A major cultural centre within the maritime provinces, Halifax is home to many performance and entertainment venues including the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium, the Neptune Theatre, and The Music Room. It is also the birthplace of a number of well known musical artists (Joel Plaskett, April Wine, Sloan). Halifax is a popular tourist destination with many beautiful indoor and outdoor sites to explore.

ART GALLERIES AND MUSEUMS

• Established in 1908, the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia is located in the downtown core of the city, and also features a second branch in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, which is situated across the water from Maine, USA. The largest art museum in the Maritimes, the AGNS is housed in the Dominion Building, a historic piece of architecture erected in 1865. In 1998 the gallery was extended to include multiple floors in a second building located across from the first, separated by a public outdoor area that serves as a sculpture garden and temporary exhibit space.

  The gallery's collection of more than 15,000 artworks includes pieces by Arthur Lismer, Maud Lewis, J.E.H. MacDonald, and Joshua Reynolds, as well as Inuit stone carvings, Nova Scotian folk art, and a collection of Annie Leibovitz's famous photographs.

• Gallery Page and Strange is run by two graduates of the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. The gallery opened in 2005 and has since held exhibits that showcased the work of famous Canadian artists like Joe Fafard, as well as young contemporaries who are from or studied in the Maritimes, such as Jack Bishop, Rob MacInnis, and Sara Caracristi.

• A gallery that promotes its pieces as affordable fine art, Art 1274 Hollis is an artist co-operative, which means the space is owned and operated by local artists. The gallery features painted works in oil, acrylic, and watercolour, jewelry, pottery, glasswork, and more, all created by the 24 participating artists.

• Just across the street from the co-operative is Studio 21, a gallery that shows exclusively Canadian contemporary art. The gallery provides art, appraisals, and consulting to private individuals and commercial businesses, and has held exhibits features the work of landscape painter Stephen Hutchings, impressionist Mark Grantham, and abstract digital painter Alex Livingston, to name only a few.

• The Khyber is another artist-run centre dedicated to promoting critical artistic thought and showcasing contemporary art to the public. The non-commercial gallery hosts exhibits, as well as artist talks and children's programming. The space is housed in the Khyber building, a historic landmark build in 1888.

• Argyle Fine Art
• Nova Scotia Center for Craft and Design
• Anna Leonowins Gallery
• Zwicker's Art Gallery
• Nova Scotia Museum
• Discovery Centre
• Maritime Museum of the Atlantic
• Dartmouth Heritage Museum
• Army Museum, Halifax Citadel
• Africville Museum
• Shearwater Aviation Museum

Halifax,Nova Scotia

ARTISTIC INSTITUTIONS

• Established in 1887 as the Victoria School of Art and Design, the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, better known as NSCAD, offers Bachelor of Fine Art, Design, and Art History, as well as Master's of Fine Art and Design. Students can follow concentrations in many specific fields, including undergraduate programs in drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, jewellery design, textiles, design, photography, film and intermedia.

  In addition to the many educational programs offered at the Granville Street campus, the school is also home to a collection of historic art and ceramics, contemporary art, and prints, which are showcased in the Anna Leonowens Gallery. A second gallery exhibits the work of students, faculty, and visiting artists.

• Dalhousie University opened in 1818, and offers more than 4,000 courses to nearly 20,000 graduate and undergraduate students over four campuses. It boasts a large library containing more than one million printed materials, as well as the Dalhousie Art Gallery, which is located in the Dalhousie Arts Centre. The school is repeated ranked as one of the best universities in the country.

  Within the department of Arts and Social Sciences, students can receive a major or minor in Creative Writing, Theatre, and Film Studies. The university also offers a degree in Costume Studies, and considers its program the only of its kind in Canada.

• Art classes in various media and the Summer School of the Arts at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia.
• Expressions of Colour Art Studio offers acrylic painting classes, workshops and retreats.
• Adult and youth classes in paintings and drawing are offered at the Peggy-Lynn Holland Studio in Bedford.
• At 4Cats Halifax, adults can take painting or printmaking classes, and children can enrol in mixed media, graffiti, or watercolour courses.
• At the Nova Scotia Center for Craft and Design, take a course in woodworking, pottery, metalsmithing, mosaics, stained glass, or weaving.

NATIVE ARTISTS

There are plenty of artistic people originally from, or currently living in Halifax, Nova Scotia!

• Owen McCarron (1929-2005) was a cartoonist and publisher whose body of work included art for Marvel and DC Comics.

• Considered one of Canada's "foremost" contemporary photographers, George Steeves' work has been exhibited in many galleries including the Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography in Ottawa.

• Gerald Ferguson (1937-2009) was a conceptual painter whose work is included in the collections of MoMA, the National Gallery of Canada, and other international galleries.

• Initially a sculptor who then became a "pioneer" of digital art, Sarah Jackson's (1924-2004) last sculptures (bronze, mythological figure) are in the permanent collection of the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia.

• Actor Ellen Page, and musicians Jenn Grant, Holly Cole, Sarah McLachlan, and Joel Plaskett.

ART AND CULTURAL EVENTS

Annual Events

• The Nocturne art event is held each October, and brings visitors to the city's downtown after nightfall to view the best of the local visual arts scene, free of charge. Light installations line the streets, galleries stay open late, and a map directs guests through the participating spaces around the neighbourhood.

• Created to explore and celebrate adventurous music and art, the OBEY Convention began in 2007 and takes place at a variety of venues around the city. The convention features artist talks, live musical talent, workshops, and other thought-provoking events and takes place in May. Half the events held during the four day festival are free of charge.

• Afrifest is an annual three-day event held in July that celebrates the art and culture of African heritage in Halifax. In addition to the show and sale of traditional and contemporary African arts and crafts, the festival features performing art and musical entertainment. The entire event is free to the public, and hopes to encourage interest in and promote travel to Africa from Canada.

Other Events and Sights to See

• Tap your toes at the Maritime Fiddle Fest each July.
• The Halifax International Busker Festival takes place over six days each summer.
• Wander through the peaceful Halifax Public Gardens and enjoy the sweet scent of flowers, the babble of the creek, and see the historic bandstand, built in 1887.
• The Alexander Keith's Brewery immerses guests in the mid 19th century with tours by actors in full period costume!
• Take in a classical or contemporary show at the largest professional theatre company in Atlantic Canada, Neptune Theatre.
• Trek up to visit Citadel Hill, situated right in the middle of the city. Mind your ears: the cannon goes off at noon!
• The CSS Acadia was launched in 1913, and now sits docked behind the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, open for tours.
• For more great things to see and do in Halifax, visit Destination Halifax.

The historic Halifax Clock Tower

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