Everything we do is about promoting the arts in Lunenburg County. We are a small but mighty charity that seeks to advance collaboration, equity and diversity, to contribute to the quality of life in our community.

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.

Board Members
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Meet our Board of Directors

Sam Kinsley – President (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 College of Art & Design. Sam has been privileged to participate in artist residencies and exhibitions across Canada.

Jayme Spinks – Vice president (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.

Elizabeth Singer – Treasurer

Art has been my passion for many years. I paint in both oil and acrylic and a member of the Lunenburg Art Gallery. I have provided assistance to non-profit organizations that include Girl Guides of Canada, Cole Harbour Soccer Club, Portland Estates Residence Committee, as well as P-3 Site Steering Team – Portland Estates Elementary School.

After 19 years of working at Veterans Affairs Canada directly with Veterans and their families, I am now retiring.

I am immersed into the arts in various ways. I join the team at the Lunenburg Foundation for the Arts to help artists of Lunenburg County with assistance to achieve their artistic endeavours.

“EVERY ARTIST WAS FIRST AN AMATEUR” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

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.

Letty Mcfall – Board Member

The Lunenburg Foundation for the Arts acknowledges that we live and work in Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq People. This territory is covered by the “Treaties of Peace and Friendship” which Mi’kmaq and Wolastoqiyik (Maliseet) people first signed with the British Crown in 1725.

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