Julius Zarand was born in Hungary into an aristocratic family in 1913 and immigrated to Canada in 1952, where he ended up teaching in the fine arts department of Saint Mary's University, at the invitation of the department's head, fellow Hungarian Fr Ambrosius Czakó. This full-colour brochure of an exhibition of Zarand's work – including his portrait of Fr Czakó – helps to document the history of visual arts at Saint Mary's University while honouring two former faculty members. Zarand received many important portrait commissions, including ones of Roy Thompson, 1st Baron Thompson of Fleet, of Sir John S D Thompson, Canada's fourth Prime Minister (from the collection of Halifax Regional Municipality) and of Rear Admiral Landymore (from the Wardroom of CFB Halifax – Stadacona). As is evident both from many of Zarand's portraits and from such seascapes as Halifax in Winter and from the small study for a mural produced for Halifax's Veteran's Memorial Building, Julius Zarand had a long association with Canada's Navy, and this full-colour brochure documents an exhibition held to mark the Navy's 100th anniversary. The publication features an essay by curator Don Hyslop as well as a text by Director/Curator Robin Metcalfe.

Robin Metcalfe has a prenatal affinity for Nova Scotia crafts — his mother met his father while she was teaching weaving in Glace Bay. Like most of the people profiled in Studio Rally, he is a self-employed cultural producer — a freelance writer and independent curator.

Robin Metcalfe's profile page