Katie Swift frowns slightly as she tries to sum up the plot of the new play A Rescue Demonstration. “Basically, it’s the story of two people, an EMT named Edward and a nurse named Mary, who meet at the scene of a tragedy. They’re both at the cusp of a crisis.” She pauses. “But it’s […]
Arts News
Posted inArts + Music
Meet your manga
Running a convention dedicated to Japanese animation and comics comes with a lot of responsibilities. Top of the list is warning the locals. When the Westin Nova Scotian was secured as the location for Halifax’s first-ever anime con, convention chair Lissa Pattillo decided it was important to let the hotel’s staff know what they’d be […]
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Speed dating for the arts
Wipe off those sweaty palms and steady yourself—this is the kind of speed dating that doesn’t require the freshest of breath (though it is appreciated). Head to the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia tonight to speed date arts organizations in the city that are looking for volunteers. You get a match form, they get a […]
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Museum of Natural History not ready for March Break
The kids were promised king cobras. The sign outside the Museum of Natural History announced an appearance by the snakes for the upcoming March break. Sadly, the cobras are cancelled, or at least postponed. The museum, which received about 10,000 visitors during last year’s school vacation, is closed for renovations until late May or early […]
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John Thackara: idea man
John Thackara doesn’t carry a rulebook. When the British-born sustainable design expert visits a city, he looks for people already working on innovative projects, or who have ideas worth exploring. The “guest provocateur” is here for 4 Days, an “unconference” organized by local design firm Breakhouse Inc., intended to open up community conversations about sustainable […]
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Charles Landry speaks in Halifax about great cities
Long before Richard Florida discovered the “creative class” and their predilection for culturally dynamic places, Charles Landry started talking about the “creative city,” referring to the regenerative force of arts and culture in post-industrial cities like Glasgow, Scotland, starting in the late 1980s. The UK writer/thinker will speak to a business luncheon crowd on Tuesday, […]
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Harper’s cuts lower the curtain on arts funding
Arts professionals have been up in arms across the country over the last few months about funding emergencies due to government budget cuts and the economy stalling donations. But how is the economic crisis hitting here in Nova Scotia, where we’re already famous for our lack of arts funding? As one of a couple of […]
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Rust and rescue
A kid stands on the roof of the Halifax North Memorial Public Library on Gottingen and watches the scene of a young woman helping a young man to the top of a 20-foot-high steel monolith play out in the square below. They are local students from Saint Patrick-Alexandra School, cast in bronze. They are unfinished […]
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Art and the city
It’s a telling sign that more than 500 people showed up last Friday in Grand Parade to protest federal arts funding cuts and to rally around the concept of “Vote Arts,” and yet, six hours later, only about 40 to 50 people attended a District 12 municipal candidates debate, hosted at NSCAD University by that […]
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Eleanor King on arms-length arts funding
The city needs an arts council. All major cities in Canada have three-tiered funding opportunities, Federal, Provincial and Municipal. In Halifax, we don’t have municipal funding. An arms-length body would also bring respect and professionalism to arts funding in this town! Right now the city offers $500 if you want to paint a mural on […]
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All-party culture club
It’s hardly news to say the arts don’t rank as a top-level issue in the current federal election campaign. But, when asked, each of the four local candidates vying to represent the riding of Halifax in the next Parliament can produce a platform or set of numbers relating to their party’s supposedly solid position on […]
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Spaced out
At a Christmas party held earlier in December, hosted by the Cultural Federations of Nova Scotia, artist Jim MacSwain smiles and mingles with peers and friends. It’s a sharp contrast to his demeanour back in October, when he joined fellow artist Suzanne Swannie at her home to talk about the loss of their studios last […]