Meet Mike Hirschbach, Circus Artist, Teacher, and Mentor - Our 75th Anniversary Scholarship Campaign

Mike Hirschbach is introduced to us with an intriguing thump when he first appears on our 75th anniversary scholarship campaign video. He’s preparing his training space for circus arts students. 

Mike Hirschbach prepares for students at Halifax Circus.

Mike has been performing for 35 years. He received a Talent Trust scholarship in 1984 to assist his studies in circus arts.

He studied physical theatre and circus in California, New York, and Montreal, then traveled to Paris to spend two years at the École Internationale de Theatre with the legendary Jacques Lecoq. 

He then toured his solo theatrical-circus shows across Canada, the U.S., Europe, Asia, and India. He performed at the Calgary Olympic Games, the International Mime Festival in Montreal, and the International Clown Festival in Mumbai and Goa, India.

Mike Hirschbach at work as a circus arts teacher.

From 2001-05 Mike worked with Cirque du Soleil, first performing for two years in their touring show “Dralion”, from 2001-03. 

He then became a Master Trainer with the Cirque’s social outreach program, Cirque du Monde, which promotes circus arts as an intervention with at-risk youth. The approach is called social circus.

Mike traveled the world from 2003-05, training the trainers in the existing Cirque du Monde programs, upgrading their circus, social and teaching skills in Orlando, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, South Africa and Burkina Faso. 

While the Talent Trust doesn’t provide scholarships for teacher training in the arts, a number of our scholarship recipients have become teachers as well as mentors, often as they continue their careers as practicing artists.

Mike Hirschbach practicing juggling skills with a student.

Since 2005 Mike has served as Artistic Director and Head of Juggling/Circus at Halifax Circus, and director of the outreach programs of Circus Circle, which is based on the Cirque du Monde program. 

Circus Circle is the oldest social circus program in Canada outside of Quebec, where the movement started.

He takes his show Uncle Podger’s Hat, a grown-up view of a childhood mentor (Mike’s eccentric uncle), to venues that include Ship’s Company Theatre in Parrsboro, Nova Scotia, and the Halifax Fringe Festival. 

In 2017 he worked with the Nova Scotia Public Library system to bring “Secrets of the Circus”, an introduction to juggling, unicycling, balance work and more, to kids around Nova Scotia, performing 71 shows in public libraries across the province.

We’d like to thank Mike and his students for allowing Filet Production Services into their space, and for helping to make our 75th anniversary scholarship campaign video possible.




Want to be part of the campaign to double Talent Trust scholarship funds? Click here to donate. And thank you!

Visual Arts Nova Scotia Announces Susan Wood Award, to be Distributed by the Talent Trust

Artist, teacher, mentor Susan Wood.
Photo: Visual Arts Nova Scotia.

Visual Arts Nova Scotia has announced the establishment of the Susan Wood Award, to be distributed by the Nova Scotia Talent Trust. 

The award will go to an emerging Nova Scotian visual artist who shows exceptional commitment and ability.

This new award, which will be granted beginning in December 2019, honours Susan's legacy as an artist, teacher, and valued member of the artistic community.

Susan was an instructor at NSCAD University for almost 20 years and was a mentor in the VANS Mentorship Program, which was established in 2006. She was a member of VANS for many years and served on their Board of Directors from 2014 until her death earlier this year.

Susan was born in New Brunswick and grew up in Nova Scotia. She received her BFA from Mount Allison University, and graduated with her MFA from the University of Calgary in 1981.

She began her nearly two decades of teaching at NSCAD in 1990.

Susan was a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts and received grants from the Canada Council, the Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council, and the Nova Scotia Arts Council. Her work can be found in private, corporate, and public collections in Canada, the US, and the UK.

This new award is a welcome addition to the support available to emerging Nova Scotian artists. We're honoured to be part of it.

To learn more about the Susan Wood Award, visit the VANS website.

Fibre Artist, Teacher, Mentor - Meet Sandra Brownlee and Watch our 75th Anniversary Video

Sandra Brownlee is a practicing fibre artist, teacher, and mentor. She’s one of the seven Talent Trust scholarship recipients who appear in our 75th anniversary scholarship campaign video, which was created to help us double our scholarship funds for emerging Nova Scotia artists.

Artist Sandra Brownlee at the loom.

She began weaving in 1971, and received a Talent Trust scholarship in 1980 to support her studies in textiles. She received her BFA from NSCAD University, and continued her education at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan, where she completed her MFA in Fibers.

A scholarship can be an important part of a budding career. "It was thrilling, and it made what I was doing seem more real, and viable", says Sandra about her Talent Trust scholarship. "It put me on a really good path."

Sandra has received numerous awards, including the 2014 Governor General Visual and Media Arts Saidye Bronfman Award, a Canada Council B Grant, and a Pew Fellowship in the Arts.

She’s one of the ten artists in our 75th anniversary visual arts exhibition, which opens at Mount Saint Vincent Art Gallery in Halifax in May of 2019, and travels to Cape Breton University Art Gallery and the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia in Yarmouth.

Believe in the creativity of Nova Scotians. Sandra Brownlee created this piece for our 75th anniversary video.

Sandra’s work began with weaving, and now includes working in notebooks and stitching words onto cloth. She created the “Believe in the creativity” piece for our 75th anniversary scholarship campaign video, which is part of our “Believe in the creativity of Nova Scotians” Talent Trust tag line.

You can find Sandra’s work in the Nova Scotia Art Bank, Canada Council Art Bank, Massey Foundation Collection at the Canadian Museum of Civilization, Mount Saint Vincent University Art Gallery, and Cranbrook Art Museum.

Sandra is a highly respected teacher. She currently offers her Tactile Notebook Workshops internationally, and has taught at NSCAD University, University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Maryland Institute College of Art, and Haystack Mountain School of Crafts.

We’d like to thank Sandra for allowing us into her studio and being so generous with her time to help us create our scholarship campaign video.




Be part of the campaign to double Talent Trust scholarship funds! Click here to donate. And thank you!

Devoted to Dance - Meet Ballet Dancer and Student Maggie Oates-Johnson

Maggie Oates-Johnson is one of the Talent Trust’s younger scholarship recipients. She's also one of the seven who appear in our 75th anniversary scholarship campaign video.

Maggie received her first scholarship and won the Talent Trust Robert George Jackson Award in 2017. 

That award was established in 2011 and, if merited, is awarded to a scholarship recipient who shows exceptional commitment and potential in dance.

Behind the scenes at the Talent Trust video
shoot. Photo: Filet Production Services.

Maggie received a second scholarship in 2018 to study at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy in Connecticut. In the summer of 2016 and 2017 she attended Canada’s National Ballet School. 

Maggie began her journey in dance at the age of three, under the watchful eye of teacher Leica Hardy. She’s danced with KiDanCo, the pre-professional company at the Leica Hardy School of Dance in Dartmouth, Halifax Dance, the Maritime Conservatory of Performing Arts, and has performed in Symphony Nova Scotia’s The Nutcracker since 2014. She recently performed as a Local Participant in Anastasia with Canada’s Ballet Jorgen.

Tina Oates-Johnson watches daughter Maggie rehearse.

Dance is a big part of the Oates-Johnson household. Maggie’s elder sister Mollie is also a Talent Trust scholarship recipient. She began her studies with Leica Hardy, and in addition to being part of the KiDanCo company, Mollie has attended summer sessions at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School, Canada’s National Ballet School, and The School of Alberta Ballet.

In addition to great teachers and mentors, family often plays a significant role in a young artist’s development. Dancers need clothing, footwear and lessons, and there’s the time and travel to rehearsals and performances. It takes a lot to get a performer to the stage.

Maggie’s parents, Tina and Trevor, appear with her in our 75th anniversary scholarship campaign video. We’d like to thank them, along with Maggie, for being so generous with their time to work with us to make our video project truly special.




Want to be part of the campaign to double Talent Trust scholarship funds? Click here to donate. And thank you!

From Visual Arts to Architecture - Talent Trust Scholarship and Award Winner Isaac Fresia

Isaac Fresia understands the impact of the arts on our lives and communities. He’s one of seven scholarship recipients who appear in our 75th anniversary scholarship campaign video.

Isaac first received a Talent Trust scholarship in 2011 to support his studies in visual arts at NSCAD University. He won the Talent Trust Charlotte Wilson-Hammond/Visual Arts Nova Scotia Award that same year.

Isaac Fresia at work developing plans for small homes.

While pursuing his undergraduate degree, he received the NSCAD University Margo and Rowland Marshall Award, and the Talent Trust RBC Emerging Artist Award in 2013. He graduated with his BFA in 2014.

Isaac’s skills and interests led him to pursue studies in architecture at Dalhousie University. He received Talent Trust scholarships to support his education in 2016 and 2018. He received the Talent Trust 2011 Canada Games Award in 2015.

Isaac is currently working toward a Master of Architecture.

Isaac Fresia on site with his building plans.

Isaac’s awareness of the connection between his studies in visual art and architecture will serve him well in his profession. He also knows, firsthand, what scholarships mean to emerging artists. 

“We work not in isolation but together as advocates, social workers, and cultural intermediaries. We are privileged in our professions to build good cities and foster better communities. Your investment in my education has been an investment in these values, an investment that I intend to pay forward to the generations that follow me.”

We’d like to thank Isaac for being part of our 75th anniversary scholarship campaign video. We’d also like to thank his family for generously allowing us to use their farm for the shoot.

Want to be part of the campaign to double Talent Trust scholarship funds? Click here to donate. And thank you!

Reeny Smith in Nova Scotia Talent Trust Scholarship Campaign Video

Reeny Smith took time out of her busy performance schedule to help us with our 75th anniversary scholarship campaign video. 

Filet Production Services, who produced our video, were able to catch Reeny in performance at the 2018 East Coast Music Awards in May, where she was nominated for the for the ECMA Bucky Adams Memorial Award. That footage became part of our video, along with some lovely shots in a more relaxed setting.

A scene from the Talent Trust video. Thanks to Reeny Smith and
family for being part of our scholarship campaign promotion.

Reeny is part of a big, musical family. Her father and grandfather, Wallace Smith Sr. and Wally Smith Jr. are both former members of the iconic Nova Scotia gospel group the Gospel Heirs, and her uncles Carson and Murray Downey are members of the "three-piece blues band, with a hint of funk" Carson Downey Band. 

Reeny began singing and playing piano at the age of five. She received a Talent Trust scholarship to support her studies in voice, and won the Talent Trust Portia White Award in 2010.

She studied piano at the Conservatory Of Music, and worked with Halifax based pianist and teacher Paul Simons before enrolling in the music program at St. Francis Xavier University, where she was a jazz major.

Behind the scenes at the ECMAs. Photo by Filet Production Services.

Since completing her studies, Reeny has worked tirelessly to build her career. 

Her talent and dedication has been recognized along the way, with African Nova Scotia and Music Nova Scotia awards, and a Galaxie Rising Star Award at the Halifax Jazz Festival.

She’s performed at the Halifax Jazz festival, at Nova Scotia’s iconic Stanfest in Canso, and was Casino Nova Scotia’s Artist in Residence in 2015. She appeared with Symphony Nova Scotia in a community concert series in 2017. 

In 2018 Reeny released her first single, Good Girl Swag, and her album W W I I I: Strength Courage Love. 

You can catch Reeny in multiple showcases at this year’s Nova Scotia Music Week in Truro (November 1 - 4), where she’s nominated for four awards.

Update: Congratulations to Reeny on her win of Music Nova Scotia African Nova Scotian Artist of the Year!

Not to be outdone by Reeny’s more official accolades, her fans just voted to give her Gold for Best R&B Artist/Band, and Bronze for Best Solo Artist as part of The Coast magazine’s Best of Halifax Reader’s Choice Awards.

We’d like to thank Reeny and her family for being so generous with their time, and welcoming our crew into their home to help create our scholarship campaign video. 



Want to be part of the campaign to double Talent Trust scholarship funds? Click here to donate. And thank you!

Talent Trust Launches Campaign to Double Scholarship Funding

We're marking our 75th anniversary in 2019 with an ambitious project: we've launched a campaign to double the funding for scholarships awarded to Nova Scotians studying in the arts.

 

Our campaign launches today with a video featuring seven Talent Trust scholarship recipients: Maggie Oates-Johnson (ballet), Devin Huang (piano), Reeny Smith (voice), Michael Hirschbach (circus arts), Veronique MacKenzie (dance), Sandra Brownlee (fibre arts), and Isaac Fresia (architecture).

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Fibre artist and Talent Trust scholarship
recipient Sandra Brownlee

“The scholarship was a huge boost for me, not just financially, but in terms of the morale boost as well. It came just when I needed it the most. It was thrilling, and it made what I was doing seem more real, and viable. It put me on a really good path,” says Sandra Brownlee, who received her Talent Trust scholarship in 1980.

Sandra has built a career as a practicing artist who exhibits her work internationally, and is a Governor General's Award winner. She gives back to the community by sharing her skills and experience through teaching. Sandra lives and works in Halifax.

Pianist and Talent Trust scholarship recipient Devin Huang

At the other end of the spectrum, Devin Huang received his first Talent Trust scholarship in 2016 at the age of 10. He’s already won Kiwanis Festival and Chebucto Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition awards, and is a committed piano student.

As you may already know, Talent Trust scholarships are awarded across disciplines: music, voice, dance, theatre, literary arts, circus arts, design, visual arts, film, and new media. Recipients come from every corner of the province, from Sydney to Barrington, and Musquodoboit Harbour to Wolfville.

With assistance from Support4Culture, the scholarship campaign video was produced by Fillet Production Services in Halifax.

“We’re proud and honoured to support the development of more than 1,000 Nova Scotia artists over the past 75 years,” says our Board of Directors Chair Erin Sparks. “There’s extraordinary talent in this province. We know education costs are rising. We want to support our artists more.”

The Talent Trust is pleased to work in partnership with the Province of Nova Scotia, which assists with administrative costs. That funding allows 100% of donations to go directly to scholarships for emerging Nova Scotian artists across disciplines.

Thank you for being part of our community and believing in our artists. And thank you for sharing our news through the links below.