Visual Arts Nova Scotia is delighted to present, in collaboration with Struts Gallery & Faucet Media Arts Centre, artist talks by emerging Nova Scotian artists: Judy Arsenault, Wes Johnston, and Christine Waugh of the VANS Mentorship Program.  Please join us at the gallery, 7 Lorne St. in Sackville, New Brunswick on Saturday June 15 at 2pm to engage in the diverse practices of these burgeoning artists committed to their artistic careers.

Judy Arsenault is a visual artist known for her encaustic and acrylic paintings depicting abstract interpretations of her rural landscape. After fine art studies at Mount Allison University she graduated with a BFA from the Nova Scotia College of Art & Design in 1980, making her home in Maitland, NS. Her work is influenced by the powerful Fundy tides, the change of the seasons and the cycles and rhythms of the land. Exploring the concept of wilderness as refuge, her paintings examine ideas of loss and remembrance. Her work is held in several public collections and she is also represented by Secord Gallery in Halifax.

Wes Johnston is an artist, curator and educator based in Halifax, NS. He received a diploma in Fine Arts at Georgian College, Barrie, Ontario before earning a BFA from NSCAD University in 2009. In addition to his own practice, Wes has assisted a number of professional artists as a studio assistant. Wes has also been an Artist in Residence at Centre for Art Tapes, Halifax, NS, where he has developed skills in electronics, and subsequently tutored students in this field. Wes is currently the Education and Outreach Coordinator at Dalhousie Art Gallery.

Christine Waugh is a ceramic sculptor and mixed media artist living in Halifax, NS. Since graduating from NSCAD University with a BFA in Ceramics in 2009, she completed a residency with the Nova Scotia Centre for Craft and Design, participated in Nocturne 2010 with a solo project, and exhibited in a variety of group shows. Having taught classes through the NSCCD and Turnstile Pottery Cooperative she is currently focused on an expanding her studio practice.

The VANS Mentorship Program is designed to support the individual artistic methods and professional ambitions of emerging artists in Nova Scotia by providing access to the skills and experience of selected mentors. Judy Arsenault, Wes Johnston, and Christine Waugh have been individually paired with Janice Leonard, Ilan Sandler, and Steve Higgins, respectively, to support and develop their creative processes and professional skills through the VANS Mentorship Program.

Visual Arts Nova Scotia gratefully acknowledges support for the Mentorship Program from the Nova Scotia Department of Communities, Culture and Heritage, Jack and Joan Craig, the RBC Foundation, and the Craig Gallery.

About Struts Gallery & Faucet Media Arts Centre

Struts Gallery & Faucet Media Arts Centre, established in 1982, is an artist-run centre dedicated to presenting local, regional and national contemporary artist initiated activities: expositions, performances, symposia, publications, demonstrations, workshops, residencies, etc. The artist-members are committed to providing diverse programming, reflecting the various audiences of the centre and artistic practices of our membership.

For more information on the VANS Mentorship Program please contact:

Becky Welter-Nolan
Programming Coordinator
Visual Arts Nova Scotia
1113 Marginal Road
Halifax, NS B3H 4P7
t: 902-423-4694, 1-866-225-8267
f: 902-422-0881
communicate@visualarts.ns.ca