The Sable Island Institute’s 2026-27 Artist in Residence program is now open for applications.
The Sable Island Institute and Sable Island National Park Reserve invite proposals from professional artists in the four Atlantic Provinces to apply to be the next Artist in Residence on Sable Island. This year we are excited to announce that three artists will be selected to spend up to two weeks each on Sable Island immersed in the isolation, landscape, ecology, and deep cultural history that the island holds, gaining incomparable insight and experiences to inform their artistic practice. Applications are welcome from artists in all disciplines.
Residencies take place in Fall 2026 and Spring 2027.
Win a Day Trip to Sable Island National Park Reserve by helicopter with Kattuk Expeditions!
This year there are more seats to be won.
The Sable Island Institute’s mission is to support and promote the protection and conservation of the natural and cultural values of Sable Island through research, collaboration, and education. The Institute is a multidisciplinary not-for-profit organization based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Sable Island is an isolated and unique landform located far off the east coast of Canada—the nearest landfall is 156 km away. Surrounded by the waters of the Northwest Atlantic Ocean, the Island is exposed to winds, storms, waves and swell coming from every direction. It is home to a population of wild horses, and supports colonies of breeding seals and nesting seabirds. Throughout the year there are four to five people working and living on the island. The human population increases periodically with the arrival of researchers, artists, and other visitors. In 2013, the island was designated as the Sable Island National Park Reserve.
Read more…
The Sable Island Institute has an enthusiastic group of contributors who share memoirs, personal perspectives, and images. On this site you will find information about Sable Island’s natural history, research and monitoring programs, arts and culture, management and operations, community, visitors, and general goings-on.
A StoryMap experience presented by the Sable Island Institute and the Centre of Geographic Sciences.
Rose Morrison, Sable Island Institute’s first Artist in Residence, and Jordan Eamer, the SII’s Director of Science, will be the featured presenters. Rose will perform live, sharing stories and songs inspired by the island, and Jordan will speak about the SII’s science and monitoring activities, with a focus on the Sable’s geological history.
Jean Boulva first accompanied Ian McLaren to Sable Island in May 1968. In 1970, under Ian’s guidance, Jean began Ph.D. research on the status of the Harbour Seal in Atlantic Canada. He established his quarters at East Light, and occasionally shared the old lightkeepers house with other researchers. They all contributed to Ian’s major research project on the Ipswich Sparrow led by his Ph.D. student Wayne Stobo.
As we walked the network of horse trails… I was captivated by beetles, spiders, and the tiny sweat bee – newly recognizing the critical role that all of these creatures play in the island’s ecosystem.
Announcing the winners! Thanks to everyone who submitted stories and essays, and to the team and supporters who made it a success. Watch for the next contest in January 2023!
The four items shown above are only the most recent posts. Many other articles and images, on a wide range of Sable Island topics, are available in the Stories, Connections, PhotoBlog, Memoir, and Facebook Post pages.
Stories. A collection of updates and reports on Sable-related events and activities, and short accounts about selected features of the island’s natural and human history, operations, and cultural life. (49 items)
Connections. A series of lasting impressions and perspectives shared by people who have experienced Sable Island first-hand or have a distant, but enduring, relationship with the island. (38 items)
PhotoBlogs. Images of Sable Island’s landscape features, flora and fauna, beachcast curiosities, and weather, collected as encountered and presented in chronological order, some with notes. (7 items)
Memoirs. Longer accounts of Sable Island experiences—including those of children who lived on the island while a parent worked for one of the government agencies, and of individuals working with the met service or in research programs. (7 items)
Facebook Posts. Images and notes posted on Facebook—observations about natural history and human activities on the island. This collection serves as an archive, but also makes these brief contributions available to people who do not use Facebook. (4 items)
