Back to School Special

NSCAD 125 Fundraising Concert featuring Buck 65, Matt Mays, Ghettosocks, Ria Mae, Tanya Davis, Acres and Acres and Special Guests.

$30 general concert admission

$125 VIP package   NOTE: ONLINE VIP TICKET SALES HAVE ENDED, CALL 494-8175 TO ORDER

Hip hop artist Buck 65 is headlining NSCAD’s fall concert, the Back to School Special on Saturday, Sept. 22. The outdoor concert will also feature solo rocker Matt Mays, bespectacled rapper Ghettosocks, singer-songwriter Ria Mae, roots duo Acres and Acres, and Halifax poet laureate Tanya Davis.

Hosted by Craig Norris of CBC, the concert starts at 6:00 on Saturday September 22 in Granville Mall, which will be arrayed with sails, banners, lights and multimedia screens fashioned by our Creative Director Gary Markle. Gates open at 5. Tickets are $30. No seating. All proceeds to benefit NSCAD.

The weekend festivities are organized by the NSCAD Alumni Association to celebrate the founding of the art school by Anna Leonowens 125 years ago. An educator and suffragette, Anna Leonowens is best known as the governess for the King of Siam’s 67 children—the “I” of The King and I.

Free festivities include ANNAmotion-LOGOmotion , NSCAD 24 Hour Film Fest and 125 Exhibitions.

The ANNAversary weekend begins Friday evening, Sept. 21, at 7pm  with the opening of The King and I Bar, a contemporary art establishment that is a fully functioning bar. The relational exhibition is hosted by Eleanor King, 2012 Sobey Art Award finalist and Anna Leonowens Gallery Acting Director, and Stefan Hancherow, former NSCAD University Student Union President and current OCAD University graduate student.The King and I Bar was conceived in 2010 and has been brought back by popular demand for NSCAD University’s quasquicentennial celebrations. The contemporary art establishment features artwork from a range of NSCAD-related artists including Kelly Mark, Michael Fernandes and Thierry Delva. The bar is sure to quench your thirst and bring back memories, whether you’re of the ‘70s vintage or more contemporary.

Other exhibitions which will run at the Anna Leonowens Gallery (on display Sept. 21 to 29) during ANNAversary weekend include: Presence, a selection of historic works from the NSCAD Permanent Collection including paintings by past presidents Arthur Lismer & Elizabeth Styring-Nutt; and Corrections, a solo exhibition by NSCAD Professor Emeritus Garry Neill Kennedy along with a book signing of the Last Art College.

Sign up for ANNAmotion-LOGOmotion at alumni@nscad.ca on Saturday morning the 22nd at 11:30 to create Anna Leonowens’ likeness on the Duke St. side of Citadel Hill. Afterwards, head down Duke Street and assemble on Granville Mall for another photo op—this time to create NSCAD’s distinctive 125th anniversary logo.  Be part of the big picture!

Unspooling Friday, September 21 is the 24-Hour Film Fest. Starting at 5 p.m. with Exit Through the Gift Shop, the line-up includes feature-length films about notable artists in history including Frida Kahlo (Frida), Coco Chanel (Coco Before Chanel) and Johannes Vermeer (Girl with a Pearl Earring). Anna and the King, about Anna Leonowens's time in the court of Siam starring Jodie Foster, will finish the festival just as the Back to School Special concert begins. The fest takes place at the Bell Auditorium and organizers promise lots of coffee for those inclined to pull an all-nighter!

Special VIP tickets for the weekend are $125. This price includes the pre-opening VIP Gallery reception for Corrections, Presence and The King and I Bar, a spot front and centre in the ANNAmotion-LOGOmotion, VIP front of house tickets with seating for the concert and all the 125 swag you can handle.

Visit www.125.nscad.ca