Alan Syliboy, 2024 Portia White Prize

Welcome to a special series of Art Pays Me interviews with the winners of the 2024 Creative Nova Scotia Awards. Presented annually by Arts Nova Scotia and the Creative Nova Scotia Leadership Council, these awards celebrate artistic excellence across Mi'kma'ki. Alan Syliboy grew up believing that native art was generic.  “As a youth, I found painting difficult and painful, because I was unsure of my identity.” But his confidence grew in 1972 when he studied privately with Shirley Bear. He then attended the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, where 25 years later, he was invited to sit on the Board of Governors. Syliboy looked to the indigenous Mi’kmaq petroglyph tradition for inspiration and developed his own artistic vocabulary out of those forms. His popularization of these symbolic icons has conferred on them a mainstream legitimacy that restores community pride in its Mi’kmaq heritage. Alan still lives and works in Millbrook, NS, where he was born and raised.  He creates his art in his studio in Truro, NS. This special episode would not be possible without the support of Arts Nova Scotia and the Creative Nova Scotia Leadership Council, and the fantastic production work of Heist and Keke Beatz.

Ariana Roberts is a Canadian makeup artist, currently based in Halifax, working primarily in film and TV. Born in Edmonton, and raised in Baltimore, Halifax and two years in Bolgatanga, Ghana. While pursuing a double major in Linguistics and Anthropology at Concordia University in Montréal, she decided to switch gears and went to makeup school at the Blanche MacDonald Centre in Vancouver. She quickly moved to Toronto and worked her way into the indie film industry, cutting her teeth working largely on horror films. After a break from film, she ended up back in Halifax and back in the film industry.

Welcome to a special series of Art Pays Me interviews with the winners of the 2024 Creative Nova Scotia Awards. Presented annually by Arts Nova Scotia and the Creative Nova Scotia Leadership Council, these awards celebrate artistic excellence across Mi'kma'ki. Tim Crofts is a first generation Canadian of British and Indian descent. He is an improviser, a traditional non-traditionalist, and/or a non-traditional traditionalist. Tim explores the full sonic capabilities of the acoustic piano through extended techniques and a wide range of piano preparations. He is able to coax a variety of colour and extreme dynamic contrast through employing traditional and non-traditional techniques in tandem.  He has performed in numerous settings and collaborated with numerous new music, and improvised organizations including suddenlyLISTEN, Upstream, and the Creative Music Workshop. Crofts is also committed to teaching and mentoring in creative music, and the development of a personal voice.   This special episode would not be possible without the support of Arts Nova Scotia and the Creative Nova Scotia Leadership Council, and the fantastic production work of Heist and Keke Beatz.

Welcome to a special series of Art Pays Me interviews with the winners of the 2024 Creative Nova Scotia Awards. Presented annually by Arts Nova Scotia and the Creative Nova Scotia Leadership Council, these awards celebrate artistic excellence across Mi'kma'ki. On this episode I spoke with musician and Prix Grand-Pré recipient, Robert Deveaux. This special episode would not be possible without the support of Arts Nova Scotia and the Creative Nova Scotia Leadership Council, and the fantastic production work of Heist and Keke Beatz.

Welcome to a special series of Art Pays Me interviews with the winners of the 2024 Creative Nova Scotia Awards. Presented annually by Arts Nova Scotia and the Creative Nova Scotia Leadership Council, these awards celebrate artistic excellence across Mi'kma'ki. On this episode I spoke with Emerging Artist Award recipient, Lux Gow-Habrich (星尘), a multidisciplinary visual artist, facilitator and support worker of mixed second-generation Chinese and German heritage, practicing between Tkarón:to (Toronto, ON) and Kjipuktuk (Halifax, NS). They blend gestural, craft and creative community practices to redefine our understanding of art and cultural praxis as sacred remedial forces that can deeply transform and mend systems and relationships. Lux’s interest in the body as archive, cultural objects and commemorative practices weave together complex diasporic experiences of loss and belonging, and embodied hybridization in blood and spirit - to unearth individual and collective untold stories and unspoken legacies of disabled, queer grief and empowerment. Committed to developing inclusive creative platforms, and reimagining cultural futures, Lux’s practice is an expression rooted in relational and access dreaming. This special episode would not be possible without the support of Arts Nova Scotia and the Creative Nova Scotia Leadership Council, and the fantastic production work of Heist and Keke Beatz.

Andrea Tsang Jackson is a textile artist, quilt designer, author and educator. After working in various design fields and settings ranging from architecture to museums, the quilting medium called to her as a way to explore place, belonging, and agency. Andrea and I have now become good art friends since her first appearance on the show. This time we talked about her new book, Quilting: A Modern Creative Journey through an Age-Old Craft, making public art and a collaboration we have in the works.

Chanelle Jefferson is a Canadian mixed media artist and counsellor whose work explores themes of healing, emotion, and connection. Her art has been exhibited internationally, including at Museo Bellini (Florence, Italy), and is held in private collections such as those of Pete Luckett and the MacKay-Lyons family. She was the 2023 Artist-in-Residence at the Lunenburg School of the Arts, where she deepened her exploration of intuitive art. Through The Grief Project and commissioned works, Chanelle continues to push the boundaries of how art can hold space for transformation.

Welcome to a special series of Art Pays Me interviews with the winners of the 2024 Creative Nova Scotia Awards. Presented annually by Arts Nova Scotia and the Creative Nova Scotia Leadership Council, these awards celebrate artistic excellence across Mi'kma'ki. This would not be possible without the fantastic production work of Heist and Keke Beatz. On this episode I spoke with 2024 Indigenous Artist recognition Award recipient, Stephanie Joline, an Indigenous filmmaker based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. This is Stephanie’s second time on the show so it was great to catch up with her and get vulnerable about feeling like an outsider and deserving of awards. Equally adept at film and television, Stephanie's stories provoke conversation, break boundaries, and are deeply rooted in inclusivity and feminism. Her feature films include Night Blooms (2022), a coming-of-age story set in the 1990s, and Play Your Gender (2016), a documentary that pulls back the curtain on gender bias in the music industry. Stephanie has also directed for television and streaming platforms; (Women of This Land 2024, CBC; Words Matter 2022, CBC Gem; Stream Me 2020, Amazon Prime; Farm Crime 2020, CBC Gem; Spirit Talker 2019, APTN). In 2020, she was awarded the Irving Avrich Award from TIFF, recognizing rising Canadian talent. The following year, she was long-listed for the DGC Discovery Award, and in 2022, she received Best Nova Scotia Director from Women in Film and TV Atlantic and won her first Canadian Screen Award for directing in the factual television category. Stephanie's newest releases include I Place You Into the Fire, which weaves together documentary and animation as Mi'kmaw poet Rebecca Thomas illuminates the ongoing impact of colonization and shares insight into her world as an Indigenous artist. Brought to life by three Indigenous illustrators, the film offers a poignant exploration of empathy and justice. And Women of This Land, a documentary series that spotlights the resilience and cultural richness of Indigenous women in Atlantic Canada as they share their stories of connection to land and heritage.

Aux Tale Gravy Music Group is a Toronto-based record label, dedicated to developing richness, shifting the culture and changing the status quo in world music. From their cookhouse to the world, Aux Tale Gravy’s dynamic team shares a signature ‘one pot’ recipe of simmering spices, serving a variety of cultural music dishes that ‘feed the people’, everywhere. Aux Tale Gravy is passionate about working with an authentic roster of artists, creating lasting ‘legacy work’ preserving unique sounds in an international commercial music landscape. Our conversation revolves around the formation and vision of Aux Tale Gravy their roots in Nova Scotia. The label, founded by Reid, NIV, and Kayla, aims to support artists from diverse backgrounds, particularly those from Black and Brown communities. They emphasize a strategic approach to marketing, focusing on authenticity and cultural heritage. The label's name, Aux Tale, symbolizes elevating artists from humble beginnings to prominence. They are currently in a niche selection process for new artists, prioritizing those who align with their vision. The discussion also touches on the importance of ethical practices, teamwork, maintaining authenticity and their artist Siddartha.

Welcome to a special series of Art Pays Me interviews with the winners of the 2024 Creative Nova Scotia Awards. Presented annually by Arts Nova Scotia and the Creative Nova Scotia Leadership Council, these awards celebrate artistic excellence across Mi'kma'ki. This would not be possible without the fantastic production work of Heist and Keke Beatz. On this episode I spoke with Established Artist Award recipient, Susanne Chui.  A central figure in Halifax’s contemporary dance community, Susanne became Co-Artistic Director of Mocean Dance in 2012. With Mocean, Susanne has developed roles in works by Heidi Strauss, Serge Bennathan, Tedd Robinson, Lesandra Dodson and Claire French, and co-created Burnwater: Alchemy with Erin Donovan (Hear Here Productions). Susanne trained professionally at the School of Toronto Dance Theatre and was based in Toronto from 1999-2007. During that time she danced for many independent choreographers and extensively with Yvonne Ng, with whom she toured to Singapore in 2005. She was a founding member of TILT: sound + motion dance company, where she had the pleasure of performing works by some of Canada’s finest choreographers including, Robert Abubo, Marie-Julie Asselin, Bill Coleman, Lesandra Dodson, Deborah Dunn, Sasha Ivanochko, Sharon Moore, and Heidi Strauss. Since returning to Halifax, Susanne has become immersed in the dance community collaborating with dance artists Jacinte Armstrong, Lesandra Dodson, Veronique MacKenzie, Gwen Noah Dance, Phin Performing Arts, as well as with SiNS, a collective she co-founded in 2005 with Jacinte Armstrong and Sara Coffin. Susanne collaborates across disciplines, working regularly with master musician Jerry Granelli and teaching at Creative Music Workshop, an annual improvisation-based summer program. As a choreographer she has received funding from Canada Council for the Arts and Arts Nova Scotia and her works have been presented in Moncton, Toronto and in Halifax by Kinetic Studio and the TD Halifax Jazz Festival. She was the first recipient of Kinetic Studio’s Explorations Choreographic Scholarship and was the 2012 recipient of the Diane Moore Creation Scholarship. In 2016 she received the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia’s Masterworks Award, for her role as a dancer in Mocean’s Canvas 5 x 5, choreographed by Tedd Robinson. An active arts manager, Susanne has worked in various roles in the arts community. She has served on the boards of Live Art Dance Productions, Kinetic Studio and the Legacy Centre for the Performing Arts, and participated on various committees and juries including Arts Nova Scotia, City of Halifax, Nova Scotia Talent Trust and the Canadian Dance Assembly. She is a member of Dancer Transition Resource Centre, Canadian Alliance of Dance Artists and Canadian Dance Assembly.