MEMBERS’ EXHIBITION

Craft Nova Scotia is pleased to present the call for the 2026 members’ exhibition, Newness.   

Craft Nova Scotia invites members to submit work for an upcoming juried exhibition exploring the theme of “newness.” This exhibition considers beginnings, renewal, experimentation, and transformation—whether through material, process, concept, or personal practice. Newness may be literal or abstract: a shift in direction, a first attempt, a reinvention, or a response to changing contexts.

We encourage submissions that engage with the idea of newness in thoughtful, material-driven, or conceptual ways, and that reflect the breadth of contemporary craft practices. This exhibition aims to create space for all voices and trajectories within established practices. In addition to members who have been included in past exhibitions, we strongly encourage first-time applicants to submit.

While we follow Craft Nova Scotia’s standard application process, we aim to ensure our programs are accessible to all artists. If you require accommodations—or aren’t sure what might help—we are happy to talk through options. Contact Emma at emmap@craftnovascotia.ca

Exhibition Details

  • Exhibition Title: Newness
  • Location: Mary E. Black Gallery, 1061 Marginal Road, Halifax Seaport
  • Exhibition Dates: August 20 – September 27, 2026
  • Eligibility: Open to Craft Nova Scotia members with an active membership. If you need to update your membership, or become a member for the first time, register here.

Key Dates

  • Submission Deadline: Monday June 1, 2026, 11:59pm  ADT
  • Notification of Results: June 15–19, 2026
  • Delivery of Work: August 10 –13, 2026
  • Exhibition Opens: August 20, 2026
  • Exhibition Reception: September 3, 2026
  • Exhibition Closes: September 27, 2026
  • Pick-up of Work: September 28–29, 2026  

Submission Guidelines 

  • Artists may submit up to 3 works for consideration.
  • All work must be original, recent (completed after Jan 1, 2024), and not previously exhibited at the Mary E. Black Gallery.
  • Submissions may include proposed projects or works in progress, as long as sufficient descriptions and support material are provided to accurately illustrate the project. Include photographs of past works or projects that represent your practice and describe the finished project as best you can, including sketches.
  • Submissions must include:
    • Artist bio (max. 250 words)
    • Artist statement (100–250 words) addressing the theme of newness
    • Cultural Context Statement, if applicable (max. 250 words)  
    • Work descriptions (materials, dimensions, year)
    • Up to 3 catalogue-ready images per submitted work, file size no bigger than 2MB each
    • Image files must be titled in the following format:  01initial_last name_title of work.JPEG, [eg. 01J_Smith_Blue Vase.JPEG]

Selection Process

  • A maximum of up to 16 artists will be selected by the jury for the exhibition. Jury members are TBC.
  • Approximately 25% of selected artists (minimum 4 participants) will be first-time exhibitors in a Craft Nova Scotia members’ exhibition.
  • Works will be selected through a juried process based on artistic merit, relevance to the theme, and overall exhibition cohesion.

Exhibition Standards

Cultural Context

Craft Nova Scotia is committed to following the Nova Scotia Human Rights Act in all aspects and activities of its operation. In accordance, all Craft Nova Scotia exhibitions, including those at the Mary E. Black Gallery or other venues, will be directed by principles of respect, equity, transparency, and accountability. This includes consideration and care for the stories being told through craft displayed in the gallery–ensuring that exhibited craftwork honours the genuine representation of an artist’s own stories, culture, community, heritage, and related practices. Craft Nova Scotia will assess the broad community impact of all programming and craftworks displayed in the Mary E. Black Gallery and other affiliated spaces to ensure alignment with this commitment. Craft Nova Scotia will take into consideration craftworks and programs within a broader historical, social, and cultural context, and how craftworks/programming may impact communities engaged by or reflected in the artwork or programming. This commitment means that Craft Nova Scotia and the Mary E. Black Gallery has the right to exclude or omit any works that do not follow the principles outlined above. 
Canadian Craft Federation- What is cultural appropriation? 

Our submission form asks applicants to include a Cultural Context Statement to provide jurors with more information to assess questions of cultural appropriation and cultural knowledge. If your work reflects, represents, is inspired by or draws upon cultural knowledge, wisdom, visual language, or narrative based on or in a specific cultural, politicized, or racialized group, please articulate the group that your work represents, and how you are connected to that group. 

About Craft Nova Scotia & Our Mandate

Craft Nova Scotia is a non-profit, charitable service organization that works to encourage and promote the craft movement in Nova Scotia. Craft Nova Scotia manages and operates the Centre for Craft Nova Scotia and the Mary E. Black Gallery, and works on behalf of close to 400 individual small business craftspeople. Our programs reach over 1000 craftspeople through group and guild members such as Co-Adorn, Metal Arts Guild, NS Potters Guild, NS Basketry Guild, Visual Arts NS, Atlantic Spinners and Handweavers, and many others.

Craft Nova Scotia is committed to being an inclusive and supportive resource and a reflection of the greater craft community locally, nationally, and internationally. We strive to showcase the diversity of craft work being created by all craftspeople in our region. We welcome new members at all stages in their craft journey, as well as those who simply have a love of craft in all its forms.

Craft NS Exhibition Committee:

  • Shauna MacLeod
  • Julie Hollenbach
  • Eva Nicholas
  • Andrea Tsang Jackson
  • Meghan Macdonald, Committee Chair
  • Marc Braithwaite, Executive Director, Craft Nova Scotia
  • Emma Piirtoniemi, Operations Manager, Craft Nova Scotia

 

APPLY NOW