CHAIR’S REPORT - by LINDSAY ANN CORY (Chair)
CHAIR’S REPORT - Nocturne: Art at Night Society
LINDSAY ANN CORY
Looking back on my first year as Chairperson of the Board of Nocturne: Art at Night Society, I am met with extreme admiration for our group of dedicated volunteers. Our board has made such a strong impact on our community and I can’t acknowledge their work enough!
I came into this role as Acting Chair while still holding my Programming Director position when our faithful and hard working outgoing chair, Lorraine Plourde moved on to the make waves on the West Coast. Filling her massive shoes has been a challenge but I was able to, and continue to rely on the expertise and enthusiasm of our hard working Board of Directors. Thanks to the continued dedication of our board, committee members and community partners, we once again brought magic to the streets - so much so in face that we put a Ferris wheel on citadel hill! Fantastic job guys, we made it!
The 8th edition of the festival continued to highlight and showcase the talent, diversity and innovation of our thriving arts community both locally and abroad. Rose Zack, co-founder of Nocturne, returned this year as curator with the theme.
Thank you to Pierre Tabbiner who once again visualized Nocturne by designing our festival poster perfectly in line with this theme: reflecting both the act of looking/discovering art but also the very real nature of Halifax and Dartmouth’s changing environment. What was once lost, can be found again. Thank you to the artists who gave their work to the festival. The event celebrated the works of a wide range of artists, from performing veterans like 2b Theatre to Boston ex-pat and Halifax newcomer, James Forren, and local emerging artist Frankie Macaulay, to celebrated Sobey prize long and short listers, Lisa Lipton and William Robinson, and NSCAD instructor Anna Sprague who invited her foundation students into her larger than life Anchor Project and really were the driving force behind the Ferris Wheel really happening!
Thank you to Topher and Rae Studios for visually capturing the night so vividly. Your photos not only provide the effective documentation needed by a festival like ours, but they also act as living breathing pieces of art in and of themselves. Thank you for your keen eye for the moment and your ability to capture it.
For the third year we held an opening night event on the Thursday before the festival providing more opportunities for artists and the public to engage. The 2015 event was held at Lion & Bright Cafe Wine Bar, and hosted visiting artist Laura Dawe (Toronto) and improv duo EAT LOCAL (Halifax) as performers for this event. It was widely attended and a great way to celebrate the accomplishments of our team before the big event! This year we also planned a central HUB where Nocturne volunteers could meet, and the public could engage with even more programming.
In addition to this, Nocturne took on a new ongoing Storefront Project where selected artist Habiba El-Sayed’s work can be seen and the mandate of Nocturne continued year round. I would also like to give a special mention to Kim Farmer who has been with Nocturne since the beginning, in multiple roles and has now moved on to other projects. Nocturne will always owe a personal debt to you and the amount of work you have put in over the years, thank you.
As we are well into planning the 2016 edition of the festival, we strive to continue to present a critical and relevant art festival of a high artistic and professional merit focused on the strengths of our local talented arts community.
I am always amazed and thankful for the continued support we receive from government agencies, local businesses and all our partners and participating organizations that continue to contribute to the event. Through the highs and the lows, we come together and rise to the challenge. I feel privileged to have worked with such a talented team. I thank you all for the wonderful experience and I look forward to the years to come.
Lindsay Ann Cory
Chairperson, Nocturne: Art at Night
