Graduating Fine Arts student Nora Livesey is the recipient of the RCA/CD Howe Graduation Award for Art and Design from the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts, one of Canada’s most enduring cultural institutions. The $5,000 award is given annually to three students from different Canadian undergraduate professional arts and design colleges in Canada.
 
“I was very honoured to be chosen for such a prestigious award,” says Livesey. “It’s something that will help facilitate my practice outside of school, which is the next big thing. It is really special, very encouraging, and gives me additional confidence in what I’m making through my practice.”
 
Livesey came to Mount Allison from Bridgewater, NS, but grew up in Western Canada and Australia. She was looking for a creative program and really liked that Mount Allison offered Fine Arts within a traditional university experience, where she could also explore other academic interests.

Livesey describes her artistic practice as looking at the human relationship with nature and animals. She works mainly with photography, sculpture, and printmaking, often creating pieces in mixed media. Throughout her degree, she says the biggest change in her practice has been her confidence.
 

“I have become more confident in what I want to make and have settled in to who I am as a practicing artist,” she says.

Karen Stentaford, assistant professor in Mount Allison’s Pierre Lassonde School of Fine Arts, says it was very exciting to have the opportunity to choose a graduating photography student for this award. She says Livesey was chosen by the department for a number of reasons.
 
“Nora is always looking for ways to challenge herself both creatively and intellectually,” says Stentaford.  “She approaches her work with genuine interest and continues to excel academically. She is invested in the materiality of photography and is a student intern in the photography department, where she shares her passion with other students and continues to build on her knowledge of photography from the technical to conceptual.”

Her favourite aspect of the Fine Arts program at Mount Allison has been the connections she has made with other students, professors, and the artistic community in Sackville.
 
“The professors here are so knowledgeable and giving,” she says. “They really want you to succeed and put a lot of time into building relationships with students. Fine Arts students are a close community. There’s lots of creative people around.”

Livesey plans to return home to the South Shore of Nova Scotia to continue growing her artistic practice after graduation. She is looking forward to finding a new artistic community and pursuing artist residencies and a show.