A new NTV series spotlights the rich talent of Newfoundland and Labrador’s artists across a variety of mediums.
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Newfoundland and Labrador, arguably, is second to none when it comes to artistic pedigree. A new 10 part series on Canada’s Superstation NTV explores that fact.
From respected producer and filmmaker Bill Coultas comes Arts Delight, a new series which profiles various Newfoundland and Labrador born and bred artists across a variety of disciplines.
“I’ve always been interested in the arts, always,” Coultas shared with The Herald.
“When I was a producer at Cable Atlantic for the community station I carried that through. I interviewed artists on a regular basis. Over the years I built quite a few close relationships and got to know some of these people pretty well.”
In-Depth Exploration
Arts Delight features a wide array of artistic mediums. From filmmaking to sculpting, painting to directing, the series takes an in-depth exploration into what makes these talented individuals tick. 
“We’ll have 10 different people in 10 different disciplines. Five men and five women. It was easy to find,” explains Coultas. “We said we’d have well established people, like Mary Walsh and Donna Butt, but also those that the general public are not that familiar with. Those three things combined together hopefully make for an interesting series.”
Kicking off on June 17, the first three episodes of the series featured Noel Harris, Donna Butt and Morgan MacDonald. Future episodes spotlight Lisa Moore, Ian Sutherland, Mary Walsh, Jean Claude Roy, Ruth Lawerence, Allan Gillard and The Ennis Sisters. Quite the list of notables.
“It was instant,” Coultas shared of the interest of those he contacted to be featured in the series. “It wasn’t like oh jeez I can’t wait to get on tv! You approach them and they say yes … I always like being a part of promoting the arts and this is another way.”
Fantastic Detail
Both Coultas and longtime local media fixture Bob Wakeham explore the lives and careers of these artists with fantastic detail, making for a revealing exploration into various pillars of the island’s arts scene.
One thing is crystal clear upon watching Arts Delight; the artistic culture and pedigree in Newfoundland and Labrador is flourishing to a staggering degree.
“The depth of Newfoundland arts is quite amazing,” Coultas says. “When Newfoundland joined confederation, it did have a rough edge to it. We knew in our own hearts that between the storytelling and the music, all the talent was there and it just needed the opportunity to blossom. When it blossomed, it blossomed heavy duty. Now the second or even third generation of Newfoundlanders are doing their thing. The fruits of what happened many years ago are bearing fruit now. It’s unbelievable.”
Watch Arts Delight at 4pm on Sundays on Canada’s Superstation NTV.