It can take a substantial amount of trust to turn over artwork you’ve just completed to somebody else who can, for example, take the piece in a completely different direction, if that seems warranted. But that’s just part of the collaboration process, which involves setting aside some of the traditional ideas surrounding art and artists. […] In collaborative art-making, each artist tries to build on what is already on the page, amplifying or clarifying what is there. (The Arts Collective, Montreal, QC).

On October 17th, 2008, Members and supporters of Visual Arts Nova Scotia (VANS) gathered at the Saint Mary’s Boat Club in Halifax, Nova Scotia for what was a very unique VANS awards celebration and fundraiser, titled CANVAS.

Working collaboratively, participating visual artists took creative risk in creating three double-sided panels (3x6x2) at CANVAS, taking inspiration from a literary passage. Alongside the collaborative intention, artists were also encouraged to experimentally react to each other through drawing, mark-making and painting, similar to an improvisational music piece.

Following the layers of work which were created over the evening, CANVAS was on display from October 2008 to October 2009 at the Nova Scotia Community College in Dartmouth and from October 2009 to May 2011 at the Halifax International Airport. Since then, 2 of the 6 panels have been sold to interested art patrons.

VANS is now advertising the sales of the remaining 4 panels to the public. As a non-profit organization, all proceeds will be contributed back to VANS’ operations and programs which work to advance the visual arts and artists in Nova Scotia. For more information concerning the purchase of one of these unique pieces of art work (detail from work featured above), please contact director@visualarts.ns.ca.

Participating artists at CANVAS  were Wayne Boucher, Izzie Colpitts-Campbell, Terry Drahos, Leya Evelyn, Susan Feindel, Carolyn Fish, Maxine Hannaby, Janet Larkman, Ruth Marsh, Mandai Mohan, Carol Morrison, Andrea Pottyondy, Sheila Provazza, Laurel Rath, Zeqirja Rexhepi, Lynn Rotin,  Jacqueline Streudler, Anna Horsnell Wade, Ken Ward, Violet Rosengarten, Robert Williams and Charlotte Wilson-Hammond.

For more information about VANS, please click here.