Visual Arts Nova Scotia (VANS) is managed by an elected volunteer Board of Directors comprised of 8 – 11 members, one third of whom must live outside of HRM. Most Directors are also working artists.
The Board of Directors is comprised of VANS members who are officially elected by the membership at the Annual General Meeting to serve a minimum of one term (two years) to a maximum of two terms (four years).
The Board of Directors believes in the importance and value of VANS to the community and is able to endorse the mandate and objectives of VANS without reservation. Acknowledging their legal and fiscal responsibility to VANS, the Board of Directors is familiar with the organizations by-laws and policies, and prepare and meet for Board meetings.
2024 – 2025 Board of Directors
Evan Cameron is an interdisciplinary artist based on the south shore. His practice includes combinations of writing, drawing, and multimedia, and often explores themes like personal narratives, empowerment, and work. He is interested in supporting non-profit art organizations in NS and how art education can become more accessible across rural and low-income communities.
Charles Doucette is a multimedia visual artist, goldsmith and poet. He received a BFA from NSCAD in 1987. He lives in Potlotek First Nation. “I work in multiple mediums, disciplines. Art/Craft, other, each piece is a dialogue with something else, somewhere else. in the past, future and the ephemeral present”.
Mo Glitch is a visual and performance artist that opens up new possibilities for how to live in this world in non-normative ways. Their practice utilizes academic research methods, inquiry through embodiment practices and experimentation with materials translation. Glitch studies queer/trans art and theory, ecology and wildness, critical phenomenology and nightlife. They draw huge pictures, sculpt small creatures and leave trails of neon scraps behind them. With a background in facilitation and community organizing, Glitch brings years of experience to gathering groups and hosting collaborative processes that centers justice and care. Glitch is an emerging artist who opens portals to surviving within the confines & crumbling of modernity. They attended NSCAD University and live in Kjipuktuk (Halifax).
Jayme-Lynn Gloade is a Mi’kmaw visual and ceramic artist from Millbrook First Nation, Mi’kma’ki. Gloade graduated NSCAD University in 2014 with a major in photography and a minor in art history and returned in 2019 for a post-baccalaureate in ceramics. She is the Business Program Designer at a non-for-profit called Every One Every Day, which is a project of the Mi’kmaw Friendship Centre, and owns her own ceramic studio in the North End of Halifax. Gloade created the First Indigenous Collective at NSCAD University that is still going today. It was there she also created the first Indigenous gallery show at the Anna Leonowens. Gloade was also the Indigenous representative for SUNSCAD. Gloade co-founded a Community Interest Group called Change Is Brewing Collective that started in 2020. This group promotes diversity & inclusion in the beverage and food industry and takes 60% of the proceeds and invests in back into Nova Scotian grassroots initiatives.
Ufuk Ali Gueray (he/they) is an artist of Turkish background, born in Herrenberg, Germany. He has lived in Germany, Canada, and Scotland, holding a BFA in Studio Art and French Studies from Concordia University and an MFA in Fine Art from the Glasgow School of Art. He has taught painting, drawing, and printmaking at the University of Manitoba School of Art and now teaches at NSCAD University. Ufuk has been involved with numerous artist-run organizations in the past. Notably, he served on the BOD of Ed Video Media Arts Centre in Guelph, Ontario, organizing strategic planning retreats and curating their 35th anniversary exhibition, and at Maison des artistes visuels francophones in Winnipeg. More recently, he participated in CFAT’s 2023 Media Arts Scholarship. Ufuk is excited about the opportunity to advocate for the local arts community by joining the VANS Board of Directors.
With an intuitive approach to abstract art, Kristen Herrington captivates audiences with her playful perspective on life’s simple pleasures. Born and raised in rural Nova Scotia, Kristen’s artistry is deeply rooted in her appreciation for the beauty of the everyday and her insatiable curiosity about the world beyond her doorstep. At Togetherland Art Gallery, Kristen has curated a space where art, community, and creativity converge. Named after her belief in the power of togetherness, the gallery serves as a vibrant hub for workshops, concerts, open mics, yoga classes, and more. Through her eclectic events and warm hospitality, Kristen fosters a sense of belonging that extends far beyond the gallery walls. She is a 2024 recipient of the prestigious Canada Council “Explore and Create” grant and will be using funds to design a sensory-experience for the deaf community (to which she belongs) through Haptic chairs.
Ayoka Junaid lives, loves, and learns in Kjipuktuk/ Halifax/ Canada. Junaid shows up as an American Sign Language interpreter and accessibility consultant, a sustainable artist, community-based educator, activist, and learner. She/ They look forward to the opportunity to support VANS through Board participation.
Gemma Leslie is an interdisciplinary artist, based in the Annapolis Valley. They grew up in Ottawa and moved out east to attend NSCAD University where they graduated with a BFA Interdisciplinary, with a minor in art history in 2019. They work at Ross Creek Centre for the Arts, and Two Planks and a Passion Theatre Company, where they enjoy supporting community through the arts and soaking in all the natural environment by the Bay of Fundy. Gemma works in a variety of media and has an affinity for the expanded field of drawing.
Melissa O’Brien is a visual artist and has been for over 20 years. She won Entrepreneur in the Making 2023 through NSCC and ScotiaBank and have registered her in home small business as a result. She has a passion for art and art related activities and knows the importance of having art in our community and throughout our province and country! Melissa is self taught, and practice and continue to grow as an artist on her own time although she took art classes in high school and took graphic design at NSCC (diploma-2011) and identifies as having a disability.
Angie Reid is an interdisciplinary artist living in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. Her work is primarily landscape and still life oil painting with a secondary focus on watercolour, ink drawing, and embroidery. She often explores themes of family, legacy, nostalgia, and interpersonal relationships. Initially learning to paint as a child, Angie paused her artistic pursuits to focus on a career in marketing. She rediscovered her passion for painting in her mid-30s as a reprieve from her demanding job. In 2021, she paused her 15-year career to pursue her BFA at NSCAD University and graduated with honours in spring 2024. With a robust background in communications and marketing, she is keen to apply her expertise to arts organizations. She has volunteered with the AGNS through the Young Patrons Circle Committee and currently serves on the Craig Gallery Steering Committee. In addition to her BFA, Angie holds a BA in Sociology and Art History from Acadia and a Bachelor of Public Relations from MSVU.
volunteer opportunities
Alongside office personnel, VANS’ work is assisted by contract staff, committee members (on committees such as programming, finance, membership and engagement, editorial, PAINTS, and nominating), and volunteers.
If you are interested in volunteering for VANS to fill a vacancy on the board of directors or as a committee member, please contact director@visualarts.ns.ca.