Charley Young in First You Dream: Celebrating 75 Years of the Nova Scotia Talent Trust

CHARLEY YOUNG: NS TALENT TRUST SCHOLARSHIP 2012

“In 2012, I was the recipient of the Talent Trust’s Lieutenant Governor’s Award and the Charlotte Wilson-Hammond/VANS Award presented by the Nova Scotia Talent Trust. I continue to be honoured by receiving the scholarship which allowed me to pursue my graduate studies at the Maine College of Art in Portland, Maine. 

During this time, I dedicated myself to my studio practice and completed numerous artist-in-residence programs including The Arctic Circle Program which took me to Svalbard, Norway to create some of the work visible in this exhibition. 

Currently, I am Regular Part-Time Faculty at NSCAD University, where I teach printmaking and drawing. I often work with students to build their professional practice and often refer students to the opportunities available through the Talent Trust. I am truly grateful to the NSTT for their support of artists in the early stages of their career.” 

Join us for the Opening Reception on Saturday, May 25 at 2 p.m. at MSVU Art Gallery in Halifax. 

Charley Young was born in Calgary, Alberta and received her BFA from NSCAD University, Halifax, in 2008 and her MFA from Main College of Art in Portland, Maine, in 2014. She is an interdisciplinary artist working primarily with drawing, printmaking, sculpture, and public installation. She has been recognized in Blouin ARTFINO’s top 30 under 30 artists and has received the 2012 Talent Trust Lieutenant Governor’s Award and the 2012 Charlotte Wilson-Hammond/VANS Award presented by the Nova Scotia Talent Trust, among other awards. Charley currently lives in Bedford, Nova Scotia, and has a studio in North End Halifax where she continues her practice. She works as a Regular Part-Time Faculty at NSCAD University, teaching drawing and printmaking.

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Emily Vey Duke in First You Dream: Celebrating 75 Years of the Nova Scotia Talent Trust.

EMILY VEY DUKE: NS TALENT TRUST SCHOLARSHIP 1998

“The Nova Scotia Talent Trust enabled me to pursue an education in art first outside the province, at Emily Carr College of Art and Design, and then outside the country, at the University of Illinois at Chicago. 

Without these opportunities, there is no way my work would have travelled the way it has, showing around the world in galleries, at festivals and in museums including the Whitney Museum, Walker Center, Institute of Contemporary Art Philadelphia, the Musee d’Art Contemporain Montreal, The New York Film Festival and the International Film Festival of Rotterdam, to name a few.” 

Join us for the Opening Reception on Saturday, May 25 at 2 p.m. at MSVU Art Gallery in Halifax. 

Emily Vey Duke was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She received her BFA from NSCAD University, Halifax and her MFA at the University of Illinois, Chicago. Since 1994, she has worked almost exclusively in collaboration with her partner, Cooper Battersby. In addition to several other prestigious awards they have received the pair was shortlisted for the Sobey Art Award in 2010. In addition to her work as a media artist, Duke maintains a strong critical writing practice and has been published in several art magazines in North America. Emily currently lives and maintains her practice in New York City where she teaches at Syracuse University.

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Despo Sophocleous in First You Dream: Celebrating 75 Years of the Nova Scotia Talent Trust.

DESPO SOPHOCLEOUS: NS TALENT TRUST SCHOLARSHIP 2008

 “It was a great honour to be the recipient of both the Charlotte Wilson-HammondVANS Award and the Talent Trust’s Lieutenant Governor’s Award in 2008. Following the completion of a BFA, Major in Jewellery Design and Metalsmithing from NSCAD University, I pursued graduate studies in Germany at the Munich Academy of Fine Arts. The Nova Scotia Talent Trust Scholarships came at an imperative time, giving me support and encouragement as I embarked on this path.” 

Join us for the Opening Reception on Saturday, May 25 at 2 p.m. at MSVU Art Gallery in Halifax. 

Despo Sophocleous was born in Nova Scotia and received her BFA from NSCAD University, Halifax, in Jewellery Design and Metalsmithing in 2008. During her undergrad, she also participated in a year-long study exchange at Pforzheim University in Germany. She received her MFA from the Munich Academy of Arts in 2015 where she studied under Otto Künzli. She has received several awards for her work including the Talent Trust Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Artistic Achievement from the Nova Scotia Talent Trust, the DAAD Scholarship for graduate studies and the Herbert Hoffman Award. She is currently based in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

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Pamela Ritchie in First You Dream: Celebrating 75 Years of the Nova Scotia Talent Trust.

PAMELA RITCHIE: NS TALENT TRUST SCHOLARSHIP 1979

 “In 1979 I applied for a NSTT scholarship to study the jewellery history of folk cultures in Norway. When I first opened the acceptance letter I shouted out “Yipee!” My exuberant response was followed by a more reflective note: “wow — someone thinks I can do this!” 

What a gift, what a kindness, and what a treasure to know you have the support of the Talent Trust and jurors. The financing is needed for sure, but after the money has gone, and the work has been done, that support stays in your heart forever. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.” 

Join us for the Opening Reception on Saturday, May 25 at 2 p.m. at MSVU Art Gallery in Halifax.

Pamela Ritchie was born in Amherst, Nova Scotia. She received her MFA from NSCAD University, Halifax, and completed postgraduate research work in Norway. She has received several awards and support for her work from institutions such as the Canada Council for the Arts, the Nova Scotia Talent Trust, the Government of NS and in 2017, she was the recipient of the Governor General’s Saidye Bronfman Award. She has served as the Canadian Advisor for several European exhibitions and her work has been exhibited in group and solo exhibitions spanning three decades. She retired in the summer of 2018, after teaching at NSCAD University for 34 years and continues her practice in Halifax, NS.

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Lucy Pullen in First You Dream: Celebrating 75 Years of the Nova Scotia Talent Trust

LUCY PULLEN: NS TALENT TRUST SCHOLARSHIP 1992 

 “I am left-handed and forgot, as a young art student, about the difference in scale between New York City and Halifax. Manhattan is a grid, so I used the geometry of the city to overcome this lack of foresight. The walk to school, eight blocks north and one block east, felt like a feat of navigation. The radius of my route gradually grew to include museums and specific installations I was studying at the time, like The Broken Kilometer by Walter DeMaria. I had time, with this support, to look at things I was fascinated by but didn’t understand”. 

Join us for the Opening Reception on Saturday, May 25 at 2 p.m. at MSVU Art Gallery in Halifax.

Lucy Pullen was born in Montreal, Quebec. She received her BFA from NSCAD University, Halifax, in 1994. After receiving her MFA from the Tyler School of Art, Philadelphia, in 2001, she held a tenured position in the Visual Arts at the University of Victoria. During her time there she led a collaborative team to build The Cloud Chamber, a freestanding sculpture that also works as a detector and imager of cosmic rays which is currently on display in the Dept. of Physics and Astronomy. She currently lives and continues her art practice in New York City, where she also teaches at Montclaire State University and Brooklyn College at the University of New York.

Dan O’Neill in First You Dream: Celebrating 75 Years of the Nova Scotia Talent Trust.

DAN O'NEIL: NS TALENT TRUST SCHOLARSHIP 1997

 “The Nova Scotia Talent Trust Scholarships I received in 1997 was one of the most significant and unexpected moments for me at that stage of my progress, as that acknowledgment definitely reflected the success of my first solo exhibition under the Emerging Artist Series at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia. 

That award led to other equally significant achievements, yet still to this day, I truly believe that the NSTT award unquestionably motivated and sustained my intent to further establish my visual art career with confidence and a sense of self-certainty. I have carried that pivotal moment with me ever since.” 

Join us for the Opening Reception on Saturday, May 25 at 2 p.m. at MSVU Art Gallery in Halifax. 

Dan O’Neill was born in Montreal, Quebec. He received a Double Major with Honors in Painting, Drawing and Printmaking from OCAD University, Toronto, in 1993; a BFA in Studio Art from NSCAD University, Halifax, in 1994; and an MFA in Studio and Media Art from NSCAD University in 1999. In 2011, he earned the Recognition Award as an Established artist from the Creative Nova Scotia Leadership Council. He works primarily in lithography, although he continues working on his interdisciplinary practice that includes drawing, painting, writing and collage. He lives and works in Halifax, Nova Scotia where he has been teaching at NSCAD University as a Regular Part-Time Faculty for over 20 years.