Six NSCAD students have won scholarships from the Nova Scotia Talent Trust. The Trust announced its winners in October, and NSCAD dominated the Visual Arts category with six out of eight awards given to our students.
Congratulations to Devon Pennick-Reilly (Film), Alexis Cluney (Interdisciplinary Design), Emily Flinn (Fine Arts), Oscar Jarsky (Fine Arts), Maya Keleris (Fine Arts), and Naomi Zamir (Craft, Jewellery Design and Metalsmithing).
“Many of their recipients take the funding outside our province, so it is fantastic to see this recognition of young artists who choose to study here. Congratulations to these students and their mentors,” says Jacqueline Warwick, NSCAD’s Academic Dean.
The Nova Scotia Trust provides scholarships to Nova Scotians who demonstrate exceptional potential and commitment to the arts, in the fields of theatre, film/new media, literary arts, dance, music, voice, circus arts, visual arts, and design.
Scholarship recipients are chosen through a thorough and collaborative process by the Scholarship Selection Committee. The Committee functions independently and is comprised of twelve professional artists representing the six disciplines of Music, Dance, Film, Theatre, Literary Arts, and Visual Arts.
Here are the six artists describing their art practice and work in their own words.
Nova Scotia Arts Endowment Fund Scholarship
Devon Pennick-Reilly
Devon is a filmmaker and educator from Halifax Nova Scotia. Her films explore the stories, language and lessons found within the natural world, the human condition, and the interconnectedness of all of us. Devon has a deep admiration for plants and fungi, and that is reflected in her art practice. She also has passion and experience with teaching, as she sees the value of creativity and wants to share that with others.
Devon graduated from the Screen Arts Program at NSCC, and completed a video practicum at the Banff Center for Arts and Creativity, before returning to school in 2016 to complete her BFA at NSCAD University, majoring in film. She is a current MFA candidate at NSCAD University.
Update: at the December 5 Talent Trust Awards Ceremony, Devon Pennick-Reilly (Halifax) is the recipient of the $2,500 RBC Emerging Artist Award.
Nova Scotia Talent Trust Scholarship Recipients: Visual Arts
Alexis Cluney – Interdisciplinary Design
I’m Alexis Cluney and I am in my foundation year in the design program at NSCAD! I have the most experience with graphite, charcoal, and coloured pencil drawing and acrylic painting. I recently graduated from Charles P. Allen High School in the IB Art certificate program and was also the art director in an activism club, Cheetahs For Change, at my school. I have been curling competitively for 10 years, love to read, and am interested in travelling and photography.
I’m sending a few photos for you to choose from: the dog is coloured pencil, Jayreece (a spoken-word poet from CPA) is in acrylic and collage, there’s a self portrait photograph, and my grandmother is in charcoal. I also included a photo from my IB art exhibit.
emily flinn – Fine Arts
Emily Flinn is a Vietnamese Canadian multi-disciplinary artist residing in Kjipuktuk (Halifax), NS. Primarily working in painting and printmaking mediums, Emily imbues her work with experiences of the liminality and ambiguity she feels from her cultural identity. She is currently studying at NSCAD University to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts, majoring in Interdisciplinary Arts.
Oscar Jarsky – Fine Arts
Growing up, my family built stone bridges across inlets along the shore of the Bay of Fundy, tides washed them away, and we would build again. I am still exploring how we react to physical manifestations of time. My studies at NSCAD have been dedicated to learning the processes and rituals of printmaking. I am deeply grateful for NSTT’s investment, which allowed me to immerse myself fully in a series of courses in drawing and painting; providing me the opportunity to explore the role of observation and representation in my work. I find myself bridging many spaces, between the exploratory processes of print and drawing, between stillness and animation, between the romantic sublime and contemporary ecocentrism, between my developing practice and a healthy community involvement. I lead the NSCAD Print Club and have pushed for us to be more active within the university and the larger Halifax arts community. I’ve been involved long-term with Wonder’neath’s Open Studio program, as well as the NSCAD School of Extended Studies, Team City Art Hives, and most recently, community projects run out of Every One Every Day culminating in Future Fragments an OSO Planning + Design organized Nocturne project.
Maya Keleris – Fine Arts
Maya Keleris is a painter and printmaker living and working in Halifax. Born and raised in Toronto, much of her work is centred around her love of both playing and watching sports. Her work is inspired by the noise and energy of a city full of people united cheering for a team, as well as the quieter moments in sport that brings individuals together.
Naomi Zamir – Jewelery Design and Metalsmithing
I came to Nova Scotia with my family 9 years ago from Israel, and now live in Brookside, Halifax, with my husband, 3 kids, and 3 cats.
Studying art at University has always been a dream, but only after moving to Halifax, I was finally able to start a BFA at NSCAD. During the Foundation year, I tried metalworking for the first time and immediately knew that I wanted to major in Jewellery and Metalsmithing.
My work revolves around themes such as memory, history, and time. I would often use old photos and textiles belonging to past generations of my family as an inspiration for my visual and textural research. I aim to create sculptural metal objects that can commemorate people, places, or times lost, and can represent personal histories and memories that would otherwise be lost in time.
I am so grateful to the NSTT scholarship for their generosity and financial support, and to the staff and faculty at the Jewellery and metalsmithing department for their support and encouragement and for giving me the opportunity to be part of this amazing community of metal artists.
Update: at the December 5 Talent Trust Awards Ceremony, Naomi Zamir (Brookside) received the $1,000 Charlotte Wilson-Hammond/Visual Arts Nova Scotia Award.