Events

  • PANTALONE’S PALACE, DART’S First Mainstage for 2017-18, opens October 27!

    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

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  • Celebrated scholar Dr. Charmaine A. Nelson visits Brock University

    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.

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  • Suzanne Rochon-Burnett’s contribution to indigenous arts honoured in new exhibit

    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"

    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

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  • MIWSFPA participates in Culture Days 2017

    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!

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  • Concrete Cloud: A Brock Sculpture Class Mobile Exhibition.

    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.

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  • Doors Open comes to St. Catharines on June 24th and the Marilyn I. Walker School will be open!

    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.

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  • Donna Akrey – Also Also

    Curated by Marcie Bronson
    February 11 to April 30, 2017
    Opening Reception: Saturday, February 11, 3 pm
    HOT TALK: Thursday, March 2, 7 pm. Donna Akrey in conversation with Marcie Bronson
    Rodman Hall Art Centre, 106 St. Paul Crescent, St. Catharines
    Admission to the gallery is by donation ($5 suggested)
    Gallery Hours: Tues. – Fri. 10 am – 5 pm, Sat. – Sun. 12 pm – 5 pm

    Donna Akrey is interested in how habit shapes the way we experience and engage with the world around us. Rooted in her astute observation of patterns of communication and consumption, her work humorously intervenes to raise discussion about social and environmental issues, often responding directly to a particular site or community. Using common, surplus, and discarded materials to construct sculptures and installations that she describes as “ruminations on the spectacle of the unspectacular”, Akrey draws attention to the futility of the notion of “the ultimate” and the richness in the space between intention and result. Akrey explains: “I imagine the absurd as real, because sometimes the real is so absurd.” Alongside selected works from the last 15 years of her practice, this exhibition presents a site-specific outdoor installation created in collaboration with neighbourhood residents.

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  • A Sublime Vernacular – The Landscape Paintings of Levine Flexhaug

    Curated by Nancy Tousley and Peter White
    Organized and circulated by the Art Gallery of Grande Prairie, Grande Prairie, Alberta

    January 28 to March 12, 2017

    Opening Reception: Saturday, February 11, 3 pm

    Rodman Hall Art Centre, 106 St. Paul Crescent, St. Catharines
    Admission to the gallery is by donation ($5 suggested)
    Gallery Hours: Tues. – Fri. 10 am – 5 pm, Sat. – Sun. 12 pm – 5 pm

    HOT TALK: Saturday, February 11, 2 pm
    Wayne Morgan and Sharilyn J. Ingram, “Making Art for the Market: Flexhaug in Context”

    A Sublime Vernacular offers the first overview of the extraordinary career of Levine Flexhaug (1918-1974), an itinerant painter who sold thousands of variations of essentially the same landscape painting in national parks, resorts, department stores and bars across western Canada from the late 1930s through the early 1960s. Whatever its variation, a Flexhaug image represents a Western icon, a silent unspoiled Eden that encapsulates the conventions of sublime landscape painting in a kind of painter’s shorthand, and offers a point of entry for consideration of significant critical questions ranging from issues of taste, originality versus repetition in art, the appeal of landscape and its iconography.

    Image: Levine Flexhaug, Untitled (Mountain lake with deer) (detail), nd. Collection of Wayne Morgan and Sharilyn J. Ingram, Grimsby, Ontario.

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  • The Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts Announces their 2016/17 Season: Breaking the Surface

    MEDIA RELEASE
    Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts
    Brock University
    16 September 2016

    “Breaking the Surface” promotes creative and intellectual activity in the heart of Niagara

    Brock University’s Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA) announces Season 2016/17 Breaking the Surface, that celebrates the bond between the community and our arts centre in downtown St. Catharines. This year we build upon the relationship between the arts and the public realm, seeking to broaden the community’s understanding of how the arts relate to urban issues and contribute to cultural development in the Niagara region.

    This season consists of more than 45 dynamic events from performances, exhibitions, concerts and artist talks – on stage, in studios and galleries, and at regional venues.

    Some highlights of the season include:

    • The Ash Mouth Man presented by Stolen Theatre Collective and Brock University’s Department of Dramatic Arts
, runs Sept. 15-18 & 23-25, 2016, held at the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre, MIWSFPA
    • Culture Days Open House, runs Sept. 30 – October 2, held at the MIWSFPA. For more information, visit: http://bit.ly/2cu8ksl
    • Guitar Extravaganza II, 
Oct. 22, 2016 at 7:30 pm, held in 
Cairns Recital Hall, FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre
    • In Light and Darkness Exhibit, 
Nov. 22 – Dec. 9, 2016, held in the Art Gallery, MIWSFPA

    Now in our second year at 15 Artists’ Common, we are thrilled by the investment of the community in this incubator of creative expression and critical reflection. We invite Niagara to join us in a celebration of our students, faculty and guest artists’ achievements in the fine and performing arts, said David Vivian, MIWSFPA Director.

    The full program of events can be found on our MIWSFPA website, or you can download the “Breaking the Surface” Calendar of Events in pdf format.

    Stay connected to the MIWSFPA on social media by following @miwsfpa on Twitter and Instagram.

    -30-

    For more information or to arrange interviews:

    Marie Balsom, Communications,
    Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts,
    Brock University
    mbalsom@brocku.ca,
    905-688-5550 x4765

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  • RHIZOMES takes on the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts

    In the Soil Arts Festival will be staging the third edition of its increasingly popular RHIZOMES program — a “choose your own art adventure” — throughout the hallways and spaces of the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA), at 15 Artists’ Common in downtown St. Catharines.

    The three-day festival will showcase artists of all disciplines with a series of one-time audience experiences, including short plays, dance performances, and sound and light installations. Upon entry, audience members will be directed to “The Hive,” a licensed area where you can grab a drink and sign up to experience the 11 creations.

    Seven of the eleven installations involved in this program are connected to the MIWSFPA as students, alumni, faculty and staff from all four disciplines (Visual Arts, Dramatic Arts, Music, and Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture) are active participants. In the Soil Arts Festival is produced by Suitcase in Point Theatre Company, and run by two Brock Dramatic Arts alumni.

    RHIZOMES will be open to audiences in four two-hour blocks over the course of the weekend: Friday, April 29, from 7:30 – 9:30 pm; Saturday, April 30, from 2:30 – 4:30 pm & 10 pm – 12 midnight; Sunday, May 1, from 2 – 4 pm.

    Admission at the door is $20, however, a $40 festival pass will give you access to RHIZOMES and the other 150 acts and installations taking over downtown St. Catharines as part of the In the Soil Arts Festival. Tickets can be purchased through the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre Box Office 905.688.0722; email: boxoffice@firstontariopac.ca; or online: firstontariopac.ca.

    For more information on the In the Soil Festival visit: inthesoil.on.ca

    -30-

    Marie Balsom, Communications
    Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts
    T: 905.688.5550, ext. 4765 |E: mbalsom@brocku.ca |W: brocku.ca/miwsfpa

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