Media releases

• Brock community grieves the loss of renowned teacher

  Tuesday, November 07, 2017 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: 7 November 2017 – R00205

  Brock University is in mourning after the passing of Professor Zopito Marini, a beloved teacher and academic colleague who died suddenly while travelling overseas on Oct. 23 in his hometown of Montebello di Bertona, Italy.

  A prolific researcher who was so popular with students that The Student’s Guide to Canadian Universities listed him as one of Brock’s favourite professors, Marini won numerous awards for teaching excellence during his career. He was also a recognized international expert in sociocognitive development, writing and lecturing on such issues as family and school conflicts, bullying and victimization.

  Marini, a developmental psychologist, received his PhD from the University of Toronto in 1984, and joined Brock the following year as an assistant professor in Child Studies. By 1993 he co-founded Brock’s renowned Department of Child and Youth Studies, serving as its inaugural Chair.

  In 2010, Marini was awarded the 3M National Teaching Fellowship, given by the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education to recognize post-secondary teaching excellence. Other honours have included the Brock University Award for Distinguished Teaching, the Faculty of Social Sciences Award for Excellence in Teaching and the Ontario Confederation of Faculty Associations Teaching Award. A year ago, the Canadian Association for Educational Psychology presented Marini with the Robbie Case Memorial Award, recognizing excellence of work as evidenced by publication, exemplary practice and considerable influence on the profession.

  The news of his death hit hard with colleagues.

  “A renowned international scholar, an award winning teacher, an engaged citizen of the community and the world, and a warm and generous spirit,” said Ingrid Makus, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences. “Zopito exemplified the kind of person we can only strive to be. This is an irreplaceable loss for us at Brock and the wider community.”

  Drew Dane, Associate Professor of Psychology, described a friend “who was there to listen. He was a wonderful mentor and role model, who guided me through my early days as a professor, and helped me to make tough decisions and get through difficult situations.

  “He never allowed the pressure or stress of the day’s events to detract from the joy that he took in sharing each moment with family, friends and colleagues, and in this respect, he has given us all a great example of how a life can be well lived.”

  Marini is survived by his wife Helen, sons Michael and Matthew and his sister Anna Sablone. A funeral mass will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 11 at St. Julia’s Church in St. Catharines. In lieu of flowers, donations are being accepted to the Zopito Marini Scholarship Fund.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  * Dan Dakin, Media Relations Officer, Brock University ddakin@brocku.ca, 905-688-5550 x5353 or 905-347-1970

  Brock University Marketing and Communications has a full-service studio where we can provide high definition video and broadcast-quality audio.

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  Categories: Media releases

• Brock professor’s art featured on Diana Krall tour

  Monday, November 06, 2017 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: 6 November 2017 – R00204

  When the e-mail popped into Amy Friend’s inbox, she was certain it couldn’t be real.

  But a feeling inside prompted the Brock Fine Arts assistant professor to respond to the inquiry, which asked about her artwork and whether she’d consider collaborating with renowned Canadian musician Diana Krall.

  It was soon after that Friend found herself on the phone with the Grammy Award winner discussing possibilities for her upcoming tour.

  Friend’s experimental photography has since helped Krall to set the scene on stage, acting as her backdrop as she captivates crowds in venues across North America and Europe.

  Friend’s work has been featured on the jazz singer’s international tour since June and the partnership is expected to continue through to the summer.

  The project, which includes art pieces from three different bodies of work, has been “particularly fulfilling,” Friend said.

  She has enjoyed the challenge of working with Krall to find pieces that fit the mood and message of individual songs, while also complementing the title of the tour and Krall’s most recent album, Turn Up the Quiet.

  “It’s about trying to respect your own work, while also seeing how you can accommodate a vision that will fit within the repertoire they’re working with,” she said.

  Friend is currently working to select new pieces for Krall’s Canadian tour dates, including a Nov. 24 show at Massey Hall in Toronto that she plans to attend.

  “I’m looking forward to seeing her perform and to seeing my work filling the stage in a concert hall where I have heard musicians like Johnny Cash, Tom Waits and Nick Cave perform,” she said.

  Krall’s latest repertoire will include a cover of Bob Dylan’s Simple Twist of Fate, which Friend is particularly excited to find a piece to accompany.

  “Much of my work revolves around ideas of memory, impermanence, history and time,” said Friend, who has worked at Brock for the past decade. “I am less concerned with capturing a ‘concrete’ reality. Instead, I aim to use photography as a medium that offers the possibility of exploring the relationship between what is visible and non-visible.”

  Work featured on the tour includes hand-manipulated photographs, pieces featuring floating handkerchiefs once belonging to Friend’s grandparents, and artwork inspired by snippets of film from her childhood.

  Over the past few months, Friend and Krall have shared many inspiring conversations about family, creativity and women in the arts.

  “She has been so great to work with, you could almost forget her status in the music world,” Friend said.

  Krall often emphasized the need to respect Friend’s work and always checks in with the artist to ensure she’s pleased with the end results of each tour stop.

  Friend called it “refreshing” to be able to engage with other artists.

  “It exposes you to experiences that have commonalities and, at times, interesting variances,” she said. “It’s also wonderful to see how my work found a place to exist far beyond my initial intentions.”

  The team responsible for the on-stage initiative also included Judy Jacob, a video and visual content director, and Paul Normandale, a lighting designer, who Friend said “took the project to the next level.”

  In addition to her work with the tour, Friend has been busy over the past year with international exhibitions in Spain, Korea, Poland, Portugal and France. She has shows coming up in Boston and Italy and plans to release a new book in the near future.

   

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  * Dan Dakin, Media Relations Officer, Brock University ddakin@brocku.ca, 905-688-5550 x5353 or 905-347-1970

  Brock University Marketing and Communications has a full-service studio where we can provide high definition video and broadcast-quality audio.

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  Categories: Media releases