ARTSPLACE Launches ArtSeen a 3 Year Digital Project to Support Contemporary Art

ARTSPLACE has embarked on a three-year project to build a digital platform to promote and share knowledge about contemporary art with a diverse, intergenerational audience.

“ARTSPLACE has developed a province-wide and national reputation for being able to generate interesting activities and opportunities within the community,” stated Ted Lind, Project lead and Board Member. “This project, called ArtSeen, is an extension of that work and will be an online portal to share contemporary art and artists that have the highest standards of excellence with a regional, national and international community.”

The project is funded by the Digital Strategy Fund of the Canada Council for the Arts with a $300,000 grant, the largest ever received by the society. ArtSeen will showcase the work of contemporary Canadian artists through live interviews, studio and gallery visits, and virtual conversations. The all-digital content of ArtSeen, coordinated by ARTSPLACE, will be developed initially in partnership with arts organizations in the Atlantic provinces, and eventually move further west using a national network of artist-run centres.

“Our venture into digital media to present arts and culture is not new. For several years, ARTSPLACE has used videoconferencing to conduct real-time programs with museums and galleries, most notably the Museum of Modern Art in NYC and the National Gallery of Art in Ottawa,” says Lind. “We also have and continue to use social media and other digital platforms to connect contemporary artists with a growing audience. During the COVID-19 era, digital learning is becoming more significant than it ever was.”

ARTSPLACE is a contemporary gallery and arts centre that is operated by the Annapolis Region Community Arts Council (ARCAC). ARCAC was founded as a society in 1982 by a group of artists who wanted to share their work and ideas with each other and their community. The society is a registered, non-profit charitable organization. In 1995, the society acquired its own building, with three galleries, artist residency space and a workshop/performance area. ARTSPLACE Gallery presents a year-round schedule of exhibits, workshops, film screenings, arts talks and special events.

“ARTSPLACE Gallery presents a wide range of programming that showcases the role that arts and culture play in providing a good quality of life for people in the Annapolis Royal area and also serves to attract others to the region,” shares Lind. “The Annapolis Region is a centre for celebrating and supporting arts and culture. ARTSPLACE wants its home community to share in the excitement and innovation that ArtSeen represents.”

ARTSPLACE is a public Art Gallery that is operated by the Annapolis Region Community Arts Council, a registered non-profit, charitable, community organization dedicated to encouraging and promoting the arts. Supported through the Province of Nova Scotia and the Canada Council for the Arts. ARTSPLACE Gallery is located at 396 St. George Street in Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia

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For more information please contact: Sophie Paskins, arcac@ns.aliantzinc.ca , (902) 532-7069