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© 2025 Lunenburg Foundation for the Arts
MANDATE
We provide small grants and bursaries to artists from all disciplines in Lunenburg County.
MISSION
We provide leadership, develop awareness and create synergies through education, advocacy and the distribution of grants.
VISION
We are dedicated to ensuring a vibrant future for the arts in Lunenburg County.
History
Founded in 2012 as a not-for-profit society, originally affiliated with the Lunenburg Art Gallery, the organization transitioned to become the Lunenburg Foundation for the Arts as a registered charity in 2015. This led to the establishment of a grant program for artists and arts projects in Lunenburg County, with the first awards handed out in 2017. Since that time, almost $60,000 has been awarded to local artists and arts organizations for a wide range of arts related activities in theatre, music, documentary films, visual arts, and Indigenous storytelling. The Earl Bailly bursary is awarded to high school graduates pursuing advanced education in the arts, and most recently, with the addition of Petite Queer Pride (PQP) to the Foundation, a new grant category has been added for the 2SLGBTQIA+ creative community.
Funding the grant programs presents a constant challenge for a minimalist, volunteer driven organization. Donors are an important source of revenue, and a newsletter keeps them informed and engaged. Over the years a series of fundraising events have had varying degrees of success. Local municipalities have recognized the role of the LFA and its contribution to local culture and provided small annual operating grants.
The LFA is the only organization of its kind in the area and when the need for a cultural plan was recognized, we played a central role in obtaining funding to hire consultants, establish a steering committee and hosting community round tables to inform a Lunenburg Cultural Action Plan. The Plan received approval from the Lunenburg Town Council in 2021 and the Steering Committee evolved into the Lunenburg Cultural Collective (LCC), a forum bringing together representatives of the local arts and culture organizations and tasked with implementation of the recommendations listed in the Action Plan. The LCC shares the LFA goal to ensure a vibrant future for arts and culture in the area.
Meet our Board of Directors
Sheila Woodcock – President (she/her)
Before re-locating to the beautiful shores of Nova Scotia in 2000 and establishing
QSE Consulting, Sheila held positions in medical laboratories, in education and
as the inaugural CEO of the CMTLO. Sheila has an MBA from UofT and
professional projects have taken her around the world. She volunteers for CSA
and Standards Council of Canada, as well as internationally on ISO Committees.
Back home, Sheila is a keen community volunteer and currently serves on the boards of the IWK Health Centre and the Folk Art Society of Nova Scotia. Her passion for supporting the arts comes from her talented photographer husband, Garry. She has focused her considerable energies on helping the LFA grow and bloom as a charitable entity.
Back home, Sheila is a keen community volunteer and currently serves on the boards of the IWK Health Centre and the Folk Art Society of Nova Scotia. Her passion for supporting the arts comes from her talented photographer husband, Garry. She has focused her considerable energies on helping the LFA grow and bloom as a charitable entity.
Mimi Findlay – Vice-President (she/her)
Mimi arrived in Nova Scotia half a lifetime ago and has no plans to move. Self employed for most of her working years, she has created, owned and operated a number of small businesses; most notably Mimi’s Ocean Grill in Mahone Bay. Her love of architecture and interiors led to years of design work, and she continues that passion with Rhubarb Home Design Consulting. Mimi created the Great Scarecrow Festival in Mahone Bay and chaired it for its initial 10 years. She also volunteered on many festival committees and local initiatives. Mimi currently volunteers with the South Shore Hospice Palliative Care Society. Her hope is to contribute to expanding the successes of the LFA.
Sam Kinsley – Treasurer (she/her)
Sam Kinsley is an interdisciplinary artist of settler ancestry currently living and learning as an uninvited guest on the unceded Mi’kmaq territory in Nova Scotia. Sam studied at the University of British Columbia and the Nova Scotia Collage of Art and Design. Sam has been privileged to participate in artist residencies and exhibitions across Canada.
Chris Pottie – Board Member (she/her)
Chris has lived on the South Shore ever since she finished university, she and her husband raised their family of four kids in Lunenburg. Over the years Chris has volunteered for many local organizations. She has always admired artists and the creative process and the LFA is her first foray into volunteering with an arts organization.Lou Sheppard – Board Member (he/him)
Lou is an artist and researcher living and working on the traditional and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq, Dublin Shore, Nova Scotia. His wide ranging practice includes interdisciplinary audio, performance and sculptural/installation based works and focuses on climate crisis, loss, queer bodies and ecologies. Lou’s research is often evidenced through graphic notations, scripts and scores which are then performed in collaboration with other artists and in community gatherings. Lou has performed and exhibited across Canada, notably at The Art Gallery of York University, The Confederation Centre for the Arts, and as part of the first Toronto Biennial, as well as internationally, at Kumu Kunstimuuseum in Estonia, in the Antarctic Biennial, and at Titanik Gallery in Finland. Lou has participated in numerous residencies, including the International Studio Curatorial Program in Brooklyn, NY., La Cité des Arts in Paris, and as participant and faculty at The Banff Centre in Banff, AB. He has been longlisted for the Sobey Art Award in 2018 and 2021, and was one of 25 winners in 2020. Lou’s commitment to accessible arts funding brought him to the board of the Lunenburg Foundation for the Arts in 2023, and he is excited to help support local artists and arts initiatives in Lunenburg County. Raised in the Annapolis Valley, Lou returned to Nova Scotia with his partner Pamela Hart to settle on the mouth of the Pijinuiskaq river, learning and failing and learning about how to grow vegetables and keep chickens.
Elizabeth Singer – Board Member
Coming soon...Jayme Spinks – Board Member (they/them)
Jayme has been designing and producing printed material for arts, culture, and queer communities across Canada since 2007. After completing a design degree from OCADU, Jayme worked at several of Toronto’s top studios and publications. Jayme’s fascination with the interplay of language and typography has always informed their work, and eventually led them to Nova Scotia to pursue a Master of Design degree from NSCAD. A summer visit to friends in Lunenburg led to a permanent stay. Since 2021, they have been running the independent publishing company, Nevermore Press.