Operations Team

Email: gm at lampns.ca

Rhian Merritt-Macintosh (she/her) is an English-Canadian vocalist, arts administrator, and community leader. She is passionate about the power of uniting people within the arts & culture sector through shared stories, outreach, and education. Rhian focuses her work around the three pillars of community, collaboration, and creativity. Previous studies in voice at Acadia University and the University of Toronto led Rhian to Lunenburg to complete a year-long artist residency at LAMP during the pandemic. She is very pleased to be back at the Academy in this new capacity to continue to develop and grow the organization.

Email: admin at lampns.ca

Linda returned home to the Maritimes in January 2020 after many years of varied and eclectic adventures. Originally from New Brunswick, she is a NSCAD Alumni and moved to Vancouver Island, the British Virgin Islands and beyond. She has many years of administration and management experience in screen printing & shipping; and (with her husband) ran a yacht repair company, and operated a luxury sailing yacht. This brought them throughout the Caribbean and Europe/ Mediterranean and Adriatic. When possible, Linda works on her art – photography, printmaking and textiles - and enjoys being in the woods, on the water and at the shore.

The South Shore of Nova Scotia has always felt like home and she’s grateful to be here.

We are incredibly honoured that all of the photographic art on the walls of LAMP was created by our good friend, supporter, and artist Raoul Manuel Schnell. In addition to the breathtaking art hanging on our walls, all of the photographs on this website and appearing on much of our promotional publications were also taken by Manuel.

Raoul Manuel Schnell’s Biography

The world of the arts dominated Raoul Manuel Schnell’s life early on owing to his upbringing. Considering this background it was no surprise that he attended the College of Art and Design in Lugano, Switzerland where he found his calling when he set foot into a darkroom for the first time. Though he completed his studies in Interior Design, his only goal from then on was to become a photographer.

Raoul Manuel Schnell specialized in still life and ran a studio with extensive custom-made lighting installations in order to perfectly effectuate the play of light and shadow in a picture. He photographed the most challenging objects but then, after more than 20 years spent in a black studio, it was time for a fresh start.

In 2004 his career changed radically as he moved to Canada. Instead of fully resuming his work in advertisement he began to focus on the artistic side of photography. After being used to working in colour for so long, he now found beauty in black and white photography. He rediscovered his love for food as subject matter and found a new one: people. But some things never change: Raoul Manuel Schnell’s focus on light was - and still is - a central part of his images, but now he has abandoned the studio with its elaborate technologies and uses natural light whenever possible.

His predator-like approach to form and human feature as a psychological mirror marks his very own style, easily identifiable throughout his work.