ABOUT ART FACTORY

NSCAD Art Factory works with community partner organizations and NSCAD students to co-create specialized arts-based programming for community members, using the resources, equipment and expertise available at NSCAD. The goal of the Art Factory program is to enhance art education opportunities for community members while providing valuable cultural sector employment opportunities and facilitation training for NSCAD students.  

We seek to prioritize those who may face barriers in accessing specialized arts programming and those who have been historically excluded from institutional structures, including racialized groups, newcomers, 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals, folks with disabilities or living with mental illness.   

CONTACT 

Are you a community partner with an interest in collaborating? Reach out to artfactory@nscad.ca to inquire, connect, share your ideas on how we could work together, and/or chat about what could be possible! 

Follow us on instagram @nscad_art_factory 

HOW IT STARTED

Art Factory was developed in 2017 by NSCAD Assistant Professor Leesa Hamilton, and NSCAD Extended Studies Manager, Catherine Allen in partnership with Phoenix Youth Programs. We have been lucky to partner with Pheonix Youth, ISANS, NOISEmakers, MacPhee Centre for Creative Learning, Wonder’neath Art Society, Laing House and Halifax Public Libraries since the program's inception. 

 

PROGRAM OFFERINGS

1) COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS (OUTREACH)

These workshops usually take place on location at a community partner organizations. These workshops are designed to provide a gentle introduction to art making and to build participant's interest in the Art Factory program. This is an opportunity for facilitators to build relationships with participants, gauge their interests and goals. These workshops are short (2-3 hr) project-based workshops and can operate on a drop-in basis depending on community partner needs. 

Examples: lino bloc printing, embroidered patches and pins, ceramic tile stamping, copper pendant stamping, polaroid transfers, etc.

 

2) INTENSIVE WORKSHOPS

These  workshops usually take place in the studios at NSCAD, using specialized spaces and equipment that folks may not otherwise have access to. These workshops tend to be longer (4-6 week sessions, full-day workshops, or week-long camps) to provide the time necessary for equipment and processes that are more involved.

Specialized Studio Facilities

  • Fashion (sewing, garment construction)

  • Textiles (weaving looms, fabric dye, screenprinting)  

  • Jewellery + Metalsmithing  

  • Photography, Film, Media, Animation 

  • Printmaking (relief printing, screenprinting, letterpress, lithography)  

  • Fabrication Lab (3D printing, laser cutters, vaccum former, band saw, scroll saw, belt & disk sander)  

  • Ceramics (throwing wheel, handbuilding, ceramic casting)  

  • Sculpture, Woodshop, Foundry

(Learn more about our studio facilities here.)

 

Check out our past projects!

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