NOVA SCOTIA, CANADA.- The Art Gallery of Nova Scotia presents Nancy Edell, A Retrospective and National Tour, through January 2, 2005. Nancy Edell is one of Nova Scotia’s most distinguished contemporary artists, with an exhibition career that spans over twenty-five years of activity. Originally trained as a film animator, Edell began making art of hooked rugs upon her move to Nova Scotia in the early 1980s. Until health considerations forced her to stop working, Edell taught in the studio division at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design.

These works form the core of this exhibition, a series of images drawn from dreams, art history, science and world cultures. Referencing fine art, folk art and the fine craft tradition, Edell’s practice has been at the cutting edge of contemporary art for two decades. An early exponent of breaking down the artificial barriers between the disciplines of craft and visual art, her work has influenced generations of artists in this country.

The rugs will be accompanied by paintings and drawings, in whole the exhibition will cover over two decades of her production. It begins with her earliest series of works done in Nova Scotia, “Blomidon Brides,” and concludes with a recent body of work that has just been completed. Curated by Ray Cronin, AGNS Curator of Contemporary Art, this exhibition will be accompanied by a full-colour catalogue, and will be offered for a national tour.