Visual Arts News

Visual Arts News Atlantic Canada’s visual arts magazine. Published by Visual Arts Nova Scotia.

Visual Arts News is a member of Magazines Canada and can be purchased at newsstands across Canada. VANS greatly acknowledges the support of the Nova Scotia Department of Communities, Culture and Heritage.

We are getting started on the next issue of the magazine and are opening a call for pitches.We want to hear from writers...
04/20/2026

We are getting started on the next issue of the magazine and are opening a call for pitches.

We want to hear from writers, artists, and critics who are paying attention to what is happening across Atlantic Canada. That might mean spending time with an artist's work, spending time with a show, or following an idea that keeps unfolding. We are interested in writing that feels close to the work and rooted in the Maritimes.

We publish features, profiles, and exhibition reviews. We also commission online-only pieces throughout the year.

As always, we prioritize work that challenges white supremacy and colonialism. Our approach is grounded in anti-oppression and anti-racism, and we support Indigenous sovereignty, Black liberation, Q***r positivity, and gender diversity.

Pitch deadline: May 8, 2026
Draft deadline: June 10, 2026
Release date: September 15, 2026

Questions can be directed to Andrea at [email protected]

Submit your pitches here:
https://forms.gle/MPqkGyfKQp73U3EZ6

We are getting started on the next issue of the magazine and are opening a call for pitches.We want to hear from writers...
04/20/2026

We are getting started on the next issue of the magazine and are opening a call for pitches.

We want to hear from writers, artists, and critics who are paying attention to what is happening across Atlantic Canada. That might mean spending time with an artist's work, spending time with a show, or following an idea that keeps unfolding. We are interested in writing that feels close to the work and rooted in the Maritimes.

We publish features, profiles, and exhibition reviews. We also commission online-only pieces throughout the year.

As always, we prioritise work that challenges white supremacy and colonialism. Our approach is grounded in anti-oppression and anti-racism, and we support Indigenous sovereignty, Black liberation, Q***r positivity, and gender diversity.

Pitch deadline: May 8, 2026
Draft deadline: June 10, 2026
Release date: September 15, 2026

Questions can be directed to Andrea at [email protected]

VANSMagazine VisualArtsNS ArtCriticism

VISUAL ARTS NEWS VOLUME 48 NO. 1 SPRING/SUMMER 2026 is out now
03/28/2026

VISUAL ARTS NEWS VOLUME 48 NO. 1 SPRING/SUMMER 2026 is out now

BUDGET UPDATE – KEEP THE PRESSURE ON!Thank you to everyone who showed up at the rallies and contacted their MLA, the Pre...
03/08/2026

BUDGET UPDATE – KEEP THE PRESSURE ON!

Thank you to everyone who showed up at the rallies and contacted their MLA, the Premier, and ministers to protest these devastating budget cuts. MLAs are feeling the pressure; some have publicly said the cuts surprised them. If you haven't acted yet, there's still time. Contact your MLA again (or for the first time) and tell them: arts, culture, and heritage are the heart of Nova Scotia. They can still do better.

Next steps:

Join the inclusive, intersectional rally
Tuesday, March 10 at noon
Province House, Halifax
One hour. Peaceful. Critical mass.
When our communities are attacked, our environment, cultural groups, seniors, children, workers, and people with disabilities, we must speak with one voice. Show all MLAs that Tim Houston's budget cannot pass. They can stand up for their communities and make the right decision.

Call and email your reps
Premier Tim Houston: [email protected] | 902-424-6600
Minister Dave Ritcey (CCTH): [email protected] | 902-897-0884
Minister John Lohr (Finance): [email protected] | 902-424-5554
Find your MLA: enstools.electionsnovascotia.ca/edinfo
Template letters are in our bio.

Speak at public bills
Call 902-424-8941 and request to speak on the Financial Measures Act. Remote presentations are available. If that's not possible, ask that your communication to your MLA be read into Hansard, so your words become part of the public record.

More resources and full statements are linked in our bio.

Culture is critical. 

URGENT: Nova Scotia's proposed budget is a disaster for arts, culture, and communities.The provincial budget cuts will h...
03/03/2026

URGENT: Nova Scotia's proposed budget is a disaster for arts, culture, and communities.

The provincial budget cuts will hit the Arts, Culture, and Heritage sector hard, undoing decades of work building a sustainable arts community. The ripple effects will be severe: organisations will dissolve, artists will leave the province, tourism will drop, and communities will suffer.

This includes cutting the Artists in the Schools program, which would end VANS' PAINTS program running for nearly 20 years, connecting professional artists with students across Nova Scotia.

These cuts also harm equity-deserving communities, including African Nova Scotian and L'Nu affairs. And they ignore that artists are small business owners who generate real economic activity.

But we can still fight this. Here's how YOU can help:

Call and email your reps
Premier Tim Houston: [email protected] | 902-424-6600
Minister Dave Ritcey (CCTH): [email protected] | 902-897-0884
Minister John Lohr (Finance): [email protected] | 902-424-5554
Find your MLA: enstools.electionsnovascotia.ca/edinfo
Template letter links are in our bio.

Show up in person
Join the rally at Province House in Halifax this Wednesday, March 4 at 12 PM.

 

Rallies are also happening in Wolfville, Annapolis Royal, Truro, Yarmouth, Shelburne, Sydney, Antigonish, Liverpool, and New Glasgow.

 

Bring your voice. Bring your people.

Fill out the Impact Survey
Link in bio to share how these cuts affect you; every story matters.

Share your voice online
Use graphics from the NS Arts Coalition (link in bio) and post in solidarity.

Read VANS' full statement via the link in our bio.

 

This is about the future of arts in Nova Scotia. It's not too late to do better.

HOW CAN YOU HELP?THE BUDGET HASN’T PASSED…YET. VANS, along with the NS Arts Coalition and arts organisations around the ...
02/27/2026

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

THE BUDGET HASN’T PASSED…YET. VANS, along with the NS Arts Coalition and arts organisations around the province, is mobilising the community and our allies to implore the government to reverse the cuts to our sector. Arts and Culture adds $989 million to the province’s GDP and accounts for more than 14,000 jobs, employing more people than farming, fishing and forestry combined. Act today to help save NS arts!

Write and call your reps
Call and email the premier and your MLA today to tell them to stop these cuts and save NS arts! A template letter you can use to send to your MLA can be found here:www.nsarts.ca and the contact info for all MLAs can be found here: https://nslegislature.ca/members/profiles. It is especially important that anyone who lives in a Conservative riding writes to their MLA with this information, or asks to speak with them on this topic! Please share widely and ensure that anyone in these areas has access to these tools.

Rally for the Arts
Join us at the rally at Province House in Halifax on Wednesday, March 4th at noon. Please bring as many people as you can! Let’s raise our voices together and say that Arts and Culture are part of what will make Nova Scotia strong, economically, and in every other way.

 

This is a call for action from all of us involved in the arts and culture community in Halifax and the entire province. ...
02/17/2026

This is a call for action from all of us involved in the arts and culture community in Halifax and the entire province. 
 
Arts funding at BOTH the Municipal and Provincial levels is under threat. 

Budget season for both municipalities and the province is upon us and there has been talk of a 10% reduction in funding, including in project grants, in an effort to cost-save.

So we're asking for your help in sending a letter to the HRM Council and your local MLA to encourage them not to go through with such cuts.

Links to letter templates that you are welcome to use, which also include the email addresses of HRM Council/Mayor

Discover 100% Canadian Handmade at Toronto Market Week 🇨🇦🧶Signatures’ By Hand Gift Show is back Jan 24-27 at The Interna...
01/16/2026

Discover 100% Canadian Handmade at Toronto Market Week 🇨🇦🧶Signatures’ By Hand Gift Show is back Jan 24-27 at The International Centre in Mississauga, ON.

By Hand is a thoughtfully-curated gift show celebrating Canadian makers, designers, and creative entrepreneurs. Bringing together a diverse mix of Canadian handmade goods, small-batch products, and emerging brands, the show offers a discovery-driven shopping experience that connects buyers directly with the people behind the work. From unique gifts to beautifully made everyday pieces, By Hand is where craftsmanship, creativity, and community come together.

Learn more at byhand.ca. Artisan applications for the August By Hand show open in Feb!

More on Mapping Black Resilience: Three Perspectives written by Marite Kuus in the Fall 2025 magazine. With a spotlight ...
10/14/2025

More on Mapping Black Resilience: Three Perspectives written by Marite Kuus in the Fall 2025 magazine.

With a spotlight on Chantal Gibson’s work

Grab a print/digital copy of the magazine via the link in our bio!

Mapping Black Resilience: Three Perspectives.recollects the exhibition at Dalhousie Art Gallery, which ran from February...
10/09/2025

Mapping Black Resilience: Three Perspectives.
recollects the exhibition at Dalhousie Art Gallery, which ran from February 4 until May 4, 2025.

“An exhibition in three acts which independently, yet in tandem, reconsider archival material and its role in documenting and re-documenting Black identity.”

Written by Marite Kuus .6

In these images, we see the work of Oluseye: By Faith and Grit curated by Pamela Edmonds. seye

Oluseye is a Nigerian-Canadian artist and is in these images, highlighting stories of Black rurality and contemporary Black farmers.

More on this piece to come!
to access print and digital copy options of the magazine head to the link in our bio 🔗

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