NSCAD's Seriously Creative Plan

Welcome

Thank you for joining NSCAD’s Envisioning Our Future committee and sharing your commitment to creating a road map for the university’s next five years — an incredible time for NSCAD and for the city to converge in exciting possibilities for growth.

We’re on an ambitious and bold journey to create an accessible, unified campus that will be the cornerstone of a vibrant creative and social district at the historic Halifax Seaport. Your expertise and participation will help us examine and address the challenges and opportunities we face as a seriously creative art and design university.

Through the past summer and fall, we engaged students, faculty, staff, alumni, board members, and cultural and community leaders in deep conversations about NSCAD’s priorities and dreaming big about how we will achieve them together.

It’s time to bring those discussions and your perspectives together within a framework to guide our future.

Let’s go!

Agenda

• Welcome and introductions

• Review the Committee’s purpose

• Review the Committee’s guiding principles and terms of reference

• Discussion: why art and design matters today and what’s next

• Review the Committee’s proposed planning timeline

Dr. Peggy Shannon NSCAD President Committee Co-chair

Duane Jones Founder, Art Pays Me Committee Co-chair

A seriously creative plan

NSCAD University is a unique and beloved educational community, recognized internationally for its leadership and innovation in creative practice, research and pedagogy. It is Nova Scotia’s university for creative careers, art and research. Students at NSCAD have been shaping art, design and craft in Canada since 1887. With an approach to education that includes the strategic integration of arts, culture and community engagement, students thrive in a learning and research environment that is committed to equity, diversity, inclusion and academic excellence.

At NSCAD, students receive a rigorous, interdisciplinary educational experience while belonging to a vibrant creative community recognized globally for its impact on art, craft and design. By connecting with award-winning faculty, students learn the knowledge and skills necessary to thrive in the creative industries, where they become leaders, entrepreneurs, and experts in their fields.

The Envisioning Our Future Committee is now challenged with developing a seriously creative plan to help the next generations of art and design students thrive as leaders of the creative economy.

Committee guiding principles

All committee members will be guided by the following core principles:

Respect

All committee members are expected to respect each other as well as the integrity of the process, advisors and all contributors to the process, including the diversity of shared ideas. All members shall refrain from discriminating on the basis of age, race, colour, ancestry, place of origin, religion, political belief, marital status, family status, physical disability, gender, sexual orientation or any other ground(s) protected by legislation.

Lead by Example

All committee members are expected to lead by example and inspire others to do the best they can for NSCAD. Committee members will be accountable for what they say and do and for being transparent, working with diligence, honouring commitments and valuing relationships.

Work Together as One Team

All committee members are expected to work together as one team for the benefit of NSCAD.

Commitment

All committee members are expected to devote sufficient time and energy to carry out their duties effectively, including making every effort to attend committee meetings and activities. All committee members are expected to attend meetings prepared to engage in respectful, meaningful discussion and provide considered, constructive and thoughtful feedback and commentary to enable the committee to exercise its best judgment in decision-making.

Open-Minded

All committee members are expected to act with an open mind and consider new ideas without bias, and to suspend judgment during dialogue.

Integrity

All committee members are expected to act honestly, in good faith, and in the best interests of NSCAD without regard to their own private interests or the interests of other organizations. Once a decision is made, committee members are expected to respect the authority of the committee and its decisions.

Committee terms of reference

Purpose

The purpose of the Envisioning Our Future Committee is to provide overall guidance to and oversight of the process to develop the Seriously Creative Plan 2024-2029 (working title) and to present a draft plan to the Board of Governors by May 2024.

Membership

• Dr. Peggy Shannon, President, NSCAD University (Committee co-chair)

• Duane Jones, NSCAD Alumni (BDes 2004) and Founding Director, Art Pays Me (Committee co-chair)

• Jennifer Archer, Director of Academic Equity and Quality, Nova Scotia Community College

• Dr. Ben Barry, Dean of Fashion, New School, Parsons School of Fashion

• Crystal Bona, Manager, Registrarial Services, NSCAD University

• Dr. Marco Chiarot, NSCAD University Board of Governors

• Bruce DeBaie, Chief of Staff, President’s Office, NSCAD University

• Leanne Dowe, Chief Financial Officer, NSCAD University

• Olivia Fay, NSCAD student; SUNSCAD President (student union), NSCAD University

• Dr. Ann-Barbara Graff, Vice-President (Academic & Research) and Provost, NSCAD University

• Fwad Hoho, Technician, General Fabrication, NSCAD University

• Kara Holm, Director of Advancement, NSCAD University

• Leen Bakri Kasbah, NSCAD student; Assistant, Office of Opportunity and Belonging, NSCAD University

• HaeAhn Woo Kwon, Assistant Professor, Division of Fine Arts, Sculpture, NSCAD University

• Jana Macalik, Dean, OCAD University

• Rory MacDonald, Associate Professor and Division Chair Craft, Ceramics, NSCAD University

• Amin Meskhat, Desktop and Website CMS Support, NSCAD University

• Andy Murdoch, Director of Strategic Communication, NSCAD University

• Isabelle Nault, Associate Vice-President, Operations, NSCAD University

• Anthony Novak, President, Sonco Gaming Inc.; NSCAD University Board of Governors

• Arzu Ozkal, Chair, Arts Alive; Past Chair of the School of Art + Design, San Diego State University

• Sylvia Parris-Drummond, CEO, Delmore “Buddy” Daye Learning Institute; NSCAD University Board of Governors

• Noelle Peach, Director of Teaching and Learning, NSCAD University

• Emma Piirtoniemi, Jewelry Studio Technician, NSCAD University

• Zainub Verjee, LL.D (Hon) DFA (Hon), Executive Director, Ontario Association of Art Galleries

Commitments

The Committee is guided in its work by the university’s commitments to Indigeneity and reconciliation, and to equity, diversity, and inclusivity.

Responsibilities

• To advise on and participate in the internal consultation process, including approving consultation questions and discussion guides, and facilitating consultation sessions

• To advise on the external consultation process, including approving consultation questions and discussion guides

• To review and advise on consultation input, including approving the “What we heard” document summarizing the results of the consultation to the university community

• To participate in working groups as needed to develop the ideas, plans and metrics for specific themes

• To review and accept the draft Seriously Creative Plan 2024-2029 and present for submission to the Board of Governors

Meetings

The Committee is expected to meet at least nine times in 2023 starting on Sunday, February 26, 3 -5 p.m. AST in-person at NSCAD’s Port Campus.

Subsequent meetings will be virtual, noon – 1:20 p.m. AST:

• Monday, March 13

• Tuesday, April 11

• Tuesday, May 23

• Monday, June 12

• Monday, September 25

• Tuesday, October 23

• Tuesday, November 14

• Monday, December 4

Proposed strategic themes

• Student success

• Building engaged and respectful communities

• Academic and artistic currency

• Financial and infrastructure sustainability

Planning timelines

Stage 1: February - March 2023

Briefings and consultations with key stakeholders to confirm the central themes/directions that NSCAD will pursue over the next five years as well as the responsible subcommittee members. Confirm the tools to use to solicit input (surveys, town halls, etc)

Stage 2: April - May 2023

Each of the four subcommittees is organized and complete with a chair (and, if needed, a co-chair), subcommittee members and several dates to meet virtually. Each subcommittee meets to develop the theme objectives, action items and related timeline needed to achieve the theme, and assigns responsibility to individuals for overseeing each action item.

Stage 3: June 2023

The full Committee reviews the proposed themes, action items, deliverables, timelines, and discusses viability.

Stage 4: September - October 2023

The full Committee organizes town halls, surveys, listening tours, etc. with a cross-section of the NSCAD community to solicit feedback on the Seriously Creative Plan 2024-2029.

Stage 5: November - December 2023

Prepare and present a draft of the Seriously Creative Plan 2024-2029 to the Board of Governors for discussion and input.

Stage 6: January - March 2024

Refine and prepare a final draft of the Plan. Host a meeting and dinner for the Board of Governors and the Committee. Discuss next steps for the launch of the Plan.

Stage 7: Fall 2024

Launch Plan. Conduct monthly updates with those charged with overseeing the action items and produce regular reports on their status.

Committee bios

Dr. Peggy Shannon (committee co-chair) is an award-winning scholar and artist who has been a professor and administrator at several North American universities for more than 20 years, including the University of California – Davis, Toronto Metropolitan University and most recently San Diego State University, where she served as Dean of the College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts. She became NSCAD University’s president on July 1, 2022.

Dr. Shannon brings to NSCAD her strong belief in preparing students for the creative economy with real-world problem-solving opportunities. She has a proven record of building strong partnerships and collaborations within institutions and their broader communities. Throughout her distinguished career, she has provided exceptional leadership in strategic planning, curricular excellence, teaching excellence, and multinational and interdisciplinary research within the visual and performing arts, humanities and social sciences.

Her proven record of developing and enhancing external partnerships and collaborations creates tremendous value for NSCAD as it embarks on an ambitious journey to unify its campuses at an iconic new location at the historic Halifax Seaport. Dr. Shannon holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in theatre from UC Riverside, a Master of Fine Arts degree in directing from the University of Washington, and a PhD from Royal Holloway, University of London. She holds dual Canadian – American citizenship.

Committee co-chair Duane Jones’s multi-disciplinary practice involves painting, drawing, digital tools and fashion that is informed by his upbringing as a Black Bermudian cisgender male existing at a crossroads between North American, Caribbean and British culture. His work often explores race, gender, sexual orientation and how his cultural experiences inform or contradict common narratives. Mr. Jones is most known as the founder of Art Pays Me, a lifestyle brand that celebrates artists in the pursuit of financial and creative independence.

Art Pays Me was nominated for Most Innovative Business of the Year by The Halifax Chamber of Commerce in 2021. Duane was named one of the most inspiring immigrants in the Maritimes in 2021 by My East Coast Experience and has been nominated for The Coast’s Best of Halifax Reader’s Choice award twice for fashion design and once for podcasting. He holds an Associate degree in art and design from Bermuda College, a Communication Design (Honours) degree from NSCAD University and a Master of Information Management degree from Dalhousie University. Duane is currently based in K’jipuktuk (Halifax, Nova Scotia).

Jennifer Archer is the Director of Academic Equity and Quality with the Nova Scotia Community College. She joined NSCC in 2015 and leads a portfolio that oversees academic quality, educational equity, program and curriculum development and program planning and operations. Jennifer previously worked from 1999 – 2014 in Nunavut in the areas of art education and community development, public policy, and training and education focused on working with Inuit leaders to advance Inuitcentred and decolonizing practices, approaches and pedagogies in postsecondary education.

She holds a Master in Adult Education degree from the University of Toronto’s Ontario Institute for Studies in Education and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from NSCAD University. Jennifer is passionate about critical and anti-colonial praxis, Indigenous methodologies, advancing equity, diversity and inclusion, and building inclusive and accessible learner pathways.

William Barker joined NSCAD’s Board of Governors in September 2022. He was the President and Vice Chancellor of the University of King’s College with a cross-appointment at Dalhousie University and he is now retired as an emeritus professor of Dalhousie and Inglis professor at King’s. He has served on boards and committees in education and the arts.

Bill continues to write and research, and currently serves as the weekly seminar director for Halifax Humanities, an educational project for mature students who were unable to attend or complete university, often because of health or financial barriers. When he retired he started to take courses at NSCAD, mostly in photography. The mode of teaching at NSCAD relies on critique and practice, unusual forms of education that are strongly focused on the growth and development of the individual student. The atmosphere is one of continuous experiment and discussion. For Bill, it is a privilege to serve on the board of NSCAD to support this kind of learning.

Dr. Ben Barry (he/him) is Dean and Visiting Associate Professor of Equity and Inclusion at Parsons’ School of Fashion. As a fashion activist, educator, designer and researcher, he is devoted to intervening into fashion systems to systemically shift power and design a future where worldviews and bodies that are currently stigmatized are instead valued and desired. He was previously Chair of the School of Fashion at Toronto Metropolitan University in Canada where he led the department through a deep transformation by embedding and prioritizing inclusion, decolonization and sustainability in the curriculum and culture.

Committee bios

Ben’s teaching and research centers the intersectional fashion experiences of disabled, fat, trans and queer people and engages them in the design of clothing, fashion media and fashion systems. He is currently the Principal Investigator of Crippling Masculinity, a research project that explores how disabled, D/deaf and mad-identified men and masculine people navigate the world and make new worlds through fashion. He has published in Fashion Theory, Textile, Gender & Society, Fat Studies, Harvard Business Review, the Business of Fashion and other outlets, and he leads education programs on inclusive fashion practices for global brands and he shares his insights on these topics with international media.

Crystal Bona, NSCAD’s Manager of Registrarial Services, is passionate about building consensus among stakeholders while consistently ensuring that student interests are the primary focus of all decisions. A graduate of both Queen’s University and Mount Saint Vincent University, Crystal has worked in post-secondary administration for 14 years and has supported students through all stages of their academic journey. She has worked at both NSCAD University and Dalhousie University in various student and faculty support roles, including admissions, academic and registrarial services, and convocation planning. A passionate reader and emerging writer, Crystal has had a short story published in The Antigonish Review.

Dr. Marco Chiarot is a board-certified oral and maxillofacial surgeon with degrees in both medicine and dentistry, and is a member of NSCAD’s Board of Governors. Dr. Chiarot is a Fellow of the International Congress of Oral Implantologists. He is involved in organized dentistry serving on committees for the Nova Scotia Dental Association and is a member of the Prescription Monitoring Board of Nova Scotia.

Dr. Chiarot received his dental degree from Dalhousie University in 1993 and then went on to study hospital dentistry at the Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, North Carolina and then on to Milwaukee, Wisconsin to complete an internship in oral and maxillofacial surgery. Returning to Halifax and Dalhousie University in 1995, he completed a six-year residency in the specialty of oral and maxillofacial surgery at the Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre. During his specialty training, he also completed a Master of Science degree in oral and maxillofacial sciences and his medical degree. After completing his specialty training,

Dr. Chiarot left Canada to study head and neck cancer surgery and cleft lip and palate surgery at the San Paolo Hospital in Milan, Italy. He enjoys recreational sporting activities and is a member of the Italian Wines Societie and the Commanderie de Bordeaux. He lives in Halifax with his wife and two daughters.

Bruce DeBaie serves NSCAD as Chief of Staff in the President’s Office. He’s a natural broker for collaboration with more than 25 years of diverse experience in community engagement, public relations and corporate communications leadership roles in the private and public sectors. Bruce helps advance the president’s leadership agenda through effective planning and relationships with NSCAD’s leadership team and departments across the university while providing oversight of executive and risk communications, government relations and operations of the President’s Office and board of governors administration. He holds a Bachelor of Public Relations degree from Mount Saint Vincent University.

Leanne Dowe, NSCAD’s Chief Financial Officer, is a chartered professional accountant (CPA, CA) with more than 30 years of experience as a finance professional including serving as CFO for Gammon Gold and director of finance for both the Arts Club Theatre Society and Forefront Entertainment Group. As CFO, Leanne provides strategic financial and risk management of the university and serves as an executive resource to NSCAD’s Board of Governors including the Finance and Physical Resources Committee, and Audit and Risk Committee. She is also a board member and executive committee member of Atlantic Universities’ Interuniversity Services Incorporated. Leanne holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, NS.

Olivia Fay is an emerging craftsman with a focus in ceramic sculpture. She is in her final year of a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with a major in ceramics at NSCAD University and is currently president of the Student

Committee bios

Union of NSCAD (SUNSCAD).

Dr. Ann-Barbara Graff is a feminist scholar of the 19th century who focuses on critical theory, particularly evolutionary metaphorics and the production of hegemonic narratives of Englishness, and digital humanities. Her current research has focused strategies for confronting systemic racism in the academy and removing barriers to participation for historically underrepresented populations. Dr. Graff has been with NSCAD University since 2014 and currently serves as the Vice-President (Academic & Research) and Provost; she is also adjunct faculty in the Graduate Department of English at Dalhousie University. She holds Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees and a PhD from the University of Toronto, and she completed the Institute for Management and Leadership in Higher Education program at Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Fwad Hoho is currently a fabrication lab technician at NSCAD, specializing in digital fabrication, 3D printing, and making almost anything. He holds a Bachelor of Design degree from NSCAD and a Master of Technology Entrepreneurship and Innovation degree from Sobey’s School of Business. Fwad likes travelling and drinking a lot of coffee.

Kara Holm leads Advancement at NSCAD University. Kara is a natural connector and passionate advocate for the arts in Canada. She is an Master of Fine Arts degree candidate in creative non-fiction at the University of King’s College, where she is working on a book about her time as a founder, “Upstarts: Founders, Failure and the Startup Paradox.” A past member of the Atlantic Film Festival Board of Directors, Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education Board and Saint Mary’s University Research Ethics Board, she presently serves on the parish council at Saint George’s Church in Halifax. In her spare time Kara enjoys

music, cultural tourism, reading, wine, knitting, and Succession.

Leen Bakri Kasbah is a second-year NSCAD student studying Interdisciplinary Design. Originally from Lebanon, she moved to Halifax to complete her education. As a design student, Leen is interested in user experience, typography, and graphic design. She also likes chocolate cake and learning French.

HaeAhn Woo Kwon is a visual artist whose work centers primarily on drawing, sculpture, and installation. They have been greatly influenced by vernacular architecture and interventions found in the urban and rural context of their homeland in South Korea. Kwon, who recently joined NSCAD as an Assistant Professor, Division of Fine Arts (Sculpture), understands that the work of decolonizing the classroom requires openness, dedication, and a collaborative spirit from everyone to usher in a new era of creative practice. They describe their approach to research and teaching as “working with reality as a collaborator,” after growing up in a divided nation and adapting to life in North America as an international student and immigrant. Kwon has actively exhibited with solo and group exhibitions in Toronto, Montreal, New York, Seoul, Paris, and Mexico City and they are the recipient of several Canada Council grants. They are also one half of the collaborative duo HaeAhn Paul Kwon Kajander who thread their given and last names together to poke fun at artist branding and question the notion of individualism. Kwon holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Guelph and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Cooper Union in New York City.

Jana Macalik’s teaching explores how society is continuously challenged to break down barriers that stand to separate individuals and ideas, which she has pursued for more than 20 years as an academic. Jana is the Acting Dean of the Faculty of Art at OCAD University. She joined OCAD in 2014, serving in a variety of Associate Dean roles within the Faculties of Design and Art. She is also a doctoral candidate in Higher Education at OISE/University of Toronto, investigating de-differentiation in the context of specialized art and design universities in Canada, particularly the differentiation frameworks that have posed a challenge to the unique

Committee bios

model of art and design institutions in higher education.

Rory MacDonald is an associate professor of craft in ceramics at NSCAD University. MacDonald is interested in the many roles for ceramics within the practice of craft, design and art, concentrating on the development of new public audiences and spaces for contemporary ceramics. Central to his research is the exploration of the concept of public craft and the role materials play in how we shape the built environment. He is interested in the intersection of digital technologies, materials and labour, seeking new forms to connect digital space and ‘the real.’

He holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from The New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University, a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree NSCAD University and a Diploma with Honours in ceramics and printmaking from OCAD University.

Amin Meshkat joined NSCAD University in 2021 as System Administrator in the Computer Services department. He works with network switches, computer servers, and other IT devices at the university. Amin holds a Master of Engineering in Internetworking degree from Dalhousie University and a Master of Computer Science degree from Osmania University. He ranked third in the Android Application Programming competition among more than 6,000 participants by Tehran municipality in 2015. In 2013, Amin ranked first among MSc computer science students at Osmania University.

Andy Murdoch recently joined NSCAD as Director, Strategic Communications bringing extensive university communications and marketing experience with a particular expertise in design, and visual and performing arts. He was previously at Concordia University in Montréal, where he managed communications in the Faculty of Fine Arts, leading Concordia’s visual rebranding, revamping its website, aligning communications and marketing strategies with fine arts recruitment goals, and championing the research and creative successes of faculty, students and staff. He also worked as a digital content producer at Dalhousie University, as an editor and writer at The Coast, and as a contributor to the Toronto Star, the CBC and The Guardian (UK).

Isabelle Nault is a bilingual (French-English) architect with more than 15 years of diverse experience in project management, architectural design, and construction management including public sector and heritage buildings. As NSCAD’s first Associate Vice-President, Operations, she is leading the design of a robust infrastructure plan for the university’s future, providing strategic oversight over NSCAD’s major capital construction projects, infrastructure operations and administrative portfolios to ensure efficient operations in facilities management, human resources and information technology.

Isabelle previously served as manager of architecture and design at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario where she led revitalization work on late-19th century buildings and construction of major new capital projects. She holds a graduate diploma in architecture from Athabasca University, as well as an undergraduate degree in architecture from the Université de Montréal. She is also a certified Project Management Professional and is certified in workplace mental health leadership. Isabelle volunteers on the board of the Halifax City Soccer Club.

Anthony Novac is a serial entrepreneur focused on gaming and technology opportunities. He is the co-founder of Trident Gaming PLC, which was sold to Party Gaming PLC in 2006. He’s also the founder and former CEO of Spreed Inc., which developed an end-to-end mobile publishing platform and launched over 500 newspaper apps. He is currently the president of Sonco Gaming Inc. and is a member of NSCAD’s Board of Governors. Founded in 1995, Sonco Gaming is a company engaged in the ownership, operation and development of gaming properties. It has and continues to be active in joint ventures with major multi-national gaming/entertainment companies, Aboriginal groups and First Nations, and other interested parties.

Anthony is an art collector with interests in Canadian mid-century artists and emerging global contemporary art. He recently completed three terms on the Board of the Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery in Toronto. While raised and educated in Halifax, he currently resides in Toronto with his wife and three children.

Committee bios

Arzu Ozkal is a design educator, researcher and creative facilitator whose work traverses the fields of design, contemporary art, and design activism. Her work explores forms of creative and critical outcomes through social participation. She uses a wide range of media to create experiences to initiate meaningful engagements with the public.

Arzu’s latest project, Situated Between, a three-volume limited-edition publication with Tricia Treacy, is in international and national permanent collections, including Thomas J. Watson Library, The Met; School of the Art Institute of Chicago, SAIC, Joan Flasch Artist Book Collection. She co-edited Gün, Women’s Networks: Turkey (2011) with Dr. Claudia Costa Pederson, extending the ‘language of crafts’ among networked women working with contemporary media, and co-edited Cabaret Voltaire: Fluxus West, San Diego and the Southern California Mail Art (2022) with Mila Waldeck investigating 1970s xerographed, radical mail-art zine, CabVolt.

Ozkal is associate professor of graphic design at San Diego State University School of Art and Design, and the chair of Arts Alive SDSU, a campus initiative to support arts-centric research and project development.

Sylvia Parris-Drummond is the CEO of the Delmore “Buddy” Daye Learning Institute and a member of NSCAD’s Board of Governors. Her work in education and the community is rooted in core Africentric Principles. She has a successful history of collaboration with the communities and stakeholders with whom she has worked. Through her extensive public sector involvement, Ms. Parris-Drummond has gained a deep understanding and appreciation for what it takes to conduct policy analysis, oversee publishing projects, and develop and implement education, multicultural and diversity programs.

Known for getting things done in a thoughtful, respectful and engaging way, she has been actively involved across a broad range of community initiatives and organizations such as Akoma Family Centre and Holdings, FEEDNS, the NS Early Childhood Intervention Services, the Black Business Initiative Community Investment Fund and the NS Mass Choir. She has worked for both municipal (Halifax Regional Municipality) and provincial governments (Departments of Education and Justice) as well as the Nova Scotia Community College. Sylvia is proud that during her time at provincial government she founded and was supported by sistahs to

develop the African Canadian Women in the Public Service (ACWPS).

Ms. Parris-Drummond holds a Master of Arts degree in lifelong learning –Africentricity from Mount Saint Vincent University, a Master of Education degree in curriculum from St. Mary’s University, and a Bachelor of Science degree in home economics/education from St. Francis Xavier University.

Noelle Peach, NSCAD’s Director of Teaching and Learning, focuses on creating and supporting safe, generative, and dynamic learning experiences for all types of learners. She is also a practicing photographer, primarily engaged with landscapes while experimenting with analogue processes.

Originally from Unama’ki (Cape Breton Island), Noelle was a program developer and instructor with the Vancouver Film School and as a Learning Experience Designer with McGill’s School of Continuing Studies before recently returning to Nova Scotia. She is looking forward to finding new and meaningful ways to engage with the NSCAD community and beyond. Noelle holds a Bachelor of Arts (Adv) degree from Mount Saint Vincent University and a Master of Educational Technology degree from the University of British Columbia. She lives, works, and plays in K’jipuktuk (Halifax, Nova Scotia).

Emma Piirtoniemi is inspired by jewellery’s ability to convey big ideas on an intimate scale and views the discipline as an accessible art form in contemporary culture. Often combining acrylic, glass, and metal in her work, Emma’s technical focus is on carving and forming acrylic, articulating ideas and revealing unexpected qualities of the inertseeming material. Originally from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Emma is a practicing jewellery artist, freelance writer/editor, and curator. Her work sits in private collections in Canada and the United States.

Emma is a recent alumna of the Craft and Design Artist-in-Residence program at Harbourfront Centre in Toronto. She currently serves as Editor-in-Chief/Content Curator of MetalAid Canadian Art Jewellery Network and works as a studio technician in NSCAD’s jewellery department. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from NSCAD with a major in jewellery design and metalsmithing and minor in art history and has exhibited nationally and internationally.

Committee bios

A trailblazer for her generation, Zainub Verjee has built over four decades a formidable reputation as an artist, writer, critic, cultural administrator and public intellectual in Canada and internationally. A thought leader, persuasive champion of arts and advocate for artists rights, Zainub is a firm believer that art is a public good. She has contributed to international instruments of culture such as Status of the Artist and Cultural Diversity and building institutions such as British Columbia Arts Council.

A Senior Fellow of Massey College and a McLaughlin College Fellow, Zainub is the laureate of 2020 Governor General’s Visual and Media Arts Award for Outstanding Contribution. In recognition of her work, OCAD University and NSCAD University conferred on her honorary doctorates.

As a public intellectual, Zainub is at her savvy and insightful best in her commentaries and scholarly writings on the subject of Canadian Art and Culture, especially on constitutional and political economy of Culture in Canada. An influential, thought-provoking and sought-after keynote speaker, Zainub is passionate about cultural institutions, artists rights, labour, cultural policy, contemporary art and cultural diplomacy. Her forthcoming books are: Art after the Virus: The Politics of Imagination (2023-2024); Arts and International Relations -- Art, Artist Networks, Art Institutions (2023-2024); and, In Visible Colours: The making and unmaking of Solidarity (2024).

A multidisciplinary artist, her artistic practice encompasses a fluxus ethos with a critical engagement with language as material and she has an impressive exhibition history that includes MoMA New York, Venice Biennale, Portland Institute of Contemporary Art, Portland US, the Asia Triennial Manchester, Centre d’Art Contemporain de Basse-Normandie, France, Art Gallery of Alberta, Embassy Culture House (London, ON) and Centre A (Vancouver). Her artwork resides in private and public collections.

As a cultural bureaucrat and cultural diplomat, she held senior positions at all levels of government including Department of Canadian Heritage, Canada Council for the Arts, City of Mississauga, International Art Gallery, Lisbon and Western Front, Vancouver. Currently, she is the executive director of Galeries Ontario/ Ontario Galleries – voice of Art Galleries and Art Museums in Canada and a mentor at Action Canada Fellowship Program.

Creative