Visual Arts Nova Scotia

Jessica Steele is a collage artist based in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

She holds a BFA in Fibres from Concordia University and a Diploma of Fine Arts from Dawson College. Working primarily with hand-cut vintage print materials, Jessica explores how meaning shifts when familiar imagery is separated from its original context and recombined into new relationships.

Jessica’s work has been shown in group exhibitions across Halifax and collected in Canada and the U.S. In winter 2026, she served as Artist-in-Residence at Pavia Gallery, culminating in a solo exhibition of her collage work. She is one of four emerging artists selected for the 2025–26 Visual Arts Nova Scotia Mentorship Program, a competitive 10-month initiative supporting early-career artists. During her mentorship with established artist Christopher Webb, Jessica focused on expanding the professional structure of her practice.

Jessica and her work have been featured on CTV Morning Live Atlantic, and she was a featured guest on Blackout Podcast. She regularly volunteers with Halifax Collage Collective, a grassroots arts initiative focused on accessible community collage programming.

Shane Song is an artist who has sought out and contributed to diverse environments where artistic and design skills are valued. She brings creativity, athleticism, and a problem-solving mindset to her work. With over twenty years of multidisciplinary practice, she has deepened her artistic foundation, expanding her knowledge of various media, techniques, and philosophies. Through collaboration, project management, and production experience, she continues to cultivate patience and focus in her creative process.

Her creative outlet includes traditional and digital drawing and painting, collage, assemblages, graphic novel and comics, experiential/interactive installation, poetry, 3D art and holistic video game development, video and animation, music and associated visual art.

Shane engages art activity almost everyday. Art is her way of adjusting and healing in struggles of mental health, neurodiversity, and identity. She uses art and music to record life and its reflections, and to strengthen her belief on artist duty: by practicing art, surviving, exploring and self-developing.

As of June 30, 2026, the PAINTS Program will be suspended indefinitely.

All Artists in the Schools programs in Nova Scotia had their provincial funding eliminated – cut to zero – when the Progressive Conservative government passed the budget with deep cuts to the arts, libraries, museums and social supports.We are frustrated and saddened by what our elected officials have done.Make no mistake – budgets are choices.

Meanwhile, we are working in collaboration with the other organizations who have lost this critical funding to find new support for PAINTS. We continue to tell our elected officials about the impact and lasting effects of these cuts, imploring them to make better choices. It’s never too late to do the right thing. To more about how this and other cuts are affecting you, VANS, our members and the larger community, reach out to Andrea at [email protected]

Watch our socials for upcoming profiles highlighting our amazing PAINTS artists.

Yewon Min is a multidisciplinary artist with roots in both Eastern and Western art traditions. She earned her MFA in Painting and Drawing from Pratt Institute in New York, following her undergraduate studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, where she majored in Oriental Painting. This experience allowed her to deeply engage with both Western and Eastern artistic traditions, shaping her unique perspective.

Yewon has exhibited her work in Korea, Canada, and the United States, gaining opportunities to showcase and sell her art in various exhibitions. Before relocating to Canada, she continued her artistic practice while also teaching fine art and design at several universities in Korea.

Her work explores themes of renewal, light and gratitude expressing spirituality, resilience, and the quiet forces that sustain us in everyday life. Now based in Nova Scotia, she continues her practice inspired by nature filled with crisp, luminous light.