News Release Archive
EDUCATION/CULTURE--FIRST NOVA SCOTIA ARTS COUNCIL ANNOUNCED ----------------------------------------------------------------- The Department of Education and Culture today announced the 15 members of the new Nova Scotia Arts Council/Conseil des arts de la Nouvelle Ecosse. The council will function at arm's length from government and award grants to artists based on peer assessment and merit. The legislation to create the new council was passed during the fall sitting of the legislature. "The first council represents the widest possible range of expertise and influences," said Candace Stevenson, executive director of Heritage and Culture, on behalf of Education and Culture Minister John MacEachern. "We believe it reflects the rich cultural mix and dynamic approach of the province's artists and cultural producers." Selection of the first council members involved such considerations such as regional, cultural, ethnic, and gender representation as well as background and experience in cultural activities. A nominating committee reviewed the 97 applications received and recommended the list of nominees. Many of the appointed members are established artists from various disciplines, while others are arts educators, administrators and supporters. "The council's members will be responsible for establishing appropriate directions and programming for the new arts council," said Susan Gibson Garvey, representing the nominating committee. "This is a very exciting step for the province's arts community. The council will create a climate that fosters excellence, diversity and vitality in the arts. The role played by the premier, and by Mr. MacEachern and his department, in creating the council has been significant and much appreciated." Appointed as the council's first members are: Susan Atkinson-Keen, Halifax, - well-known children's author and former president of the Writer's Federation of Nova Scotia; Ninette Babineau, Bedford, - arts education consultant, professional musician and adjudicator; Ron Bourgeois, Halifax, - composer, performer, producer and well-known member of the Acadian and music communities; Douglas Brown, Marion Bridge, - producer, translator and writer with national and international experience in arts management; Caroline Chan, Halifax - visual artist, recent Nova Scotia College of Art and Design graduate and administrative director for the Khyber Centre for the Visual and Performing Arts; Rick Emberley, Dartmouth,- chair and founding member of Bristol Communications, president of the Neptune Theatre Foundation and active supporter of numerous arts organizations; Shelly Fashan, Lake Echo,- member of the Nova Scotia Mass Choir, with extensive experience in equity concerns Chris King, Baddeck, - artist, quilt maker, president of Arts Cape Breton, founding member of the Centre Bras d'Or Festival and member of the University College of Cape Breton Art Gallery advisory committee; James MacSwain, Halifax, - visual artist in photography, video and experimental film and former member of the peer assessment committee for the Canada Council; Mern O'Brien, Halifax, - director of the Dalhousie Art Gallery, former jury member of the Canada Council and the National Museums of Canada and experienced arts administrator; Joan Prosper, Truro, - cultural project officer for the Mi'kmaq Association of Cultural Studies and member of the Society of Canadian Artists of Native Ancestry; Pat Richards, Boutilier's Point, - professional choreographer, dancer and dance educator with experience on local, provincial and national arts boards including the Nova Scotia Talent Trust; Ken Schwartz, Sheffield Mills, - playwright, artistic director of Two Planks and a Passion Theatre, and chair of the Nova Scotia Professional Theatre Alliance; Carol Sinclair, Country Harbour - playwright and actor who has worked with theatre companies regionally and nationally, and is active in the Playwright's Union of Canada, and the Writer's Federation of Nova Scotia; and Susan Tileston, Granville Ferry, - freelance photographer, writer and founding member and current executive director of the Annapolis Region Community Arts Council. -30- Contact: Lisa Bugden 902-424-2795 trp Apr. 30, 1996 - 4:15 p.m.