It’s hard to believe how quickly September is flying by! I hope everyone is settling into classes and enjoying being back in the studios.

Besides having the students back, one of my favorite things about September is the chance to see interesting films brought here through FIN: Atlantic International Film Festival. NSCAD is pleased to be a part of the film festival as a sponsor, and have the film festival offices here at NSCAD’s Fountain Campus. Fall is super hectic for FIN; with the film fest just wrapped, staff are now getting ready for Viewfinders, a film festival for youth taking place in October and November throughout the Maritimes.

Filmfest exec director Wayne Carter reports attendance was up overall this year and the opening night gala for Long Time Running “was the best one yet.” NSCAD was pleased to present the feature film Rebel in the Rye, starring Nicholas Hoult as J.D. Salinger.

Keeping up the high energy, NSCAD has a busy weekend ahead as we participate as one of the local anchors for Culture Days, a national event.

Here’s what’s going on, day by day:

Friday, September 29

• Acadian artist Mario Doucette will give a talk about his provocative work at the Anna Leonowens Gallery, 1891 Hollis Street, at 4:30 pm. Then, the action moves to Art Bar +Projects, 1873 Granville Street, for The Totally Wicked Music Festival, hosted by G.L.A.M. Bats. The festival—in which people throw together a band, write a song and perform—goes from 6-11 pm.
• Showing that NSCAD’s reach is province-wide, there will be an open house at the NSCAD-New Glasgow Community Studio Residency. Come by to meet new residents Curtis Botham and Genevieve Brideau in their studio at 182 Dalhousie Street, New Glasgow, from 1-4 pm.

Saturday, September 30

Keeping up the high energy, NSCAD has a busy weekend ahead as we participate as one of the local anchors for Culture Days, a national event.

Here’s what’s going on, day by day:

Friday, September 29

• Acadian artist Mario Doucette will give a talk about his provocative work at the Anna Leonowens Gallery, 1891 Hollis Street, at 4:30 pm. Then, the action moves to Art Bar +Projects, 1873 Granville Street, for The Totally Wicked Music Festival, hosted by G.L.A.M. Bats. The festival—in which people throw together a band, write a song and perform—goes from 6-11 pm.
• Showing that NSCAD’s reach is province-wide, there will be an open house at the NSCAD-New Glasgow Community Studio Residency. Come by to meet new residents Curtis Botham and Genevieve Brideau in their studio at 182 Dalhousie Street, New Glasgow, from 1-4 pm.

Saturday, September 30

Monday, October 2

NSCAD will open the Treaty Space Gallery at the Port Campus, 1107 Marginal Road, starting at 4 pm. Joining us will be Mi’kmaq Elder Freeman Douglas Knockwood and historian Heidi Bohaker. The dedication ceremony will include an opening prayer and smudging, an explanation of the vision and purpose of the gallery, and a short lecture by Prof. Bohaker.

NSCAD Inside Out and all Culture Days events are OPEN and FREE to the public.

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On Wednesday night, NSCAD hosted a unique event which brought NSCAD students and NSCAD alumni together for professional development and networking. It took place at Art Bar +Projects.

Called MIRROR: Mentorship + Professional Development, the triple-barrelled event was led by Chantal Brine of the Venor Group. Chantal led two sessions: one for students followed by one for alumni.  Afterwards, there was a mixer bringing both groups together.

I was so pleased to see so many alumni committed to learning more about how they can take on a mentoring role.. I am always impressed by their expertise, talent and willingness to give back to their alma mater. It’s truly impressive!

The organizers of MIRROR will be meeting shortly to discuss next steps, so stay tuned for future developments in the realm of mentorship initiatives at NSCAD.

Art Bar +Projects was also the venue for the NSCAD Donor and Scholarship Recipient Reception, held September 21 following the Annual General Meeting of the Board of Governors. This reception is a chance for donors to the university to meet student scholarship and bursary recipients and for the university to express our heartfelt appreciation to them for their generosity.

At the reception, we heard from Grant Machum, who has donated both time and money to NSCAD over the past seven years. A board governor since 2010 and board chair from 2012 to 2015, Grant spoke of his great respect and appreciation for the faculty and students at NSCAD and the importance of NSCAD as a cultural leader in the community.

On a personal note, I’m so grateful for Grant’s service to NSCAD and his warm welcome to me when I arrived as President in 2014.

Thank you also to Rob Cameron, a NSCAD alumnus and board governor, who, like Grant, is completing his term on the board. I’ve always appreciated Rob’s careful scrutiny and diligence on the board. We’ll miss the contributions of both Grant and Rob, but sincerely hope to continue seeing them at our NSCAD events.

NSCAD student Graham Ross spoke of what donations to NSCAD mean to him. As a recipient of the Creative Leaders of Tomorrow scholarship, Graham said he arrived at NSCAD with peace of mind; knowing that his tuition was taken care of, he could throw himself wholeheartedly into his studies.

“That extremely kind gift (the scholarship) gave me the encouragement and drive to follow my passion and allows me to explore who I am as a person and an artist.”

He continued: “I’m so glad I chose NSCAD. Thank you to the donors for making it possible.”