NSCAD University

NSCAD University Shaping art, design and craft in Canada since 1887. Based in Halifax, Nova Scotia

NSCAD is no ordinary art institution. What for? What if? Be one of them.

It’s a place for curious minds to freely explore. A place for critical thinkers who never tire of asking why? At NSCAD, we think of curiosity as the spark that ignites everything. And year and year, our halls are filled with new faces who share this same fire. Located in the heart of Halifax, Nova Scotia – Atlantic Canada’s largest and most vibrant city – NSCAD is an immersive environment in which adventurous thinkers and makers discover their passion and themselves. If you believe that creative ideas can build a better world, there’s a place for you here. NSCAD offers a rigorous, interdisciplinary educational experience that is unlike any other art school in the country. For 130 years, our students, faculty and administrators have shared a commitment to experimentation, progressive thinking and cutting-edge art and design. Many students report that their time here completely shaped the way that they think. It changed their lives. It will change yours too. Some of the most innovative creators of the last century have marched through our halls and spent their days (and nights) in our studios. After leaving NSCAD, members of our alumni community go on to transform ideas into reality, fuelling the creative economy and accomplishing singularly amazing things.

On September 30, we observe National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a day dedicated to honouring Survivors of residen...
09/30/2026

On September 30, we observe National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a day dedicated to honouring Survivors of residential schools, and remembering the children who never returned home to their families and communities.

Today, we also recognize the voices of Indigenous artists and communities, whose work speaks to their resilience, strength, and cultural histories. As an art school, we strive to create spaces where Indigenous art and stories are seen, heard, and respected.

While NSCAD University will be closed for the day, there are other ways to learn and reflect:

1️⃣Wear an Orange Shirt
September 30 is also Orange Shirt Day. Wearing orange is one way to participate in the day and remember that Every Child Matters.

2️⃣Mi'kmaw Native Friendship Centre
Learn more about Mi'kmaq culture, history, and identity through the Mi'kmaw Native Friendship Centre. The centre also offers a range of resources and services for Mi'kmaw and Indigenous people in Nova Scotia.

3️⃣Indigenous Artists
Seek out opportunities to learn by engaging with Indigenous artists and creatives through art exhibitions, film screenings, artist talks, performances, and more. The Prismatic Arts Festival is one of many festivals that celebrates Indigenous artists across Canada. The festival runs until October 4, 2026.

4️⃣Treaty Day Workshop - hosted by the Treaty Space Gallery
📅Thursday, October 1, 2:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
📍Lab for Us, 1871 Granville St.

The Treaty Space Gallery is another opportunity to learn more about Indigenous histories and contemporary experiences, including the ongoing impacts of colonialism and residential schools.

👉RSVP for the Treaty Day Workshop here: https://ow.ly/GeQR50ZSQNa

Whether it’s educating ourselves, asking questions, or engaging in community events, National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is an opportunity to reflect on what that means—and what each of us can do to support that work.

📷 Sarah Poko

We’re quickly approaching the deadline to submit applications for Winter 2027 undergraduate programs! 🏃‍➡️🎓Be sure to se...
09/28/2026

We’re quickly approaching the deadline to submit applications for Winter 2027 undergraduate programs! 🏃‍➡️🎓

Be sure to send your application and supporting documents by Thursday, October 1. Extensions are available upon request, and you can receive a decision in as little as two weeks.🚨

😃 Need some help? Reach out to our friendly Admissions team by emailing [email protected]. 📨

👉Still undecided? Check out our list of undergraduate programs: https://nscad.ca/undergraduate-programs/

We’re excited to welcome you to the NSCAD community! 🐀🎨

As the days get shorter, so does the countdown to our NSCAD Fall Open House! 🍂🏫 Tour our campus, meet students and facul...
09/24/2026

As the days get shorter, so does the countdown to our NSCAD Fall Open House! 🍂🏫

Tour our campus, meet students and faculty, and receive one-on-one feedback on your portfolio. Whether you’re considering applying to NSCAD or simply curious about studying art and design, we invite you to visit our creative community and experience our campus firsthand. 🎨

📅 Saturday, October 17 | 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
📍NSCAD Port Campus, 1107 Marginal Rd.

👉This event is FREE but registration is required. Visit our website to register and learn more: https://ow.ly/WNwW50ZR4Vs

📷 Ginger Yu

Congratulations to photography student and 2026 Student Art Award nominee Tovah Williams, whose work was recently featur...
09/21/2026

Congratulations to photography student and 2026 Student Art Award nominee Tovah Williams, whose work was recently featured in an anthology by ZONE Magazine, an independent art publisher based in Rome, Italy. 📸🇮🇹

Tovah's practice engages with acts of material exploration and experimentation by utilizing photographic techniques and technologies, old and new. Her work is driven by curiosity and a desire to see what’s possible with the resources at hand. 🪲🔍

"It’s surreal to see my work in conversation with so many other exceptional visual artists from around the world," says Tovah. "I could never have anticipated it would reach such a wide audience. It is a privilege to see the work take on a life of its own."

A huge congratulations to Tovah on this exceptional accomplishment! 🎉👏

👉Curious about where photography could take you? Applications are still open for undergraduate students! Check out NSCAD’s Photography program to learn more: https://ow.ly/gLRj50ZNvuQ

📷 Credits
1: Photo spread by Tovah Williams (left page) and Liao Weiyi.
2: Photo by Lois Power.
3: "Kosmos." 7.5 x 9 in. Gelatin silver paper. Tovah Williams, 2025.
4: Courtesy of Tovah Williams.

As the 2026 Atlantic International Film Festival (AIFF) is in full swing, here are three NSCAD filmmakers to watch for t...
09/17/2026

As the 2026 Atlantic International Film Festival (AIFF) is in full swing, here are three NSCAD filmmakers to watch for this year! 🎬👀

Alumni Andrea Dorfman (BFA 1995) and Joel MacKenzie (BFA 2008), along with NSCAD film history Professor, Darrell Varga will be screening their films at the AIFF. From animation and documentary storytelling to experimental filmmaking, each of them brings a unique art form and creative innovation that continue to thrive within the NSCAD community.

📽️SCREENINGS:
💌 "Three Kicks at the Can (A Love Story)" by Darrell Varga: TODAY, September 17, 8:30 PM @ Theatre 5

👶"Baby Daddy" by Joel MacKenzie: Saturday, September 19, 4:45 PM @ Theatre 7

🏠 "Homeless to Home" by Andrea Dorfman: Sunday, September 20, 7:00 PM @ Theatre 8

All films will be showing at the Cineplex Cinemas Park Lane, 5657 Spring Garden Rd.🍿

Thinking about where your own stories could take you? Explore our film program at NSCAD and discover where you can experiment, collaborate and develop your voice as a filmmaker:
https://nscad.ca/undergraduate-programs/study-film/

And if you are heading to AIFF this week, join us in celebrating the filmmakers from the NSCAD community whose work is hitting the big screen.

🎟️ Visit the AIFF website for tickets and the full festival schedule: https://atlanticfilmfestival.ca/

📷 Credits
1) Courtesy of Joel MacKenzie
2) Still from "Baby Daddy." Courtesy of Joel MacKenzie.
3) Courtesy of Andrea Dorfman
4) Still from "Homeless to Home." Courtesy of Andrea Dorfman.
5) Courtesy of Darrell Varga.
6) Still from “Three Kicks at the Can (A Love Story).” Courtesy of Darrell Varga.

NSCAD alumna and co-founder of PAPER magazine, Kim Hastreiter (BFA 1974) has spent a lifetime defying labels. 👨‍🎨🥎As an ...
09/16/2026

NSCAD alumna and co-founder of PAPER magazine, Kim Hastreiter (BFA 1974) has spent a lifetime defying labels. 👨‍🎨🥎

As an artist, publisher, journalist, cultural tastemaker, fundraiser, gardener, chef, collector, and curator, the New York icon has remained true to the creative mindset she developed at NSCAD University. 🎨

"I've never been able to be pinned down to a category," she says. "Am I a journalist? No. Am I a publisher? Not really. I'm a collector. I collect things I love. I collect people who inspire me. In that way, I'm an artist and a curator."

This creative mindset has led to Hastreiter's lifelong fascination with objects, ideas and creative communities, which is the subject of her recent book, "STUFF: A New York Life of Cultural Chaos." The book spans 50 years and more than 450 pages of stories, photographs and artifacts collected over decades in New York. 📕🔫

👉Read more about Kim Hastreiter and her collection: https://ow.ly/zOTA50ZO1rP

📷 Photos of some of Hastreiter's collection, featured in "STUFF: A New York Life of Cultural Chaos." Courtesy of Kim Hastreiter.

We're back for another exciting round of our Public Lecture Series, starting with live artist, director, and performer, ...
09/14/2026

We're back for another exciting round of our Public Lecture Series, starting with live artist, director, and performer, Tania El Khoury. 📽️🌳

Tania's performances reflect on the production of collective memory and the cultivation of solidarity. Her work is activated by tactile, auditory and visual materials collected and curated by the artist and her collaborators, ultimately transformed through audience interaction.

In addition to the lecture, Tania will be holding a performance and art installation at the Treaty Space Gallery, in partnership with the Prismatic Arts Festival. 🎬

Artist Talk
📅 Thursday, September 17 | 7 p.m.
📍Paul O’Regan Hall, Halifax Central Library

Performance
📅 September 29, October 1 & October 2
📍NSCAD Treaty Space Gallery
FREE - REGISTRATION REQUIRED

👉For more details and to register, visit our website: https://ow.ly/Y2ng50ZNtYt

📷 Manuel Vanson

NSCAD swag? Check! Cute doggos? Check! School spirit? Double check! 🎒😼Last week, we welcomed our newest students to the ...
09/12/2026

NSCAD swag? Check! Cute doggos? Check! School spirit? Double check! 🎒😼

Last week, we welcomed our newest students to the NSCAD community at Orientation Day. It’s been great seeing our campuses come alive as everyone settles into the first week of classes.

But the fun doesn’t stop there! Join us for Welcome Weeks, a series of events designed to help you connect with fellow students and get familiar with our campuses. All students are welcome — just be sure to RSVP!🪩🐀

👉Check out the Welcome Weeks page to register: https://nscad.ca/welcome-weeks/

📷Sarah Poko

We are thrilled to welcome the first speaker in our Visiting Artist Series, Märta Mattsson. 💍🐞Märta is a Swedish jewelle...
09/10/2026

We are thrilled to welcome the first speaker in our Visiting Artist Series, Märta Mattsson. 💍🐞

Märta is a Swedish jewellery artist and designer whose work melds familiar objects with peculiar items to create unique jewellery pieces inspired by nature and curiosity. Märta has given workshops and lectures around the theme of her work across the globe, and has exhibited her work both nationally and internationally.

We're excited to host Märta and learn more about her artistic practice. 😄🎨

📆Tuesday, September 15
🕑5:30 p.m.
📍FAB (1873 Granville Street)

This event is FREE and open to the public.

👉Interested in more artist talks and creative workshops? Check out NSCAD's event calendar on our website: https://nscad.ca/now-at-nscad/events/

📷 Courtesy of Märta Mattsson

NSCAD University is pleased to announce that Kyla Mallett has been appointed as the university’s next President, beginni...
09/08/2026

NSCAD University is pleased to announce that Kyla Mallett has been appointed as the university’s next President, beginning January 1, 2027.

An artist, scholar and academic leader with more than 20 years of experience in post-secondary education, Kyla joined NSCAD in 2025 as Vice-President (Academic and Research) and Provost. Since then, she has worked closely with students, faculty, staff and community partners to advance academic priorities, strengthen collaboration and help shape NSCAD’s future.

“I am grateful to the Board for the opportunity to serve as NSCAD’s next President. Over the past year I have had the privilege of getting to know this remarkable community and experiencing firsthand the creativity, passion and commitment that make NSCAD so unique.”

We look forward to this next chapter for NSCAD under Kyla’s leadership.

Read the full announcement: https://nscad.ca/nscad-university-appoints-kyla-mallett-as-next-president/

📷 Wiebke Schroeder

Address

5163 Duke Street
Halifax, NS
B3J3J6

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

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