A new art exhibition is looking to the past to reimagine the future of art on campus.<\/p>\n
Presented by the Brock University Art Collection and Brock University Library, Intentional Futures<\/em> is now on show at Brock\u2019s Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA) in downtown St. Catharines until Oct. 11.<\/p>\n Curated by Mandy Salter, Brock University Library Art Collections and Engagement Manager, and Sonya de Lazzer, Gallery Coordinator for MIWSFPA Visual Arts Gallery, the exhibition showcases a carefully selected group of artworks from the Brock University Art Collection, many of which are being exhibited at the University for the first time.<\/p>\n Salter said the exhibition invites audiences to consider whose stories have been historically represented in the collection \u2014\u00a0and whose have been overlooked, by engaging with themes of land, representation and identity.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have curated works into this exhibition that prompt questions about how land is represented in the collection, and how it considers Indigenous and environmental history given Brock sits on the traditional lands of the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe people in a very important ecosystem with the Niagara Escarpment and between Lake Ontario and Lake Erie,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n For Salter and de Lazzer, who primarily selected works that were in storage, the exhibit is a unique opportunity to share the collection with viewers in a different way.<\/p>\n \u201cAudiences and community members will be invited to provide feedback and written notes that will be incorporated into the exhibition. It\u2019s all about caring for this work with intention, and with community, through inclusive conversations,\u201d Salter said.<\/p>\n de Lazzer added that care, dialogue and shared responsibility are the foundations of their curatorial approach.<\/p>\n \u201cArt collections thrive through the questions that we ask, the care that supports them and, in this case, the futures that we can imagine together. We also want to extend our thanks to the Brock University Art Collection Committee whose support has been vital in shaping this initiative,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Nicole Nolan, University Librarian, said the exhibition marks a meaningful opportunity to raise awareness of the University\u2019s collection by positioning certain works as conduits for discussion.<\/p>\n “I’m thrilled this exhibition is taking place in partnership with the Department of Visual Arts. Through careful curation and thoughtful discussion, we can begin to address representational gaps within this dynamic collection. Together, we can imagine how the future collection will echo and represent the rich and diverse fabric of our\u00a0Brock community,\u201d Nolan said.<\/p>\n