Events

HOT TALKS 2017-2018: Professor Derek Knight speaks at Rodman Hall, November 09

Sunday, November 05, 2017 | By dvivian

Geoffrey Farmer, “A Way Out of the Mirror”, 2017, Canada Pavilion, 57th Venice Biennale. Image courtesy of Derek Knight.

HOT TALKS

Artist Talks and Gallery Conversations at the Rodman Hall Art Centre
Admission by donation ($5 suggested); Members and Students Free
Sponsored by Partridge Wealth Management/RBC Dominion Securities Inc., St. Catharines

November 09: Professor Derek Knight,
Department of Visual Arts, Brock University

“Art Confidential: Trends and Obsession(s) in Recent Art”

Thursday, November 9, 7 pm
2017 saw the confluence of the Whitney Biennial, Münster Sculpture Project, Kassel’s Documenta 14, and the Venice Biennale. Derek Knight, Associate Professor, Visual Arts, Brock University discusses the pros and emerging cons of the international blockbuster exhibition as well as his top picks, from Pierre Huyghe to Phyllida Barlow to Geoffrey Farmer.

Rodman Hall Art Centre, 109 St Paul Crescent, St Catharines, ON L2S 1M3

Tags: Derek Knight, Hot Talks, rodman hall, Rodman Hall Art Centre
Categories: Current Students, Events, Faculty & Instructors, News
Music Archive in the Library

Wednesday, November 01, 2017 | By dtemprile

Pictured is an example of a “Writing for Music” poster displayed in the Learning Commons of the James A. Gibson Library.
Photo by Evelyn Smith.

Each year the fourth-year Music students perform a series of recitals as they proceed to successfully complete their studies in the Department of Music. In order to announce the performance each student must produce a poster.

Students in the Studies in Arts and Culture program have selected a few posters from previous concert seasons and responded in creative and critical ways to create a music performance poster archive. This playful archive is now on display in the Learning Commons of the James A. Gibson library.

The fourth-year Music Student Solo Recitals return for the 2017-18 season beginning March 2 through April 2, 2018. For more information on the Student Solo Recitals, please visit the music website. For information on past Student Solo Recitals, please visit the 2016-17 season concert details.

This mini showcase will be on display in the Learning Commons of the James A. Gibson Library until 8 pm on Saturday Nov. 4, 2017 and is available to view during Library hours.

For further information, please visit our ExperienceBU page.

Tags: Brock University, downtown St. Catharines, james a. gibson library, learning commons, library, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, miwsfpa, music, recitals, stac, studies in arts and culture, writing for music
Categories: Current Students, Events, News
Bernhard Cella, Walker Cultural Leader visits Brock University

Monday, October 30, 2017 | By dvivian

Image by Bernhard Cella

Walker Cultural Leader Series – Lecture/Performance and Book-Making Workshop:

The Walker Cultural Leader series brings leading artists, performers, practitioners and academics to the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts at Brock University. Engaging, lively and erudite, these sessions celebrate professional achievement, artistic endeavour and the indelible role of culture in our society. Please join us.

The Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture (STAC) is invites you to attend and participate in the events and activities organized with artist and book maker Bernhard Cella during our Walker Cultural Leader Series in early November. Focusing on the making of art books and innovative forms of publishing, these events are free.

A visual artist working in Vienna, Austria, Bernhard Cella is the founder of Salon für Kunstbuch, installed in the 21. Haus / Belvedere, and of the no-isbn project. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna and at the University of Fine Art Hamburg. A book maker, Cella published an expanded edition of his No ISBN. On Self-Publishing in 2017.

This education program is generously founded by Marilyn I. Walker.

Lecture/Performance:

Wednesday, November 1, 2017
Time: 6:00 p.m.

Artist, curator and art book maker, Bernhard Cella (House 21/ Belvedere and Salon für Kunstbuch, Vienna, Austria) demonstrates and performs contemporary book making.

Location: Rodman Hall Art Centre, 109 St. Paul Crescent, St. Catharines, ON
Open to the public.

For more info, visit: experiencebu.brocku.ca/event/65852

image by Bernhard Cella

workshop:

Medium/Media: All media that can be captured on paper. A book making workshop with Bernhard Cella.

Friday, November 3, 2017
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

The objective of this workshop is to develop a comprehensive understanding of the medium “book” as a production process, and for individual participants to produce their own small publication or part of a larger one. This workshop focuses on the current status of the printed (analogue) book and associated questions. Participants will design and develop their own publications, from the initial idea through to the finished product.

During recent years the development of desktop publishing and digital printing has promoted a significant resurgence of micro editions of artistic publication projects. In contrast to industrial manufacture, micro editions facilitate a high degree of interaction between production and conception so that technical processes may influence decisions on content.
Referring to current examples and historical models, we will analyze various approaches and forms of production for our project. These include analyzing pictorial language, formats and varieties of paper, text production, typography and typesetting techniques. In small groups, we will discuss concepts and prepare mock-ups for various book projects – prototypes that allow a different way of thinking about the space that is a book.

Location: Niagara Arts Centre, 354 St. Paul Street, St. Catharines, ON L2R 3N2
Limited spaces available. Sign up by contacting Catherine Parayre – email: cparayre@brocku.ca

For more info, visit: experiencebu.brocku.ca/event/65852

Tags: Bernhard Cella, book making, kunsthalle Wien
Categories: News, Uncategorised, Walker Cultural Leader Series
Exhibition: Permanent Vacation

Sunday, October 29, 2017 | By dvivian

This exhibition will showcase a select group of recent Brock University Alumni: Katie Mazi, Jenn Judson, Matt Caldwell, Alex Muresan, Jessica Wright and Ben Mosher. As these emerging artists expand ideas and develop new work, they continue to recognize the value of the St. Catharines arts community and the impact it has on their practice. It was here at Brock University that their first investigations began and it was at Rodman Hall (2014/2015 & 2015/2016) that their first professional group exhibitions came to fruition. These artists will exhibit new and exciting work they have been producing as they navigate and emerge into the art communities locally and beyond the region. The exhibition will be curated by Asta McCann Brock alumni (Studies in Arts and Culture).

Additionally, Alumni music students: Grace Snippe, Annie Slade, and Kurt Dunn will be performing for the night of the reception.

Exhibition: Saturday, November 4, 2017 to Friday, December 1, 2017

regular visiting hours for the Exhibition Space are Tuesday through Saturday from 1-5 p.m
for additional times see: gallery webpage gallery facebook page

Opening Reception: Friday, November 10, 2017, 7:00 – 10:00 p.m.

Location: Visa Gallery, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, Brock University

A free community event.

Tags: alumni, exhibition, Permanent Vacation
Categories: Alumni, Events, News
PANTALONE’S PALACE, DART’S First Mainstage for 2017-18, opens October 27!

Wednesday, October 25, 2017 | By dvivian

Pantalone’s Palace

Love and power collide in this fun-filled, fast paced physical comedy.

Written and Directed by Mike Griffin

Set & Costume Design by: Kelly Wolf
Lighting Design by Chris Malkowski
Sound Design by: James McCoy
Mask Maker: Gina Bastone
Assistant Direction by: Helena Ciuciura

Hardworking Columbina just wants to enjoy the majestic Wooers’ Woods in peace after a long day’s work, but the greedy business tycoon Pantalone is scheming. When Columbina discovers his plot to build the biggest casino in the world, she knows she must take action. Armed with her wits and her lovesick friends, she aims to set things right in this fun-filled, fast paced, physical comedy that explores the meeting of contemporary life and classical Commedia dell’Arte.

When: October 27 – November 4, 2017
FRIDAY, OCT. 27 & SATURDAY, OCT. 28 at 7:30 pm
SUNDAY, OCT. 29 at 2:00 pm
FRIDAY, NOV. 3 at 11:30 am & 7:30 pm
SATURDAY, NOV. 4 at 7:30 pm

The Department invites teachers and educators to bring their students to see this exciting new production of Commedia dell’arte.
Read the Special Invitation to learn more.

See the article in the Brock News.

See the teaser video.

Marilyn I. Walker Theatre at the
Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts
Limited paid parking onsite

Purchase tickets at the FirstOntario PAC Box Office
905.688.0722 or online firstontariopac.ca
Tickets: $18 Adults|$15 Seniors/Students| $5 eyeGo | $12 Groups
*Applicable fees and taxes are extra

Tags: commedia dell'arte, dramatic arts, mainstage, Pantalone's Palace
Categories: Events, News
Celebrated scholar Dr. Charmaine A. Nelson visits Brock University

Tuesday, September 26, 2017 | By dtemprile

Walker Cultural Leader Series and Canada 150 present:

Colonial Print Culture and the Limits of Enslaved Resistance: Examining the Late Eighteenth and Early Nineteenth-Century Fugitive Slave Archive in Canada and Jamaica,

a public lecture, reception, and book signing by Dr. Charmaine Nelson

Dr. Charmaine Nelson is a Professor of Art History at McGill University. Her current research project juxtaposes fugitive slave advertisements, portraiture, and genre studies from Nova Scotia, Quebec, and Jamaica, to examine differences in the visual dimensions of creolization between slave minority and slave majority sites of the British Atlantic world. In 2016, she was named as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, College of New Scholars, Artists, and Scientists. Most recently, Nelson has been appointed the William Lyon Mackenzie King Visiting Professor of Canadian Studies at Harvard University for the 2017 – 2018 academic year. Dr. Nelson will present her research in a public lecture as a part of Visual Arts’ Walker Cultural Leader Series programming.

The lecture abstract and presenter’s bio is available at Eventbrite.

See the article in the Brock News.

Thursday October 19, 2017

Lecture Time: 7:00 pm.

Note: The lecture will be followed by a reception and book signing at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts.

Location: The FilmHouse, FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, 250 St. Paul Street, St. Catharines

This is a free community event. Reserve your seat with tickets available at Eventbrite.

Groups are welcome! Contact Professor Linda Steer lsteer@brocku.ca for orders of more than 10 tickets.

—

The event is presented by the Department of Visual Arts for the Walker Cultural Leader Series, generously founded by Marilyn I. Walker.

The Walker Cultural Leader series brings leading artists, performers, practitioners and academics to the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts at Brock University. Engaging, lively and erudite, these sessions celebrate professional achievement, artistic endeavour and the indelible role of culture in our society. Please join us. This education program is generously founded by Marilyn I. Walker.

Tags: Book signing, Canada 150, Colonial Print Culture, downtown St. Catharines, Dr. Charmaine A. Nelson, FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, free, Lecture, Reception, visual arts, Walker Cultural Leader Series
Categories: Announcements, Events, News, Walker Cultural Leader Series
Suzanne Rochon-Burnett’s contribution to indigenous arts honoured in new exhibit

Wednesday, August 30, 2017 | By jmacanuel

published WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017 | by The Brock News

Before Suzanne Rochon-Burnett passed away, she asked that her daughter Michele-Elise take over where she had left off.

“She gave me instructions for her art,” said Michele-Elise Burnett. “She said, ‘you’ve been fortunate to see and know this art, but it will be your responsibility to continue to share the knowledge, the teachings and the messages that are being told through our people’s art.’”

The desire to continue advocating and sharing indigenous art is the driving force behind a new art exhibition opening next week at Brock University’s Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA).

Daphne Odjig (Odawa – Potawatomi) “In touch with her spirit”

Brock University, The FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre and Kakekalanicks Indigenous Arts Consultancy are joining together to present Awakening Her Spirit — Select Works from the collection of Suzanne Rochon-Burnett as part of the first Celebration of Nations event.

The exhibit opens at the MIWSFPA Visual Arts Gallery Thursday, Sept. 7 at 7 p.m.

The exhibition follows Suzanne Rochon-Burnett’s journey to empower and support indigenous arts in Canada and globally through a collection of paintings, mixed media, sculpture and personal objects. Curated by Samuel Thomas (Cayuga), the show will feature never-before exhibited original works by Norval Morrisseau, Daphne Odjig, Carl Beam, Roy Thomas, Vince Bomberry, Simon Brascoupe, Bruce King and more.

“My mom was an advocate and champion of indigenous art before it was being recognized as legitimate art,” Michele-Elise Burnett said. “She helped build recognition and respect to ensure that indigenous artists were compensated fairly like everybody else. She championed artists and their work and encouraged them to find value in it.” Samuel Thomas, a master bead worker and family friend, will lead an interactive Curator’s Talk on Sunday, Sept. 10 at 1 p.m. at the Visual Arts Gallery. “My mother took beading lessons from Sam’s mother,” Michele-Elise explained. “When I told Sam about the Celebration of Nations exhibit of my mother’s art, he was pleased and honoured to help pull it together.”

Rochon-Burnett was a Métis broadcaster and businesswoman who started her career as a journalist in Quebec. Among her many accomplishments, she and daughter Michele-Elise became the first indigenous Canadians to own a CRTC broadcast license as owner and operator of Spirit 91.7 FM radio in Niagara.

Rochon-Burnett would also become co-founder and first vice-chair of the Métis Nation of Ontario, and sat on boards at TV Ontario, the Ontario Arts Council and the Canadian Council of the Arts, among others. In 2002, Rochon-Burnett received an Honorary Doctorate from Brock in recognition of her contributions to Canadian cultural life.

She has left many legacies, including the Suzanne Rochon-Burnett Scholarship at the University, which has to date helped 18 indigenous students embark on a university education they may have otherwise never had. Fiercely proud of her heritage, Rochon- Burnett has shown that an individual who is inspired can wake up every day and follow and achieve their dreams.

Awakening Her Spirit is part of Celebration of Nations, a gathering of indigenous arts, culture and tradition set for Sept. 8-10. The gathering features ticketed performances by Buffy Sainte-Marie, Kaha:wi Dance Theatre, DJ Shub as well as free workshops, performances and teachings all weekend long. The full schedule is available at www.celebrationofnations.ca

The exhibit continues through Sept. 30 at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts located at 15 Artists’ Common in downtown St. Catharines. Situated on the lower level of the MIWSFPA, regular hours of the Art Gallery are Tuesday through Friday from 1-5 p.m. Additional open hours for Celebration of Nations include:

Thursday, Sept. 7 from 6-9 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 8 from 1-8 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 9 from 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 10 from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 30 from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

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

Tags: Awakening Her Spirit, Celebration of Nations, indigenous art exhibition, Kakekalanicks Indigenous Arts Consultancy, Suzanne Rochon-Burnett
Categories: Announcements, Department/Centre News, Events, Media Releases, News
MIWSFPA participates in Culture Days 2017

Wednesday, August 09, 2017 | By dvivian

On Saturday, September 30th the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts will be opening its doors to the public in celebration of Culture Days! We welcome you to stop by every hour on the hour from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. for a guided tour of our new, state of the art facility. Not looking for a guided tour? Feel free to pick up a campus map and explore the spaces on your own! Representatives will be waiting for you at the David S. Howes entrance, adjacent to the Performing Arts Centre! Continue to check brocku.ca/miwsfpa for an updated list of events!

Also, be sure to stop by our art gallery to view this exhibit:

Awakening the Spirit

Select works from the Suzanne Rochon-Burnett Collection
VISA GALLERY – Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts

Opening Reception September 7th, 2017

An exhibition of one women’s journey to empower and support Indigenous arts in Canada and Globally through a collection of paintings, mixed media, sculpture, and personal objects. Never before exhibited original works including: Norval Morrisseau, Daphne Odjig, Carl Beam, Roy Thomas, Vince Bomberry, Simon Brascoupe, Bruce King, and more

Samuel Thomas is the guest Curator for this very special exhibit.

For more information about the exhibit and the Curator please see:
www.celebrationofnations.ca/awakening-the-spirit

Check-in closer to the date for programming updates for CultureDays 2017!

The MIWSFPA is happy to work alongside the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre in the celebration of Culture Days. Make sure to stop by the FirstOntario PAC on Saturday Sept. 30 between 10 am and 3 pm to check out their free programs for the day!

Tags: Culture Days, culturedays
Categories: Alumni, Announcements, Current Students, Events
Concrete Cloud: A Brock Sculpture Class Mobile Exhibition.

Friday, June 30, 2017 | By dvivian
Professor Donna Akrey’s Visa 2F05 sculpture class is mounting an exhibition titled Concrete Cloud: A Brock Sculpture Class Mobile Exhibition at the Niagara Artists’ Centre.

July 5 > 21
345 St. Paul Street

On July 5th, 2017, students from the Marilyn I Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts will be sharing their exhibition Concrete Cloud, on the streets of downtown St Catharines. Between 10am and 1:30pm students will be transporting their interactive sculptures to the Niagara Artists Center (354 St. Paul Street East) where they’ll be on display until July 21 2017.

see the route map for the travelling exhibit on July 5 between 10 am and 1:30 pm here

Several stops will be made along the route, as students hope to engage with the public through their sculptural works. Everyone is invited to enjoy Concrete Cloud as students tour their artworks from the MIWSFPA to NAC, by paths both playful and responsive, to anyone they encounter. This combination of performance and art walk will conclude with an opening reception at Niagara Artists Center, on July 5th from 2-5pm. The works will then be on display for the next two weeks; the exhibition is open to everyone, and gallery hours are Noon to 5 PM, Wednesday through Saturday.

Concrete Cloud is a collective of works from 16 artists, focusing on themes of information, the ‘natural world’, and public art. The sculptures are made from a diversity of materials, including wood, metal, plaster, cardboard, textiles, and found materials.

Participating student artists are: Rachel Anderson, Ahmed Bader, Renz Baluyot, Christian Bebis, Tom Denton, Syerra Jasmin, Michaela Laurie, Jess McClelland, Madison Mcfayden, Jill Newman, Anna Podvalni, Victoria Ridley, Chardon Trimble-Kirk, Amber Lee Williams, Jiahui Xu, and Jingwen Zhang.

See the Facebook event for more documentation about the mobile exhibition.

Read the article by art critic Bart Gazzola.
Tags: concrete cloud, Donna Akrey, sculpture, spring course, summer course, visual arts
Categories: Alumni, Announcements, Current Students, Events, News
Doors Open comes to St. Catharines on June 24th and the Marilyn I. Walker School will be open!

Friday, June 16, 2017 | By dvivian

Doors Open St. Catharines is one of the city’s Canada 150 signature events. It is a day when local treasures are open to the public free of charge. The event has something for everyone: it features buildings, infrastructure, cultural centres and open spaces that have defined our community and that have helped to shape St. Catharines and secure its vibrancy.

Brock University’s Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts opened in 2015 and is an architectural triumph of adaptive reuse of a 19th-century industrial site. This setting creates a compelling education environment and features a 235-seat theatre, digital media studios, photo darkrooms, music rooms and other specialized facilities that support students in dramatic arts, music and visual arts.

Brock Ambassadors will be onsite at the Marilyn I. Walker on Saturday June 24th to provide tours and answer your questions from 10:00 to 3:00 pm. Tours start on the hour: 5 Tours lasting 45 minutes will be offered throughout the day. The last tour begins at 2:00 pm. Each tour welcomes up to 25 guests.

Visits to specific studios and the theatre will be by supervised tour only – public are welcome to roam the halls and visit the Visual Arts Gallery on their own. Refreshments will be available. The venue is accessible.

Come have your photo taken with Artsy Boomer (the School’s Mascot Badger) between 10:00 am-1:00 pm. A graduate of the Department of Music, Negin Rezaeiasl, will perform an open recital in the Piano Suite from 1:00-3:00 pm.

See the Doors Open website for more information and plan your day.

Tags: Doors Open, visit
Categories: Events