Stories News Digest In Context All

NSCAD's dance for independence

Students and staff took to the streets Tuesday to spark discussion on NSCAD's biggest issues.

A group of students and professors at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design pulled together a conceptual performance piece on Tuesday to show their disapproval of what is rumored to be a merge with Dalhousie University.

More than 30 students and faculty gathered outside of the Granville Mall on NSCAD's campus on Tuesday afternoon. They came with banners inked with the title, "NSCAD U INDIE PEN DANCE." Their mission was to make their stance public by creating a mass video to post on YouTube.

One of the university's societies, the Heart Group, was in charge of the event. Its members hope the video will carry their message of maintaining the university's independence and gain public support. In particular, they want to connect with former NSCAD graduates to help take up their cause.

Every second counts

The enthusiastic group danced for exactly 124 seconds, paused for one second, and then scattered apart.

"The dance is a visual metaphor," Gary Markle says, member of the Heart Group and an assistant professor in the craft division, textiles, and fashion at NSCAD.

Each second represents a year of NSCAD's legacy. The pause signifies uncertainty and the possibility of the university losing its independence during its 125th anniversary. The scattering shows what will happen if the university is forced to merge with other universities.

The Heart of NSCAD

"The Heart Group is in charge of spirit and acts as cheerleaders for the school," says Markle. The group is part of Friends of NSCAD, one with 2,200 members on Facebook. They'd like to get 10,000 people to sign their petition--so far they're a third of the way there. The petition is meant to send a strong message to the N.S. government about the importance of NSCAD's independence.

Markle says the public can show support by talking to all arms of government such as MLA's, the minister of education, and the premier. 

"We are in economic distress but we can figure it out, we just need some time." Markle adds, "You should say [to the government], 'You know what, this is worth supporting and protecting,'"

Money Problems

The university's financial problems has been an ongoing issue, finally becoming public in September. The Dexter government says NSCAD had a deficit of $1.4 million in 2010. This year it has risen to $2.4 million.

The Minister of Advanced Education chose former policy analyst with Labour and Advanced Education, Howard Windsor, to come up with a plan for the university's future. Some options include programs cuts and NSCAD getting absorbed by other universities in Halifax.

The message that Markle wants made clear: "It's not too late for us to be able to maintain our autonomy."

The fashion professor says the YouTube videos are meant to create a dialogue. There will be more videos to come, including animations and video messages of well-wishes to the school.

Markle has been teaching at NSCAD for a decade. He also graduated from the university in 1995 with a Master of Fine Arts in textiles.

He says he doesn't want a diploma saying, "formerly known as NSCAD."

You can follow the Friends of NSCAD group for more information on the upcoming video.