Four Young Artists to Represent Province at Summer Games
TOURISM/CULTURE--Four Young Artists to Represent Province at Summer Games
Four young Nova Scotian artists have been selected to represent the province as part of the Canada Summer Games in London, Ontario, in August.
Laura Arsenault, Alex MacCaull, Emma Kathleen Slipp and Jennifer LeBlanc will remain in London for the duration of the games, to interpret their experience through the arts.
"We are pleased the Canada Summer Games is providing an opportunity not only for young Canadian athletes to gather, but also for emerging artists to explore and develop their talents," said Rodney MacDonald, Minister of Tourism and Culture. "It is an exciting opportunity for young artists to collaborate with their peers from across the country while experiencing and interpreting the games."
The department selected Nova Scotia’s representatives through an application process in which submissions were reviewed by a panel of four professional artists. The four young artists will travel with Team Nova Scotia and stay in the athletes’ village from August 11 to 25.
Laura Arsenault, Scotsburn, is a modern dancer and Grade 12 student at Pictou District High School, where she participated in the Dance 11 full-credit program. Laura has also studied with professional dance and movement specialists, including Sarah McClure, Sue Lambropoulous, Mary Ellen MacLean and Francine Boucher. She is also the co-founder and current leader of Volition, a youth-based, youth-run, creative dance group that addresses social issues such as racism and equality.
Alex MacCaull, Antigonish, is a musician and composer and Grade 11 student at Dr. John Gillis High School where he has participated in the school band program as a percussionist. Alex has a strong interest in music and technology and enjoys exploring ways to create forms and styles of music made possible by digital technology.
Emma Kathleen Slipp, Wolfville, is an actor and Grade 12 student at Horton High School. She is a member of the Horton Theatre Co- op; has participated for the past three years in the Nova Scotia High School Drama Festival, where she has attended workshops in improvisation; and has participated in the Neptune Theatre School program. Emma is also a member of the Annapolis Valley Honour Choir.
Jennifer LeBlanc, Sydney River, has just graduated from Mount Allison University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. Her concentration was in drawing, photography and sculpture. Her studies at Mount Allison have provided her many opportunities to collaborate with fellow students in group projects. She was also selected to participate in a 48-hour drawing marathon at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, where she worked with nine other artists to undertake a joint installation of art to promote drawing as a diverse medium.
Each time the games are held, a cultural component is included. This year the cultural component is under the banner of the National Artists Program. The program is a federally funded project that offers for four young artists from each Canadian province and territory an opportunity to participate in collaborative, multi-discipline arts creation under the mentorship of experienced practising artists.