Articles from:December 2022

  • Brock faculty honoured for local arts impact

    Wednesday, December 07, 2022 | By

    Three individuals stand behind three sitting individuals, each holding a turquoise trophy against a grey-beige backdrop.

    St. Catharines Arts Award winners (clockwise from front left) Emily Oriold, Monica Dufault, Kathyrn Sinopoli, Rachel Rensink-Hoff, Amy Friend and Frank Goldspink were recently honoured by the City of St. Catharines. (Photo courtesy of the City of St. Catharines)

    Originally published in The Brock News | TUESDAY, DECEMBER 06, 2022 | by Charles Kim

    The impact of faculty from Brock’s Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts is being felt in the local community.

    Amy Friend, Associate Professor and Department of Visual Arts Chair, and Rachel Rensink-Hoff, Associate Professor in the Department of Music, were each recently honoured during the St. Catharines Arts Awards and recognized for their respective contributions to helping the arts thrive locally.

    Friend received the Established Artist Award during the awards celebration held Tuesday, Nov. 29, at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre. Her work, which has been exhibited nationally and internationally, explores various methodologies through photography, installation and community-based collaborations. The focus of her work fluctuates with investigations relative to history, time, land memory, dust, oceans and connections to the universe.

    “The award is a wonderful nod to the work artists accomplish in this community and there are many of us,” Friend said. “I have grown as an artist in this region and have had opportunities to collaborate with many people. I would like to see even greater and consistent support for the arts in our community and schools. There is an abundance of amazing work happening here, but much more is possible.”

    Rensink-Hoff — Conductor of the Brock University Choir and Sora Singers, and Artistic Director of the Avanti Chamber Singers — was presented with the Arts in Education Award.

    Her contributions to the local arts community have resulted in many performances and partnerships, including the co-ordination of a performance by the Brock University Choir, Avanti Chamber Singers and Sora Singers under the leadership of guest conductor, Kanaka Maoli artist, activist and cultural bearer Jace Kaholokula Sapan.

    “It is a joy to be a part of a thriving arts community here in St. Catharines and I am humbled by this recognition, particularly on the heels of a challenging two and a half years,” Rensink-Hoff said. “I have seen in my students and singers just how life-giving their participation in the arts can be. Their passion and dedication to making music throughout the pandemic has been such a tremendous source of inspiration.”

    A full list of recipients of the St. Catharines Arts Awards is available on the City of St. Catharines website.

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    Categories: Alumni, Announcements, Current Students, Department/Centre News, Faculty & Instructors, Future Students, In the Media, Media Releases, News

  • Museum in the Hallway exhibit explores student life

    Tuesday, December 06, 2022 | By

    A group of students stand at the front of a lecture hall in front of two large projector screens.

    Brock University students of the Social Class and Social Conflict course (SOCI 2P71) with Assistant Professor Miles Howes (far right, back row).

    Originally published in The Brock News | THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 03, 2022 | by Charles Kim

    A collection of images on display for ‘Museum in the Hallway / Boîte-en-valise’ offers a glimpse into the excitement and challenges of student life. 

    Organized by Brock University’s Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture (STAC), Museum in the Hallway / Boîte-en-valise is a rotating themed exhibit in two display cases at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts. Boîte-en-valise is an expression referring to the aesthetic value of collecting and assembling. 

    The latest of its curated contents was created in collaboration with students in the Department of Sociology. ‘What I want you to see is this…’ is a collection of images with guided narrative that expresses a variety of student perspectives on life in 2022.  

    Students in the Social Class and Social Conflict course (SOCI 2P71) led by Assistant Professor Miles Howes were presented with a simple, yet complex question: If you had two to three minutes to communicate to an audience what it’s like to be a student in 2022, what would you say and display? In answering the question, students were also asked to consider the demands placed on them in an academic institution. 

    Each student took on a different perspective with the project. Some reflected on their personal experiences, while others examined the culture that surrounds the student community in a post-secondary establishment. 

    A common theme was the balancing act of student life. Many students expressed difficulties and pleasures that come with being a student in an academic institution. Another concern was maintaining a healthy balance between personal life, academic success and financial stability. Also questioned was the sense of fulfillment in each of these elements. 

    Faith Westman, a second-year Critical Criminology student and selected representative of the class, said she and her fellow students participating in the project found a sense of solidarity and community in learning about each other’s university experiences.  

    “Each of us have had different experiences in university thus far, but despite these differences, there are many commonalities,” she said. “We may be impacted with similar struggles, but we are not alone, and we understand that better now.” 

    Students preferred using still images over video in their projects, explaining that images depict a specific time and message. While video may be visually enticing, the message the audience receives may be diluted or missed entirely. 

    Images for each project vary, with some students, for example, having found inspiration from the scenery they pass by every day, and others capturing images that require a closer analysis.   

    The emotions and perceptions instilled in each image are key elements of the project. The extended exposure to the image heightens its impact while the narrative provides self-reflection and actualization that audiences would not be able to extrapolate from a single image.

    The ‘What I want you to see is this…’ collection will be on display until Sunday, Jan. 15. For more information, visit the STAC Museum in the Hallway / Boîte-en-valise web page.

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    Categories: Announcements, Current Students, Department/Centre News, Events, Faculty & Instructors, News