"Could we ever know each other... without the arts?" (Paint the Town Symposium, 2025 - Annapolis Royal)
“Could we ever know each other… without the arts?”
66 Victoria St., Annapolis Royal – Legion/Community Centre
Author Gabrielle Roy’s quote appeared in tiny print on our $20 bill for many years—a profound question for anyone engaged in building enduring communities. Living in proximity makes us neighbours. Shared experiences make us a community. Join us for this discussion on the contributions of rural artists and cultural institutions to stimulate social development.
- Moderator:
Dr. Tracy Summerville (Centrelea) - Political Scientist, Retired / Actor, Stage Manager / Chair, King’s Theatre
- Panelists:
Ken Flett (Bear River) – Artist / Oakdene Community Centre
Sally O’Grady (Annapolis Royal) – Artist, Bonnet House Art Gallery / Geomatician, retired
Chris O’Neill (Ross Creek) – Actor / Playwright / Executive Director, Ross Creek Centre for the Arts
Artist Profile - Dr. Tracy Summerville
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I am a retired full Professor of Political Science. I obtained my Ph.D. from Université Laval in 1999 and spent 23 years at the University of Northern British Columbia before moving to Nova Scotia. I have worked with many nonprofit organizations in many capacities including as a volunteer, Board member and Board Chair. I am a trained facilitator and have organized, and participated in numerous panels over my career. I have a long history in amateur theatre.
I trained at the Drama Studio in Ealing, England and, although I pursued an academic career, my first love has always been the theatre. I am an actor, a stage manager and I am currently the Chair of the King’s Theatre Society Board in Annapolis Royal.
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Artist Profile - Ken Flett
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Ken Flett is a Nova Scotia-based artist and educator whose multidisciplinary practice spans visual arts, teaching, and puppetry. Originally from Vancouver Island, his formative years forged an enduring creative connection to Victoria that continues to influence his work. Ken volunteers as Program Manager at the Oakdene Community Centre in Bear River, NS, demonstrating his ongoing commitment to fostering arts and culture.
Ken was represented by the Fran Willis Gallery and taught at the Metchosin International Summer School of the Arts and Victoria College of Art. His work is held in the University of Victoria Legacy Art Collection and Camosun College Art Collection.
Exploring themes of love, memory, hope, and loss, Ken’s artistic vision focuses on “making the invisible visible”—uncovering and honoring stories that might otherwise be forgotten. Through puppetry, he has found a transformative synthesis of his creative practices, weaving together visual art, performance, and narrative to breathe life into the intangible experiences that define human existence.
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Artist Profile - Sally O'Grady
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Sally has been involved in the arts most of her life but since 2016, after a professional career in the sciences, she is devoted to painting full time. Sally works mostly in acrylics, painting both “plein air” and in the studio, and preferring large panels. Sally’s working career was using computers, focusing on Geomatics and Science Information Management (1987 to 2016). Throughout her career, she collaborated with the Centre of Geographic Sciences (COGS), NSCC on projects related to the national protected areas. Out of this connection she developed one of her shows, “Annapolis Basin: Rising to the Challenge”, to raise awareness of sea-level rise. The installation of the paintings was hung as a surround, giving the viewer the feeling they were paddling a canoe in the Annapolis River!
Her interest is the landscape, emphasizing the history and feeling of the scene as a whole. She is inspired to paint the stories, be its voice, give additional strength to the landscape painting by working in a large format. She works quickly with the need to capture the essence of the scene. Though primarily self-taught, she had the honour of learning from and painting with some wonderfully gifted well known artists, in a variety of landscapes. It is never too late to nurture the artist in you!
Sally runs her own gallery (Bonnett House Art Gallery, 158 St. George Street, Annapolis Royal) where you can view more of her work or you can contact her at: sally.ogrady@eastlink.ca
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Artist Profile - Chris O'Neill
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Chris O’Neill is the founder and Executive Director of the Ross Creek Centre for the Arts in Canning, NS, and the co-founder of Two Planks and a Passion Theatre. She is a passionate advocate for arts being seen as essential and making them more accessible, and is the co-chair of the Theatre Nova Scotia and on the steering committee of the Canadian Arts Coalition and co-chair of their Political Action Committee.
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