Art Displays

Curious about local art? We are too!

When it comes to the arts, Nova Scotia is spoiled for talent, and we're pleased to feature local art in many of our Library spaces.

From The Sunroom at Central Library to art displayed in our branches, we want to give local artists space to connect with our community and share their vision.

Current exhibits

The Sunroom at Central Library

On display January 12 through February 22, 2025

Faces of the Diaspora by Daramfon Morgan

Faces of the Diaspora is a deeply personal exhibition by Daramfon Morgan, a Canadian Nigerian artist, and the founder of DCM ART CREATIONS. The collection is a vibrant celebration of identity, culture, and the rich tapestry of experiences gained from a life lived across multiple continents.

Drawing from the artist’s Nigerian heritage, Caribbean influences from life in the Bahamas, and encounters with diverse people and cultures during global travels, this exhibition presents a striking visual narrative that honours the resilience, beauty, and stories of the African and Caribbean diasporas. Each artwork reflects the unique interplay of ancestry, migration, and personal evolution, weaving together past and present in an exploration of shared humanity.

“Faces of the Diaspora is an intimate reflection of my journey through life, celebrating the cultural richness and resilience of the African and Caribbean diasporas. Inspired by my roots in Nigeria, my experiences living in the Bahamas, and my travels, this collection portrays the stories, struggles, and triumphs of the people and cultures that have shaped me. Each piece is a tribute to the beauty of diversity and the shared humanity that connects us all.”

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Alderney Gate Public Library

Information on next display coming soon.

Cole Harbour Public Library

On display January through February 2025

Art by Joe Murphy

A painting of a parent and young child playing at the Library.

A lifelong interest in art led Joe to take up calligraphy and sketching almost 50 years ago. This only whet his appetite for the world of watercolour, acrylics, oils and other media into which he expanded on retirement. He trained in figure drawing and portrait painting at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design University and has also studied with such well-known Maritime artists as Tom Forrestall, Ron Hazell, Bill Rogers, Chris Gorey, Nora Gross, Zehava Power, and others.

Lately, he has been completing many portrait commissions and figure paintings, returning to landscapes when a Nova Scotia scene or occasion just cries out to be celebrated. Joe exhibits and sells his art regularly in the Craig Gallery, Dartmouth where he has won awards, and again in 2024, was the People’s Choice award winner.

He’s delighted to be holding his first solo show at the Cole Harbour Public Library in January and February 2025 and welcomes inquiries about further commissions, especially in portraiture.

J.D. Shatford Memorial Public Library

On display January 2025

Art by Deborah Fleming

Deborah lives in the village of Hubbards, Nova Scotia, where she and her family have lived since 1988. Originally, both Deborah and Bruce Smith, her partner, come from Alberta. Deborah has been an art teacher since 1977, retiring in 2016. She taught in Victoria, Calgary, Sylvan Lake, and for ten years in New Germany, NS. The classroom experiences are treasures for her, and any opportunity to show their work was gladly taken. Over the years, she has been delighted to offer art to children from three years on up, through Junior and Senior High, and into university classes for beginning art teachers. Deborah is also a lifelong gardener, having parents and grandparents passionate about plants, and her interest in growing plants and designing gardens evolved into a small business for a number of years.

For over twenty years, Deborah designed and created stained glass windows for people across Canada. Deborah participated in many art shows over that time, in juried and non-juried events, as well as in group, one and two-person shows. There were several solo shows with her glass work, "The Illuminated Series" in venues across Canada. Her largest commission was a 140 sq. ft. chapel window in the Queen Elizabeth II Hospital in Grande Prairie, Alberta, with a theme and title of “Gaze Afar”. In 1998, painting became a main interest. Deborah has been an intermittent member of Aspotogan Arts and Crafts, and has enjoyed workshops and retreats organized by AAC member Jan Shilletto. Deborah has participated in several group shows and received two “Excellence in Watercolour” awards at two shows. In 2007, three paintings were accepted in the juried exhibition for Associate Members held by the CPSWC in Halifax. In 2008, she, and her mother, and Jan Shilletto and her daughter put on a four person art show called “Bloom” in Halifax, which was a terrific way to spend a Mother’s Day weekend!

Deborah has been greatly inspired by her talented painter parents who loved to go out plein air painting. A week-long workshop in the summer of 2004 was a special treat, as she was able to spend an intensive time painting with her mother, Elaine Fleming. In June, 2005, Deborah and her parents had a “Three Flemings” show at the Corner Gallery in Canmore, one of several since 1983, and showed with them in their retrospective of “Forty Years of Field Painting” in 2012. Watercolour painting is a source of real joy for Deborah and she finds the outdoor sketching particularly wonderful. Acrylic painting and drawing buildings are newer interests.

"I have been making art most of my life. I appreciate my membership in the Aspotogan Arts and Crafts. My wonderful parents were both plein-air painters who showed and sold in Western Canada and Ontario. My spouse and I have resided in the St.Margaret's Bay area since 1988. Our son is a musician and, though he spends a good part of the year touring, he always comes back for summer in Hubbards. For about thirty years, I designed and made stained glass for installations as well as autonomous hanging panels for people's homes. My largest piece was 140 sq. ft. for the Queen Elizabeth II Hospital in Grand Prairie, Alberta."

"As well as decorative themes, I created a feminist 13-part work, "The Illuminated Series" that traveled to many galleries, events, homes, and meadows. For even longer than thirty years, I was an art teacher, and those wonderful years with children, teens and young adults are a very vital part of my life experience."

Keshen Goodman Public Library

Information on next display coming soon.

Musquodoboit Harbour Public Library

On display January through February 2025

Signs of the Tines by Swanie Jahn Foley

Artist Swanie Jahn Foley stands happily in front of their art display, at Musquodoboit Harbour Public Library.

"As a child I always looked to the green-painted frog on the 107 Highway as a marker, it meant we were almost halfway to home or halfway to town depending on the direction. I took the iconic and beloved frog for granted, as one day it was gone.

Like the green frog, the signs that dot the roadsides of the Eastern Shore are unique storytellers. They mark moments in time, speak of businesses, ideas, community needs, and solutions. Some are temporary, while others become woven into the fabric of our communities.

My fascination lies in the craftsmanship and story of these signs. Are they professionally made or hand-painted? Where are they placed, and why? The choice of font, material, colour, and design all tell a story.

Over the past few years, I've captured images of these signs using just my iPhone. Instead of presenting them in their raw form, I've applied filters to transform these ordinary objects into something new—evoking the illusion of being painted or cartoon-like. The results are what you see here.

The Eastern Shore is a place where tradition and change coexist, and that, I believe, is a very good sign. P.S: If you encounter a sign that could be part of a future exhibit, please share it with me and I would be happy to photograph it."

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Sackville Public Library

Information on next display coming soon.

Tantallon Public Library

Information on next display coming soon.

Woodlawn Public Library

On display January through February 2025

Art by Jim Walker

Jim’s passion for the underwater world began 40 years ago. Since then, he has had the opportunity to explore the shipwrecks of the Great Lakes, pristine waters of British Columbia, clear water caves of Northern Florida, tropical Grand Bahama, Koh Tao and finally to the Maritime’s, where its four-season ocean environment hosts a fascinating collection of marine life.

The most photogenic of this fascinating collection is the American Lobster (Homarus americanus) or as we call it, the Atlantic Lobster! In abundance as the summer warms the coastal waters of Nova Scotia, the approachable Lobster makes very cooperative models. Close-up shots reveal a complex exoskeleton, piercing eyes and flexible spider-like appendages. Other featured and favourite Nova Scotia subjects captured by Jim in this collection are the Hermit Crab, Flounder, Moon Snail, Sculpin and Trigger Fish.

Full videos of these creatures can also be found on Jim’s YouTube page and all social media platforms.