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.

Sara Hartland-Rowe in First You Dream: Celebrating 75 Years of the Nova Scotia Talent Trust.

SARA HARTLAND: NS TALENT TRUST SCHOLARSHIP 1991 and 1992 

 “I received NSTT scholarships in 1991 and 1992, funds which made my MFA studies in Chicago possible. Being a student in Chicago was absolutely formative — a challenging institution, an exceptional cohort of fellow MFA candidates, and time in a great city with great collections of historical and contemporary art. I am very grateful to the Talent Trust for their assistance.” 

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

Sara Hartland-Rowe has lived and worked in Halifax, Nova Scotia, since 2000. She received her BFA from NSCAD University, Halifax, and her MFA from the University of Illinois, Boston. She works as a painter and site-based installation artist, often experimenting with form and structure and representing human beings as the subject of her work. She was a finalist for the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia Masterworks Arts Award for her large-scale permanent site-based painting for Halifax Transit, which was completed in 2010. She continues her practice in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where she teaches at NSCAD University.