In November 2018 Visual Arts Nova Scotia announced our fundraising campaign to support the Susan Wood Award, to be distributed by the Nova Scotia Talent Trust. Artist Susan Wood was a long-standing member of VANS and had served on our Board of Directors since 2014 until her passing earlier that year.

Susan was committed to helping emerging artists as an instructor at NSCAD for almost 20 years and as a mentor in the VANS Mentorship Program. This award will honour her legacy as a dedicated visual artist, mentor, and friend.

We’re asking for your support. Help us create this award in Susan’s memory to assist emerging visual artists. Our goal is to raise $20,000 so that it can be awarded annually to a recipient who shows exceptional commitment and potential in the field of visual arts.

Update: On February 2, 2019 we exceeded our fundraising goal! Many thanks to all who contributed! If you wish to make a donation you can still do so through the Nova Scotia Talent Trust, and all the funds will help the Susan Wood Award continue for years to come. The first Susan Wood Award was given out to a Nova Scotia Talent Trust recipient in December 2019.

Congratulations to visual artist Ada Denil who was named the first recipient of the Nova Scotia Talent Trust’s $1500 Susan Wood Award. Ada is studying sculpture and drawing at NSCAD and you may remember her summer exhibition Flat Form at the Corridor Gallery at VANS.

About Susan Wood
Susan Wood was born in Saint John, NB and grew up in Amherst, NS.  She attended Mount Allison University (BFA 1976), participated in the Banff Winter Studio Program (1976-1977) and received an MFA from The University of Calgary in 1981.  Susan lived in St. John’s, Newfoundland (1983-1989) where she was a founding member of the Eastern Edge Gallery, taught at Memorial University Extension Arts and continued her studio practice.

Susan moved to Halifax in 1989 and began teaching at NSCAD University in 1990.  She participated in numerous group exhibitions across Canada and in Finland, Germany, Scotland and Iceland, and also had a number of solo exhibitions including her nationally touring Devil’s Purse, Dress Drawings and Taxonomies.  She was a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts and was a recipient of grant awards from the Canada Council, the Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council and the Nova Scotia Arts Council. Her work is represented in private, corporate and public collections across Canada, UK and in the USA.