Anne Macmillan awarded inaugural Emerging Atlantic Canada Artist Residency

BANFF, AB, March 10, 2016 -- Together with The Hnatyshyn Foundation, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity is pleased to award Atlantic Canadian visual artist Anne Macmillan (Halifax, Nova Scotia) the inaugural Emerging Atlantic Canada Artist Residency. Thanks to the generous support of the Harrison McCain Foundation, Macmillan will benefit from access to cutting-edge visual and digital art facilities, a community of artistic peers, and talks by leading artists, faculty, and curators during an eight-week, self-directed residency at Banff Centre, followed by the opportunity to travel in Canada to speak about her experience and project. 

“I am truly honoured to be selected for the Emerging Atlantic Canada Artist Residency at  Banff Centre. I am ready to fully immerse myself in the creation of new work, while I reflect upon a geography so different than what I experienced growing up in Nova Scotia,” says Macmillan.“This residency provides support for me at a crucial point in my art career as a new graduate; I look forward to the focused contact with other artists, and the excellent facilities that Banff has to offer. Here I am supported to use art as a means to process and understand my surrounding environment, as both a reflection of the world, and a projection of myself. Thank you so much, I am driven to make the most of this incredible opportunity.” 

Macmillan was chosen by a national jury consisting of Jen Mizuik, director of Visual + Digital Arts at  Banff Centre, Banff, Alberta; Jeffrey Spalding, senior curator at Beaverbrook Art Gallery, Fredericton, New Brunswick; Sarah Fillmore, chief curator of the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, Halifax, Nova Scotia; and, East Coast visual artists Eleanor King and Stefan St- Laurent.  

“Anne Macmillan is an excellent inaugural winner of this award; we look forward to the outcome of her project. I will add that personally, I could have also endorsed any number of the 57 fine applicants. It was a delight to review the rich array of talent comprising artists resident throughout every area of the Atlantic provinces and embracing nearly every conceivable artistic media,” said Spalding. 

Interested in how geographies relate to mental states, and reflect modes of consciousness, Macmillan’s work is inspired by research into the historical perception of mountains and the depths of caves. During the residency, Macmillan will make a series of digital animated videos inspired by the geographical relationship of mountains and caverns in the Banff region. 

“There has been a groundswell of support from the artistic community for this award, and I was impressed with the diversity in practice, materiality, and experience that we saw from the applicants. It’s been a privilege to be part of conceiving and starting this award; I think it’s important to show our support of emerging artists and provide more access to artists from Atlantic Canada,” said Mizuik. 

Valued at $30,000 each (with a commitment for three years), the Emerging Atlantic Canada Artist Residency is the result of an agreement between Banff Centre, The Hnatyshyn Foundation, and the Harrison McCain Foundation. The program is intended to help to strengthen cultural connections between eastern and western Canada by giving exceptionally talented, emerging Canadian artists the support and mentorship needed to excel in their careers. 

“On behalf of all the directors of the foundation, I would like to express our delight in being part of this exciting initiative in support of the wealth of artistic talent in Atlantic Canada,” said Ann Evans, chairperson, Harrison McCain Foundation.

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