Stay-at-home mom and internationally renowned soprano

Sally Dibblee ('88) leads a dual life. On one hand, she's a wife and mother of two sons who loves to cook and spend time with her family. And on the other, she's a gifted soprano who graces the stages of opera companies around North America, delighting audiences with her vocal abilities.

She loves the life she's making with her husband Chris Lynn ('87), and their sons, Robbie and Patrick, in Fredericton.

Sally began vocal lessons at age 14. She decided to go to Mount Allison to pursue a music degree. It is here she met her husband who was studying commerce. They have been happily married since 1991.

In 1995 Dibblee became self-employed. She got a talent agent and started to do contract work with opera companies throughout Canada and the United States. At first these were small roles but she used these jobs as learning experiences. Then the Vancouver Opera Company hired her in the title role of the opera, Susannah.

When she works, it means she travels to various cities throughout Canada and the United States, where she lives for a month in hotel apartment suites and reunites with others she knows very well who are also part of the operatic community.

Now her sons are 15 and 12 and they're very active with school and other extracurricular activities. Both of her boys share her interest in music and theatre.

Some people might have a difficult time being away from home for a month at a time but for this wife and mother, and her family, it works. When she's away, she stays connected through video chats. When she has free time with her family, it's often spent going for walks and enjoying time at their cottage.

Read full story: Following her hear (The Daily Gleaner)

Tying the knot on campus

Uli Schermaul and Kathrin Christine Hoehn, both exchange students from Germany to Mount Allison in 2001, “tied the knot” here on campus on August 12, 2011.

Susan LeBlanc, Deputy Clerk of the Court of Queen’s Bench of New Brunswick, officiated at the ceremony.

Uli was involved in printmaking, painting, and drawing during his studies at Mount Allison, while Kathrin studied both English and French.

Dan Steeves, who became friends with Uli while he was here studying at the Fine Arts Department in 2001, has remained in contact through the years, and he noted that the couple have wanted to return to campus for a number of years.

He was pleasantly surprised when he recently received an e-mail from Uli saying that he and Kathrin were not only planning to make a visit but that they were also going to be married while they were here on campus. He was also pleased to be asked to be part of the ceremony as a witness for the groom.

Donna Sharpe, who currently works as an ESL Instructor at Mount Allison, teaching MASSIE students from Kwansei Gakuin University in Japan, also took part in the ceremony as a witness for the bride. Donna owned the Sanderling Bed and Breakfast in Sackville when Kathrin first came to Mount Allison and she was the first person that Kathrin met when she came to Canada. Donna became a good friend of both Kathrin and her family, and she often invited both Uli and Kathrin to her home for tea and conversations during their year in Sackville.

Other members of the “Mount Allison Family” who were present at the ceremony included Dr. Rainer Hempel, retired professor of German, who was the head Mount Allison’s exchange program in 2001; Dr. Maritza Fariña, current Spanish instructor who taught both Uli and Kathrin when they attended Mount Allison; Mona Estabrooks, Assistant Director Alumni Relations; and Sue Seaborn, University Advancement Communications Officer.

We wish Uli and Kathrin many happy years of married life. It was wonderful to have them back on campus and to share their special day here at Mount Allison.

A first graphic novel

Temple Bates ('96) consciously leaves room for interpretation - what are Hermodditites? Little children? Creatures? Creepy old men? Are they futuristic or medieval? Are you looking at them, or are they looking at you?

Her first graphic novel, Hermoddities, portrays contemporary comic art and traditional paint on canvas. The result is remarkable.

The Toronto-based, and Mount Allison educated, artist, who also plays in electro synth goth-pop band Pony Da Look, showcases work from the past decade in Hermoddities, including: CatPeeps, sometimes they're people, sometimes they're cats; Bird With A Ball Foot; and graphic collaborations with Winnipeg's Drue Langlois (formerly of the Royal Art Lodge) on Capistrano and Sweet Peel.

In Capistrano lead character Tristen poignantly asks, "Can't you see that your self-centered lifestyle - with your machines and comforts - has killed your heart?"

She challenges viewers to see what's between the lines, what distorts and blurs boundaries? Part hermetic oddities, part hermaphrodites, all gorgeous.

Read full story: A yearbook for circus strays (Telegraph-Journal)
See her work: http://www.templebates.com/

The RECORD online

The 2011 Summer Issue of the Record is now online: http://alumni.mta.ca/therecord/

New art gallery - Lunenburg

For Lynn Misner ('07), art is something that just came naturally. She never realized when she was younger that years down the road it would become an integral part of not only her life, but her livelihood.

After graduating from high school, the talented painter wasn't really sure what to do next, so she enrolled in the fine arts program at Mount Allison. That decision turned out to be a personal and professional turning point for her.

"We had a great first year and the rest of the years were just brilliant. You could do pretty much whatever you wanted, so that really helped," she says. "I don't like boundaries."

While attending Mount Allison, she worked part time during the summer months at Lunenburg's Houston North Gallery, and later went on to earn a diploma in gallery and museum management at the University of Western Ontario.

Earlier this year, she thought it was an opportune time to consider opening her own studio and gallery, and after partnering with Steve Welsh, who was looking to open up a new art supply business in the area, the two began searching for what they hoped might make a suitable location for both venues when a property located at 129 Lincoln Street in Lunenburg came on the market.

Once the deal on the property was completed, each embarked on the establishment of their own separate, yet related, activities, Lynn with the new Power House Art Gallery and Studio and Mr. Welsh with Lunenburg Art Supply Store.

Lynn says that along with being her own personal space, the gallery will be open for other artists to use for a display-work area in a manner which, with the art supply store in the same building, creates "kind of a hybrid model of a co-operative."

Both entities are currently up and running and will celebrate their beginnings with soft openings July 9 during the Lunenburg StreetFest.

See full story: New gallery, art supply store join forces in Lunenburg
(South Shore Now)

New work by Canadian artist

Please join well-known Canadian artist Dawn MacNutt ('57) in celebration of her new body of work, entitled 'Friendship'. Dawn brings her uniquely woven sculptures made of woven willow and copper wire to the Argyle Fine Art Gallery, with an emphasis on partnership and friendship.

Attend the opening reception on Friday, July 8th - 5 to 9 pm at the Argyle Fine Art located at 1559 Barrington Street in Halifax.

The show continues until July 22, 2011.

More information: http://www.dawnmacnutt.com/

Alumna Wins Advancement of Animal Law Scholarship

The Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) has awarded Camille Labchuk ('05) one of seven international Advancement of Animal Law Scholarships for her outstanding work in the growing field of animal law.

Camille is entering her third year at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law, where she is co-president of the school’s Student Animal Legal Defense Fund chapter. Camille graduated from Mount Allison with an Honors degree in psychology, and after working for years for a federal political party and an animal protection organization, pursuing animal law seemed like the natural next step in helping her to most effectively advocate on behalf of animals.

As a public relations specialist with the Humane Society International/Canada, she documented the commercial seal kill on Canada’s East Coast for three years, lobbied parliamentarians in Canada and the European Union, and worked on a variety of campaigns including horse slaughter, factory farming, and trophy hunting. She has been a board member of the National Capital Vegetarian Association in Ottawa, fosters kitten from the local animal shelter, and frequently attends animal protection protests and demonstrations.

Camille has attended several animal law conferences in North America and has helped with research for the first animal law text book to be published in Canada. She was awarded a fellowship grant for the summer of 2011 to work with Lawyers for Animal Welfare, Canada’s only animal law organization. She plans to continue to work to grow the field of animal law in Canada, help develop a national network of animal lawyers, and use the legal system to advance the interests of animals.