Events

Downtown parking for MIWSFPA opening ceremony

Thursday, September 17, 2015 | By Nikki Prudden
(Source: The Brock News, Thursday, September 17, 2015 | by Kevin Cavanagh. Photo: A parking map for the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts grand opening.)

Guests attending the opening of the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts — which starts at 3 pm on Friday, Sept. 18 — should allow a minimum 15 minutes to find parking in downtown St. Catharines and walk to the school.

Please note there is no parking at the Walker School campus, due to the temporary structure installed for the opening ceremony.

However, there are numerous downtown sites that have hourly parking and are a short walk from the MIWSFPA.

Use this legend for the accompanying map:
1. Garden Park / Carlisle Street Garage — 71 Carlisle Street
2. Garden Park Lot — 11 Garden Park
3. St. Paul Street parking lot
4. Ontario Street Parking Garage — 8 Ontario Street
5. Market Square Lot — 50 Church Street, accessible from King or James Streets
6. Central Library Lot — accessible from King or Carlisle Streets
On the map, pedestrian access from St. Paul Street to the Walker School is designated by blue lines.
Tags: 15 artists' common, downtown St. Catharines, grand opening, Kevin Cavanagh, map, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, parking, The Brock News
Categories: Announcements, Events, In the Media, News
Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine & Performing Arts Alumni Homecoming

Tuesday, September 15, 2015 | By Nikki Prudden

Event date: September 18, 2015, 5 pm – 11 pm

***PLEASE SEE THIS NEWS UPDATE ABOUT PARKING ON SEPTEMBER 18TH***

Alumni of the Arts and Culture, Dramatic Arts, Music and Visual Arts programs and our friends and guests from the Niagara Region and GTA are cordially invited to the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts Alumni Homecoming and Grand Opening!

Please join us for an evening of captivating artwork, exciting performances and beautiful music. Grab a glass of wine, take yourself on a tour of the incredible new MIWSFPA facility and spend some time reconnecting with classmates, professors and friends from the Departments of Dramatic Arts, Music, and Visual Arts, and our Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture.

Official opening ceremonies begin at 3:00; Open house begins at 5:00 pm; VISA Art Gallery Alumni exhibition opens at 5:00 pm; VISA Alumni Dinner, 6:30 – 8 pm at Gord’s Place, 84 James Street; MUSI programming across the evening in multiple venues at 15 Artists’ Common; Cabaret in the DART Theatre at 7:30 pm.

Affiliated events also include:

Tale of a Town St. Catharines
Addressing the Void

and

Confluence Field Trip #1, a fifteen minute walk from Rodman Hall to MWSFPA along the Merritt Trail and McGuire St.. for more information see: confluencefieldtrips.ca

Hope to see you there!

See the Facebook event by clicking here.

GET YOUR TICKETS HERE to reserve a seat at the VISA Alumni dinner!

GET YOUR TICKETS HERE for the DART theatre CABARET!

For more information about the Homecoming Weekend program at Brock University, to register for events and to learn about shuttle bus service to the region be sure to visit
https://brocku.ca/alumni/celebrate-homecoming-2
***Please note this event will take place at our new address at 15 Artists’ Common, also known as the former Canada Haircloth Building, in downtown St. Catharines. ***not at 500 Glenridge Avenue ***

Here is a link to a Google street view from June, when our address was known to be IceDogs Way, and here is a Google map for directions to the facilities.

Please see the Brock University Campus Map here: https://brocku.ca/blogs/campus-map/miwsfpa/

We are adjacent to the First Ontario Performing Arts Centre and the Meridian Centre.

***PLEASE SEE THIS NEWS UPDATE ABOUT PARKING ON SEPTEMBER 18TH***

*****

Hear ye! Hear ye! the excellent program for our event on September 18th!

VISA Painting Studio
location: MW 416
4:00-9:00 pm
Open house Exhibition
and
Musical performances in the VISA Painting Studio by:
Brock Jazz Band
Carly Manley
Danny Lamb Trio
Grace Notes String Ensemble
Brock Beatles Band

VISA Drawing Studio
location: MW 406
4:00 – 9:00 pm
Open house Exhibition
and
Musical performances in the VISA Drawing Studio by:
Sabrina Xin Liu, piano
Leanne Vida, piano/vocal
Andrea Nolan, piano/vocal
Neva Tesolin, piano/vocal
Leland, piano/vocal
Melissa-Marie Shriner, piano/vocal
H. Campbell, piano/vocal

VISA Gallery
First floor at the Main Entrance, 15 Artists’ Common
MW 159
5:00-7:00 pm
Opening Reception for the Alumni exhibition
and
Musical performances in the VISA Gallery by:
Grace Snippe, cello
Brody Smith, guitar
Allison Scholtens, violin
Tyler Merza, guitar

Classical Recital in the MUSI Vocal Studio
location: MW 104
6:00 – 9:00 pm
Christina Lerose, piano
Leanne Vida, soprano
Jorgo Kalo, piano
Victoria Hoshowsky, soprano
Negin Rezaei Asl, piano
Caroline Nicole Corkum, soprano and Alexandre Soulodre, piano
Serena Atallah, piano
Erika Versluis, soprano and Tyler Versluis, piano
Sabrina Xin Liu, piano
Leanne Vida, soprano and Jorgo Kalo, piano

DART Theatre Cabaret!
Location: DART Theatre
MW 262
7:30 pm – 11:00 pm
Hosted by Cass Van Wyck and Rox Chwaluk
Guests are welcome to come and go.
In order of performance:

Arms Up Comedy: Caitlin English, Jacqueline Costa, Eric Frank, Chris Boyle
Attic Window Theatre, In Real Life: Collin Glavac, Colin B. Anthes, Eduardo DiMartino, Nicola Franco, Hayley Rose Malouin
Piano and Vocal: Lee Stewart
Brock Improv Alumni: Richard Varty, Rox Chwaluk, Brandon Pachan, Alana Perri.
Piano and Vocal: Melissa-Marie Shriner and Grace Snippe
One Four One Collective, Stuck in Horse- Send Help! : Evan Mulrooney and Kevin Chew
Piano and Vocal: Neva Tesolin
MOVE! : Alex Kazam, Adrien Hurst, Jerry Prom, Mitchell Peebles, Caleb Fast, Mikey Henley
Music by Alejandro Del Pino
The Labour of Forrest Nympho: A Drag Birthing: Geoffrey Heaney
Piano and Vocal: Andrea Nolan
Empty Box Theatre, Waiting for Alonzo: Hayley Rose Malouin, Victoria Cutler, Sean Rintoul
Piano and Vocal: Holly Campbell
Garden City Improv: Collin Glavac, Ross Mosher, Jamie Roboz, David Bernard, Hayley Malouin, Jonas McLean
Guitar and Vocal: Aaron Berger
Open Mic!
FOX TRAIL: Iain Lidstone, Marcus Schwan, Brent Cairns, Adam Wood, Alannah Garrett
~the end~

Special events not to be missed!:

New Work in Progress: Addressing the Void
by Maggie Hunter and performed by Abby Rollo, Gemma Bordonaro and Jacqui Noel. (DART)
location: Studio D MW 256.
6:00 pm, 6:30 pm and 7:00 pm

Special Installation of Tale of a Town St. Catharines. Listening Booths by FIXT POINT and Suitcase in Point Theatre Company.
Various locations in the MIWSFPA.

Confluence Field Trip #1, a fifteen minute walk from Rodman Hall to the MIWSFPA along the Merritt Trail and McGuire St.
Artist: Elizabeth Chitty. Participants are invited to participate in this self-guided tour of a section of the Twelve Mile Creek valley. For more information see: http://confluencefieldtrips.ca/

Tags: 15 artists' common, alumni, Alumni Homecoming, Homecoming, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts
Categories: Alumni, Announcements, Current Students, Department/Centre News, Events, Faculty & Instructors, Future Students, News
Imagining the City (part of the Walker Cultural Leaders Program, 2015/16)

Friday, September 04, 2015 | By Nikki Prudden
The Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts presents Imagining the City, part of the Walker Cultural Leaders Program, 2015/16.

In September, Brock University opened the doors to its new downtown campus dedicated to the arts, the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA). To celebrate this new location and the bond between the Brock and downtown arts communities, the departments in the MIWSFPA (Dramatic Arts, Music, and Visual Arts), the Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture, and Rodman Hall Art Centre present Imagining the City, part of the Walker Cultural Leaders Program. This festival will run throughout the 2015-16 academic year, and consists of performances, exhibitions, concerts, and conferences, all themed around ideas of the urban, and the relationship between the City and the University.

Imagining the City will bring the Brock, downtown, and greater Niagara communities face-to-face with leading arts professionals and educators, with events happening at the MIWSFPA, Rodman Hall (109 St. Paul Crescent), and venues within the developing creative arts hub of St. Paul Street in St. Catharines. Highlights will include performances of First Nations writer Marvin Francis’ epic poem City Treaty, adapted for the St. Catharines setting (September); a Guitar Extravaganza concert featuring faculty, alumni and aficionados of the classical guitar in the local community (November); Confluence Field Trips, a walking project and virtual reconstruction by acclaimed artist Elizabeth Chitty offering the student community and public an opportunity to explore the environs beyond our new building (January); a staged adaptation of George Bernard Shaw’s play Major Barbara, entitled Major Predictions, Barbara (February); a concert by the Department of Music’s Wind Ensemble in St. Catharines’ Market Square (March) and much, much more.

Stay connected on social media by following @miwsfpa and #itc on Twitter and Instagram.

Want to keep track of our events? Click the link to download our Imagining the City Calendar of Events in pdf format.

Jump to Dates:
Event hosting legend:
D: Department of Dramatic Arts; M: Department of Music; V: Department of Visual Arts; S: Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture; RH: Rodman Hall

Events

September 2015

D: Exhibition: DART@PQ2015
September 2015 – April 2016
Opening: Alumni Homecoming and Grand Opening, September 18, 2015
Location: DART Theatre Lobby, 2nd Level, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, 15 Artists’ Common, St. Catharines
Exhibit of DART’s participation in the Canadian PQ2015 (Prague Quadrennial) exhibit Elevations, including parts of national collective project Totem. Theme: MUSIC. WEATHER. POLITICS. Also including: Fault Lines: digital exhibit of Brock students’ work.

V: Confluence Field Trips – Walking Project
Walking Project: Tuesday, September 8 – Sunday, November 15, 2015
Location: Downtown locations
Exhibition: Thursday, January 7 – Friday, January 29, 2016
Opening Reception: Friday, January 8, 2016, 7-9 p.m.
Location: Art Gallery , 15 Artists’ Common
See confluencefieldtrips.ca for more information and how to participate.
The site of the MIWSFPA is rich with cycles of wilderness, settlement, industry, abandonment and reclamation. Confluence Field Trips is a website, walking project, and exhibition. It is about time and the places below the new school and performing arts centre. It is walking, seeing, listening and contributing if you choose. The artist invites the school community and public to claim space, see and be seen, hear and be heard.

V: Shifting Practices, Department of Visual Arts Alumni Exhibition, Curated by Emma German
Thursday, September 10 – Saturday, October 10, 2015
Opening Reception: Friday, September 18, 2015, 5 – 11 p.m.
Location: Art Gallery, 15 Artists’ Common
Timed with the unveiling of the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, Shifting Practices follows the work of six alumni from the Department of Visual Arts. Upon graduating from the Visual Arts Honours program, these artists have established their careers through exhibitions, artist residencies, graduate degrees, and national awards. This exhibition explores how their individual practices have evolved, from the time when the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts was first imagined, until its realization. Artists: Sarah Beattie, Candace Couse, Alicia Kuntze, Ben Mosher, Carrie Perreault, Bruce Thompson.

M: citySounds
Friday, September 11, 2015, 4:30 – 6:30 p.m.
Location: Raceway behind the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, 15 Artists’ Common, St. Catharines
Percussionist Devon Fornelli will converse in real time with the city soundscape using traditional instruments and found materials.

M: Pop Up Performances
September 11, 14, 15, 16, 2015, 12 – 1 p.m.
Location: Various Downtown Locations
Musical Performances by Colin Maier, Oboe (and other instruments), and Alexander Sevastian, Accordion.

RH: Hot Talk: Sarindar Dhaliwal
Thursday, September 17, 2015, 7 p.m.
Location: Rodman Hall Art Centre, 109 St. Paul Cres., St. Catharines

D: City Treaty
Saturday, September 19, 2015, 5 – 9 p.m.
Sunday, September 20, 2015, 12:30 – 9:30 p.m.
Location: In and around the DART Theatre and lobby, 15 Artists’ Common, Other Downtown Locations
Saturday: 5 p.m. Opening Ceremony
5:30 p.m. Dance, Drumming & Vendor Fair
6:30 p.m. Historical Talk with Rick Hill
7 p.m. City Treaty Presentation
Sunday: 12:30 p.m. Perpetual Peace Project Concert
2 p.m. City Treaty Presentation
3 p.m. Workshops
5 p.m. Closing Ceremony
5:30 p.m. Celebration at Rise Above, 120 St. Paul Street, St. Catharines
Featuring a stage adaptation of Marvin Francis’ epic long poem City Treaty, art by multi-disciplinary artist Shelly Niro, a historical talk with Rick Hill, workshops, dance demonstrations, music, food and more. The event wishes to honour the land the new theatre is built upon and open its doors to all peoples.

To register for workshops and/or performances, please visit: http://discover.brocku.ca/city-treaty

RH: Hot Talk: Maggie Groat
Saturday, September 26, 2015, 2 p.m.
Location: Rodman Hall Art Centre, 109 St. Paul Cres., St. Catharines

RH: Hot Talk: Derek Knight
Wednesday, September 30, 2015, 12 p.m.
Location: Mahtay Café, 241 St. Paul Street, St. Catharines

Back to top

October 2015

M & V: Cello and Drawing Performance
Friday, October 9, 2015, 7 p.m.
Location: Visual Arts Painting Studio (Rm. MW416), Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, 15 Artists’ Common, St. Catharines
Cellist Gordon Cleland will perform in our new Visual Arts studio surrounded by students and professional artists, who will be creating works of art. Cleland is principal cellist with the Niagara Symphony Orchestra, and an instructor in the Department of Music.
Free community event, limited seating.

RH: Donna Szőke: Cloud, Curated by Stuart Reid
Saturday, October 10, 2015 – Sunday, January 17, 2016
Opening Reception: Sunday, October 25, 2015, 3 – 5 p.m.
Location: Rodman Hall Art Centre, 109 St. Paul Cres., St. Catharines
Cloud is an assemblage of limited-edition prints and objects that explores relational meaning. Donna Szőke has created a collection of works that convey messages that are sometimes absurd, often humorous, never singular, but existing in relation to other parts of the whole. The materials chosen for the prints usually have an association with the text or message. For Decoy, the artist made a series of 3D-printed, trompe l’oeil Tim Horton’s doughnuts. The relationship between the doughnut and the hole, the original and the copy, the single and the baker’s dozen, may be confounding or irrational, but serves to point out how ideas are ephemeral structures. The artist writes: “Absurdity, irrationality, immanence, failure and anachronism are the unifying themes of Cloud… Ideas arise and are fleeting. They form, peak and disappear in sets of relationships to other ideas. Insights echo across instances of ideas.”

V: Donna Szőke: Satellite, Curated by Stuart Reid
Monday, October 19 – Saturday, November 28, 2015
Opening Reception: Friday, October 23, 2015, 7 – 9 p.m.
Location: Art Gallery, 15 Artists’ Common
Satellite is the collected media art works by Donna Szoke, from 2011 to present. It is literally a satellite show of the exhibition Cloud, installed at Rodman Hall Art Centre. While Cloud coalesces print, sculpture and multiples into one body of work, Satellite presents digital drawings, single channel video and media art works that speak to the ethereal regions of digital art practice. These digital artworks investigate the invisible, elided and mysterious.

RH: Hot Talk: Julia Haimburger
Wednesday, October 21, 2015, 12 p.m.
Location: Mahtay Café, 241 St. Paul Street, St. Catharines

RH: Hot Talk: Bill Burns
Sunday, October 25, 2015, 2 p.m.
Location: Rodman Hall Art Centre, 109 St. Paul Cres., St. Catharines

RH: Bill Burns: Hans Ulrich Obrist Hear Us, Curated by Stuart Reid in collaboration with Jennifer Matotek, Director/Curator, Dunlop Art Gallery, Regina, Saskatchewan
Sunday, October 25, 2015 – Sunday, January 3, 2016
Opening Reception: Sunday, October 25, 2015, 3 – 5 p.m.
Location: Rodman Hall Art Centre, 109 St. Paul Cres., St. Catharines
This survey exhibition of recent work by Bill Burns deals with longing, particularly longing for success, for assistance, for recognition, for a different type of world. With tongue planted firmly in cheek, Burns makes overt pleas to art world celebrities, critiquing the politics of power that support them. The artist creates small-scale models of the world’s great museums with rooftop signs spelling out his request to curatorial luminaries. The pleas take the form of a litany: “priez pour nous”, “protect us”, “délivrez-nous”, “hear us.” Burns has met and worked with many of the curators he references through his expansive career in conceptual art in São Paulo, Toronto, London, and New York. In another nod to his powerful peers, the artist has created a series of small bobble-head likenesses that directly address notions of commodification within the contemporary art ecology.

Back to top

November 2015

S: Harvest Time by Renée Baillargeon
Saturday, November 7, 2015, 8 p.m.
Location: Studio A (MW 251), 15 Artists’ Common
The Centre for Studies in Arts & Culture will present dramatic readings of 4 short plays by 4 established local playwrights touching on “Harvest Time” in St. Catharines. Directed by STAC instructor Renée Baillargeon, each play will be preceded by a photo collage from STAC student Alex Craddock, scored against music by STAC Alumni Jon Link. The dramatic readings feature Brock students Mark Dickinson, Naomi Richardson, Alex Li Tomulescu, Michael Fusillo, Naomi Mitchel and Keegan Cahill.

D: Engaging Possibilities/Joining The Fires
November 17-19, 12-5 p.m.
Location: Studio A (MW 251), 15 Artists’ Common
Presentation of transdisciplinary workshops including the Alternative Augmentative Communication (AAC) community and DART scenography students.
Workshops will be in the afternoons. Workshops open to participants ONLY. Contact David at dvivian@brocku.ca for more information.

RH: HOT TALK! Donna Szőke in conversation with Emily Rosamond
Thursday, November 12, 2015, 7 p.m.
Location: Rodman Hall Art Centre, 109 St. Paul Cres., St. Catharines
In conjunction with her solo exhibition Cloud, Brock University Visual Arts professor Donna Szőke discusses her work with visiting artist-researcher Emily Rosamond, Commonwealth Scholar in Art at Goldsmiths, University of London UK.
HOT TALKS! are generously supported by Partridge Wealth Management RBC Dominion Securities Inc., St. Catharines

M: Guitar Extravaganza
Saturday, November 21, 2015, 7:30 p.m.
Location: Cairns Recital Hall, FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, 250 St. Paul Street, St. Catharines
Brock University students, alumni and faculty perform with regional guitarists, guitar teachers and composers, and special guests in an evening of solo and small ensemble performances. The grand finale will be “The Mighty Niagara Guitar Orchestra” performing the North American premiere of The Journey, composed by Brock University guitar instructor Timothy Phelan.
The Guitar Extravaganza is a free community event, with donations gratefully accepted on behalf of Pathstone Mental Health.

S: Her Voice in Black: Black Female Narrative in Lyric Theatre by Carla Chambers
Sunday, November 29, 2015, 3 p.m.
Location: DART Theatre, 15 Artists’ Common
Directed by Virginia Reh, and featuring accompanist Brahm Goldhamer, Her Voice in Black explores some of opera’s black female characters. The concert is 45 minutes and consists of selections from operatic repertoire exploring intersections between the social and personal meanings of identity and representation in art. With art direction by visual artist Bob Chaylt Jeffreys, the set list includes musical selections from Giuseppe Verdi, George Gershwin, Scott Joplin, and new work by American composer Nkeiru Okoye.
Back to top

December 2015

V: ART BLOCK
Tuesday, December 1 – Friday, December 18, 2015
Opening Reception: Friday, December 11, 2015, 7 – 9 p.m.
Location: Art Gallery, 15 Artists’ Common
Celebrating our new school in downtown St. Catharines, ‘ART BLOCK’ is hosted by the Brock Art Collective, and showcases the works of over 45 Brock students on 6×6 inch wood panels in a variety of media. Pieces will be available for purchase starting at $40. Treat yourself, or find a holiday gift at this free community event!

M: Christmas Carolling
Saturday, December 12, 2015, 1- 3 p.m.
Simultaneous Locations: St. Catharines Public Library Atrium & FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre Lobby
Join us in spreading some holiday cheer! Enjoy a festive treat of traditional Christmas carols performed by members of the Brock University Choirs and Avanti Chamber Singers, under the direction of Dr. Harris Loewen.
Free community event!

S: The Exquisite Vine
Thursday, December 17, 2015
Location: The Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce Education Centre, 1 St. Paul Street.
The Exquisite Vine is a collaborative mentorship Art project between downtown St. Catharines’ creative professionals, and fine and performing arts students. This exhibition is a public event to showcase the artistic concepts and designs the students are developing into final works of art.
Free community event!

Back to top

January 2016

V: Elizabeth Chitty: Confluence Field Trips Exhibition
Thursday, January 7 – Friday, January 29
Opening Reception: Friday, January 8, 7 – 9 p.m.
Location: Art Gallery, 15 Artists’ Common
This installation is part of the artist’s project which includes a website, walking project, and performance, in which the public was invited to CLAIM SPACE | SEE AND BE SEEN | HEAR AND BE HEARD through walking in Canal Valley. The “confluence” of the title is that of Dick’s Creek and Twelve Mile Creek. The project was predicated by the opening of two arts buildings in St. Catharines that overlook Canal Valley, marking a new phase in a site rich with cycles of wilderness, industry, abandonment, and reclamation.

RH: Shawn Serfas: Inland, Curated by Stuart Reid
Saturday, January 9 – Sunday, March 20
Opening Reception: Thursday, January 28, 7 – 9 p.m.
Location: Rodman Hall Art Centre, 109 St. Paul Crescent.
Swirling, thrusting marks traverse complex surfaces in this new body of large-scale abstract paintings called the Inland Series by Shawn Serfas. The artist explores the toxic potential of oily black as it infuses the ground, almost extinguishing the incendiary bars of hot red and yellow that burn like a furnace in the bottom quadrant of several of the paintings. Manipulating the liquidity of paint, the artist creates wet layers and crackling surfaces that illustrate the alchemic properties of the material. Serfas addresses environmental issues in these works, the uneasy pollution of materials seeping into the unspoiled cells of pure colour. This world is in dramatic flux, churning and changing; each painting evidence of an arrested state of human-made unbalance.

RH: Jim Verburg, Curated by Marcie Bronson**Postponed
Saturday, January 16 – Sunday, May 1
Location: Rodman Hall Art Centre, 109 St. Paul Crescent.
This event has been postponed until 2017.

RH: Visual Appropriations and Rewritings, Curated by Catherine Parayre & Shawn Serfas
Friday, January 29 – Sunday, February 21
Opening Reception: Thursday, January 28, 7 – 9 p.m.
Location: Rodman Hall Art Centre, 109 St. Paul Crescent.
Students in the Brock University courses “Intermediate Painting” and “Interpretive and Critical Writing in the Arts” reflect creatively on well-known artists’ writings and offer a visual and textual panorama of reinterpreted views. The exhibition will then travel to the University of Innsbruck, Austria in June, 2016 on the invitation of the Zentrum für Kanadastudien.

RH: Amy Friend, Assorted Boxes of Ordinary Life, Curated by Marcie Bronson
Friday, January 29 – Sunday, May 1
Opening Reception: Thursday, January 28, 7 – 9 p.m.
Location: Rodman Hall Art Centre, 109 St. Paul Crescent.
Inspired by a small found archive of personal photographs, documents, and objects, Amy Friend presents a new body of photo-based work that considers how identity comprises both fact and fiction. Composing images by overlaying fragments of the archive with anonymous secondhand photographs and her own original photographs, she infers narratives from the minimal details the remnants provide. Ambiguous and morphing, these composite images at once explore and confuse the history they reference, and Friend uses this to reflect on how we understand and interpret the people around us. So little can say so much, and even greater is the unexplored mystery of the spaces in between what is known.

D: Drama in Education & Applied Theatre Symposium on Active Citizenship
Friday, January 29, 7 – 8:30 p.m. Keynote by Kathleen Gould Lundy, with a response by Jonothan Neelands
Location: Dramatic Arts Theatre, 15 Artists’ Common
A symposium on the role of Drama in Education and Applied Theatre in exploring concepts of citizenship, community and care as they relate to living with others in structured and unstructured spaces. The Keynote Address (“Pedagogy of Time and Place”) and Response on January 29 are open to the public, and admission is free.

S: PANEL DISCUSSION: “Reinventing the Downtown through the Arts”
Friday, January 29, 2 – 4 p.m.
Location: Lecture Praxis Room, Rm. MW156, 15 Artists’ Common
A public panel discussion to present successful examples of urban regeneration through cultural activities. The participating panelists represent a variety of sectors within the arts community. Studies in Arts and Culture faculty member Sharilyn Ingram will moderate this illuminating public talk.

PLEASE NOTE: This event was originally scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m., but has been moved to 2 p.m.
Free community event.

Back to top

February 2016

S: Black History Film Festival
Friday, February 5 & 26 at 6 pm
Saturday, February 6 & 27 at 1pm
Location: Lecture Praxis Room, Rm. MW156, 15 Artists’ Common
Discover cinematic narratives by filmmakers and authors from the African Diaspora. Films to be shown include Spike Lee’s “Do The Right Thing”, Biyi Bandele’s “Half of a Yellow Sun”, and Sherry Hormann’s “Desert Flower”, among others.
This event will also feature guest speaker and Brock faculty member, Dr. Tamari Kitossa.

PLEASE NOTE: This event was originally scheduled to take place on 4 Mondays in February, but has been rescheduled to the first and last Fridays and Saturdays in February. Plan to join us on these dates!

Free community event.

V: Forever After: Painting And The Eye That Touches, Co-Curated by Cory Dixon and Joshua Gale
Tuesday, February 2 – Saturday, March 5
Opening Reception: Friday, February 5, 7 – 9 p.m.
Location: Art Gallery, 15 Artists’ Common
Forever After: Painting and The Eye That Touches is a curated rebuttal to the MOMA’s recent survey of contemporary painting. Despite being highly criticized, Laura Hoptman’s exhibition Forever Now started a critical conversation with poignant and important aesthetic questions about how the act of reading and creating paintings has radically changed in a world where the internet is almost seamlessly integrated in daily life. Assembling artists from Canada and New York in this new exhibition, Forever After: Painting and the Eye That Touches is an alternative proposition on what great painting can be in light of the radical changes in our relationship to history, images and the craft of constructing and viewing paintings.
Participating Artists: Emily Davis Adams (USA), Dana James (USA), Daniel John (USA), Zachari Logan (Canada), Shawn Serfas (Canada)

D: POOR by Essential Collective Theatre, co-presented by FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre with production assistance by DART
February 18 – 28: Tuesdays – Saturdays at 8 p.m.; Sundays at 2 p.m.
Tickets: Available at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre
Location: Robertson Theatre, FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, 250 St. Paul Street, St. Catharines
A new one-woman play by Vancouver playwright Suzanne Ristic, this darkly comic piece was first produced in 2014 at the Vancouver Fringe Festival. Essential Collective Theatre’s production will be performed by DART part-time faculty member and ECT Artistic Director Monica Dufault, and is directed by Karen Wood.
The play centres on an ultra rich Canadian woman, Shelly Cormorant, who pretends to be homeless in order to better understand the plight of the 99%. A contemporary Marie Antoinette in her ignorance, Shelly unwittingly offends everyone she meets in her attempt to empathize with the “poor”, all the while taking advice from a vision of Scarlett O’Hara.

D: Major Predictions, Barbara
Tuesday, February 23, 7:30 p.m.
Location: DART Theatre, 15 Artists’ Common
Workshop and reading of a new play by David Fancy, written in response to George Bernard Shaw’s Major Barbara, directed by Lezley Wade. Major Predictions, Barbara features a cast of DART students and current and past members of the Shaw Festival ensemble. It takes place in our contemporary world of “killer code,” TED talks, and predictive surveillance; Fancy’s text is intercut with passages from Shaw’s original text.

M: Music Ed Plus Jazz Ensemble
Friday, February 26, 3 p.m.
Location: FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre lobby, 250 St. Paul Street, St. Catharines
Please join us to hear some great jazz favourites performed by Brock’s music majors in the beautiful lobby of the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre.
Music Ed Plus gives music majors at Brock University practical experience in a variety of music settings. This unique experiential program includes practical learning opportunities through professionally-coached ensembles and community volunteer placements, as well as workshops and lectures by experts in diverse musical careers. Participation in the program gives students a strong edge in their preparation for their future musical endeavours.
Free community event!

RH: Hot Talk: Amy Friend
Thursday, February 25, 7 p.m.
Location: Rodman Hall Art Centre, 109 St. Paul Cres., St. Catharines

Back to top

March 2016

M: Music Ed Plus Vocal and Woodwind Chamber Ensembles
Friday, March 4 & 11, 3 p.m.
Location: FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre lobby, 250 St. Paul Street, St. Catharines
Please join us to hear some great classical favourites performed by Brock’s music majors in the beautiful lobby of the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre.
Music Ed Plus gives music majors at Brock University practical experience in a variety of music settings. This unique experiential program includes practical learning opportunities through professionally-coached ensembles and community volunteer placements, as well as workshops and lectures by experts in diverse musical careers. Participation in the program gives students a strong edge in their preparation for their future musical endeavours.
Free community event!

V: A Field Guide to Nowhere, Curated by Amy Friend
Tuesday, March 8 – Saturday, April 9
Opening Reception: Friday, March 18, 7 – 9 p.m.
Location: Art Gallery, 15 Artists’ Common
A unique international perspective provided by artists Susan Dobson (Canada), Marja Pirila (Finland), Byron Wolfe and Mary Ellen Bartely (United States), this exhibition explores photography’s uncanny ability to transport the viewer beyond the bounds of their physical locale.
Free community event!

RH: Hot Talk: Shawn Serfas
Thursday, March 10, 7 p.m.
Location: Rodman Hall Art Centre, 109 St. Paul Cres., St. Catharines

M: Brock University Wind Ensemble in Market Square
Friday, March 18, 12 noon – 1 p.m.
Location: Market Square, 91 King Street, St. Catharines
The University Wind Ensemble will delight the lunchtime crowd with great music. Brock students are joined by talented community volunteers in this rousing ensemble. There may even be a chance for an audience member to conduct the band.

V & RH: #trynottocryinpublic – Brock University Department of Visual Arts Honours Exhibition, Curated by Marcie Bronson and Stuart Reid
Saturday, March 26 – Sunday, April 10
Opening Reception: Friday, April 1, 7 -9 p.m.
Location: Rodman Hall Art Centre, 109 St. Paul Cres., St. Catharines
Presented in two chapters, this exhibition displays the work of selected graduating Brock University Visual Arts students. Occupying Rodman Hall’s third floor studios during the academic year, students in the Honours Studio course are mentored by gallery staff and professors Shawn Serfas and Donna Szőke, and learn to develop a focused body of work from concept to public exhibition.
Such exhibits from the Department of Visual Arts are a key part of the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts’ mandate to build connections between the community and the breadth of talent and creativity at Brock University

Back to top

April 2016

V: Back and Forth, Brazil/Canada Exhibition
Thursday, April 14 – Saturday, May 28
Opening Reception: Friday, April 22, 7 – 9 p.m.
Location: Art Gallery, 15 Artists’ Common
This group exhibition includes work by two Brazilian artists, Jefferson Kielwagen and Nilton Santo Tirotti, and two Canadian artists – Duncan MacDonald and Ehryn Torrell. The exhibition explores compassionate conceptualism, public engagement, gifting, listening, neo-sincerity, and conceptual mapping.

D: Engaging Possibilities/Joining The Fires
Tuesday workshops, April 12 – May 10, 12 – 5 p.m., May 17, 9 am – 5 p.m.
Location: Location: Studio A (MW 251), 15 Artists’ Common
Workshops for Community Members who use Alternative, Augmented Communication (AAC) and Open Studio on May 17.
Presentation of transdisciplinary workshops including the Alternative Augmentative Communication (AAC) community and DART scenography students.
Workshops will be in the afternoons (exact timing TBA). Workshops open to students and the DART community; possible final public outcome (TBA).

V & RH: #trynottocryinpublic – Brock University Department of Visual Arts Honours Exhibition, Curated by Marcie Bronson and Stuart Reid
Saturday, April 16 – Sunday, May 1
Opening Reception: Friday, April 15, 2016, 7 – 9 p.m.
Location: Rodman Hall Art Centre, 109 St. Paul Cres., St. Catharines
Presented in two chapters, this exhibition displays the work of selected graduating Brock University Visual Arts students. Occupying Rodman Hall’s third floor studios during the academic year, students in the Honours Studio course are mentored by gallery staff and professors Shawn Serfas and Donna Szőke, and learn to develop a focused body of work from concept to public exhibition.
Such exhibits from the Department of Visual Arts are a key part of the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts’ mandate to build connections between the community and the breadth of talent and creativity at Brock University.

S: The Exquisite Vine
Friday, April 29
Location: Rm. MW 406, 15 Artists’ Common, St. Catharines
The Exquisite Vine is a collaborative mentorship art project between downtown St. Catharines’ creative professionals, and fine and performing arts students. This exhibition is a public event to showcase the multidisciplinary works of art, inspired by the growing creative community based downtown. Disciplines include painting, sculpture, installation, and new media. Find out more information at theexquisitevine.ca.

Free community event!

RH: Hot Talk: Jim Verburg **Postponed
Thursday, April 7
Location: Rodman Hall Art Centre, 109 St. Paul Crescent.
This event has been postponed until 2017.

Back to top
Tags: 15 artists' common, Art is in the City, downtown St. Catharines, Imagining the City, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, performance series, Walker Cultural Leader Series
Categories: Events, Walker Cultural Leader Series
Industrial Fabric 5: Festival of the Arts

Tuesday, January 06, 2015 | By mbalsom

Industrial Fabric is a festival of student art, imaginative performances and musical collaboration presented by the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts.

Engage in two months of events that will demonstrate the vitality of the Arts at Brock University – on stage, in studios and galleries, and at regional venues.

Download the Industrial Fabric 5 Brochure here.

Visit the MIWSFPA event site for information on all our programming.

DRAMATIC ARTS

One Acts Festival (DART 3P54)
March 20 & 21 at 2 pm & 7 pm
Upper year directing students present a series of short plays featuring student actors.
Location: Rooms ST107 (Studio Theatre) and ST103, Schmon Tower, Brock Campus Admission: Donations accepted

Visitatio Sepulchri
Tuesday, April 7; Talk 7 pm | Performance 7:30 pm
A special Brock preview of a 12th century Easter production, which will be part of the Poculi Ludique Societas (PLS) at the University of Toronto’s 50th anniversary Festival of Medieval theatre in June 2015. Performed by MIWSFPA students with music direction by Dr. Brian Power (Music) and stage direction by Virginia Reh (Dramatic Arts). A collaboration between Dramatic Arts, Music and Medieval and Renaissance Studies.
Location: Concordia Seminary Chapel, Brock Campus Admission: Donations accepted

Beethoven Lives Upstairs
Sunday, April 12 at 2:30 pm
A partnership between the Niagara Symphony (NSO) and the Department of Dramatic Arts, presenting the story of young Christoph, who develops a unique relationship with his family’s very unusual upstairs tenant: Ludwig von Beethoven. Elizabeth Pereira and Evan Mulrooney, under the direction of DART professor Virginia Reh, will join Bradley Thachuk and the musicians of the NSO for this delightful tale of eccentric genius.
Location: Sean O’Sullivan Theatre, Brock Campus. Tickets: $28.00 adults; $12.00 children (+HST)

Awkward and Uncomfortable (DART 4F56)
April 16, 17 & 18 at 7:30 pm
Three interlocking stories explore how to survive the turbulence that washes over us when we question fundamental aspects of our identities. Is it better to find the answers to our secrets or to leave them locked away? And where is that elusive happy ending?
Location: Room ST107 (Studio Theatre), Schmon Tower, Brock Campus. Admission: Donations accepted

MUSIC EVENTS

Student Recitals
Saturday, March 14 at 7:30 pm Sabrina Xin Liu, piano
Friday, March 20 at 7:30 pm Serena Atallah, piano
Saturday, March 21 at 7:30 pm Victoria Hoshowsky, soprano with Lesley Kingham, piano
Sunday, March 22 at 7:30 pm Negin Rezaei Asl, piano
Location: Concordia Seminary Chapel, Brock Campus
These are free community events

ENCORE! Professional Concert Series
Friday, March 27, 2015, 7:30 pm
Trio Surgite: Voices of Eastern Europe – Transcendent Music from Troubled Times – INFO/Tickets

VIVA VOCE! Choral Series
Saturday, March 28, 2015 at 7:30 pm
Spring Choral Concert
The Brock University Choirs with guest conductor Glenda Crawford –INFO/Tickets

Saturday, April 25, 2015 at 7:30 pm
The Avanti Chamber Singers with conductor Harris Loewen
Folk Song Sweets – INFO/Tickets

RBC Foundation music@noon Recital Series
Generously sponsored by the RBC Foundation, this Tuesday lunchtime recital series is free and open to the public, featuring our performance faculty, talented students and alumni, as well as special guests.
March 3
Recital: Piano Students
Sean O’Sullivan Theatre, Brock Campus
March 10 – RESCHEDULED to April 7
Recital: Music Ed Plus Ensembles
Concordia Seminary Chapel,
Brock Campus
March 17
Recital: Voice Students
Sean O’Sullivan Theatre, Brock Campus
March 24
Recital: Instrumental Students
Sean O’Sullivan Theatre, Brock Campus
March 31
Recital: Piano Students
Sean O’Sullivan Theatre, Brock Campus

The University Wind Ensemble
with conductor Zoltan Kalman
Tuesday, March 31 at 7:30 pm
This ensemble enjoys a rich tradition of nurturing individual artistic excellence through the study and performance of wind band literature. INFO/Tickets

VISUAL ARTS EVENTS

Presencia
February 2 to March 27
Screening of video work by Arnold McBay.
Location: James A. Gibson Library, Brock Campus

Parallax
February 7 – March 22
Opening reception: Sunday, February 8, 2 – 4 pm
Exhibition of recent works by Duncan MacDonald and Arnold McBay.
Location: Grimsby Public Art Gallery, 18 Carnegie Lane, Grimsby, ON

Focal Point
February 23 – March 2
Opening reception: Monday, February 23, 3 – 5 pm
A photography exhibition by current and past Visual Arts students.
Location: Sean O’Sullivan Theatre Lobby, Brock Campus

Migration Juried Art Show
Friday, March 6 at 7 pm
The annual Juried Art Show is a year-end exhibition of the best student works from throughout the year. “Migration” is in honour of the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts’ move to downtown St. Catharines. Art works will be available for purchase.
Location: Niagara Artist Centre (NAC), 354 Saint Paul Street, St. Catharines

Time and Space (VISA 2P98 & 3F96)
Monday, March 23, 8 – 10 pm
An exhibition of intermedia works.
Location: Market Square, 91 King St., St. Catharines

Honours Exhibition (VISA 4F06)
Curated by Stuart Reid and Marcie Bronson
Presented in two chapters, this exhibition displays the work of graduating Brock University Visual Arts students. Occupying Rodman Hall’s third floor studios during the academic year, students in the Honours Studio course have been mentored by professors Duncan MacDonald and Shawn Serfas, learning how to develop a focused body of work from concept to public exhibition.

Honours Exhibition I (VISA 4F06) March 28 – April 12, 2015
Opening reception: Friday, March 27 at 7 p.m.

Honours Exhibition II (VISA 4F06) April 18 – May 3, 2015
Opening reception: Friday, April 17 at 7 p.m.

Location: Rodman Hall Art Centre, 109 St. Paul Crescent, St. Catharines.

Walker Cultural Leader Series 2014-15
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. This educational program is generously funded by Marilyn I. Walker.

Janet Werner
A free community event
Janet Werner is an acclaimed Canadian painter with an international reputation who teaches at Concordia University. As part of a visit to Brock University – in which she will be selecting works by senior Brock University Visual Arts students to be exhibited in the upcoming exhibition, From likeness to fiction: the portrait inside out – she will also give a public presentation entitled Painting the Imaginary Portrait.
“In Werner¹s current practice […] an argument erupts between beauty and the grotesque and the figure itself becomes the site of contest.” ~ Parisian Laundry, 2012

Public Presentation: Painting the Imaginary Portrait
March 5, 2015 at 7 p.m.

Exhibition: From likeness to fiction: the portrait inside out
April 1 – 26, 2015

Location: Rodman Hall Art Centre, 109 St. Paul Cres., St. Catharines. Gallery hours: Tuesday to Sunday 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Tags: Festival of the Arts, Industrial Fabric, Industrial Fabric 5
Categories: Events, Industrial Fabric
The Walker Cultural Leader Series 2014-15

Thursday, August 21, 2014 | By mbalsom
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 educational program is generously funded by Marilyn I. Walker.

Brett Polegato

Brett Polegato is a renowned Canadian baritone, celebrated for his musical artistry and rich, nuanced voice.

For Niagara-born Polegato this is a homecoming…on two counts! Growing up in Niagara Falls, as a teenager he studied with Brock University voice instructor Deborah Linton, before going on to the University of Toronto for his undergraduate degree. In ‘coming home’ to Niagara, he will not only perform An Evening of Song for the public, but will also coach a private masterclass for Linton’s students, as well as a second masterclass for invited performers from the region.

Sept. 25
- Group Coaching with Voice Students: Music students, 3–5 pm, TH 147 (closed session)
Sept. 26
- Public Performance: An Evening of Song, 7:30 pm, Sean O’Sullivan Theatre
  (free to MIWSFPA students; adults $15.04; seniors and students $8.85;
  eyeGo high school program $5; prices do not include HST)
  Tickets available at the Centre for the Arts Box Office
  905.688.5550905.688.5550 x3257 or visit Arts.BrockU.ca
Sept. 27
- Voice Masterclass: Music students, 10 am–12 noon, Sean O’Sullivan Theatre (closed session)
  MIWSFPA students are invited to attend as audience members.
CONTACT: Prof. Karin Di Bella, Music, kdibella@brocku.ca

Brett Polegato’s artistic sensibility has earned him the highest praise from audiences and critics: The New York Times has praised him for his “burnished, well-focused voice,” which he uses with “considerable intelligence and nuance.” He appears regularly on the world’s most distinguished stages, including those of Lincoln Center; La Scala; the Opéra National de Paris; Lyric Opera of Chicago; Houston Grand Opera; the Teatro Real; Roy Thomson Hall; the Kennedy Center and Carnegie Hall. He has collaborated with conductors such as Yannick Nézet-Séguin; Andris Nelsons; Bernard Haitink; Seiji Ozawa; Jeffrey Tate; Marc Minkowski; and Martyn Brabbins. Polegato can be heard as soloist in the Grammy Awards’ Best Classical Recording of 2003 – Vaughan Williams’ A Sea Symphony (Telarc)with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Robert Spano. His official biography can be found at brettpolegato.com/bio.html

Janet Werner

Janet Werner is an acclaimed Canadian painter with an international reputation who teaches at Concordia University.

Werner will develop a project for senior Visual Arts students based on the portrait. From the works submitted she will select works to be exhibited in the upcoming exhibition From likeness to fiction: the portrait inside out. During her visit, Werner will give a public presentation entitled Painting the Imaginary Portrait.

Mar. 5
- Public Presentation: Painting the Imaginary Portrait, 7 pm, Rodman Hall Art Centre,
  109 St . Paul Cres., St . Catharines, ON (free community event)
Click here to view on the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts Event site

Apr. 1 – 26
- Exhibition: From likeness to fiction: the portrait inside out, Rodman Hall Art Centre,
  109 St . Paul Cres., St . Catharines, ON (free community event)
Click here to view on the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts Event Site

May 24 –June 6
- Exhibition: From likeness to fiction: the portrait inside out, Exhibition Hall, Department of Creative and Festival Arts,
  The University of The West Indies, St . Augustine, Trinidad W.I.
CONTACT: Prof. Shawn Serfas, Visual Arts, sserfas@brocku.ca

Born in Winnipeg, Janet Werner lives and works in Montreal where she teaches in the Department of Studio Arts at Concordia University. She holds an MFA from Yale University and a BFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art. As a participant in Oh, Canada staged at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art in 2012-13, Werner’s presence and the impact of her portraits signaled her as one of our leading painters. “In Werner’s current practice […] an argument erupts between beauty and the grotesque and the figure itself becomes the site of contest.” (“Janet Werner: Earthling,” Parisian Laundry, 2012) Werner has shown widely in Canada at public and private galleries as well as artist-run centres. Selected solo shows include the SBC Gallery, Montreal; Art Gallery of Windsor; Contemporary Art Gallery, Vancouver; Ottawa Art Gallery; and the Plug In Institute of Contemporary Art, Winnipeg. Internationally, her work has been featured in solo presentations in Cape Town and Cologne. Her work can be found in the collections of the Department of Foreign Affairs, Musée du Québec, Musée d’Art Contemporain, Owens Art Gallery, Leonard and Bina Ellen Art Gallery, Mendel Art Gallery, Winnipeg Art Gallery and numerous corporate collections. Her biography can be found at parisianlaundry.com/en/artists/janetwerner/bio/
Tags: Brett Polegato, Janet Werner, Walker Cultural Leader Series
Categories: Events, Walker Cultural Leader Series
Walker Cultural Leader Series caps successful season March 28

Tuesday, March 25, 2014 | By Brock University

(Source: The Brock News, Tuesday, March 25, 2014)

The Walker Cultural Leader Series caps another successful year March 28 with a performance from Ensemble Vivant.

The group consists of pianist, founder and artistic director Catherine Wilson, as well as Sybil Shanahan (cello), Don Thompson (acoustic bass, vibraphone), Erica Beston (violin) and Norman Hathaway (violin, viola).

Championing a unique genre-diverse repertoire in their concerts and recordings since the group first came on the scene in the late 1980s, Ensemble Vivant has received critical acclaim for its work in the classical piano-trio literature, as well as for its forays into the worlds of ragtime, jazz and tango.

It has recorded for such labels as Fanfare, Pro Arte, Doremi, SPY and Opening Day/Universal and Opening Day Entertainment Group, and its recordings are heard on classical radio around the world.

The performance begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Sean O’Sullivan Theatre.

Tickets (not including GST) are free for Marilyn I. Walker School for Performing Arts students, $15.04 for adults, $10 for seniors and students, and $5 for the eyeGo high school program.

Tickets are available at the Centre for the Arts box office (905-688-5550 x3257) or online.

For more information, contact Matthew Royal.

Tags: Catherine Wilson, Don Thompson, Ensemble Vivant, Erica Beston, Norman Hathaway, Sybil Shanahan, Walker Cultural Leader Series
Categories: Events, In the Media, News, Walker Cultural Leader Series
‘The Changing Face of Theatre Criticism in the Digital Age,’ A remarkable two-day colloquium with international reach, part of the Walker Cultural Leader Series for 2013-14

Wednesday, February 19, 2014 | By Brock University

Professor Jill Dolan began the two day symposium with her public lecture: “Moving the Body Politic: How Feminism and Theatre Inspire Social Re-imaginings.”

Listening to theatre companies, they’ve never needed theatre critics more. Listening to them after a bad review, they’ve also never resented them more. This strange dance of mutual need has been going on since the first time someone recited dialogue on stage, and someone in the next day’s paper wrote “it doth sucked, verily.” But what of that relationship today? Do critics matter? Can anyone with a blog call themselves a theatre critic? Are critics there to serve theatre companies or readers? (John Law)

See the complete article by media journalist John Law in the Niagara Falls Review about his recent participation in the two-day colloquium ‘The Changing Face of Theatre Criticism in the Digital Age‘ organized by Professor Karen Fricker of the Department of Dramatic Arts on the occasion of the special visit by Jill Dolan, Annan Professor in English, Professor of Theater in the Lewis Center for the Arts, Director, Program in Gender and Sexuality Studies, at Princeton University, noted theatre blogger (thefeministspectator.com) and a Walker Cultural Leader for 2013-14. Special guests J. Kelly Nestruck of The Globe and Mail and Richard Ouzounian of the Toronto Star joined local guests and luminaries including cultural leaders like Jackie Maxwell, artistic director of the Shaw Festival, and Steve Solski, director of the St. Catharines Centre for the Performing Arts.

The two day program began with the Friday morning public lecture, “Moving the Body Politic: How Feminism and Theatre Inspire Social Re-imaginings” by Professor Jill Dolan. The lecture was presented in association with the Department of Dramatic Arts and the Centre for Women’s and Gender Studies.

For a complete list of participants and more information please see the Brock News Article, the Department of Dramatic Arts and the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts web pages.

The event was marked by remarkable and rich participation by members of the Niagara region and our international guests. Photos of the event may be viewed at the Facebook page of the Department of Dramatic Arts and tweeted commentary may be viewed at dartcritics.com.

The stimulating exchange of ideas and opinions in this “blossoming” cultural scene of Niagara (Professor Karen Fricker) were live-streamed at BrockVideoCentre’s DART channel, and are now available (unedited) for viewing.

Tags: J. Kelly Nestruck, Jackie Maxwell, Jill Dolan, Karen Fricker, Richard Ouzounian, Steve Solski, Walker Cultural Leader Series
Categories: Events, Walker Cultural Leader Series
Industrial Fabric 4: Festival of the Arts

Friday, January 17, 2014 | By mbalsom
Download a copy of the Industrial Fabric 4 Brochure.

Industrial Fabric is a festival of student art, imaginative performances and musical collaboration presented by the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts.

Engage in two months of events that will demonstrate the vitality of the Arts at Brock University – on stage, in studios and galleries, and at regional venues.

The Walker School with be moving to its new downtown facilities in 2015.

Dramatic Arts Events
- Gimme 2 Festival: March 5 at 8 p.m.
- One Acts Festival: March 21 & 22 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.
- Fragmentos: April 11 & 12 at 7:30 p.m., Matinee: April 12 at 2 p.m. (Link leads to Facebook page)
- Theatrical Design Exhibition: March 26 – April 2; Times: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
- The Rosina Project: March 31 at 5 p.m.
- Keavy Lynch Thesis Project: April 15, 16, 17 at 7:30 p.m. and 9 p.m.
Music Events
- Andrew Downing Ensemble: March 7 at 7:30 p.m.
- Women’s choirs from Brock & McMaster University with conductor Harris Loewen: March 8 at 7:30 p.m.
- The Brock University Choirs with conductor Harris Loewen: April 5 at 7:30 p.m.
- The Avanti Chamber Singers with conductor Harris Loewen: April 26 at 7:30 p.m.
- The University Wind Ensemble: April 1 at 7:30 p.m.
- RBC Foundation Music@Noon: Tuesdays from 12 noon (Sean O’Sullivan Theatre)
  - Recital: Instrumental students: March 4
  - Recital: Piano students: March 11
  - Recital: Voice students: March 18
  - Recital: Instrumental students: March 25
  - Recital: Piano students: April 1
- Student Recital:
  - Leanne Vida, soprano with Lesley Kingham, piano: March 21 at 8 p.m. (St. Barnabas Anglican Church, 31 Queenston St., St. Catharines)
Walker Cultural Leader Series Events
- Ensemble Vivant: March 28 at 7:30 p.m.
Visual Arts Events
- VISA 4F06 Exhibition I: March 22 – April 6, Opening Reception March 21 at 7 p.m.
- VISA 4F06 Exhibition II: April 12 – 27, Opening Reception April 11 at 7 p.m.
- Exhibition: Time and Space: April 7, 8 – 10 p.m.
Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture
- Please visit our website for upcoming events.
Tags: Festival of the Arts, Industrial Fabric, Industrial Fabric 4
Categories: Events, Industrial Fabric
The Walker Cultural Leader Series 2013- 14

Thursday, August 08, 2013 | By Brock University
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 educational program is generously funded by Marilyn I. Walker.

David Jalbert

Pianist David Jalbert performs regularly as a soloist and recitalist across North America and Europe.

Jalbert will present a recital of Bach’s masterpiece, The Goldberg Variations, as well as conduct a masterclass for Brock piano students.

Sept. 20
- Public Performance: J.S. Bach’s The Goldberg Variations at 7:30 pm, Sean O’Sullivan Theatre (free to MIWSFPA students; adults $15.04; seniors and students $10; eyeGo high school program $5)
Tickets available at the Centre for the Arts Box Office 905.688.5550905.688.5550 x3257 or visit Arts.BrockU.ca (Prices do not include HST)

Sept. 21
- Piano Masterclass: Music students at 10 am-12 noon, Sean O’Sullivan Theatre (closed session); MIWSPFA students are invited to attend as audience members.
CONTACT: Prof. Matthew Royal, Music, mroyal@brocku.ca

David Jalbert has recorded CDs of solo piano music by John Corigliano and Frederic Rzewski, Gabriel Fauré, Dmitri Shostakovich, as well as his most recent release, the work featured in the Walker School concert, Bach’s Goldberg Variations. He is also an accomplished chamber musician, being a member of the piano trio Triple Forte, and has accompanied cellist Denise Djokic, French hornist Louis-Philippe Marsolais, and the wind quintet Pentaèdre, among others. Jalbert has won two Opus Awards (from the Conseil Québécois de la Musique) and was the 2007 laureate of the prestigious Virginia Parker Prize of the Canada Council for the Arts. He studied at the Juilliard School, the Glenn Gould School, the Université de Montréal, and the Conservatoire de Musique du Québec, and is now a professor of piano at the University of Ottawa.

Patrice Baldwin

Patrice Baldwin is a world leader in Drama, Education and the Arts in learning, and their connections to the latest developments in Neuroscience.

Baldwin will spend eight days teaching, speaking, and giving demonstration classes at Brock and throughout the Niagara peninsula.

Oct. 3 & 8
- Teaching/Demonstrations: DART 1F95, 2P01, 3P03, 3F92 students, scheduled class times (closed session)
Oct. 5
- Drama in Education Intensive Workshop: 9:30 am – 5:30 pm,Centre Stage Theatre School and Productions, 3505 Mainway, Burlington, ON (free for DART students; all others $20 to cover costs for refreshments and venue). Limited registration.
Oct. 7
- Teaching/Demonstration Classes: FOE pre-service and DART students and alumni, 8 am – 2 pm, Faculty of Education (FOE), Hamilton Campus, 1842 King St. East, Hamilton, ON (closed session)
Oct. 9
- Teaching/Demonstrations in Niagara Schools: FOE pre-service students, DART students and alumni, and Niagara teachers (closed session)
- Public Lecture: “Neuroscience, Creativity, and Learning: Recent Research and Connections to Drama in Education and Arts-Based Learning,” 7:30 – 8:30 pm, Pond Inlet (free community event)
CONTACT: Georgann Watson, Dramatic Arts, dramatic@brocku.ca

Patrice Baldwin is president of the International Drama, Theatre and Education Association (IDEA), and Chair of National Drama (the UK’s leading professional association for drama teachers and theatre educators), and is also an Executive Forum member of the World Alliance for Arts Education. A renowned advocate for the Arts and Drama Education, she is a prolific and respected author, with a particular interest in: Drama as a way of teaching literacy and as a way of learning across the curriculum; Drama and Arts-based creativity; and Drama and Neuroscience. Baldwin, a visiting lecturer at the University of Warwick, is known for her lectures, keynote addresses, and workshops at international conferences.

David Walden

A long-time senior manager in the Canadian cultural sector, David Walden recently retired as Secretary-General, Canadian Commission for UNESCO.

Walden will present two public talks: one on the role of culture in international development, and the other on Canadian cultural property legislation.

Oct. 21
- Seminar: STAC 4P68 students, 1 pm, Rm. PL 311 (closed session)
Oct. 22
- Class: STAC 4F40 students, 3 pm, Rm. PL 408 (closed session)
Oct. 23
- Public Lecture: “Culture and Development -The Missing Link,” 7:30 pm, Sankey Chambers (free community event)
Oct. 24
- Public Lecture: “Art, Taxes, and the Public Good – how Canadian cultural property rules help artists, collectors,
  museums, and the public,” 7 pm, Rodman Hall Art Centre, 109 St. Paul Cres., St. Catharines, ON (free community event)
Oct. 28
- Seminar: STAC 4P68 students, 1 pm, Rm. PL 311 (closed session)
CONTACT: Prof. Sharilyn Ingram, STAC, singram@brocku.ca

From 1984 to 1999, David Walden held the positions of Secretary to the Canadian Cultural Property Export Review Board and Director of the Movable Cultural Property Program in the Department of Canadian Heritage. His numerous international involvements include chairing the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for Promoting the Return of Cultural Property to its Countries of Origin or its Restitution in Case of Illicit Appropriation; the International Network on Cultural Policy; and the UN Economic Commission for Europe Meeting on Sustainable Development.

A member of the Executive Management Committee of the Canada Council for the Arts from 1999 through 2013, Walden currently works as a consultant in international organizations and governance. He was recently named an Honourary Lifetime Member of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO.

Althea Thauberger

Althea Thauberger is an artist based in Vancouver, BC. She was a 2011 finalist for the Grange Prize and her work is represented by Susan Hobbs Gallery, Toronto.

Visual Arts students will have the opportunity to collaborate with Thauberger to produce an experimental documentary video on the future move of the Walker School to downtown St. Catharines, ending with a public screening and discussion.

Oct. 28
- Artist’s Talk: 7 – 10 pm, Pond Inlet (free community event)
Oct. 29 – 31
- Student Seminar Series: Brock campus and Fourgrounds Media, 31 James St., St. Catharines, ON (closed session)
Nov. 1
- Public Panel Discussion: 7 pm, Rodman Hall Art Centre, 109 St. Paul Cres., St. Catharines, ON (free community event)
Nov. 2 – 7
- Workshop: Video Production for participating students Brock campus and Fourgrounds Media, 31 James St., St. Catharines, ON (closed session)
Nov. 8
- Public Screening and Discussion: 7 – 10 pm, Rm. AS 215 (free community event)
CONTACT: Prof. Donna Szoke, Visual Arts, dszoke@brocku.ca

Driven by her interest in collaboration, Althea Thauberger’s internationally produced and exhibited work involves interactions with well-defined groups of people and communities. While Thauberger’s practice defies strict definition by medium, she has produced remarkable films, videos, photographs, and performances over the course of her decade-long career. Her unique facility for collaboration is the thread that connects her projects as well as her thoughtful engagement with groups of people as her subjects. She works with these communities to develop performances that offer the participants opportunities for self-exploration and self-definition. Whether videos or photographs, the final works Thauberger produces are always striking documents that entice, engage and surprise her viewers. Her work has been presented recently at the Liverpool Biennial (2012); 17th Biennale of Sydney (2010); National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa (2009); and The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh (2009).

Jill Dolan

Jill Dolan is the Annan Professor of English and Professor of Theater at Princeton University, where she also directs the Program in Gender and Sexuality Studies.

Dolan will give a masterclass in online arts criticism, as well as a public lecture on “Moving the Body Politic: How Feminism and Theatre Inspire Social Re-imaginings.” She will participate in a colloquium and open roundtable on the changing face of arts criticism in the digital age.

Feb. 20
- Masterclass in Online Arts Criticism: DART 3P95/96 students 2 – 5 pm, Rm. TH 257 (closed session)
Feb. 21
- Public Lecture: “Moving the Body Politic: How Feminism and Theatre Inspire Social Re-imaginings” 10 am, Sankey Chambers (free community event). Presented in association with the Department of Dramatic Arts and the Centre for Women’s and Gender Studies
- Colloquium: “The changing face of arts criticism in the digital age,” 2 – 6 pm, Sankey Chambers Keynote and presentations. (free community event)
2:00 pm – 2:30 pm
- WELCOME AND PRESENTATION by students in DART 3P96: Studies in Praxis – Theatre Criticism
2:30 pm – 4:00 pm
- PANEL DISCUSSION: Critics and the arts in Niagara
- Chair: David Fancy, associate professor of Dramatic Arts, Brock University, co-artistic director, neXt Company Theatre.
- Participants: Monica Dufault, artistic director, Essential Collective Theatre; John Law, arts and entertainment writer, Sun Media; Sara Palmieri, co-founder, In the Soil Festival; Stephen Remus, minister of energy, minds, and resources, Niagara Arts Centre; Steve Solski, director, St. Catharines Centre for the Performing Arts; Candice Turner-Smith, managing director, Niagara Symphony Orchestra
- Respondent: Jill Dolan
4:15 pm – 5:45 pm
- PANEL DISCUSSION: Embedded criticism: a new way forward, or criticism-as-PR?
- Chair: Lawrence Switzky, assistant professor of Drama, University of Toronto at Mississauga
- Participants: Maddy Costa, critic and blogger, London, UK; Karen Fricker, assistant professor of Dramatic Arts, Brock University; Andy Horwitz, founder, Culturebot.org, New York; Jackie Maxwell, artistic director, Shaw Festival
- Respondent: Jacob Gallagher-Ross, assistant professor of Theatre, State University of New York at Buffalo
Feb. 22
- Colloquium cont’d.: “The changing face of arts criticism in the digital age,” 10 am – 1 pm, Sankey Chambers. There will be a roundtable component (free community event)
10:00 am – 10:30 am
- WELCOME AND PRESENTATION by students in DART 3P96: Studies in Praxis – Theatre Criticism
10:30 am – 12:00 pm
- PANEL DISCUSSION: Bloggers, critics, and cultural legitimation
- Chair: Karen Fricker
- Participants: Jill Dolan; J. Kelly Nestruck, lead theatre critic, The Globe and Mail; Richard Ouzonian, lead theatre critic, Toronto Star; Holger Syme, Chair, Department of English, University of Toronto at Mississauga, and blogger; Odette Yazbeck, director of public relations, Shaw Festival
- Respondent: Andy Horwitz
12:15 pm – 1:00 pm
- COLLOQUIUM WRAP-UP
- Chair: Karen Fricker
- Participants: Maddy Costa; Jill Dolan; Rosemary Drage Hale, Director of the Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, Brock University; Andy Horwitz
CONTACT: Prof. Karen Fricker, Dramatic Arts, kfricker@brocku.ca

Jill Dolan is the author of The Feminist Spectator as Critic (1989, 2012); Utopia in Performance: Finding Hope at the Theatre (2005); Theatre & Sexuality (2010); and many other books and essays. She won the 2011 Outstanding Teacher Award from the Association for Theatre in Higher Education and a lifetime achievement award from the Women and Theatre Program (2011). She writes The Feminist Spectator blog at TheFeministSpectator.com, for which she won the 2010-11 George Jean Nathan Award for dramatic criticism. A book of her selected blog posts and new essays, The Feminist Spectator in Action: Feminist Criticism for Stage and Screen, was published by Palgrave Macmillan in July 2013. Her full bio can be found at princeton.edu/arts/arts_at_princeton/theater/professor_bios/dolan/

Ensemble Vivant

Ensemble Vivant have recorded for such labels as Fanfare, Pro Arte, Doremi, SPY and Opening Day/Universal and Opening Day Entertainment Group, and their recordings are heard on classical radio around the world.

Ensemble Vivant, under the direction of Catherine Wilson, will present a concert with commentary on The Fugue, as well as give a masterclass on small ensemble playing for Brock music students.

Mar. 28
- Public Performance: The Fugue, 7:30 pm, Sean O’Sullivan Theatre (free to MIWSFPA students; adults $15.04; seniors and students $10; eyeGo high school program $5)
Tickets available at the Centre for the Arts Box Office 905.688.5550905.688.5550 x3257 or visit Arts.BrockU.ca (Prices do not include HST)

Mar. 29
- Masterclass: Music students, 10 am – 12:30 pm Sean O’Sullivan Theatre; MIWSPFA students are invited to attend as
  audience members. (closed session)
CONTACT: Prof. Matthew Royal, Music, mroyal@brocku.ca

Ensemble Vivant consists of pianist, founder and artistic director, Catherine Wilson, as well as Sybil Shanahan (cello), Don Thompson (acoustic bass, vibraphone), Erica Beston (violin) and Norman Hathaway (violin, viola). Championing a unique genre-diverse repertoire in their concerts and recordings since the group first came on the scene in the late 1980s, Ensemble Vivant has received critical acclaim for its work in the classical piano-trio literature, as well as for its forays into the worlds of ragtime, jazz and tango. Hailed as “Canada’s Chamber Music treasure.” – Toronto Star
Tags: Althea Thauberger, David Jalbert, David Walden, Ensemble Vivant, Jill Dolan, Patrice Baldwin, Walker Cultural Leader Series
Categories: Events, Walker Cultural Leader Series
Industrial Fabric 3: Festival of the Arts

Saturday, February 02, 2013 | By Brock University
Download a copy of the Industrial Fabric 3 Brochure

Industrial Fabric is a festival of student art, imaginative performances and musical collaboration presented by the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts.
Engage in two months of events that will stimulate the mind while demonstrating the vitality and vibrancy of the Arts at Brock University – on stage, in studios and galleries, and at regional venues.

Dramatic Arts Events
- Gimme 2 Festival: March 1 at 8 p.m.
- One Acts Festival: March 15 & 16 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.
- An Acre of Time by Jason Sherman: April 11, 12 & 13 at 7:30 p.m.
- Theatre Design Projects: March 24 – April 11, Opening Reception March 26, 5 – 6 p.m.
Music Events
- Odessa/Havana: March 1 at 7:30 p.m.
- Jeunesses Musicales – Così fan tutte: March 28 at 7:30 p.m.
- The University Wind Ensemble – Around the World in 80 Minutes: April 2 at 7:30 p.m.
- Let the Music Resound: April 6 at 7:30 p.m.
- Spring Suites: April 27 at 7:30 p.m.
- Tuesday Music @ Noon: Tuesdays from 12 noon (Sean O’Sullivan Theatre)
  - Recital: Voice students: March 5
  - Recital: Instrumental students: March 12
  - Recital: Voice students: March 19
  - Recital: Instrumental students: March 26
  - Recital: Piano students: April 2
- Student Recitals:
  - Stephanie Browning, mezzo-soprano, with Lesley Kingham, piano: March 22 at 7:30 p.m.
  - Charlotte Mahy, clarinet, with Lesley Kingham, piano: April 3 at 7:30 p.m.
  - Jorgo Kalo, piano: April 4 at 7:30 p.m.
  - Nathan Pol, trumpet, with Gary Forbes, piano April 5 at 7:30 p.m.
Visual Arts Events
- Exhibition: Renew: March 2 – 15, Opening Reception March 2 at 7 p.m.
- Exhibition: Time and Space: April 8, 8 – 10 p.m.
- Video Installation: Donna Szoke – Invisible Histories: April 26 – 28, Opening Reception April 28, 7 – 11 p.m.
- Exhibition: VISA Honours:
  - VISA 4F06 Exhibition I: March 30 – April 14, Opening Reception Friday April 5, 7 – 9 p.m.
  - VISA 4F06 Exhibition II: April 20 – May 5, Opening Reception April 19, 7 – 9 p.m.
Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture
- In The Works: Art Talk with Donna Akrey, Scott Sawtell and Jessica Thompson: March 2 at 3 p.m.
Tags: Festival of the Arts, Industrial Fabric, Industrial Fabric 3
Categories: Events, Industrial Fabric