Welcome to a special series of Art Pays Me interviews with the winners of the 2023 Creative Nova Scotia Awards. 

Presented by Arts Nova Scotia and the Creative Nova Scotia Leadership Council, the Creative Nova Scotia Awards celebrate excellence in artistic achievement.  

Award categories are as follows:

• Creative Community Impact
• Prix Grand-Pré
• Established Artist
• Emerging Artist
• Black Artist
• Indigenous Artist
• And finally, The Portia White Prize that is given to a person who has made outstanding and significant contributions to Nova Scotia’s creative community over a sustained career – much like the incredible woman that the award is named after. The winner will also choose an emerging artist or cultural organization that they feel deserve recognition.

Collectively, these awards are worth $75,000! Visit artsns.ca to nominate your favourite Nova Scotia based artist or be a boss and nominate yourself!

This series would not be possible without the fantastic production work of Heist and Keke Beatz.

I got to chat with Creative Nova Scotia Emerging Artist Award winner, Koumbie (she/they) and special guest Eleanor (she/her). Koumbie talks about how their interest in dance and performance arts led to script writing, filmmaking and becoming one of the first on-set intimacy coordinators in Nova Scotia.