Elizabeth Styring Nutt (1870 – 1946), was an artist and educator, known for her leadership of the

Nova Scotia College of Art NSCAD University, also known as the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (NSCAD), is a public art university in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The university is a co-educational institution that offers bachelor's and master's degrees. The unive ...

in Halifax.

Biography

Elizabeth Styring Nutt was born on the Isle of Man in 1870. Following the death of her father she moved to Sheffield. Nutt attended the

Sheffield School of Art Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) is a public research university in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The university is based on two sites; the City Campus is located in the city centre near Sheffield station, Sheffield railway station, whil ...

, Newlyn School of Art, and the Sorbonne. In 1914 she received her Masters of Arts at the

University of Sheffield The University of Sheffield (informally Sheffield University or TUOS) is a public university, public research university in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. Its history traces back to the foundation of Sheffield Medical School in 1828, Fir ...

. Nutt began her teaching career in Sheffield at the Firs Hill Branch Art School, then the Sheffield School of Art and the Sheffield Training College for Teachers. In 1919 Nutt accepted

Arthur Lismer Arthur Lismer, LL.D. (27 June 1885 – 23 March 1969) was an English-Canadian painter, member of the Group of Seven and educator. He is known primarily as a landscape painter and for his paintings of ships in dazzle camouflage. Early life ...

's offer to succeed him as the Principal of the Victoria School of Art and Design, becoming the second female principal after Katharine Evans. In 1925 Nutt changed the name of the school to the ''

''. During her time, she faced controversy and was often opposed by faculty and students due to her conservative methods. One of her conflicts led to the dismissal of instructor,

Stanley Royle Stanley Royle RBA, (1888–1961) was an English post-impressionist landscape painter and illustrator who lived for most of his life in and around Sheffield (England), and in Canada, and was inspired by views of landscape, sea and snow. Earl ...

, who later became the head of fine arts department at

Mount Allison University Mount Allison University (also Mount A or MtA) is a Canadian primarily undergraduate liberal arts university located in Sackville, New Brunswick, founded in 1839. Mount Allison was the first university in the British Empire to award a baccal ...

. Despite controversy, Nutt was a strong supporter of the Nova Scotia Society of Artists, and went on to support many associations during her lifetime. She remained at the

until 1943. During this time Nutt authored several books; ''Flower Drawing with the Children'' (1916), ''Significance'' (1921), ''The Why in the Drawing Lesson'' (1929), and ''The World of Appearance'' (1935). Nutt was a founding member of the

Maritime Art Association The Maritime Art Association (1935–1945) was a Canadian regional alliance of art clubs and societies, public schools, universities, social organizations, service and civic groups, artists, art students and art appreciators. As the first organi ...

. She was also a founding member of the Nova Scotia Society of Artists, the Nova Scotia Society of Watercolour Painters, and an associate of the

Royal Canadian Academy of Arts The Royal Canadian Academy of Arts (RCA) is a Canadian arts-related organization that was founded in 1880. History 1880 to 1890 The title of Royal Canadian Academy of Arts was received from Victoria of the United Kingdom, Queen Victoria on 16 ...

. Nutt's work was exhibited at the Nova Scotia Society of Artists, the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts, the

Ontario Society of Artists The Ontario Society of Artists (OSA) was founded in 1872. It is Canada's oldest continuously operating professional art society. When it was founded at the home of John Arthur Fraser, seven artists were present. Besides Fraser himself, Marmaduke ...

, the

Art Association of Montreal The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA) is an art museum in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is the largest art museum in Canada by gallery space. The museum is located on the historic Golden Square Mile stretch of Sherbrooke Street west. The MMFA ...

, the Sheffield Society of Artists, the

Royal Academy of Arts The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...

(London), and the

Paris Salon The Salon (), or rarely Paris Salon (French: ''Salon de Paris'' ), beginning in 1667 was the official art exhibition of the in Paris. Between 1748 and 1890 it was arguably the greatest annual or biennial art event in the Western world. At the ...

. In 1945 Nutt returned to the United Kingdom. She died in Sheffield in 1946.

Public collections

Her work is included in the collections of the

Museums Sheffield Sheffield Museums Trust, is a charity created in 2021 to run Sheffield City Council’s museums and galleries. It was formed from the merger of Sheffield Galleries & Museums Trust (Museums Sheffield), and Sheffield Industrial Museums Trust. I ...

, the Doncaster Museum and Art Gallery and the

National Gallery of Canada The National Gallery of Canada (), located in the capital city of Ottawa, Ontario, is Canada's National museums of Canada, national art museum. The museum's building takes up , with of space used for exhibiting art. It is one of the List of large ...

References

Bibliography

* Cronin, Ray (2023).
Halifax Art & Artists: An Illustrated History.
' Toronto: Art Canada Institute. *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nutt, Elizabeth Styring 1870 births 1946 deaths 20th-century Canadian women artists 19th-century Canadian painters 19th-century Canadian women painters 20th-century Canadian painters British emigrants to Canada Manx artists Members of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts NSCAD University people Alumni of the University of Sheffield 20th-century women painters