Jaclyn Cummings, Entrepreneur and Publicist
Art Pays Me
represents fast-growing, people-focused competitive brands who are addressing the evolving consumer market. She tells stories across all media platforms for partners in industries spanning art, fashion, beauty, health & wellness, Consumer packaging goods, technology and home. Most notably having worked with Vega, Saje Natural Wellness, Russell Wilson and Ciara’s fashion brand The House of LR&C, and Lyft as the first hire for the rideshare brand in British Columbia. She can be described as someone with the competitiveness of an alumni basketball player with the curiosity of a writer...
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Alan Syliboy, 2024 Portia White Prize
Art Pays Me
Welcome to a special series of Art Pays Me interviews with the winners of the . Presented annually by and the , these awards celebrate artistic excellence across Mi'kma'ki. grew up believing that native art was generic. “As a youth, I found painting difficult and painful, because I was unsure of my identity.” But his confidence grew in 1972 when he studied privately with Shirley Bear. He then attended the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, where 25 years later, he was invited to sit on the Board of Governors. Syliboy looked to the indigenous Mi’kmaq...
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Ariana Roberts, Makeup artist
Art Pays Me
is a Canadian makeup artist, currently based in Halifax, working primarily in film and TV. Born in Edmonton, and raised in Baltimore, Halifax and two years in Bolgatanga, Ghana. While pursuing a double major in Linguistics and Anthropology at Concordia University in Montréal, she decided to switch gears and went to makeup school at the Blanche MacDonald Centre in Vancouver. She quickly moved to Toronto and worked her way into the indie film industry, cutting her teeth working largely on horror films. After a break from film, she ended up back in Halifax and back in the film industry.
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Tim Crofts
Art Pays Me
Welcome to a special series of Art Pays Me interviews with the winners of the . Presented annually by and the , these awards celebrate artistic excellence across Mi'kma'ki. is a first generation Canadian of British and Indian descent. He is an improviser, a traditional non-traditionalist, and/or a non-traditional traditionalist. Tim explores the full sonic capabilities of the acoustic piano through extended techniques and a wide range of piano preparations. He is able to coax a variety of colour and extreme dynamic contrast through employing traditional and...
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Robert Deveaux, 2024 Prix Grand-Pré
Art Pays Me
Welcome to a special series of Art Pays Me interviews with the winners of the . Presented annually by and the , these awards celebrate artistic excellence across Mi'kma'ki. On this episode I spoke with musician and Prix Grand-Pré recipient, Robert Deveaux. This special episode would not be possible without the support of and the , and the fantastic production work of and .
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Lux Gow-Habrich, 2024 Emerging Artist Recognition Award
Art Pays Me
Welcome to a special series of Art Pays Me interviews with the winners of the . Presented annually by and the , these awards celebrate artistic excellence across Mi'kma'ki. On this episode I spoke with Emerging Artist Award recipient, , a multidisciplinary visual artist, facilitator and support worker of mixed second-generation Chinese and German heritage, practicing between Tkarón:to (Toronto, ON) and Kjipuktuk (Halifax, NS). They blend gestural, craft and creative community practices to redefine our understanding of art and cultural praxis as sacred remedial forces that...
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Andrea Tsang Jackson; Artist, Designer, Quilt Maker
Art Pays Me
is a textile artist, quilt designer, author and educator. After working in various design fields and settings ranging from architecture to museums, the quilting medium called to her as a way to explore place, belonging, and agency. Andrea and I have now become good art friends since her first appearance on the show. This time we talked about her new book, , and a collaboration we have in the works.
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Chanelle Jefferson, Mixed media artist
Art Pays Me
is a Canadian mixed media artist and counsellor whose work explores themes of healing, emotion, and connection. Her art has been exhibited internationally, including at Museo Bellini (Florence, Italy), and is held in private collections such as those of Pete Luckett and the MacKay-Lyons family. She was the 2023 Artist-in-Residence at the Lunenburg School of the Arts, where she deepened her exploration of intuitive art. Through The Grief Project and commissioned works, Chanelle continues to push the boundaries of how art can hold space for transformation.
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Stephanie Joline, 2024 Indigenous Artist Recognition Award
Art Pays Me
Welcome to a special series of Art Pays Me interviews with the winners of the . Presented annually by and the , these awards celebrate artistic excellence across Mi'kma'ki. This would not be possible without the fantastic production work of and . On this episode I spoke with 2024 Indigenous Artist recognition Award recipient, , an Indigenous filmmaker based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. This is Stephanie’s second time on the show so it was great to catch up with her and get vulnerable about feeling like an outsider and deserving of awards. Equally adept at film and...
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Aux Tale Gravy Music Group, Record label
Art Pays Me
is a Toronto-based record label, dedicated to developing richness, shifting the culture and changing the status quo in world music. From their cookhouse to the world, Aux Tale Gravy’s dynamic team shares a signature ‘one pot’ recipe of simmering spices, serving a variety of cultural music dishes that ‘feed the people’, everywhere. Aux Tale Gravy is passionate about working with an authentic roster of artists, creating lasting ‘legacy work’ preserving unique sounds in an international commercial music landscape. Our conversation revolves around the formation and vision of Aux...
info_outlineWelcome to a special series of Art Pays Me interviews with the winners of the 2024 Creative Nova Scotia Awards. Presented annually by Arts Nova Scotia and the Creative Nova Scotia Leadership Council, these awards celebrate artistic excellence across Mi'kma'ki. This would not be possible without the fantastic production work of Heist and Keke Beatz.
On this episode I spoke with Established Artist Award recipient, Susanne Chui.
A central figure in Halifax’s contemporary dance community, Susanne became Co-Artistic Director of Mocean Dance in 2012. With Mocean, Susanne has developed roles in works by Heidi Strauss, Serge Bennathan, Tedd Robinson, Lesandra Dodson and Claire French, and co-created Burnwater: Alchemy with Erin Donovan (Hear Here Productions).
Susanne trained professionally at the School of Toronto Dance Theatre and was based in Toronto from 1999-2007. During that time she danced for many independent choreographers and extensively with Yvonne Ng, with whom she toured to Singapore in 2005. She was a founding member of TILT: sound + motion dance company, where she had the pleasure of performing works by some of Canada’s finest choreographers including, Robert Abubo, Marie-Julie Asselin, Bill Coleman, Lesandra Dodson, Deborah Dunn, Sasha Ivanochko, Sharon Moore, and Heidi Strauss.
Since returning to Halifax, Susanne has become immersed in the dance community collaborating with dance artists Jacinte Armstrong, Lesandra Dodson, Veronique MacKenzie, Gwen Noah Dance, Phin Performing Arts, as well as with SiNS, a collective she co-founded in 2005 with Jacinte Armstrong and Sara Coffin. Susanne collaborates across disciplines, working regularly with master musician Jerry Granelli and teaching at Creative Music Workshop, an annual improvisation-based summer program.
As a choreographer she has received funding from Canada Council for the Arts and Arts Nova Scotia and her works have been presented in Moncton, Toronto and in Halifax by Kinetic Studio and the TD Halifax Jazz Festival. She was the first recipient of Kinetic Studio’s Explorations Choreographic Scholarship and was the 2012 recipient of the Diane Moore Creation Scholarship. In 2016 she received the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia’s Masterworks Award, for her role as a dancer in Mocean’s Canvas 5 x 5, choreographed by Tedd Robinson.
An active arts manager, Susanne has worked in various roles in the arts community. She has served on the boards of Live Art Dance Productions, Kinetic Studio and the Legacy Centre for the Performing Arts, and participated on various committees and juries including Arts Nova Scotia, City of Halifax, Nova Scotia Talent Trust and the Canadian Dance Assembly. She is a member of Dancer Transition Resource Centre, Canadian Alliance of Dance Artists and Canadian Dance Assembly.