Welcome to Nocturne
Nocturne is an independent, free, contemporary art festival in Kjipuktuk/Halifax presented by the Nocturne: Art at Night Society founded in 2008. The festival brings art and energy to the streets of our city showcasing and celebrating the visual arts scene in Mi'kma'ki/Nova Scotia. In addition to the festival, the society oversees a collection of arts programming utilizing the same mentality that art can be anywhere.
Nocturne, designed and planned largely by volunteers, is an opportunity for everyone to experience the art of Kjipuktuk/Halifax in a whole new light.
Highlights from Nocturne's 2019 festival - video credit: ONLY ISSUE - onlyissueco.com
See Nocturne Into The Future
Nocturne's Mandate
The objective of the organization is to present critical and relevant art event(s) of a high artistic and professional standard that focuses on the strengths of the local art community which includes a regional, national and international representation.
Our Mission, Vision & Values
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Mission
Nocturne: Art at Night celebrates contemporary professional art in Kjipuktuk/Halifax. Through our festival and additional programming, we use art as a catalyst for connection.
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Vision
Nocturne: Art at Night is the premier art experience in a thriving community.
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Values
- Creative and Artistic Excellence
- Professionalism
- Inclusion, Diversity & actively holding an Anti-oppressive framework
- Collaboration and Team Work
- Sustainability
- Innovation
Get To Know Our Team
Reconciliation in the Arts
We believe that reconciliation is the responsibility of all Canadians. We acknowledge that Nocturne and most of our activities take place within Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq People. As an organization, we are always looking for and finding ways to bring reconciliation into our practices and planning. We wanted to take a moment to outline some of our efforts.
Some of our work has included hiring Indigenous curators and prioritizing Indigenous artists in our programming. We also include BIPOC representation on our selection committees, which is a paid role for the festival based on CARFAC artist fees. In terms of hiring, we created a hiring policy that values lived experiences as well as education and work credits. For example, the soft skills and equity lens of the candidate are always valued within this process. In our call for projects we encourage artists of all backgrounds to consider the land and Treaties in place when they submit their applications to the festival. We introduce our events and festival with a land acknowledgement that does the same and encourage our artists hosting events to do so. Building caring partnerships with Indigenous artists and organizations in Kjipuktuk is also key to our reconciliation efforts.
These efforts help us to push the needle forward in decolonizing our sector. We will continue to add to these efforts whenever possible. If you have ways you think we could do more, please reach out to [email protected]