2024 Creative Nova Scotia Awards
Mi’kmaw artist Alan Syliboy is the 2024 recipient of the Portia White Prize. (Communications Nova Scotia / File)
The 19th annual Creative Nova Scotia Awards, which recognize excellence in artistic achievement, were presented to nine artists and two organizations Sunday evening, November 3, in Halifax.
The Portia White Prize was awarded to Alan Syliboy, an established Mi’kmaw artist whose work includes Mi’kmaq rock drawing and quill weaving traditions. His work, inspired by petroglyphs carved by his ancestors, has introduced these icons to non-Indigenous people, popularizing them and boosting pride in Mi’kmaq heritage.
Mr. Syliboy’s protégé recipient is the Nova Scotia Indigenous Tourism Enterprise Network. The network supports Indigenous-owned tourism businesses and individuals involved in the tourism industry such as artists, crafters, cultural performers, musicians and dancers, as well as Mi’kmaq Elders and cultural subject matter experts.
The Black Artist Recognition Award was presented to Tara Taylor, a musical theatre playwright, director and animator. She is from East Preston and is the cultural columnist for the ArtnSoul Report on CBC Radio’s Information Morning.
The Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia received the Creative Community Impact Award based on the philosophy of writers helping writers.
Stephanie Joline, an award-wining Indigenous filmmaker based in Halifax, received the Indigenous Artist Recognition Award. This award recognizes Indigenous artists who have emerged from their initial training and development and are active in the Nova Scotia/Mi’kma’ki arts community.
Robert Deveaux, from St-Joseph-du-Moine, Inverness County, received the Prix Grand-Pré Award, which recognizes artists whose work reflects Acadian cultural values and demonstrates excellence and originality. He is a Cape Breton-style fiddler and a folklorist passionate about traditional Acadian songs.
Two artists received the Established Artist Recognition Award:
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Susanne Chui is an award-winning dance artist based in Halifax. She is the Co-Artistic Director of Mocean Dance. Her dancing in Mocean’s Canvas 5 x 5, by Tedd Robinson, earned her the 2016 Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia’s Masterworks Award.
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Tim Crofts is a creative artist, improviser, musician, and pianist in Halifax. He is known for a unique sound and approach to the piano through the use of extended techniques, found objects, and piano preparations.
Three people received the Emerging Artist Award:
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Jack Wong is a children’s author and illustrator in Halifax who has three published books.
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Kaashif Ghanie has a contemporary ceramic artistic practice and co-owns and operates a pottery business in Halifax.
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Lux Gow-Habrich is an interdisciplinary visual artist based in Halifax drawn to the storytelling capabilities in non-verbal and tangible processes to unearth buried intergenerational pain and power.
Quick Facts:
- the awards are presented by Arts Nova Scotia and the Creative Nova Scotia Leadership Council
- the Portia White Prize “recognizes an outstanding professional Nova Scotian artist, who has attained mastery and recognition in their discipline and has made a significant contribution to the province’s cultural life over a sustained career”
- the Portia White Prize recipient selects an emerging Nova Scotia artist or a Nova Scotia cultural organization as a protégé, or secondary recipient
Additional Resources:
Award recipients’ biographies: https://artsns.ca/news
Award descriptions: https://artsns.ca/programs
More information on the Portia White Prize is available at: https://artsns.ca/programs/portia-white-prize