Haliburton School of Art and Design

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Art + Design Education Leaders

We're known for providing unique and flexible programs taught by professionals who have shaped art, craft, design, media and heritage studies in Canada. No other college offers students this breadth of creative programming.

Learn at campuses in Haliburton and Peterborough that provide a one-of-a kind, hands-on studio experience. Our certificate, diploma and post-graduate programs will help you build a solid portfolio to take you to the next step - whether that's continuing education, embarking on a career, or starting your own practice.

Find your program

Featured Program

Build Your Foundation, Then Ignite Your Creativity

Earn a Visual and Creative Arts diploma in just three semesters with foundation courses and hands-on studio experience!

Apply Now
  • Ceramics

    Express yourself through clay! Our program provides a well-rounded foundation, from practical skills like wheel throwing to marketing and portfolio development.

    Ceramics
  • Drawing and Painting

    Level up your studio skills in just 15 weeks! Get hands-on training and experience to take your creativity to the next level.

    Drawing and Painting
  • HSAD Continuing Education Calendar

    We offer the creative experience you’ve been searching for. View our full range of art and design courses and find what ignites your passion.

    HSAD Continuing Education Calendar

Meet our Faculty

Melanie Matthews
Melanie Matthews

Instructor for:

Melanie Matthews followed her painting and drawing studies at Dawson College with the achievement of a BFA with distinction in Studio Art from Concordia University. She shares her time between her prolific personal art practice and an ever-expanding teaching schedule. Melanie is Golden Artist Colors Working Artist for Ontario and has been the Working Artist for Quebec since 2002. She is invited to lecture, offer workshops, and teach classes for many venues and art organizations, including the Visual Arts Centre, Dawson College, Concordia University, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, and the Canadian Society of Artists. She instructs on a broad spectrum of topics, including methods and materials of acrylic painting, acrylic encaustic techniques, monoprinting, bigger is better (large scale image-making), painting on Plexi, essential acrylics, mixed media, digital mixed media, contemporary water media, creative colour mixing, image transfer, and more. For More Information: melaniematthews.ca
Nicholas Russell
Nicholas Russell

Instructor for:

Nicholas Russell holds an Honours Degree in Music and also studied the art of guitar-making with Master Luthier Sergei De Jonge, designing and constructing a concert classical guitar under his tutelage. As a professional guitarist and music educator, Nick's musical style and knowledge spans genres, but his current exploration as a guitarist lies at the intersection of acoustic music, classic and contemporary jazz, and progressive rock. In recent years he has expanded his freelancing to include work as a composer (Dusk Dances Dance Festival, Arts Bournemouth University) and as a studio musician (Metalworks Studios, Escarpment Sound, Deschamps Studio). Numerous studio projects he has worked on have aired on national radio (CBC, Jazz FM, CFRU) and international television. Nick is officially endorsed by Godin Guitars (CAD) and Keeley Electronics (US). His most recent music release, ARCHTOP, was recorded on a 1949 Gibson L-7 Archtop guitar in 2021 and can be heard on all major streaming platforms. For More Information: @nicholas.on.guitar | nicholasrussell.ca
Rene Petitjean
Rene Petitjean

Instructor for:

Rene Petitjean has been a maker of objects for more than 40 years. After attending Sheridan College, he bought Robin Hopper's Hillsdale, Ontario studio in 1975 and began a reduction-fired line of pottery, selling to stores throughout North America. Moving to Creemore in 1979, the business expanded to include a selection of salt-glazed pottery sold under the Bowerman's Hollow logo. In the late 1980's Rene developed a fascination for wrought iron, and eventually left the ceramics field and began to design and build architectural iron. Many of his projects have been large in scope and have taken over a year to complete. Currently, he takes commissions from selected architects, builders and interior designers. In 1998 he assisted with the design of the Haliburton School of Art + Design's Artist Blacksmith Certificate Program, of which he is a faculty member. Rene also teaches in the Ceramics Certificate Program. For More Information: renepetitjean.com
Tanya Lyons
Tanya Lyons

Instructor for:

Tanya Lyons graduated with honours from the Sheridan College glass program. She also studied at the University of Art and Design Helsinki, Finland, The Atlin Art Centre in BC, and the Toyama Institute of Glass Art in Japan. She taught glass at Sheridan College for four years, was a resident at the Harbourfront Centre as well as volunteering on the Board of Directors for the Glass Art Association of Canada. After 14 years in Quebec, Tanya has moved back to her hometown community to raise her daughter and continue her sculptural work with glass. Reflecting her passion for helping people find their way, she continues to teach in the glass program at the Haliburton School of Art + Design. She is the Co-Coordinator of the Madawaska Valley Studio Tour and a collaborating artist with the Ottawa Valley Community Arts organization. Tanya has always been a gatherer, collecting and taking in, objects, moments and memories. She uses glass in combination with natural and found objects to express and reflect her experiences, thoughts and questions about the world we live in and who we are. Her work has been exhibited throughout North America, Europe and Japan and is in many private and public collections including the Musee National des Beau-arts du Quebec. www.tanyalyons.ca
Paulus Tjiang
Paulus Tjiang

Instructor for:

Paulus Tjiang graduated from Ontario College of Art in 1988 and continued his studies both at Pilchuk Glass School and as a resident at the Harbourfront Craft Studio until 1989. Utilizing primarily Venetian techniques with remarkable skill, he brings intense colour, precise detail, and an elegant disposition to his work. Paulus owns and operates Frantic Farms Clay and Glass gallery in Warkworth, ON. www.franticfarms.com.
Fly Freeman
Fly Freeman
Fly Freeman trained as a sculptor in Scotland, where she started her career as a stone carver, carving everything from gargoyles to gravestones and large-scale public commissions in granite. A mid-career move to Canada led to a radical shift in her sculptural practice: carving has been joined by construction as a sculptural method, and wood and other media are now worked alongside the stone. www.flyfreeman.com
Shannon Kennedy
Shannon Kennedy

Instructor for:

Shannon Kennedy has been exploring the cutting edge of design using digital manufacturing technologies like 3D printing for years, integrating the skills of the craft artist and the technologies of manufacturing. 3D modelling, rapid prototyping, and 3D printing advanced techniques have created a new way for her to realize her designs as a jeweller. She graduated in 1996 from the Ontario College of Art and Design and furthered her jewellery making skills by attending George Brown College's Jewellery Art Program. She is an award-winning designer, a Saul Bell finalist, and published PMC artist. In recognition of her PMC work, she was invited to give a PMC demonstration at the SNAG Conference in Toronto, 2013. Shannon is a passionate instructor at several colleges and galleries, as well as at her studio. She and her partner are currently running their own jewellery business, Cynosure Jewelry. For More Information: @cynosurej | cynosure-jewelry.com
Suzi Dwor
Suzi Dwor

Instructor for:

Suzi Dwor has a Master's in Art Education and has studied in the US, Paris, and Mexico. An accomplished artist and teacher, she taught Fibre Design at Buffalo State University and is currently working in a program called "Learning Through the Arts" in the Niagara public schools. Her students describe her as extremely creative, intuitive, knowledgeable, and energetic. Suzi makes paper of incredible colour and quality that is used for collage and three-dimensional works of art. She trained in paper-making and fibre design at Kent State, Ohio; Cleveland Institute of Art, Fleming College, and Buffalo State University. Suzi also runs workshops for Wellspring Cancer Centre and Niagara Mental Health, as well as private retreats. Her achievements are many and include juried exhibits and workshops at the Albright Knox Gallery, Buffalo; Canada Koffler Gallery, Toronto; Rodman Hall, St. Catharines, Jordan Art Gallery; 100 American Craftsmen, NY; as well as across the US and southern Ontario. For More Information: suzidwor.com
Kirei Samuel
Kirei Samuel

Instructor for:

Kirei Samuel's fascination with glass started purely by accident 25 years ago, when a friend gave her some scrap glass. For many years she travelled the Ontario art and craft show circuit and then, in 2009 she opened her studio/gallery which houses her one-of-a-kind pieces in jewellery, plates, bowls and artwork. In 2019 Kirei designed 550 pendants for the Women's Half Marathon in Wellington, ON. She also designed and built the bases for the pewter sculptures for the Dora Mavor Moore Awards for Toronto's annual theatre, dance and opera. She is happy to continue the Dora Award bases commission in 2023. Kirei has been a member of the PEC Studio Tour for the last 14 years.
Hope Thompson
Hope Thompson

Instructor for:

Hope Thompson is an award-winning filmmaker and screenwriter, most recently picking up best feature screenplay at Toronto's Female Eye Film Festival, with co-writer Patricia Chica. As a writer, Hope is passionate about crime and true crime genres. She has written extensively for the top-rated podcasts Crime Hub and Whereabouts Unknown. Her crime fiction has been published in anthologies, including in the Crime Writers of Canada's 2022 collection, Cold Canadian Crime. Her television credits include Iceland's Tulipop (Serious Kids) and The Fabulous Show with Faye and Fluffy (Wild Brain). She also wrote on two seasons of CBC's Baroness Von Sketch Show. Hope has two series projects in development. For More Information: @hopethompson70 | hopethompson.net
Saskia Wassing
Saskia Wassing

Instructor for:

Saskia Wassing is an artist trained in embroidery and weave at Glasgow School of Art, Scotland. She creates joyful textiles, inspired by her past experiences, observations and memories. Referencing her sketchbook drawings, Saskia works freely onto a textile ground. Embroidering by hand and by using a basic domestic sewing machine as her drawing tool, layering fabric and thread into colourful narratives. Saskia has exhibited her work extensively and been commissioned to design and produce custom furniture, textiles, embroidery and prototypes for individuals and industry. Saskia teaches to all ages and levels and is currently faculty in the textile department of Sheridan College. For More Information: @saskiawdesigns | saskiadesigns.com

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