Gallery Features Peter Bustin’s Figurines

The works of Halifax-based Peter Bustin, who rejuvenates the art of the ceramic figurine, are being featured this month at the Nova Scotia Centre for Craft and Design.

Peter Bustin: Figure/figurine will run until Saturday, March 24, in the Mary E. Black Gallery.

Artist and educator Neil Forrest, curator of the event, says Mr. Bustin occupies a unique place in ceramics. He “rejuvenates the art of the ceramic figurine in a time when there is a notable scarcity of the human figure in the three-dimensional arts,” Mr. Forrest says in his catalogue essay accompanying the exhibition.

Small sculptures in ceramic have a long tradition of edging the craft''s ideas into the related areas of the portrait, the nude and the decorative arts. Mr. Bustin, a graduate of the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, is one of the few Canadian artists who deals with these issues.

His exhibit occupies the unique position of being the first solo show in the history of the Mary E. Black Gallery. Previously, the gallery had focused on small groups or juried shows.

The Mary E. Black Gallery is in the Nova Scotia Centre for Craft and Design at 1683 Barrington St., Halifax. As a program of the Department of Tourism and Culture, the centre develops and promotes Nova Scotia industries related to craft and design.

The public is invited to view Peter Bustin: Figure/figurine in the Mary E. Black Gallery Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.