Painting with Scissors – Matisse’s Swimming Pool in black light using glow in the dark paint (Nancy F. Chiasson)

Nancy F. Chiasson

Visual and ceramic artist Nancy Chiasson made her home and business in Cape Breton after attending Dundas Valley School of the Arts in the early 90’s. From her rural studio she has taught classes and created work both commercial and artistic for 20 years.

Nancy is currently working on a Transitions Project through the Shubenacadie Canal Commission conducting research and developing visual imagery in clay based on the lives of the Acadians along the waterway. Her working title is Acadian Surfaces.

In 2014 Nancy was awarded the Grand Pre Prize from Arts Nova Scotia for her artist in residency work at the Fortress of Louisbourg. Creating collaged landscapes inspired by the rugged coastline around the fortress she worked in a small format with space, color and perspective. She also created hand built pottery vessels inspired by eroding coastline and lost historical buildings both real and imagined, in part, by allowing her mind to wander through time at this historic site.

Nancy has worked with local artist collectives, represented Cape Breton Artists as board member with Visual Arts Nova Scotia (www.visual.ns.ca), as well as the national organization – CARFAC (www.carfac.ca) and she is a professional teaching member of PAINTs (www.paintsns.ca).

Painting with Scissors - Matisse's Swimming Pool in black light using glow in the dark paint

Artist Project

The Swimming Pool by Henri Matisse created one of the largest and most famous installations when he was 82, just 2 years before he died. After a career in painting he came to collage or as he called it ‘Painting with Scissors’ after a surgery that resulted in living out his remaining years in a wheelchair. Using brightly painted blue paper he cut into the colors creating organic swimming shapes that are larger than life. This work now lives on in the Museum of Modern Art in NYC. In this project, local visual artist Nancy Chiasson will recreate a version of the Swimming Pool in professional quality neon/glow paint under black light.

Land Acknowledgement

With construction still underway in Downtown Sydney, the festival will be hosted at Eltuek Arts Centre for this year. In line with Eltuek Arts Centre's land acknowledgment, we recognize that this festival occurs on the traditional and unceded ancestral territories of the Mi'kma'ki people.

Eymu'ti'k Unama'ki, newte'jk l'uiknek te'sikl Mi'kmawe'l maqamikal mna'q iknmuetumitl. Ula maqamikew wiaqwikasik Wantaqo'tie'l aqq I'lamatultimkewe'l Ankukamkewe'l Mi'kmaq aqq Eleke'wuti kisa'matultisnik 1726ek.

Eltuek Arts Centre is in Unama'ki, one of the seven traditional and unceded ancestral districts of the people of Mi'kma'ki. This territory is covered by the Treaties of Peace and Friendship which the Mi'kmaq first signed with the British Crown in 1726.

Ketu'-keknuite'tmek aqq kepmite'tmek ula tela'maiultimkip wjit maqamikew ta'n etekl mtmo'taqney. Ula tett, ula maqamikek, etl-lukutiek l'tunen aqq apoqntmnen apoqnmasimk aqq weliknamk Unama'ki.

We wish to recognize and honour this understanding of the lands on which we reside. It is from here, on these lands, that we work to create and support a culture of self-reliance and vibrancy on Unama'ki (Cape Breton Island).