Donate
Press Release

Eltuek Arts Centre Recognized with Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Excellence in Architecture 

SYDNEY, N.S. – The design team behind the Eltuek Arts Centre in Sydney, NS has been recognized with a Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Excellence in Architecture.  

The awards, presented annually by the Nova Scotia Association for Architects and Lieutenant Governor, celebrate architectural achievements in the province and the way in which good architecture brings well-being to those who spend time in the designed spaces and the environment and community surrounding them. 

“The strength of this project is the broad community that imagined it, made it happen, and will now carry it forward. The energy and wisdom of New Dawn Enterprises, and the Elders Advisory Committee from the Island’s five Mi’kmaw communities will assure that the Eltuek Art Centre remains welcoming, affordable and relevant to the artists and the community. The community’s vision and commitment from the very beginning should be recognized,” said Lt.-Gov. Arthur LeBlanc.

The building’s design team was comprised of Principle Architect Spyro Trifos, NSAA, FRAIC, LEED AP BD+C, of Trifos Design (Sydney, NS) and Design Architect Joe Lobko, OAA / FRAIC / LEED AP BD+C, Partner, DTAH (Toronto, ON). 

“What a privilege it has been to be part of the team assembled by New Dawn to bring about the revitalization of this important community building,” Joe Lobko said.

Eltuek (pronounced el-du-ehg), meaning “we are making (it) together” was the name bestowed on the new arts space by its five Mi’kmaw Elder Advisors in a naming ceremony in late 2021. The (it) refers to that which is made in and around the building – art, ideas, a shared meal, friendship, music, community, a brighter future.  

Eltuek Arts Centre opened in February 2020 in the former Holy Angels Convent (ca. 1895). It was purchased by New Dawn Enterprises in 2012 and the 130-year-old building is the largest adaptive reuse of built heritage in Unama’ki (Cape Breton). It is now home to 20 private artist studios, an Open Studio for shared artist workspaces, gallery and exhibition spaces, the Better Bite Café and Meals on Wheels, Nova Scotia Community College Music Arts Program, Celtic Colours International Festival, NovaStream, and The Coast 89.7 FM Radio Station. 

“The design and rebuilding of this building has allowed us to be present to the ability of our community to imagine a different kind of future here,” said Erika Shea, president and CEO of New Dawn Enterprises.

Other award recipients this year include Susan Fitzgerald for the Marine Drive Academy, Hip Boathouse and Dovecote by Jane Abbott Brown Architects, B2 Lofts by MacKay Lyons Sweetapple Architects, and the Monocular by RHAD Architects. Past recipients include the new Halifax Central Library, NSCAD University on Granville Street, and the Seaport Farmer’s Market.

 -30-

Media Contact:  

Erika Shea
President/CEO, New Dawn Enterprises
newdawn@newdawn.ca
(902) 539-9560

July 28, 2022

Get in touch

New Dawn Enterprises
37 Nepean St, Sydney, Nova Scotia B1P 6A7
newdawn@newdawn.ca
902-539-9560

Sign up for updates!

Join 3,000+ readers and get news from New Dawn Enterprises in your inbox.

By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: . You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact

Eymu’ti’k Unama’ki

Eymu’ti’k Unama’ki, newte’jk l’uiknek te’sikl Mi’kmawe’l maqamikall mna’q iknmuetumittl. Ula maqamikew wiaqi-wikasik Wantaqo’tie’l aqq I’lamatultimkewe’l Ankukamkewe’l Mi’kmaq aqq Eleke’wuti kisa’matultisnik 1726ek.

We are in Unama’ki, one of the seven traditional and unceded ancestral territories of the people of Mi’kma’ki. This territory is covered by the Treaties of Peace and Friendship which the Mi’kmaq first signed with the British Crown in 1726.

Ketu’-keknuite’tmek aqq kepmite’tmek ula tela’matultimkip wjit maqamikew ta’n etekl mtmo’taqne’l. Ula tett, ula maqamikek, etl-lukutiek l’tunen aqq apoqntmnen apoqnmasimk aqq weliknamk Unama’ki.

We wish to recognize and honour this understanding of the lands on which we reside. It is from here, on these lands, that we work to create and support a culture of self-reliance and vibrancy.