Terry Drahos

Originally from Chicago, IL, Terry Drahos received her Bachelor of Design from Southern Illinois University and Bachelor of Education at Acadia and NSCAD Universities, specializing in Art and Technology.

Increasingly involved in the Nova Scotia arts community, Drahos has served on the board of directors for numerous arts organizations. She founded and directed public art and education project Uncommon Common Art (2008-2019). Growing the organization from an ad hoc group of artists to a registered charity recognized in national arts publications.

Her artwork often examines social identity and perceptions. Drahos has exhibited nationally and is the recipient of numerous grants and awards. She is passionate about art education dividing her time between her studio and sharing the love of making with children. Presently she is working with the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia developing on-line resources for art education and planning her 13th year of summer camp at the Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens.

Artist Statement

For the past four years my work has explored personal memory, home, and family history. Photographs and maps are hand cut into intricate stencils, some images requiring three or four separate overlays. These varied images are layered in single compositions to create an often dream like space of hazy memories, experiences, and places. The tension between reason and intuition, detail and spontaneity, control and abandon is evident in the process of detailed cut stencils and the unpredictability of the paint. This also manifests in the thematic investigation into identity, memory, generations, and the social structures that define us.

- Terry Drahos, 2021

Terry Drahos, CV