art school is such an individual experience, and the challenge was making it relatable for everybody in all different departments. So, I came up with the idea of everyone having their own personal mark that would be put on the ring.”

With Fleming’s design, students will be able to fully customize their alumni ring and digitally create their own patterns; this will then be etched onto the rings by the jeweler and sent to students.

The premise of Fleming’s ‘make your mark’ design resonated with the judges during the �� Alumni Ring Redesign competition in 2023. She ultimately won the competition and was awarded a $1,000 prize, plus consideration for a design purchase and production agreement.

“I never really paid that much attention to the alumni ring before that point. So, I found it very difficult in the beginning,” she says. “I made several samples to make sure it was even possible to map a pencil mark onto a ring, and it was all digital, which was pretty far out of my realm of experience, but I had a lot of help along the way.”

MAKING A RING THAT SUIT THE TIMES

Some of that help came from Greg Sims, assistant professor in the division of craft, jewelry and metalsmithing, who saw a��chance to update ��䴡��’s alumni ring design. With the previous ring being phased out of production, Sims put together a design competition for current students.

“I recognized that there was an opportunity to make it more current and make it more reflective of the students that are going through the institution now,” he says. ��

At the same time, Sims was spearheading ��䴡��’s first ever Fairmined Agreement, which allows jewelry design and metalsmithing students access to ethically sourced gold and silver in their program. The same ethically sourced materials will also be used to make the alumni rings.

“When the question came up as to whether or not this ring should be using ethically sourced or responsibly sourced materials, we all said yes,” says Sims. “Because otherwise, it’s a glaring issue that doesn’t really reflect the values of our students or the institution.”

With every ring purchase, students will receive a Fairmined Certificate that will allow them to trace the source of their rings; they will be able to see the supply chain, the record of sales, all the way to the time and location of the mines that the minerals were sourced. Each actor in the supply chain is audited every three years to ensure that the standards of Fairmined are being adhered to.

FAIRMINED EVERY STEP OF THE WAY

�� commissioned — who specializes in ethically traded gems and Fairmined metals—to create the rings. Owner John Esposito is excited that institutions like �� are seeing the value in Fairmined and sustainable jewelry.

“T�� biggest reason why I work with Fairmined is I wouldn’t want to put someone through the abhorrent abuses that come with the mining industry; I don’t want my jewelry to be part of that legacy,” he says. “T��re are millions of people that depend on mining to support their families worldwide, and while we can’t completely eradicate mining, we can do it differently. We can make sure people can still support their families and also have an ethical supply chain, which we can source from.”

When Esposito started Malleable in 2017, it was one of the first and only Fairtrade Licensed Goldsmiths in Canada. He wants other jewellers to normalize the use of Fairmined metals, not just to fit the trend of sustainability, but to change the system of jewelry making for the better.

“I feel that a lot of jewelry designers see Fairmined and look at it like a competition in a negative way,” he says. “But really, this is a ‘co-petition’; we can all be in the same industry and working together to create a community of people and create change through business for good.”

DESIGNING YOUR �� ALUMNI RINGS

Fleming will also be graduating this year and is excited to see her work on the hands of her peers.

“I’ve had alumni reach out to me and say, ‘I already bought the old ring, but I really want this ring.’ And that’s the best feedback I could have,” she says. “During the process of going through art school, I never thought I would get such enthusiastic anticipation for something that I created.”

As a former jewelry student himself, Esposito believes the alumni rings are just as important as an engagement ring or wedding ring, because they symbolize an integral part of someone’s life.

“I know how hard it is to go into jewelry arts as an academic venture, and even more so how difficult it is to be a jewelry designer out in the big wide world,” he says. “So, the ring can be grounding and a physical reminder of how far you’ve come.”

Sims has spent the winter developing and testing the software students will use to design their rings. He wants to ensure everyone has a positive experience creating their final piece of art as a �� student.

“We want students to feel confident in their mark making,” he says. “We recognize that there are going to be some people that are maybe hesitant to commit to a design and we are here to make sure that they come out on the other side with a ring that truly represents them.”

The will begin selling the new alumni rings to graduates at the ceremony on May 14, offering one-on-one design appointments to students and alumni both in-person and online.

“We want to ensure that everyone can bring their ideas to life and honor the design as their own, so it’s really important to us that the �� community feel supported throughout the process from idea to the first time they slide on their new ring,” says the �� Art Store in a statement.

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�� President launches I.D.E.A. Fund for Mi’kmaw, African Nova Scotian, and underrepresented students

Sarah Poko — Wed, 10 Apr 2024 14:04:40 +0000

The new funding initiative aims to empower students with the funds needed to pursue their creative ambitions.

�� University’s President, Dr. Peggy Shannon, is launching The I.D.E.A. Fund to financially assist students from Mi’kmaw, African Nova Scotian and underrepresented backgrounds that want to pursue an education in art and design.��

The initiative was launched by Shannon in March 2024, with the mission to cultivate creativity, foster innovation, and nurture talent—which embodies ��䴡��’s values of inclusion, diversity, equity, and anti-racism (I.D.E.A.).

Specifically designed to support Mi’kmaw, African Nova Scotians, and youth emerging from foster care, this fund aims to support students with financial need and lighten their educational costs. In the spirit of enriching ��䴡��’s creative community, Shannon has pledged to match every donation up to $25,000 in contributions to the fund.

“T�� I.D.E.A. Fund represents our unwavering commitment to creating a more equitable and inclusive environment within our �� community,” says Shannon. “At ��, we firmly believe that diversity is our greatest strength and that by investing in the next generation of creative minds, we are paving the way for a brighter and more inclusive future.”

Jude Gerrard, ��䴡��’s Ombudsperson and Inclusion, Diversity and Equity Consultant, says this fund will go a long way in diversifying the wider creative sector in Nova Scotia.

“Initiatives like the I.D.E.A. Fund not only foster diversity in the creative industry but also serve as pathways to amplify voices that have historically been underrepresented,” he says. “By investing in the education and opportunities of Mi’kmaw and African Nova Scotian students, as well as students who have been part of the foster care system, we can continue to grow the creative industry and have it truly represent the social and cultural landscape of Nova Scotia. Diverse perspectives, experiences, and talents will help to create a more vibrant and inclusive industry for all.”

The I.D.E.A. Fund will be available as entrance scholarships for eligible students, starting in the Fall Semester of 2024.

Dr. Jacqueline Warwick, Interim Dean at ��, says for students, the fund will make a difference between living their dreams or putting them on hold—sometimes, permanently.

“As higher education across Canada strives to be more inclusive, we need to create pathways for students who might not otherwise see themselves in an art university program,” she says. “T�� I.D.E.A. Fund will help �� train students who will go on to share their talents and brilliance professionally. Through these pathways, the fields of art and design will benefit enormously, and the art world will be more vibrant and diverse.”

Donate to The I.D.E.A. Fund today and help students get one step closer to achieving their dreams. Your contribution, no matter the size, will directly support talented individuals at a pivotal moment in their lives.

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�� grads launch Halifax Art Book Fair

Andy Murdoch — Wed, 10 Apr 2024 10:26:17 +0000

With the popularity of art book fairs in recent years growing beyond the pale of major cities like London, New York, or Frankfurt to smaller cities around the world, four art publishers and art book enthusiasts are launching a book fair in Halifax.

The inaugural edition of the (HABF) and conference will take place on April 13th from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the All Nations Church,��(corner of Robie and Charles).��Admission is free.

Organized by Andrew Hill (BFA Expanded Media 2023), Marite Kuus, Neil Kehler (BFA Photography 2023) and Nick Chapman (BFA Interdisciplinary Arts/Art HIstory 2019), it marks a significant step in the contemporary art scene in Halifax, and of course, many �� alumni are behind it.

The HABF prioritizes artists’ books, catalogues, monographs, periodicals, zines and related printed materials. There will also be live events programming, featuring hourly talks on aspects of print culture. You can on their website.

Co-organizer Andrew Hill spoke with us about the fair.��

Why an art book fair in Halifax?

There is a significant art book history in Halifax that has largely gone unnoticed in the international circuit of art book fairs. The closest art book fairs to Nova Scotia are in Montreal and New York, which makes it difficult for many Maritime artists to attend these events. HABF wants to reignite the Atlantic art book scene and foster a space for new friendships, connections and ideas.

Can you talk about the research and travel you did preparing for this?

We tabled as Special Characters at Printed Matter’s Los Angeles Art Book Fair, as well as VOLUME fair in Montreal. We also talked with a lot of community members in Halifax to design an event that meets the needs of our community. Among them were people who had represented Halifax INK at the New York Art Book Fair before the pandemic.��

You co-run Special Characters. It started at ��. How does your small press, ��, and this book fair all intersect?

was started by myself, Nick Chapman and Soren Wilde in 2021. Since then, we have collaborated with many �� students, alumni and artists in the �� network. We have also hosted exhibitions and other events with a goal to foster more artist-run projects in Halifax. Our goal is to provide a platform for artists and publishers in the community, and foster exchange between the Maritimes and beyond. This is what the idea for the Halifax Art Book Fair grew out of.

What’s your ultimate goal for all this?

Our current goal is to build a scene for art book publishing in Halifax, with a longer-term goal of opening a project space with a focus on art books and publishing. A free learning space for performances, lectures, a reading room/library, with the possibility of printing and binding in-house. Think in Brooklyn, in New York, in Norway, or�� in Holland.

About the fair:

Halifax Art Book Fair (HABF)�� April 13th from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. All Nations Church, Admission is free.

The Fair acknowledges the generous financial support from��and��.��

��

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Mark Verabioff to hold artist talk on April 17

Sarah Poko — Wed, 10 Apr 2024 09:00:49 +0000

Wednesday, April 17, 2024

12 p.m.

Academy Building

Host: David Clark

Mark Verabioff’s artistic journey from New York to Los Angeles reflects a commitment to cultural insurgency, employing guerrilla actions, appropriation, and collage to challenge dominant power structures in contemporary art. His work has been exhibited internationally, and he continues to engage with critical inquiries and interviews across various cultural publications.

Verabioff’s practice is characterized by a subversive contextual critique of source material from art history and popular culture, often laced with acid humor and antagonistic wit. He currently serves as a visiting artist adjunct faculty at ArtCenter in Pasadena, CA.

Instagram:

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Masters of Design Studio 2 Class: End of Semester Show

Andy Murdoch — Tue, 09 Apr 2024 12:19:45 +0000

Together with students from Saint Mary’s University, ��䴡��’s Master of Design Studio 2 class will showcase their latest innovations, products, and services. The MDES-6520-2 class has been invited to join the:

SMU Sparks Expo
Friday April 12, 12:00 to 4:00PM

At the ,

Inspiration Studio (SH212)
5907 Gorsebrook Ave.
Halifax Nova Scotia
B3H 1G3

��䴡��’s current first-year Master of Design cohort will showcase their intriguing projects between design, innovation, and entrepreneurship. Join us for an exclusive glimpse into the visions of a talented group of graduate design students, who have formulated new and critical responses to modern problems, with fresh perspectives and innovative solutions.��

Over the course of two semesters, this group of 10 designers has embarked on a journey of exploration and discovery. From reimagining the shopping experience for seniors to developing smart devices aimed at reducing calorie intake, and even creating specialized information platforms for Canada’s growing community of snake-pet owners.��

Through informed design research and thoughtful analysis, they have identified social and cultural problems and validated their solutions through customer and user development processes. The class developed branding effectively as a tool to communicate values and benefits and harnessed the power of emerging technologies such as Augmented Reality (AR) and generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), to created immersive brand experiences that inform and engage their users.

Save the date and meet our next generation design professionals to listen to their elevator pitches and chat about their visions, target audiences, and product market fit.

Project list

’P��ٳ��’��– Junwen Hu��

A wearable muscle detection and relaxation device

��

‘S��ʳ��’��– Jialin Cao��
A motivational hydration tracking device��

Attachable sensor (hardware) with health app/platform for monitoring, education & community building

��

’S��’��– Hanying Li��

A platform for the deeper understanding of snakes

��

‘S��’��– Angela Qiao��

A multi-functional space that provided Ai supported mental support, using smart home technology for personalized ambience linked to user profiles.

��

‘W��’��– Shima Soltani��

A virtual shopping assistant for seniors, using AR for in-store navigation.��

��

‘M.��.��.’��– Jewell Tan��

A smart-mat and pregnancy care kit, for recovery exercise and training, guided through integrated vibration and light pads.

��

‘M��ܱ��’– Lin Jiang��

A collaborative platform for musicians and visual artists, connecting creatives and related industry partners with each other.��

��

‘M��’��– Han Hu��

An outdoor fashion brand, that reuses micro plastics, with educational, and community building online retail platform.

��

‘VERIDGE’��– Xiaotong Zhang��

A newcomer guiding platform that is built around trust, connecting immigrants with services and local businesses.

��

’TURBOTRAN’��– Behnaz Ghorbani��

An information app that improves local transportation experie

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�� alumna and game developer Anne Macmillan to hold artist talk on April 9

Sarah Poko — Fri, 05 Apr 2024 15:39:55 +0000

Tuesday, April 9, 2024

11 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Academy Building (A208)

Anne Macmillan is a Nova Scotian artist, motion designer and the co-founder of the game-dev studio, .

Born in Wolfville, Macmillan completed her master’s degree in Art, Culture and Technology at MIT on a Fulbright scholarship and holds a BFA (2008) from �� University. Her art practice has been supported by numerous residencies, awards, and grants; such as the Sobey Art Award, Wiesner award and the Schnitzer Art award, to name a few.

Macmillan is interested in observation, structured ways of knowing the world and the limits of such structures.

Website:

Instagram:

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�� announces the 2024 Student Art Award finalists

Andy Murdoch — Thu, 04 Apr 2024 16:31:33 +0000

�� is excited to announce the ten finalists of the 2024 �� Student Art Award. The award recognizes the exceptional works made by �� students across ten disciplines at the university. The winning artist receives a $5,000 purchase prize, with their artwork added to a special section of ��’s Permanent Collection. The remaining nine finalists will receive $1,000 each. This premier award provides young artists with visibility and promotion as they embark on their careers.

Meet the finalists

a. laurel lawrence – Our sap fills the mouths of hungry saints

Our sap fills the mouths of hungry saints is a short film described as “a queer fantasia” by lawrence, a queer artist from New Brunswick. The eight-minute video is an experimental film shot on a 16mm camera. Inspired by ancient funerary traditions, where cannibalism is considered an act of love and worship, the film explores the intimacy between queer bodies navigating love and desire, while drawing comparisons to eating and hunger. Using analog filmmaking techniques, lawrence depicts love and desire as a hunger for another person that cannot stop. The film stars M. Black and Sof Kreidstein as the actors. ��

Chris Sampson – Sananguatik | Carver

When a person sees a sculpture, whether sitting on a shelf or in an art gallery, they tend to look at it from all directions — except one: the bottom. Sananguatik | Carver is a series of Inuit carvings that focuses on the bottom and “underside” of the artwork. As a Labrador Inuit artist and photographer, this project is close to Sampson’s heart as a means to connect with and understand his Inuit heritage. Rather than place emphasis on the carvings that have commodified Indigenous culture, he wanted to focus on the marks of the makers, the texture and colour of the stone, and the indents left behind, compelling viewers to see the sculptures from a different perspective. By using soapstone and serpentine from the Labrador landscape, Sampson celebrates his home and the resilience of Inuit artists.

Daria Herashchenko – Dissolving

��Dissolving is a chalk pastel and watercolour drawing inspired by an intermediate drawing assignment during Herashchenko’s time as a student at ��. She was given a photograph of people swimming at the beach and decided to rearrange the narrative to tell a different story. Dissolving depicts a woman who is watching a man sink and slowly dissolving into the water. The Ukraine-born Herashchenko wanted to create a contrast between the worries of the outside world and the inner peace within oneself. She uses sharp lines to depict the woman’s apparent concern, and soft flowing lines to show the man’s acceptance of the rising waters.

Kalani Chen-Hayes – Operatic Macbeth

Inspired by William Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’ and Taiwanese opera traditions, Operatic Macbeth falls between the realms of costume and wearable art. The clothing is made from hand-woven tartan with a silhouette that is reminiscent of a Puritan ensemble. Symbols of masculinity are playfully inflated, asserting themselves against bold colors, which is further queered by the tailoring of the garments to a bound chest. Chen-Hayes wanted to make a garment that viewers would be able to connect to and instantly understand who the character is just by looking at them. It was an opportunity for Chen-Hayes to combine their love for weaving and fashion together in one package.

Kate Dong – Hymns

Hymns is an installation that reflects on the issues of contemporary culture from the perspective of the Christian faith. As a devout Christian, Dong wanted to express the heartbreak and loss of modern society, using ceramic art and sculptural work to create delicate flowers, and climbing vines as a path to salvation. The installation is made up of more than 30 flower branches, arranged in a way that leads viewers to a cross. Dong uses objects and materials in her artwork —such as seeds, branches, and stones—as symbolism for people in different roles in life. The first part of the work took 10 months to complete, which Dong sees as a form of humility and surrender to art as a form of gospel. She hopes her work will help people understand the serenity and safety that Jesus’ love brings to his followers.

Page Cowell – Construct

Construct is a series of mutoscopes (an early motion picture device) made from kitchen utensils and tools used in carpentry. As an artist from Tillsonburg, O.N., Cowell was inspired by the mundane parts of daily life; such as frying an egg, peeling an apple, grating cheese, and other small tasks that take up parts of our day. The machines also spark a conversation about gendered workspaces and the similarities between the two false dichotomies of gendered tasks. Cowell describes the work as a “symphony,” as the animation dances across the machine while the viewer winds them into motion. The action of winding the machine becomes an act of care and service by the viewer, regardless of gender.

Rayce Min – Expressions

Expressions is a series of five jewellery and metalsmithing pieces all formed from copper sheets and cast bronze. The pieces are inspired by Min’s upbringing in a masculine household; where he was not allowed to show his true emotions. He uses his work as a form of expressing his inner thoughts and feelings, designing each piece based on human facial features and emotions. The pieces include: “I Roll My Eyes Like a Gambler Rolls Dice” the cup, “Mood Swings, I’m Either Happy or Upset,” the vase, “Hold On to the Light of Your Life” candle holder, “Smoke a Cigarette, Take a Break,” the incense holder and “Breakthrough,” the wall piece.

Silas Wamsley – His Grace

His Grace is a diptych inspired by late Medieval and early Renaissance paintings. As a trans-masculine artist, Wamsley wanted to explore their relationship with femininity and how the trans body is legitimized and presented in art. His Grace is reminiscent of devotional paintings from the Christian religion and the complex history of gender-crossing saints in Europe, who were mostly female-assigned people living as male monks. The painting becomes a medium, turning the transitional experience many trans people go through into a spiritual one. The diptych depicts Wamsley as a figure of authority but also in a state of vulnerability, wrapped in lavish fabrics. By bearing their chest, Wamsley pays homage to the gender-crossing saints who often met violent ends where they had to bare their chest to prove they were not who they claim to be. This begs the question of who decides how these gender-variant bodies are presented and why. ��

Sunny Babcock – Breathless Ensemble

Breathless Ensemble is an interactive sound sculpture created as a form of “queering technologies” and exploring intersectional sound practices. As a queer artist, Babcock uses media as a mode of expression and started Breathless Ensemble by collecting raw speakers over the last year. The sculpture is installed on a large sheet of steel mesh, with the speakers, wires, and circuits hanging off or running through the mesh. The artwork explores the relation between sound technology and the voice, specifically queer voices. Placing a microphone against their larynx, Babcock records the sounds of their glottal stop—also known as vocal fry — and plays them back on the speaker. The vocal fry is commonly stereotyped as a “queer voice” or a queer way of speaking, however Babcock reclaims that label and turns this sculpture into a dialogue between human and non-human sound sources.

Yongxuan Zheng – Moveable Type��

Movable Type, is a hand printed woodcut collage composed of more than 600 squares of random movable type that have been flipped, making them difficult to read. The work uses ideogrammatic forms to construct a layered metaphor; the Chinese cultural signifiers represent the challenges many immigrants face after arriving in Canada. The form of the work is simultaneously a wall, and a landscape; it is based on research into ancient Chinese printing technology as a culturally significant material form. The work is intended to express the duality of the artist’s evolving immigrant experience.��

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From clay to television: �������� alumni Brendan Tang shares his journey in ceramics

The Vancouver-based artist and ceramist is a celebrity judge on �����’s The Great Canadian Pottery Throwdown.