News

Emerging Artist Program Survey

After a recent program review by Visual Arts Nova Scotia’s Board of Directors, VANS is looking into developing a new Emerging Artist Program that focuses on mentorship but could also include professional development workshops or other elements. If you are an artist in NS (especially an emerging artist, or re-emerging artist who is returning to…

Order your limited-edition VANS merch today!

You can now purchase this limited-edition, black cotton tote bag and both limited-edition VANS stickers! We are selling the tote bag ($25/ each) and stickers ($5/ each) individually or as a bundle of all three VANS merch items ($30) as a fundraiser, which includes postage to mail them to your door. New totes and stickers…

VANS calls for board members

We’re seeking 4 – 6 creative individuals engaged with the arts in Nova Scotia to stand for election to our Board of Directors and support our new Strategic Plan. Help us build a future where a career as an artist is accessible, sustainable, and recognized as an integral part of our communities across Nova Scotia.…

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Call for pitches for Visual Arts News Fall 2024 issue

Submit a pitch for the Fall 2024 issue of Visual Arts News. We’re eager to hear from writers, artists, and critics to expand and deepen conversations inspired by the artistic vision of emerging and established artists who are pushing the boundaries of art and culture in the Atlantic. For this open call, we are seeking…

Visual Arts News is at the Halifax Art Book Fair

We are going to be an exhibitor at the inaugural Halifax Art Book Fair on Saturday, April 13, 10am – 8pm at the All Nations Church (2535 Robie St)!  Browse and purchase current and past issues of Visual Arts News, and see our new limited edition merchandise for sale, designed by VANS member-artist AGLENNCO and printed…

Beware of Pay to Publish Emails

Attention artists! VANS members and other professional artists are being solicited with personalized emails for pay to participate/ pay to publish schemes. These emails are from companies or individuals like publishers of “Story of Fashion”, Circle Foundation, World Wide Art, and Artavita. While they may be actual websites/ book publishers, please research them very carefully…

New deadline: VANS in Residence at ARTSPLACE

Apply for VANS in Residence at ARTSPLACE in Annapolis Royal! VANS in Residence provides a stipend to support the artist, a studio space, as well as support from VANS and the community partner to help to make the residency a rich experience for the artist and the community alike. 60% of the artist’s time will…

Oooh, spring workshops!

Announcing VANS’ Spring Workshop Series! The workshops in this series will be offered online over Zoom (but we will return to offering some in-person workshops in the fall). Registered participants will get a limited-time link to a recording of the session afterward so if you can’t make it to the workshop on the day, you’ll still get all…

Get a new perspective on your application

Snow is still on the ground, but it’s time for the spring round of the Peer Application Review Groups! Visual Arts Nova Scotia is facilitating this six-week peer-review process to help current members strengthen their upcoming proposals. Artists will get and give feedback by email on applications from two peers, matched based on the type of…

The VANS logo and the words Spring 2024 Workshop Survey on a white background framed with diagonal geometric shapes in shades of blue.

What workshops should we offer?

VANS will be offering online and in-person workshops for our Spring Workshop Series in March, April and May. We’d love to get your feedback about which professional development workshops we should offer, where and when. Let us know what you would like to see VANS offer by completing the Spring 2024 Workshop Survey, here: https://forms.gle/VqdDt7xogUVhjorEA. Then we would really appreciate…

You can apply for a Membership Bursary

If you want to renew your VANS membership for 2024 but find the membership fee out of reach right now, consider applying for a Membership Bursary. Membership Bursaries provide artists in need of financial support with a VANS membership (which runs from January 1 – December 31). There’s no deadline to apply and applications are confidential.…

PAINTS deadline for teachers in January 30

PAINTS (Professional Artists In The Schools) helps schools in Nova Scotia bring professional visual artists into their classrooms. Projects can range from 3 to 12 hours, and can involve artists working in every imaginable discipline. PAINTS projects make links between the professional artists’ own work and the workshops that they lead with the students. We’re…

Happy Holidays from VANS!

The VANS office, along with the rest of the Cultural Federations, will be closed for the holidays December 19 – January 2. Our last day in the office will be Monday, December 18 (so get your membership renewals in before then) and our first day back will be Wednesday, January 3, 2024. Happy holidays from…

Black background with illustrations of yellow Christmas ornaments hanging from the top. Two issues of the Visual Arts News overlap in the middle, with sparkles on the top left and lower right framing the magazines. Below there is a yellow thin line with text underneath that reads "Give the Gift of Visual Arts News

Give the gift of Visual Arts News

A subscription to Visual Arts News makes the perfect gift for the art lover in your life. Issues will be mailed twice a year, Spring and Fall, to the gift recipient, as well as access to additional online content throughout the year for just $22 (or $36 for a two-year subscription). A letter will be…

Blue square with darker blue geometric shapes in the background with the works Membership Renewal Time in white in the middle with the VANS logo underneath.

Time to renew your membership

As the end of the year approaches, remember to renew your VANS membership before it expires on December 31! If you selected an automatically renewing membership when you joined or renewed last time, then it will automatically charge your 2024 membership fees on December 1, 2023. No need to set a reminder – the website will automatically…

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Open Call for Visual Arts News Spring Issue

The team at Visual Arts News is eager to hear from writers, artists and critics to expand and deepen conversations inspired by the artistic vision of emerging and established artists who are pushing the boundaries of art and culture in the Atlantic region.  For this open call, we are seeking pitches for features, profiles and…

Join us for Activating Art in Mi’kma’ki panel discussion

Visual Arts Nova Scotia and Visual Arts News, in partnership with the Native American Art Studies Association and Nocturne: Art at Night Festival, present an in-person keynote panel discussion: Activating Art in Mi’kma’ki on Thursday, October 12, from 6 – 8 pm. Moderating the discussion is Tiffany Morris, an L’nu’skw (Mi’kmaw) artist and writer from…

Meet the 2023-24 Mentorship Program

Visual Arts Nova Scotia is pleased to officially announce the participants of this year’s Mentorship Program. After receiving some great applications, the program will be supporting four dedicated emerging artists in Nova Scotia. Barbara Brown Conrod, Kordeena Clayton, Kristi Farrier, and Pam Juarez and have been individually paired with established artists and mentors Susan Tooke,…

Register today for workshops!

Our Fall Workshop Series is back with some familiar favourites like Grant Writing (in person) with Becka Barker, Pricing Your Work with Stacey Cornelius, Networking & Talking About Your Work (in person) with Sarah Maloney, and Documenting Your Work with Steve Farmer. We have some great new workshops this fall too, like Crafting Your Artistic…