Anna founded what would become NSCAD as the Victoria School of Art and Design to celebrate Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee. Art classes quickly found a passionate audience-from children just learning to hold a paintbrush to adults whose fingers were already stained with ink. They first gathered in the Union Building, soon outgrowing it. By 1890, the school settled in at Halifax Academy, and in 1903, moved yet again to the old National School. You know what they say-artists need room to spread out!
Fast-forward to the 20th century. NSCAD, under its new name the Nova Scotia College of Art, became a magnet for rising talent and visionaries from across the arts world. Arthur Lismer, a real heavyweight from Canada’s famous Group of Seven, even took the helm as president. When new ideas were needed, the torch was passed to Elizabeth Styring Nutt-the art world’s answer to Mary Poppins-who led until the 1940s. During this period, the school gathered creative minds from all over, brewing a mixture of traditional craft and bold new ideas.
Donald Cameron MacKay, a New Brunswick-born artist and World War II veteran, kept the creative spirit alive, overseeing a pivotal move in 1957 into the grand old St. Andrew’s United Church. No stained glass windows were harmed in the making of this art school (as far as I know). The addition of a modern wing in 1968 gave NSCAD even more space to splash its creative brilliance, although-spoiler alert-that wing was eventually torn down for Dalhousie’s Mona Campbell Building.
Things really got wild in 1967. Garry Kennedy, only 31 years old and barely old enough to rent a car, became president. Under his leadership, NSCAD was launched into the international art stratosphere. Suddenly, buzzing with conceptual artists like Sol LeWitt, Joseph Beuys, and Dan Graham, the college became a beacon for the avant-garde. If you walked these halls in the 1970s, you might stumble into a performance piece, or even a Sonic Youth concert in 1984. Art in America even crowned NSCAD “the best art school in North America.”
In 1978, the school settled at the Fountain Campus here on historic Granville Mall. Then came graduate programs, an ever-growing library (with more than 50,000 books!), and galleries like the Anna Leonowens Gallery, where anyone and everyone-from budding artists to visiting legends-could showcase their work.
And NSCAD isn’t just for the professional artist. From the very beginning, kids and teens could dip their toes (or juice-stained fingers) into Saturday art classes, summer camps, and the wonderfully named Night Shift Exhibition. Adults aren’t left out either, with courses designed for everyone-proof that art really isn’t just for the beret-wearing crowd.
Sure, there have been dramatic moments. In 2011, the school faced massive debt and rumors of losing its independence-cue the dramatic music!-but students, faculty, and alumni rallied, organizing a passionate “Save NSCAD” campaign. Against the odds, NSCAD kept its unique groove. Today, it buzzes with creativity across three downtown campuses, shaping Canada’s next generation of bold dreamers, visionaries, and artists.
So, whether you’re a doodler, a seasoned creator, or just an art-lover exploring Halifax, know that you’re standing beside a school with a truly colorful story-one that's still unfolding, brushstroke by brushstroke.
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