Fine Arts majors have a variety of options available to them after graduation. Here are some of our recent graduates and what they are up to today.


Holly Cunningham

Prior to my studies at Nipissing, I was struggling to find a fulfilling career in the film and television industry in the big city, having just completed a diploma in Media Arts at a technical college. I found myself one afternoon at my usual downtown café being drawn to the corner of the room where a group of University students sat in deep discussion over that morning’s lecture. They seemed engaged, inspired and passionate. I was instantly jealous. It was suddenly clear to me that although my technical studies had helped me find employment in my field, a University education would satisfy my personal educational needs and help me to establish the level of success I had always envisioned for myself. As a musician, artist and filmmaker, I often found it hard to focus on one particular medium of expression and often found myself constantly drifting between several creative streams. This made it difficult to focus on an artistic path or career goal and made it impossible to develop an expertise in one field. Feeling exhausted with film, and inexperienced as a musician, I settled on Visual Arts as a major. I was accepted into most schools I applied to and found myself facing much persuasion from friends and family to stay close to the GTA. In the end, my choice was one of intuition, although the brochure photos of the picturesque campus did help to lure me North.

Nipissing’s Fine Arts program was a natural fit from the first day. I found myself surrounded by beautiful scenery on my walk to the Monastery building, learning in a small, intimate classroom and developing a close rapport with my instructors. It is true that smaller class sizes encourage the best from students and provide a personable atmosphere in which to explore and develop one’s craft. I particularly enjoyed my art history lectures, which happened to be scheduled at 8:00 am, yet kept me completely absorbed during each and every class.

Coming from a background in film and video (an art practice that involves the cooperation and input from a team of contributors) I suddenly found myself standing before a canvas with total creative control. It was a very liberating feeling from the very first painting in my studio class.

Studying Fine Arts at Nipissing encouraged me to engage in a deeper level of critical thinking about my own artistic choices and processes. The art history and theory courses complimented my studio sessions, which began to shape my artistic style. Upon graduation, I had not only developed a sense of personal artistic direction, but also gained a valuable sense of professionalism.

During my time as a student, I became involved with the North Bay arts community through volunteer work and by attending community events. After graduation, I found employment as an intern at the Near North Mobile Media Lab, a local non-profit arts organization that supports the presentation and creation of Media based art. I am now currently the Managing Director of N2M2L and further developing my professional career each and every day. Working as an arts administrator means putting my professionalism and creative problem solving to the test. I now have a career that is both challenging and truly rewarding.

I still find myself scattered between many creative interests, but now I tend to focus my energy on one project at a time. I am currently producing my first independent album as a musician and have been fortunate to perform with many musicians that I greatly admire. I believe a new level of personal confidence emerged during my time as a student at Nipissing, which undoubtedly continues to propel my artistic and professional achievements.

I feel extremely lucky to have found my dream job that, prior to my studies at Nipissing, I never even knew existed. I owe much thanks to my time in the FAVA program and to the opportunity that is often overlooked in a smaller town University education.



Jackie Carter

I started at Nipissing University in 2004. I decided to go to Nipissing University to stay close to my family and remain part of the North Bay Arts Community. During my years at Nipissing I started to volunteer, participating in Art-a-thons at the White Water Gallery and group shows at the WKP Kennedy Gallery. I started slowly developing a name for myself as a young artist in North Bay. In my final year at Nipissing, I developed the Nipissing Fine Arts Club along with a group of my peers; the purpose of this club was to connect the student artists with the long-standing arts community of North Bay. We had our first successful art show and sale at 100 Georges, which was well attended by many of the artists in North Bay, and helped to break ground for students in North Bay's arts community.

I graduated from Nipissing's Fine Arts program in 2007, and the program provided the tools necessary to build a career as an artist. The professors and students I met while in the program continued to act as a support system after graduation while I worked to develop a name for myself. I continued to volunteer in the arts community and had my first solo exhibition at the WKP Kennedy Gallery in 2008. Later in 2008, I was hired as the Educational Program Coordinator for the WKP Kennedy Gallery.

Following the end of my contract as Educational Program Coordinator for the WKP Kennedy Gallery, my time spent volunteering in the arts community led to an opportunity to work in the film industry in North Bay. I was able to apply the skills I had developed as an artist to the positions of set dressing and production assistant in the production office.

Since then, I‘ve had the opportunity to coordinate North Bay's first documentary film festival through the Near North Mobile Media Lab, while continuing to develop my art. I had a solo show in 2009, followed by a collaborative show in 2010.

After the completion of my contract with the lab, I started to develop a studio rental and project space, and art supply bank, called the North Bay Arts Collective. The North Bay Arts Collective was founded to offer emerging artists the opportunity to exhibit their work, to address their need for space to complete projects, as well as their need for art supplies.

My time spent working in the arts has led to my positions as Vice- Chair on CBACH, secretary on the White Water Gallery Board, member on the WKP Kennedy Gallery Board and it has given me the opportunity to participate with both the WKP Kennedy Gallery and White Water Gallery Programming Committees. I've learned through these years that working in the arts in North Bay means that you have to be prepared to take on many different positions in the community.



Natalie Moreau

When I graduated from Cambrian College with a diploma in Fine Arts, I knew I wanted to further my arts education. In search of ways to expand my artistic background and knowledge, I enrolled at Nipissing in 2006 and decided to major in Fine Arts and minor in World Religions and Cultures. I graduated with my Bachelor of Arts in 2009 and made the quick decision to remain at Nipissing for another year while completing my Bachelor of Education.

I was part of the FAVA program during one of its biggest stages of evolution: moving to the Monastery. It was the beginning of an exciting time for the program. We saw new artists join the team of professors that had built the foundation of the program, a stronger connection to the wider community and new ideas for the program’s very bright future.

The most influential part of my studies was the partnership I experienced with the professors. They treated me as an equal artist and taught me that my ideas were worth sharing and developing. They pushed me to think outside the box and exposed me to art appreciation and critique sessions that helped shape the person I am today. Each of the professors ensured that they got to know their students by giving them ample time to discuss projects and opportunities both during and after hours. They each brought something different and refreshing to the table. They had professional experience in the field and were working artists. Some were printmakers, some sculptors and others painters. The faculty offered a variety of knowledge within all disciplines. Long after graduation, they have continued to offer support and still take an interest in where I am and what I have been doing. I respect these artists and with their support and encouragement, I have built a sense of confidence within my own work.

Although there were many memories from my time in the program, I recall my final year when I researched Nipissing University’s permanent art collection. I learned a lot about the artwork that dressed the halls of Nipissing, where it came from and who had created it. This gave me the real-life experience to work with the artworks I had been learning about for years. I also sat on the Art Club committee for two years and I enjoyed hanging exhibitions with my classmates. I remember having our professors standby for hours helping us make decisions of where to hang artworks and ensuring that what we presented to the public was professional and something to be proud of. This is where I gained the experience and confidence that I needed when preparing for my first solo exhibition entitled “Plastic Helvetica” in 2009 at the Kirkland Lake Museum of Northern History.

My work evolved tremendously during my time studying in the FAVA program. In part, it was due to the different disciplines and independent projects I worked on. The projects allowed me to run with ideas I hadn’t had the opportunity to explore in the past and to try my hand at mediums I hadn’t work with since my studies at Cambrian.

A few months before graduation, I was hired at an elementary school back home in Kirkland Lake where I taught art from pre-kindergarten to grade six. I quickly realized that art at the elementary level is much more than visual arts and that I would also be teaching drama, dance and music. Although it was a challenge – it forced me to think beyond conventional teaching methods and allowed me to integrate my visual art background with other subjects. After having completed my first year and a half working at École Catholique Assomption, in September of 2011, I was hired as the teacher for grade 4.

In addition to teaching in a school, I continue to teach kids summer art programs for JSANO School of the Arts at Northern College where I have recently marked my seventh year. Currently, I am developing winter sessions that will run in the New Year. I also continue to be an entrepreneur for my own business: Green Bananas. I have been creating one of a kind handbags and gifts (paintings, photography) since 2005.

I recommend this program, without a doubt in my mind, and feel that with the expansion of its courses and the development of a Bachelor of Fine Arts, it is already able to offer things that are above and beyond what they were when I was there. Thanks to the professors in the FAVA program, my work continues to evolve and change. I have been able to take the experiences that I lived in University and apply them to my real-life, in my teaching and in my independent studio practice.