Having finished its adjudication process, the NS Talent Trust has awarded scholarships to 67 emerging Nova Scotian artists in dance, music, theatre, film/new media, circus arts, literary arts, and visual arts coming from all over the province.
This year's Talent Trust recipients come from Prospect Bay, Bible Hill, Windsor Junction, Lower Sackville, Hammonds Plains, Valley, Falmouth, Truro, Montague Gold Mines, Wolfville, New Glasgow, Millville, Sydney, Beaver Bank, Canning, Fall River, as well as Bedford, Dartmouth and Halifax. These aspiring artists have proven their commitment to their art by adapting through the uncertain times of a global pandemic by adjusting and changing their programs and studying virtually. Recipients attended virtual programs all over the world, from the United States to the UK to Switzerland.
Through their residencies, mentorships, and schooling, NSTT scholarship recipients inevitably promote Nova Scotia's cultural relevance by studying in some of the best institutions worldwide. Like Portia White herself, the original catalyst for the organization's formation, recipients sometimes become world-renowned. Think Jane Archibald, Bretten Hannam, and George Elliot Clarke. Since Portia's impetus in 1944, the Talent Trust has distributed over two million dollars in scholarships to over 1,000 recipients.
The independent, volunteer Scholarship Selection Committees, made up of twelve professional artists, two from each discipline, obviously recognize the artistic skill and look for lasting commitment signs. The artist's life has more than its fair share of challenges, and for the NSTT, dedication to professional achievement is as essential as artistic potential. Since the province is overflowing with talent, the decisions are never easy.
This year's 67 successful scholarship recipients were chosen from a field of 134 applications over two submission periods, 1 March and 1 May 2020. Five of the 88 scholarships are supported by the NS Arts Endowment Fund of $2,000 each.
They are India Gailey for Music, Jonah McKay for Interdisciplinary, Sara Leslie for Literary Arts, Gabrielle Kachan for Dance, and Jillian Peters for Theatre.
The Nova Scotia Talent Trust's scholarships totalled $80,000 in 2020, which is only possible through various generous grants and individual donations. We thank our individual donors, the Craig Foundation, the RBC Foundation, and Arts Nova Scotia for their support during this special time.
More than ever, we realized over the last couple of months how much the arts and the individual artists help us to stay mentally healthy. Nova Scotia artists supported us in the darkest days with their talent and generosity.
Let's celebrate the 2020 Nova Scotia Talent Trust scholarship recipients, which signify our cultural future!
List of the 2020 Talent Trust Scholarship and Nova Scotia Arts Endowment Fund Scholarship Recipients
CIRCUS ARTS RECIPIENT
Acrobatics/Tumbling
- Lily McGrath, Dartmouth
DANCE RECIPIENTS
Ballet
- Julia Barkhouse, Dartmouth
- Brooklyn Law, Bedford
- Shannon Mullally, Dartmouth
- Maggie Oates-Johnson, Dartmouth
- Mollie Oates-Johnson, Dartmouth
- Scarlett Reynolds, Prospect Bay
- Eden Robichaud, Bible Hill
- Stan Tonin, Windsor Junction
- Aidan Vaudreuil Wakeham, Lower Sackville
- Sahara Nyathi, Halifax
Ballroom
- Nathan King-Pacis, Hammonds Plains
Contemporary
- Claire Campbell, St. Margart's Bay
- Minuet Charron, Halifax
- Gabrielle Kachan, Halifax, NS Arts Endowment Fund Scholarship
- Camryn Rieksts, Valley
Modern
- Lucy Boyne, Halifax
LITERARY ARTS RECIPIENTS
Creative Nonfiction
- Sara Leslie, Dartmouth, NS Arts Endowment Fund Scholarship
Creative Writing/Fiction
- Vicki Donkin, Halifax
Fiction
- K.R. Byggdin, Halifax
- Amanda Peters, Falmouth
Short Fiction/Prose
- Sidney Robichaud, Halifax
MUSIC RECIPIENTS
Brass - French Horn
- Mimisu Lee, Halifax
Brass - Trombone
- Ross Macintosh, Truro
Composition
- Taylor MacGillivray, Halifax
Gaelic Culture/Fiddle
- Abby Hanson, Montague Gold Mines
- Ella Hanson, Montague Gold Mines
Keyboard - Piano
- Jenny Chen, Halifax
- Sherry Chen, Hammonds Plains
- Devin Huang, Bedford
- Lala Lee, Halifax
- Carmen Peng, Wolfville
- Andrew Son, Halifax
- Alex Yang, Bedford
Music Technology
- Cassie Mann, New Glasgow
Percussion/Drumkit
- Lucas Goudie, Halifax
Strings - Cello
- India Gailey, Halifax, NS Arts Endowment Fund Scholarship
- Priscilla Lee, Bedford
Strings - Violia
- Leo Hanada, Halifax
- Rose Hanada, Halifax
Voice/Guitar/Jazz
- Dane Pedersen, Millville
Voice - Opera
- Nicholas Higgs, New Glasgow
- Laura Johnston, Prospect Bay
- Natalie Mitchell, Halifax
- Nicole Ross, New Glasgow
- Abigail Sinclair, Halifax
- Shanice Skinner, New Glasgow
- Anisa Sobhani, Dartmouth
Woodwind - Flute
- Amelia Bruce, Dartmouth
THEATRE RECIPIENTS
Acting
- Kevin Munroe, Sydney
- Rebecca Wolfe, Dartmouth
Musical Theatre
- Emma Davidson, Halifax
- Zachary Ellis, Truro
- Olivia Grund, Truro
- Madelaine Hanley, Dartmouth
- Saffron Hyde, Bedford
- Ryan MacDougall, Hammonds Plains
- Brooke Mitchell, Beaverbank
- Jillian Peters, Dartmouth, NS Arts Endowment Fund Scholarship
- Katherine Shore, Halifax
VISUAL/FINE ARTS RECIPIENTS
Applied Craft/Architecture
- Charles Bourne, Halifax
Interdisciplinary/Computation Arts
- Jonah McKay, Canning, NS Arts Endowment Fund Scholarship
Illustration/Textiles
- Madeleine West, Halifax
Painting
- Fraya McDougall, Fall River
Painting/Drawing (Digital Graphite)
- Willa Fisher, Halifax
Textiles Art
- Pamela Juarez, Halifax
Sculpture/Drawing/Printmaking
- Ada Denil, Halifax
