Kristen Herrington, Eskasoni, Nova Scotia
The Nova Scotian artist helping people feel sound in new ways
Growing up in Clarence, a tiny farming community in the Annapolis Valley with “more cows than people,” Kristen Herrington learned early what it meant to be creative.
“It was a slower pace, and you knew the names of your neighbours,” she says. “I think that upbringing contributed to my imagination.”
Her parents’ work ethic and her grandparents’ creation of the Small Town Country Music Jamboree taught her that even in small places, big ideas can take root—a lesson she’s carried ever since.
After years in a corporate career, Kristen realized she needed a life that reflected her creative side. “Driving into the office and sitting in my polyester pants in a beige cubicle got old fast,” she says. “I knew I had more to offer as a creative than the corporate world allowed.”
Starting at her kitchen table with acrylic paint, Kristen’s creativity has since expanded into furniture, sculpture, and even storytelling through her book and podcast. Her latest project, Musical Chairs, weaves disciplines together in a blend of art and accessibility.
In making the collection, Kristen reupholstered antique chairs with fabric printed from her own paintings, then added built-in vibrating speakers, giving the deaf and hard-of-hearing community, including Kristen herself, an immersive sensory experience where they could feel music through vibration.
The project came to life thanks in part to funding from Support4Culture, something Kristen doesn’t take for granted.
Since 2013, the Nova Scotia Gaming Corporation has supported arts, culture, and heritage in communities across Nova Scotia through its Support4Culture program, funded by the proceeds from designated lottery products. To date, Nova Scotians have raised almost $42 million for Support4Culture.
“I often think about what art doesn’t exist because the resources aren’t available,” she says. “Funding allows people to feel more at ease and tune into their best art and creativity. If you’re not able to pay your mortgage, that’s not the greatest state of mind to be in to try to create something beautiful for the world.”
Kristen’s focus now is staying true to her creative self and the work she loves. “I want to try and remain true to the artist in me and not the audience,” she says.
Because in the end, the best art is born from honesty, and that’s what connects with others along the way.