Agenda
└ Sackville
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9:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
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Annual General Meeting (AGM) |
10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Capacity: 30
Theresa Meuse
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A1 • Medicine Wheel Teaching |
| Learn about the various components that make up a medicine wheel and how to use them in your life's journey—includes understanding a Wholistic Approach: balancing your Spiritual, Environmental, Physical and Mental well-being. Crafting of a medicine wheel also takes place as part of the workshop. |
| Theresa Meuse was raised in L’sitkuk (Bear River) Mi’kmaw community. She left in 1986 to attend Dalhousie University as a mature student. Since graduating with a bachelor’s degree, she has been employed with several Mi’kmaq organizations including, the Confederacy of Mainland Mi’kmaq, The Atlantic Policy Congress and the Mi’kmaw Native Friendship Center. Along with being privileged to serve a two-year term as Chief in her community, Theresa also spent many years working as an Indigenous Educator & Advisor, and continues to be a Knowledge Sharer. She presently works at Mount Saint Vincent at the Special Advisor – Indigenous Affairs, operates an online craft business called, Mi’kma’ki Craft Supplies and is the author of four published children’s books. She is a wife, mother of three and grandmother of four. |
10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Capacity: 15
Dave Drapek
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A2 • Watercolour in the Art Classroom |
| Perhaps you teach painting and want to try a kind of paint that is vibrant, but less messy. Or perhaps you just want to have a hands-on day to learn the basics of colour theory, mixing, layering, and intensity control. Or you would like to learn how to use colour to express emotion. All of that, plus general art teaching tips and a watercolour painting kit for you to take home! |
| Dave has been teaching high school art in Lower Sackville and Halifax since the 1990s, and he is still amazed by what his students make! |
10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Capacity:
Meaghan Lemoine
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A3 • Neurodivergent-Friendly Art |
| During this workshop we will do a very brief overview of common neurodivergent symptoms, strengths and challenges. Some time will be spent discussing solutions for common concerns but the majority of time will be spent art making. Resources and assignments that can be implemented immediately will also be provided. |
| Meaghan LeMoine, aka Ms Lemon, is a neurodivergent queer visual arts educator with 12 years of teaching experience. She loves teaching, art, dancing, people, collecting new hobbies and not taking things too seriously. |
10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Capacity: 20
Angela J Davis
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A4 • Rug-Hooking Beginnings |
| We will explore how to hook rugs and the process of pattern making, finishing and creativity. Small kits will be provided to allow students the opportunity to follow their own creative paths. |
| Angela s a multimedia artist who has worked in various fields throughout her career. Working with textiles, gives her the opportunity to mix her love of tactile pieces with the colour and history of rug hooking, weaving, dyeing and pushing the limits of possibility. Angela loves bringing rug hooking to the ATA and the amazing people who make up her classes. There is an intrinsic historical value to this particular area of interest that ties us all together as a community. |
10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Capacity: 30
Karyn Harrison
Robin Jenson
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A5 • Open Studio |
| This Open Studio is an opportunity for teachers to spend time with their own creative projects and inquiries to enrich their teaching practices. Basic artmaking tools and materials for drawing, painting, and printmaking will be available for participant use, however if you need special media for your practice you can bring your own (school safe) gear. This is a self-directed learning space with workshop leaders acting as guides and supports. |
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Robin Jensen is an art teacher in Kjipuktuk (Halifax), Nova Scotia and a graduate student in the Master of Arts in Art Education program at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. She has been teaching art in NS for 20+ years and her research is focused on student centered, culturally nourishing aproaches to art education in public school settings.
Karyn Harrison is a visual arts educator and researcher residing in Kjipuktuk/Halifax. She holds a doctorate from the University of Glasgow. Karyn teaches grades 7-9 Visual Arts in HRCE using a Choice-Based Pedagogy. She also instructs in the Master of Arts in Art Education program at NSCAD University. |
10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Capacity: 15
Devon Vankoughnett
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A6 • Storytelling Through Clay |
| In this workshop participants will learn the basic building techniques for clay. Participants will use the morning portion of the workshop to create clay sculptures or functional objects like mugs. After lunch, we will use underglazes to add colour to the clay art works. All work will be glazed and fired by the instructor in her home kiln. Work will need to be picked up near the end of November from the instructors studio located in Waverly. |
| Devon Vankoughnett studied ceramics at both Langara in Vancouver and at NSCAD in Halifax. She currently runs the Halifax Regional Arts Lab for ceramics and fused glass located in Rocky Lake JH. She also has a home studio, where she creates and sells her own work. |
10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Capacity: 20
Rita Van Tassel
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A7 • Catch of the Day: Blue Lobster |
| Did you know that the odds of catching one of these rare blue lobsters in the ocean is one in two million? During this sewing workshop we'll beat those odds and everyone will leave having had the experience of preparing pattern pieces and hand stitching a felt blue lobster. Claw bands included for safety, of course. |
| Rita has worked in the Nova Scotia Craft and Art Education arena for over 20 years and currently designs and produces sewing kits and patterns that sell across Canada and the US. |
10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Capacity: 15
Janice Boiduk
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A9 • Tapestry |
| A beginner class, as I haven’t found many who are practicing the art of Tapestry. I will go over the tools, fibres used, supply a small loom, and an easy cartoon to weave. |
| Janice's base is in Brookdale, NS, where her art practice primarily consists of tapestry, professional photography, graphic design and public speaking/presenting. She gained her professional training through NSCAD university and has experience teaching all ages in artistic projects over many years as with 4H’ers leader, senior classes with NSCC, NS fibre festival and Power Talk international. Janice has traveled to many countries taking in their culture and their hand crafts as she is always learning and sharing. |
10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Capacity: 20
Melissa Gauthier
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A10 • Rug-Hooking with Recycled Fabrics |
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Participants will learn how to prepare recycled materials such as bathing suits and t-shirts for rug-hooking in order to hook whimsical mats. Participants will be hooking a simple design on burlap.
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| Melissa is a retired teacher from the CCRCE who has been substituting within the Tantramar area this year. She is a self-taught rug hooker who enjoys creating whimsical rugs from recycled materials to soften life's hard edges. |
10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Capacity: 15
Lynn Coolen
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A11 • No Skill, No Money, No Problem: Surviving Art in the ELEMENTARY Classroom |
| This workshop is geared towards ELEMENTARY teachers interested in bringing more arts to the classroom but have no prior knowledge, or little to no budget. This workshop will guide teachers in directions of economic resources available to them, how to use simple inexpensive tools, making their own tools and materials, organizing art materials in a classroom (with no sink), how to repurpose and reuse everyday items, and other tips, tricks and tools of the trade. There will be hands-on activities, art pieces produced, lesson plans provided and other resources to take home. |
| Lynn Coolen is from Cole Harbour NS and has been teaching with HRCE since 1996. She completed training from NSCAD in 2010 and has been working since 2016 for Halifax Regional Arts as a Fine Arts Specialist for grades P-12. She considers herself a “Jack of all trades but master of none” as she enjoys sharing her various artistic interests with the students and teachers she works with. Watercolour painting, felting, metal embossing, screen printing, sculpture, and folk art are just a few of the many art mediums and experiences she brings to classrooms. |
10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Capacity: 20
Britt Vegsund
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A12 • Physically Active Art Lessons? Let's Explore the Possibilities! |
| In this workshop, through a hands-on and fun approach, participants will be introduced to the core concepts of physically active learning (PAL), which has been popularly defined as the "integration of physical activity into key learning areas other than physical education" (Watson et al. 2017). Through a series of example PAL lessons from across the curriculum and from across grade levels, we will explore the how PAL can support student engagement as well as increase physical activity within the school day. We will then workshop and co-design arts curriculum based PAL lessons for future use by teachers across NS. Please come prepared to move in a non-competitive, inclusive environment, with some curriculum ideas up your sleeve for our co-design process. |
| Britt Vegsund is a health promotor and educator who lead the NS Active Smarter Kids Project from 2018 to 2025. As the School Health Promoter for the CCRCE and NS Health Authority, Public Health, Northern Zone, she loves helping classroom teachers and system administrators find the joy and engagement that comes when we incorporate simple, non-competitive, and often outdoors movement into the review of curriculum outcomes—in any subject area and across all grade levels. For more on the NS ASK Project, please visit www.nsaskproject.ca |
10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Capacity: 15
Linnet Finley
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A13 • Stitching Your Way to Calm in the Classroom |
| Embroidery and slow-stitching offer both creative expression and restorative benefits, making them a powerful tool for art, design, and well-being. In this beginner-friendly workshop, you’ll learn essential embroidery techniques, including basic stitches, design transfer, and creative uses like visible mending and working with repurposed materials. All materials are provided in a take-home kit, and the relaxed, supportive setting is perfect for exploring at your own pace. With over 20 years of experience teaching fibre arts in Nova Scotia classrooms, I’ll share practical strategies to help you confidently bring stitching into your own teaching or personal practice. You'll leave with a finished piece and the skills to keep going. |
| Linnet Finley is a self-taught fibre artist, educator, and mother based in the North End of Kjipuktuk/Halifax, NS. With over 20 years of experience, she creates vibrant textile and embroidery works that honour craft traditions while fostering community connection. Her approachable, stitch-based practice invites meaningful conversations around complex topics such as localism, community identity, and counter-mapping. Linnet’s work also explores resilience, healing, and chronic illness, drawing inspiration from the natural world and aiming to incorporate sustainable methods into her art. |
10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Capacity: 20
Kaitlin Chisholm
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A14 • Thinking Outside the Box: Using Cardboard in the Art Classroom |
| Discover the versatility of cardboard as a powerful material for student creativity! In this workshop we’ll explore the creative possibilities of cardboard as a sculptural and structural material. We'll discuss construction techniques, tools, and classroom management strategies for when the knives and glue guns come out. You will be provided with many ideas that can be adapted to different grade levels, and while also making a detailed cardboard sculpture of your own throughout the day. |
| Kaitlin has spent the past ten years mastering the chaos that is junior high visual and textile arts in Halifax County. She has also shared her art teaching skills with Halifax Recreation and the Confederation Center Art Gallery. When she's not threading her students' needles and untangling knots of yarn, you can find her at home in Musquodoboit Harbour, where lives with her husband and their two opinionated dachshunds. |
10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Capacity: 15
Sloane Rioux
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A15 • Acrylic Painting - Introductory Skills and Still Life |
| Join us for a calming and creative journey in this beginner-friendly acrylic painting workshop that blends skill development and artistic expression with wellness practices. You will learn the basics of acrylic painting: colour theory and colour mixing, mark making and brush techniques, and composition. The workshop will conclude with a still life painting session, allowing you to apply what you have learned in a peaceful, supportive environment. |
| Sloane is a Fine Arts Specialist and Indigenous artist who is passionate about teaching students technical skills for a variety of visual art mediums; including painting, drawing, printmaking, sewing, etc. These skills are then used in her lessons to encourage and foster social and emotional development. Sloane is interested in using the fine arts as a vessel for youth wellness in the public school system. She also has her own art practice, focusing on psychology, physiology, and perception, through oil painting and drawing. |
10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Capacity: 15
Shelley King
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A17 • 2-D Needle Felting: Painting with Wool |
| Create your own original 2-D (flat) needle felted wool art. Participants will make a framed piece of flat wall art (5”x7” frame included). Shelley will provide everything you need and guide you through the needle felting process while you create a personal piece of art to be treasured. You are encouraged to bring a photo of a favourite place for inspiration (seascape or landscape work well), or you can use one of the provided samples for inspiration. Suitable for beginners and those wanting to continue developing their needle felting skills. All materials provided. |
| After a full career in public education as a teacher, principal, and life-long learner, creative interests have become a central part of Shelley’s life in retirement. She is an explorer when it comes to art and creativity. Her greatest joy, and often favourite pieces, come about while delving into a new approach or medium. Experimenting, repurposing a found piece, and calling on personal explorations are sources of joy in her creative process. Although painting with wool (wet and needle felting) is where Shelley currently invests most of her creative time, I love to dabble and explore with different materials and approaches, including acrylic, watercolour, digital, and collage. She enjoys sharing her passion while introducing others to the wonderful world of painting with wool through needle felting workshops. Her creations are available for viewing and purchase at Maker’s Studio and Art Market in Windsor, and at several local gift shops. |
10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Capacity: 15
Melissa Marr
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A19 • Small Hands, Big Prints! |
| This workshop is designed for Primary through Grade Three teachers who want to adapt the medium of screen printing for young students, using classroom/easily sourced materials. With a focus on designs connected with Math, Literacy, and Social Studies outcomes, teachers will explore the art of adapted screen printing on paper, homemade inks, and collaborative models needed in print studios. |
| Melissa Marr is an artist and educator based in Halifax. She is a co-founder of Wonder’neath Art Society, and currently works as an Art Education Specialist at AGNS. Melissa’s work is often collaborative in nature, with printmaking and drawing at the heart of her practice. She has a BFA from Mount Allison, a Master in Education through Acadia, and has designed workshops for educators and students across the province. She's consulted and written curriculum for the Dept of Education, CBC, and AGNS. |
10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Capacity: 15
Ingram Barss
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A21 • Cyanotypes |
| Using a simple historical technique, we will create unique and beautiful images. This process uses prepared light sensitive paper, found objects, the sun, and water. No camera is required. The results are quite beautiful. We'll start with a brief discussion of the process, and key historical cyanotype creators. The rest of the workshop will be hands-on, and will result in multiple photos created by each participant. |
| Ingram Barss is a photographer who freelanced for the first 12 years of his career, and still continues to do commercial work, however has also been a full-time faculty member in the NSCC Professional Photography program for 18 years. He is very much in love with the process. Aside from shooting for clients and school-based activities, Ingram is always working on personal creative projects and portfolio development. |
10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Capacity: 20
Paulina Osorio Ambriz
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A22 • Experimental Engrave Workshop |
| Through various engraving techniques, students will be able to express themselves using different forms of textures, colors, and recycled materials such as Tetra Pack, foam, wood, etc., creating an interesting composition and learning about the printing process using multiple tools. |
| Paulina Osorio Ambriz has a master's degree in visual arts and a bachelor's degree in design and visual communication by the Faculty of Arts and Design of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), curator of many collective exhibitions around cultural spaces in Mexico City. For several years she has dedicated herself to teaching art in public and private universities in Mexico, creating art projects to involve the academic community. She currently resides in Cape Breton and continues working with illustration and design for civil associations on the island. |
