The award celebrates full-time and part-time NSCAD faculty members who exemplify outstanding quality of teaching at the university.
NSCAD University is excited to announce the recipients of this year’s Price Awards for Excellence in Teaching: Full-time faculty and Assistant Professor in Art Education, Nicole Lee, and Part-time instructor in Painting and Drawing, Kizi Spielmann Rose.
Established in 2024 by the Sarah M. McKinnon and Peter J. Dawes Foundation, the Price Awards for Excellence in Teaching recognizes one full-time and one part-time NSCAD faculty member for their ongoing contributions to enhanced learning and dedication to student success at the university. Students and other faculty members were encouraged to nominate candidates who they believe embodied excellence, dedication and enthusiasm for teaching.
The award, valued at $1,000 each, will be presented to Nicole Lee and Kizi Spielmann Rose at NSCAD’s Convocation ceremony.
MEET THE WINNERS
Full-time faculty and award recipient, Dr. Nicole Lee is an a/r/tographer who engages in artmaking and philosophy in tandem to advance concepts. As Assistant Professor in Art Education at NSCAD University, she teaches across the Master of Arts in Art Education, Master of Fine Arts, Visual Art for Certificate for Teachers, and Bachelor of Education programs.
Lee says she is honoured to receive recognition from her colleagues and students, and stresses that art education is important now more than ever.
“In a time when the world feels increasingly fractured and exclusionary, creating communities of practice where each person is beheld and seen becomes an ethical responsibility,” says Lee. “Art education holds a unique capacity to celebrate difference, foster meaningful connection, and build sustainable relationships.”
Part-time faculty and award recipient, Kizi Spielmann Rose (BFA 2014) has exhibited in group shows at the National Gallery of Canada, The Power Plant, and Art Mûr. He’s also had solo exhibitions at HERE Pittsburgh, Gallery House, Anna Leonowens Gallery, Karsh-Masson Gallery, and Studio 21.
In addition to teaching courses in NSCAD’s Drawing and Painting department, Spielmann Rose also works as an Enrollment Officer in the Office of Admissions. He has seen students go from orientation to graduation and is proud of the amount of passion they bring to their craft.
“Art and design students are driven to dedicate their lives to a pursuit that is not always encouraged in the broader culture,” he says. “Art schools are a place for them to find community, belonging, understanding, and the tools to make the life they want.”
CONVOCATION CEREMONY
Lee and Spielmann Rose are the second group of faculty members to receive this award; following Leesa Hamilton (full-time faculty) and Donald Thompson (part-time faculty), who were the first ever recipients in 2024. They will both be honoured for their achievements at NSCAD’s Convocation Ceremony on Tuesday, May 13.
One lesson that Spielmann Rose hopes graduating students take away is to continue believing in themselves and the skills they have learned so far.
“I want them to know that they are not lacking anything. They may go on to gain more skill, more education, more confidence, but they already have what they need to begin working on what is important to them,” he says. “I hope that they continue to rely on the faculty, community, and connections that they made while at NSCAD as they move into their careers.”
For Lee, she implores students to not limit themselves or their imagination.
“I hope my students will continue to dream up better worlds and to advance their vision by undertaking work that matters to them as well as to others,” she says.
Read more about the Price Awards for Excellence in Teaching here.