A new season of compelling cultural events, workshops and lectures launches this week as part of Brock’s 2023-24 Walker Cultural Leader (WCL) Series presented by the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA).

Supported by the generosity of the late Marilyn I. Walker, the series enriches local creative and intellectual life by inviting recognized cultural leaders, top researchers, scholars, professionals and visiting artists from all disciplines to Brock’s downtown arts school.

Visual Arts Walker Cultural Leader Trudi Lynn Smith will discuss plant-based photography in an upcoming artists talk and workshop series.

The first event of the series will dive into the world of plant-based photography, with artist Trudi Lynn Smith presenting a public talk and two workshops from Wednesday, Sept. 20 to Friday, Sept. 22. The program will feature a visit to the Brock Community Garden on the University’s main campus to gather materials for the workshops.

On Tuesday, Sept. 26, the Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture (STAC) will host a book launch presenting four new Small Walker Press publications in conjunction with an exhibition opening of small paintings by celebrated artist Geoff Farnsworth.

Showcased in the Museum in the Hallway/Boîte-en-valise, located on the second floor by the theatre entrance at the MIWSFPA, the book launch and exhibition highlight STAC’s interdisciplinary nature. All are welcome to attend.

Dramatic Arts (DART) has welcomed Soheil Parsa, co-founder and former Artistic Director of Modern Times Stage Company in Toronto, to the School as its Walker Cultural Leader for this year. Drawing on his career-long work with diverse casts, Parsa will lead several studio workshops for DART students focusing on the play The Death of the King by Bahram Beyza’ie using an English version co-translated from Farsi by Parsa.

The DART workshops will culminate in a work-in-progress staged reading of the play in 2024 along with public lectures presented by Parsa discussing the play itself as well as working with diversity in rehearsal and production environments.

In a rare glimpse into the art of music production, the Department of Music will feature the fascinating work of Walker Cultural Leader Susan Rogers in a Music and Neuroscience lecture for the MIWSFPA community at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre on Oct. 23 as part of an upcoming Brock lecture series unpacking the science behind music cognition.

An educator, accomplished sound engineer and record producer, Rogers is currently a professor in the Music Production and Engineering Department at Berklee College of Music. Previously, she worked as a sound engineer and record producer for musicians such as Prince, David Byrne and Barenaked Ladies.

Many of the WCL Series events are open to the public. Visit the MIWSFPA WCL website for more information on the visiting speakers. For event registration details, visit the MIWSFPA ExperienceBU page.