Halifax, NS – Recognizing the growing interests and shifts in the presentation of visual art in the public sphere inside and outside of Nova Scotia by Nova Scotia artists, through public art festivals such as Lumiere, Nocturne and Antigonight in Nova Scotia to Art in the Open in Charlottetown and Scotiabank Nuit Blanche in Toronto, isual Arts Nova Scotia (VANS) is offering workshops for artists interested in developing and improving their understanding of the skills necessary to present temporary and permanent art works in the public sphere.

The VANS Public Art Development workshops will begin on March 29^th with a workshop on Public Art Proposals. The Proposals workshop coincides with the deadline for applications to Lumiere (April 1^st) and Nocturne: Art at Night 2012 (April 13^th).  The proposals workshop will go through the application guidelines for both festivals and help the workshop participants develop and present their project proposals which articulate clear and achievable goals.

Following a thorough understanding of what is required in a public art proposal, VANS will offer a workshop on Public Art Commissions.  The Commissions workshop will provide an in-depth understanding of the commissioning process, and include discussions on public art contracts, liability issues, copyright, art production, negotiations with stakeholders, as well as delivery and installation of artwork.

VANS will be offering both workshops through a satellite workshop location in Sydney, Cape Breton at Cape Breton University. For more information or to register, visit  https://www.visualarts.ns.ca/workshop-registration-fees/.

VANS’ Public Art workshops will be instructed by Ilan Sandler. Sandler has shown his sculptures, installations, and videos internationally and across Canada and has also completed public art commissions nationally and internationally.  In 2000, Sandler was awarded an MFA from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia. Ilan then went on to teach at the University of the Arts and Moore College of Art and Design in Philadelphia, and most recently at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. He is currently running Sandler Studio Inc. in Halifax and is also a Research Fellow at NSCAD University. In 2011, his temporary public art installation Ursa Major’s Visit anchored the Halifax Citadel Hill at Nocturne: Art at Night. Sandler is currently working on permanent public art commissions in Calgary and Halifax. He has received numerous awards, including grants from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and the Nova Scotia Department of Communities, Culture and Heritage.

The full Spring 2012 VANS workshop series schedule will be posted shortly.

Visual Arts Nova Scotia (VANS) coordinates workshops which discuss the interrelationships of topics across commercial and public sectors and in relation to the self-employed visual artist’s creative practice. By offering workshops such as this, VANS keeps its members and the visual arts sector informed and aware of their opportunities and helps its members to develop artistically and professionally. For additional information, visit https://www.visualarts.ns.ca/programs/vans-workshops/.