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Claire

Extended Hours on Thursdays

By News

MSVU Art Gallery is now open later on Thursdays!
Our new hours are:

Tuesday  11:00am-3:00pm
Wednesday  11:00am-3:00pm
Thursday  11:00am-5:00pm
Friday  11:00am-3:00pm
Saturday  11:00am-3:00pm
Sunday  closed
Monday  closed

Call for Proposals – Mural at MSVU

By News

2023 marks the 150th anniversary of Mount Saint Vincent University (MSVU) and to commemorate the occasion, the university is seeking proposals by professional artist for a two-dimensional interior mural. The mural is commissioned by MSVU and the project is administered by MSVU Art Gallery. Explicit or thematic acknowledgement of the university’s 150th anniversary is not required, nor is representational or figurative imagery, and artists are encouraged to interpret the Call creatively. Full details are included in the Call for Proposals information package located on this page.

 

Submission Deadline: November 1, 2023 at 11:00pm ADT

Project Timeline: November 20, 2023 – January 12, 2024

Artist Fees: $5335

Access: If you have questions, need assistance, or if any aspect of the submission process is inaccessible to you, please don’t hesitate to reach out, Gallery staff are happy to help! Contacting us via email (art.gallery@msvu.ca) is the best first step and from there we can arrange to connect via phone or video chat, etc, if you prefer.

Introducing MSVUAG’s new Director – Melanie Colosimo

By News

From Dr. Carrie Dawson, MSVU Dean of Arts and Sciences:

To the MSVU Art Gallery community,

I am thrilled to introduce Melanie Colosimo as the new Director of MSVU Art Gallery! Melanie comes to MSVUAG from NSCAD University, where she was the Director/Curator of the Anna Leonowens Gallery since 2014. At NSCAD, she oversaw the installation of over 1500 exhibitions and 250 public events, and broadened the Anna Leonowens’ program offerings by spearheading the community-centered Art Bar+Projects, the NSCAD Treaty Space Gallery, and developing an online certificate program in Gallery and Studio Management.

While Melanie has played a central role in shaping NSCAD’s creative vision, she also helped steer its academic mission and held the position of Interim Academic Dean from January 2023 until her departure.

Melanie notes, “I am thrilled to join the community at MSVU and the Gallery team. I have long admired the mandate and mission of MSVU Art Gallery and its legacy of championing women and diverse artists from the Atlantic. As a practicing artist whose work has been focused on the uniqueness of this region, I look forward to continuing this legacy!”
Melanie begins in her role at MSVUAG at the end of July – please stop by the Gallery to say “hello!” or she can be reached at melanie.colosimo@msvu.ca.

Sincerely,
Carrie

 

About Melanie Colosimo

Born and based in Kjipuktuk/Halifax, Melanie Colosimo balances a career in arts administration and as an artist. For over 15 years she has been championing the Atlantic Canadian arts community from volunteering on boards, mentoring emerging artists, participating in juries, teaching and through her numerous roles and initiatives at NSCAD University. In the studio, she creates drawings, soft sculptures and installations that are shaped by the resourcefulness and legacy of labour in Atlantic Canada. These works address themes of collectivity, power and care.

Melanie received a BFA from Mount Allison University (2006) and an MFA from the University of Windsor (2011). Her work has been presented nationally and internationally in venues such as the Art Gallery of Windsor, the Bonavista Biennale, and the Guangdong Museum of Art and the He Xiangning Art Museum in China. She has participated in multiple artist residencies, including the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity and the Vermont Studio Centre in Johnson, Vermont. She represented Atlantic Canada on the 2017 and 2020 Sobey Art Award long-list.

 

Call for Expressions of Interest

By News

MSVU Art Gallery seeks Expressions of Interest from artists, proposing graphic design concepts for limited-edition merchandise. The merchandise, t-shirts and tote bags, will be produced by MSVU Art Gallery as part of its 50th anniversary activities. Artists are encouraged to interpret this call broadly and creatively.

 

The submission and selection process has three phases:

  • Artists are invited to submit expressions of interest.
  • Expressions of interest will be reviewed by a selection committee and selected artists will be invited to submit a completed design proposal for consideration. These artists will be offered a $25 fee upon submission of their proposal (please see below for information on proposal requirements).
  • The selection committee will review the submitted proposals and select five final designs, which will be printed on ten t-shirts and ten tote bags as limited-edition commemorative merchandise.

Artists’ expressions of interest should provide a general description of their design concept and outline how they envision it printed on both t-shirts and tote bags. While each design is ultimately the artist’s creation, artists are asked to consider the following:

  • Explicit or thematic acknowledgement of MSVU Art Gallery’s 50th anniversary is not required but final designs must incorporate the MSVU Art Gallery 50th anniversary logo in some visible capacity (see below)
  • A maximum of three colors may be used in the composition
  • Selected designs will be printed on black t-shirts and unbleached cotton canvas totes

Artist Fees

$25 proposal fee will be offered to every artist who is invited to submit a completed design proposal for consideration (invitations will be capped at 100 artists).

$600 artist fee will be offered to the five artists whose designs are selected and produced as limited-edition merchandise.

 

How to Apply

Expressions of interest must include the following:

  • Your name, address, phone number and email address
  • Material that provides some insight into you and your practice (e.g. a CV, resume, artist website and/or other similar information)
  • A brief statement describing your design concept and how you envision it printed on both t-shirts and tote bags (150 words max)
  • Sketches and images are welcome, but not necessary

All submission components, including images, should be compiled in a single PDF document. The PDF file name and email subject line should both be “Merchandise Design EOI – Your Name”.

Expressions of interest should be emailed to cinthia.ariasauz@msvu.ca by March 2, 2022 at 12:00pm AST.

 


 

Artists whose expressions of interest are selected to be developed into a completed design proposal will be contacted by March 4 and asked to submit the following by March 14:

  • Three images of relevant work, labelled with the title, year and medium (if applicable)
  • A statement describing your design concept – this can be an expanded version of the statement included in your expression of interest (400 words max)
  • A maximum of 3 visual representations (sketches, drawings, collages, etc.) of your proposed design, as fully rendered and print-ready as possible

 

~ ~ ~ If you have questions, need assistance, or if any aspect of this submission process is inaccessible to you, please don’t hesitate to reach out, Gallery staff are happy to help! Contacting us via email (cinthia.ariasauz@msvu.ca) is the best first step and from there we can arrange to connect via phone or video chat, etc. ~ ~ ~

 

 

Gallery Re-opening

By News

On November 13, MSVU Art Gallery re-opens its doors for the first time since March 2020. COVID-19 safety measures are in place for the health and wellness of all visitors. For detailed information on these protocols please visit the Plan Your Visit page.