Events

First-year orientation activities for DART, Music, VISA, and STAC students

Friday, August 24, 2018 | By Brock University

Welcome to the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA)!

As a new student with the school, you are invited to The New Student Welcome and Academic Orientation as your official welcome to Brock University on September 4! The orientation begins at 8 a.m. in the Ian Beddis Gym, where you’ll hear from President Gervan Fearon and enjoy an inspirational keynote to begin your day and kick-start your term. Afterwards, you are welcome to connect with your faculty and upper year student mentors to receive important information about academic supports and resources. Then, go check out the vendor and welcome fair, take a campus tour and to locate your classes, and get an orientation to the Brock Library. * Don’t forget to register for this orientation at Experience BU.

As a student in Dramatic Arts, Music, Visual Arts or the Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture, you are invited to then attend the Faculty of Humanities orientation session, beginning at 10:00 a.m. in the Sean O’Sullivan Theatre on Brock’s main campus.

First-year MIWSFPA mixer and lunch

September 4

12 to 1:30 p.m.

MIWSFPA lobby

Downtown St. Catharines

15 Artists’ Common

There are also several department-specific orientation events that you are encouraged to attend!

Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture

Sept. 4: 2 to 6 p.m.
Marilyn I Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts Room 334
15 Artists’ Common

Visual Arts

Sept. 7: 3 to 4 p.m.
Marilyn I Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts Lobby
15 Artists’ Common
*This will be followed by an opening of Murray Kropf’s new exhibit, Three to Eight at 4 p.m. in the VISA Gallery

Dramatic Arts

Sept 24: 6 to 8 p.m.
MIWSFPA Theatre
15 Artists’ Common

Music

September 11: 12 -12:50 p.m.
Cairns Recital Hall.
For all Music majors, single or combined.

Tags: academic orientation, brock orientation, centre for studies in arts and culture, dart, department of music, Department of Visual Arts, Faculty of Humanities, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, music, new student, stac, VISA
Categories: Announcements, Current Students, Department/Centre News, Events, Faculty & Instructors, News, Uncategorised
Young artists thrive at MIWSFPA summer camps

Friday, August 24, 2018 | By Brock University

(From The Brock News, Wednesday, August 22, 2018 | by Sarah Moore)

Young artists were given a backstage pass to the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts this summer as Brock’s Youth University held camps at the School for the first time this July and August.

More than 70 students from as far as Toronto attended, and participated in camps that focused on arts media, performing arts, or performance props and effects.

Angela McVittie, a parent of one of the participants, had positive feedback about the experience her daughter had at the camp.

“My daughter attended Performance Props & Effects camp last week at Marilyn I. Walker and this was an outstanding camp – and an excellent venue!” she said. “She loved the smaller more intimate feel of this camp and said she had time to become friends with every one there. The staff were incredible, inspiring and professional. The venue was easy to get to, with plenty of parking. I really hope camps will be continue to be offered there.”

The Rodman Hall Art Centre also hosted programming at the school.

Tags: dramatic arts, rodman hall, summer camp, visual arts, youth university
Categories: Events, News
Dramatic Arts grads in Toronto Fringe Festival spotlight

Tuesday, August 14, 2018 | By Brock University

(From The Brock News, Tuesday, August 18, 2018)

Two plays featuring Brock Dramatic Arts graduates will be playing this week in Toronto as part of the Best of Fringe.

First Dates, a play about love, loss and people aching to connect, is written and directed by Niagara Falls native and former DART student Wes Berger and features music by his brother, musician and Brock alumnus Aaron Berger (BA ’17).

Also featured during the Best of Fringe event is Anywhere, the newest work by award-winning playwright Michael Ross Albert starring Brock alumna Cass Van Wyck (BA ’13). The thriller, set in an Airbnb, follows a cordial relationship between strangers that escalates into a tense battle for control.

Anywhere and First Dates were both selected as 2018 Patron’s Picks at the Toronto Fringe Festival.

“On behalf of the department, we want to congratulate Wes, Cass and Aaron,” says Professor Joe Norris, Chair of the Department of Dramatic Arts. “As always, we celebrate our students’ successes and are pleased their hard and talented work is recognized in the Ontario theatre community.”

The Toronto Fringe Theatre Festival provides opportunities for emerging and established artists to share their productions with the community in an affordable and accessible way. The Best of Fringe remounts selected productions at the Studio Theatre, Toronto Centre for the Arts to give patrons a second chance to see the shows.

Also in July was the Hamilton Fringe Festival, which showcased another production filled with Brock talent. September Songs was directed by Colin Bruce Anthes (BA ’14) and featured five Brock grads. The show will be coming to the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre Nov. 1 to 3.

Tags: Aaron Berger, Alana Perri, Anywhere, Best of the Fringe, Brock University Dramatic Arts, Cass Van Wyck, Colin Bruce Anthes, First Dates, FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, Fringe Festival, Hamilton, Hamilton Fringe Festival, joe norris, Kevin Chew, Patron's Pick, Toronto, Toronto Fringe Festival, Wes Berger
Categories: Alumni, Events, News
MIWSFPA calls for donations to revive zine culture on campus

Monday, August 13, 2018 | By Brock University

Learning Commons Co-ordinator Lesley Bell, left, and Visual Arts graduate Victoria Reid are asking students and the public
to submit their self-made zines to their new collection at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, which will
officially open Aug. 30.

(From The Brock News, Wednesday, June 20, 2018 | by Sarah Moore)

Brock’s Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA) is calling on the zine-making community to help expand its collection of eclectic self-published books.

The school’s Learning Commons currently has a small, informal collection of zines (short for magazines) that were made by students of Visual Arts instructor Gustavo Cerquera Benjumea. With other libraries and post-secondary intuitions in North America now creating dedicated zine collections and hosting zine fairs, the MIWSFPA decided to do the same.

Brock Visual Arts graduate Victoria Reid, is spearheading a project to catalogue the zines and gather donations alongside the school’s Learning Commons Co-ordinator, Lesley Bell.

“I’m excited to be working on this because I think it’s something we’re going to see popping up in a lot more libraries,” said Reid, who will be studying library and information science in the fall. “A lot of people have become really excited about zines in the past year.”

Zines can be traced back to the early 1930s, experiencing their peak popularity through counter-culture movements and the punk music scene of the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s.

The publications, which come in a variety of styles, sizes and cover a range of subject matter, are seeing a resurgence again today and students are embracing the chance to self-publish their ideas.

“Making and sharing zines is all about sharing your opinion without being filtered and being able to self-publish on your own terms,” explained Reid, who has made a few zines herself. “They are all about freedom of thought and the free sharing of ideas.”

The small-circulation, self-published periodicals are often traded for little to no money and vary from micro-sized journal-style publications, with hand-stitched bindings, to large, glossy art books.

Students and the public can donate their zines and Reid and Bell stressed there will be no restrictions on the zines they will accept. They are encouraging those in disciplines outside of the arts and humanities to participate, as well.

“Anybody can make a zine and it’s important to not put a box around what we’re accepting and what we’re not,” said Reid. “It’s also a good tie between the main and downtown Brock campuses because it encourages people from other programs to create their work and show it here. I’d love to see people from other programs submit things to us.”

There will be a grand opening celebration for the collection hosted in the MIWSFPA Learning Commons on Aug. 30, from 5 to 8 p.m. in room 226.

Everyone is welcome to attend and try their hand at making buttons and a zine of their own.

“There’s something attractive and energetic about publishing your own thing,” said Bell. “You are really going to experience something between those covers, it’s about discovery.”

The opening will also serve as an informal goodbye to Bell, who is retiring from her long-standing post with Brock at the end of August.

If you are interested in donating a zine, please visit the grand opening event’s Facebook page to download a donation form. You can also drop your zine donation off at the Learning Commons between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday, or contact vreid2@brocku.ca for more information.

Tags: Gustavo Cerquera Benjumea, humanities, learning commons, lesley bell, Victoria Reid, VISA, visual arts, zines
Categories: Announcements, Events, News, Uncategorised
Closing Reception for International Scholar Canan Demir

Tuesday, July 17, 2018 | By Brock University

Closing reception : Canan demir
July 23, 3:30 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts Lobby
15 Artists’ Common, St. Catharines, On

Everyone is invited to attend a closing reception featuring Visiting International Scholar Canan Demir, from Abant İzzet Baysal University, Turkey.
Demir’s İNSTALLATIONS intervention will be available for viewing and a meet-the-artist reception will follow, where guests can learn more about her work. Refreshments will be served and the event is open to all members of the community. It is family friendly and takes place on July 23 from 3:30 p.m. – 6 p.m.

Demir has been working at the school as a Visiting International Scholar since last August, completing the research project “Analysis of Recycling Efforts at Canadian Universities and the Use of Scrap Materials in Sculpture Classes.” The VIS program invites scholars and researchers from abroad, who are interested in an international research and scholarship opportunity, to visit Brock and collaborate with faculty and students in a range of academic activities.

Demir’s installations utilize found and repurposed scrap materials with a focus on the memories tied to these items. The installations will be on display for viewing outside of the front entrance to the MIWSFPA building from now until the closing reception.

Tags: brock visual arts, canan demir, Department of Visual Arts, installation, miwsfpa, Reception, St. Catharines, VISA, visiting international scholar
Categories: Announcements, Current Students, Department/Centre News, Events, Faculty & Instructors, News
NCDSB’s Young Artists Gallery on view until June 23

Thursday, June 07, 2018 | By dvivian

The Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts proudly hosted the opening evening of the Niagara Catholic District School Board’s Young Artists Gallery on June 6th. 80 student artists were chosen to display their work in an exhibit at the school and celebrate their accomplishments with their families, teachers and friends. Mayor Walter Sendzik and NCDSB Director Jon Crocco addressed the crowd before awards were distributed to recognized students.

The exhibit will be on display at the MIWSFPA until June 23rd. The gallery will be open to the public Wednesdays-Saturdays from 1pm-5pm for viewing.

Tags: NCDSB, Niagara Catholic District School Board, Young Artists Gallery
Categories: Announcements, Events, Future Students, Media Releases, News
World-Renowned Photographer Edward Burtynsky to receive honorary degree at Brock’s Spring Convocation

Friday, May 25, 2018 | By dvivian

A global health researcher, a Canadian union leader and a world-renowned photographer Edward Burtynsky (left) will be awarded honorary doctorates from Brock University during the upcoming Spring Convocation.

(excerpted from: The Brock News, Thursday, May 24, 2018 | by Dan Dakin)

This year’s Spring Convocation will include nine ceremonies over five days from June 4 to 8 in the Ian D. Beddis Gymnasium at Brock University’s Walker Sports Complex. Ceremonies will take place at 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. each day except for Friday, June 8, when only a morning ceremony is scheduled.

Receiving honorary degrees this year will be Dr. James Orbinski, former President of Doctors Without Borders and a respected global health researcher; Hassan Yussuff, the first-ever Human Rights Director of the Canadian Auto Workers union and now President of the Canadian Labour Congress; and Edward Burtynsky, a St. Catharines native whose industrial landscape photography has appeared in more than 60 museums around the world.

Convocation ceremonies are open to the public and tickets are not required. A reception for graduates, family and guests will follow each ceremony.

Friday, June 8, 10 a.m. — Edward Burtynsky, World-Renowned Photographer

His remarkable photographs of industrial landscapes have been included in the collections of more than 60 major museums around the world, but it was in his hometown of St. Catharines that Edward Burtynsky first learned his craft.

Known as one of Canada’s most respected photographers, Burtynsky was influenced early in his career by the images of Niagara’s General Motors plants. His images explore the collective impact we’re having on the planet, looking at the human systems we’ve imposed onto natural landscapes.

Burtynsky received his BAA in Photography/Media Studies from Ryerson University in 1982 and a few years later launched Toronto Image Works, a darkroom rental facility, custom photo lab, digital imaging and new media computer-training centre catering to all levels of Toronto’s art community.

While he is an active lecturer on photographic art across North America, his images have appeared in the biggest publications in the world such as National Geographic and the New York Times, and have been included in installations at the National Gallery of Canada, the Museum of Modern Art, the Guggenheim, the Reina Sofia Museum in Madrid and many others.

Awarded the title of Officer of the Order of Canada in 2006, Burtynsky has also won the TED Prize, the Governor General’s Awards in Visual and Media Arts, the Outreach award at the Rencontres d’Arles, the Roloff Beny Book award, and the Rogers Best Canadian Film award.

When he receives an honorary doctorate from Brock University on Friday, June 8, it will be Burtynsky’s ninth such degree.

Most recently, Burtynsky unveiled his first Augmented Reality installation at Photo London, where he was honoured as the 2018 Master of Photography. The installation allows viewers to explore the recycling of automotive machine parts from a scrap yard in Accra, Ghana in 3D.

“I like to think of photography 1.0 as the invention of photography and photography 2.0 as the evolution of photography to digital and the move from film and paper to everything on a chip,” Burtynsky said. “Now, for me, photography 3.0 is the use of the digital camera to capture an object in the third dimension.”

He said powerful imaging software and advancements in computing power has allowed him to create installations inviting viewers “directly into the photograph to scale with the objects, even allowing them to magnify and see the detailed minutia.”

Burtynsky’s work was recently featured in Lac/Athabasca written by Len Falkenstein and presented by the graduating Dramatic Arts students in April 2018.

Upcoming exhibitions include Anthropocene at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO). A co-presentation with the Canadian Photography Institute (CPI) of the National Gallery of Canada (NGC) Anthropocene is a major new contemporary art exhibition that tells the story of human impact on the Earth through film, photography, and new experiential technologies. Co-produced with MAST Foundation, Bologna, Italy, the exhibition is a component of the multi-disciplinary Anthropocene Project from the collective of photographer Edward Burtynsky and filmmakers Jennifer Baichwal and Nicholas de Pencier. Organized by the artists in partnership with the three organizations, Anthropocene will run at the AGO and NGC simultaneously from September 2018 through early 2019.

Listen to “Paul and Ed’s Excellent Adventure” from CBC Ideas:

“World-famous environmental photographer Edward Burtynsky and IDEAS host Paul Kennedy both grew up in St. Catharines, Ontario. In fact, their childhood homes were less than 300 metres apart, and paperboy Paul delivered a daily dose of newspaper comic strips to eventual visual artist Ed. They return to their old home town and revisit their roots, including the site of the now-dismantled GM Plant # 1, where both of their fathers worked; and the new subdivision that’s recently replaced Meadowvale School, where they both started kindergarten, so many decades ago.”
Ideas (January 15, 2018)

Tags: Anthropocene, convocation, Edward Burtynsky, Honorary Doctorate, spring convocation
Categories: Announcements, Events, In the Media, News
New book explores the art of animal advocacy

Tuesday, May 22, 2018 | By dvivian

Associate Professor of Visual Arts Keri Cronin examines the role of visual images, such as Edward Landseer’s A Distinguished Member of the Humane Society (exhibited 1838), in animal activism in her new book, Art for Animals: Visual Culture and Animal Advocacy, 1870-1914.

(Source: The Brock News, Tuesday, May 22, 2018 | by Alison Innes)

It was while searching for a set of lantern slides many years ago that Keri Cronin inadvertently found inspiration for her latest book.

The slides never materialized but what Cronin, an associate professor in Brock’s Department of Visual Arts, did find was an abundance of material on animal advocacy.

That material has helped to form her latest publication, Art for Animals: Visual Culture and Animal Advocacy, 1870-1914, which explores the use of visual art material in campaigns for animal advocacy.

Art for Animals: Visual Culture and Animal Advocacy, 1870-1914 is the latest book by by Associate Professor Keri Cronin.

Influenced in part by authors who looked at visual culture in other social justice movements, such as suffrage and civil rights, Cronin’s book explores how animal advocacy images were created, circulated and consumed, and the impact that had on ideas about the humane treatment of animals.

“Visual culture played an important role in defining campaign goals, recruiting membership, raising funds, and, ultimately, sustaining and challenging dominant ideas about nonhuman animals,” writes Cronin.

Her biggest challenge has been locating archival material to piece together the stories of animal advocacy.

“For so long, the history of human-animal relationships was not a particularly valued area of research, and archival collections often reflect this,” says Cronin, who hopes the book will lead people to recognize relevant print material they might have in their own collections.

The cheap, mass-produced pamphlets created and distributed by animal advocacy groups in the late 19th and early 20th century often weren’t considered valuable enough to save.

The field of animal-human relations, however, has recently seen an explosion of interest both within the University and the broader public. Cronin notes that although her book deals with historical material, many of the key points have relevance for how images are used in animal advocacy today.

“It is high time we turn our attention to how animals have always been part of our stories, histories, labour and societies,” she says.

“Art for Animals asks us to think about the ways in which visual images can both shape and challenge dominant narratives about non-human animals.”

A public book launch will be held for Art for Animals on Wednesday, May 23 from 4 to 6 p.m. at Mahtay Café, 241 St. Paul St. in St. Catharines.

Tags: Department of Visual Arts, History of Art and Visual Culture, humanities, keri cronin
Categories: Announcements, Current Students, Department/Centre News, Events, Faculty & Instructors, In the Media, News
Brock hosts 28th annual national CITT/ICTS RENDEZ-VOUS

Monday, May 21, 2018 | By dvivian

The Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts of Brock University and the Meridian Centre extend a generous warm welcome to our professional colleagues, researchers, producers, specialist manufacturers, distributors, technicians and students from across the country for the:

CITT/ICTS 28TH RENDEZ-VOUS ANNUAL CONFERENCE & TRADE SHOW

CITT/ICTS holds an annual RENDEZ-VOUS every mid-August.The conference offers three days of sessions, workshops, backstage tours, trade show, social events and networking opportunities. The location varies from year to year to allow members from different regions of Canada to more easily attend.

The Meridian Centre is located adjacent to the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts of Brock University

CITT/ICTS RENDEZ-VOUS 2018
Annual Conference & Trade Show
in St Catharines, ON
at the Meridian Centre and the
Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine & Performing Arts (MIWSFPA)

August 15 – 18, 2018
Opening night: Wednesday, August 15
Pre-conference: Tuesday August 14 to Wednesday August 15

#citticts @CITTICTS

on Facebook: www.facebook.com/CITTICTS
website: www.citt.org/annual_conference

STUDENT VOLUNTEER PROGRAM!
Get INVOLVED
Be CONNECTED
Live the EXPERIENCE

CITT/ICTS Annual Conference and Trade Show Rendez-vous has been held for over 25 years. During that time, student volunteers have played a key role in guaranteeing its success. Whether they assist in mounting the trade show, setting up the social events, or helping out at the registration desk, the student volunteers contribute in making our annual event a tremendous hit!

During the conference, student volunteers are assigned various task, which includes setting up and tearing down the Trade Show, troubleshooting technical problems such AV projectors, sound equipment, etc. helping out with hospitality, giving a hand at the registration desk, and more… !

for more information about the Student Volunteer Program

CONFERENCE LEARNING opportunities include:

2-day ETC Ion Xe Console Training
CITT/ICTS along with the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine & Performing Arts (MIWSFPA), have arranged with ETC to hold a 2-day Ion Xe console training course prior to the CITT/ICTS Annual Conference and Trade Show. ETC’s Ion Xe lighting console provides simple and approachable programming and control for conventional systems as well as fully integrated lighting rigs. Join us to learn more about the features and functions of this amazing control system.

ERD Certified Pyrotechnics Safety and Legal Awareness Course
CITT/ICTS and AirMagic Special Effects are partnering to present a ERD Certified Pyrotechnics Safety and Legal Awareness Course with Mark Fine prior to the CITT/ICTS Rendez-vous 2018. Completion of the Pyrotechnics Safety and Legal Awareness Course is mandatory prior to certification as Pyrotechnician – Fireworks/Operator by ERD.

Foliage – Past and Present Painting Techniques
Jenny Knott from Rosco and Wendy Waszut-Barrett from Historic Stage Services LLC are returning to Rendez-vous for a third workshop, Foliage: Past and Present Painting Techniques.
Explore a variety of painting techniques for foliage painting. Learn how to use historic techniques for contemporary applications, as well as some short cuts to make your job easier.

for more information, registration and schedules

Tags: CITT, ICTS, Meridian Centre, Rendez-vous, stagecraft, theatre technology
Categories: Announcements, Current Students, Department/Centre News, Events, Faculty & Instructors, Future Students, News
Irigaray Circle presents Horizons of Sexual Difference, June 14

Monday, May 21, 2018 | By dvivian

The Irigaray Circle will hold their 9th meeting and 2018 conference “Horizons of Sexual Difference” at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts from June 14-16, 2018.

This three-day international interdisciplinary meeting of The Luce Irigaray Circle is devoted to scholarship/creative work on, or inspired by, the thought of the contemporary French feminist thinker, Luce Irigaray. The conference theme, Horizons of Sexual Difference, brings Irigarayan scholarship into dialogue with recent discourses (i.e., trans, queer, Indigenous) in an effort to discover generative and productive sites in thinking that open up feminist thought.

Keynote Speakers include:

Tawny Andersen
Gwen Benaway
Tina Chanter
Rachel Jones
Emily Anne Parker

The conference is organized by Dr. Athena Colman and is sponsored by the Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Humanities, Brock University.

To register and for recent news see the conference registration webpage

To download a copy of the poster

Tags: Athena Colman, Danielle Wilson, Department of Philosophy, Grace Snippe, gyllian raby, Horizons of Sexual Difference, Irigaray Circle, Luce Irigaray
Categories: Alumni, Announcements, Department/Centre News, Events, Faculty & Instructors