News

  • Groundbreaking ceremony for the Walker School

    Friday, May 31, 2013 | By

    miw-celebration-3

    From left: Douglas Kneale, Dean, Faculty of Humanities; John Suk, Vice-Chair, Brock Board of Trustees; Jack Lightstone, Brock University President and Vice-Chancellor; Jim Bradley, MPP, St. Catharines; Marilyn I. Walker; Mark Elliott, councilor, City of St. Catharines; Joe Robertson, Chair, Brock Board of Trustees; Derek Knight, director, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts.

    May 31, 2013
    University Marketing & Communications
    905-688-5550 x4687

    Supporters raise a cheer as downtown Walker School takes shape

    Partners, politicians and downtown boosters joined Brock University officials today in a celebration at the St. Catharines construction site that will be the new home of Brock’s Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts.

    Amid scaffolding and construction equipment, workers paused for about 30 minutes while guests got a close-up look at the progress and saluted the efforts of designers, engineers and project leaders who have stewarded the major initiative through more than two years of planning.

    Marilyn Walker herself wielded a shovel alongside University President Jack Lightstone, Brock Board Chair Joe Robertson and other officials for a ceremonial ground-breaking, even though the site has been a hive of activity for several months.

    With a budget of $39.6 million, the project will transform the former Canada Haircloth textile mill into an innovative teaching facility whose 500 students, faculty and staff will help revitalize the city centre when they relocate from Brock’s main campus in 2015. Situated between a new Performing Arts Centre and a new Spectator Facility, which are being built by the City of St. Catharines, the school is one of several major projects that will dramatically change the face of the city core.

    The Brock project received $26.2 million from the Ontario government, and is also being supported by numerous generous partners from across the community.

    Lightstone told today’s gathering that the new Walker School “is a tribute to the concept of community partnership. This is much more than a building. It is a statement about what can happen when many hands work together to build a better future.”

    The project moved into full construction mode in January after Brock entered into an agreement with the low bidder, Bird Construction Group. Much of the project involves renovating existing buildings, parts of which are from the area’s industrial heritage and date to the 19th century. While the retrofitting will largely take place indoors, the landmark’s exterior will be visually refreshed with new windows and restored brickwork. Plus there will also be new construction when a dramatic arts theatre rises in the coming months and invigorates the downtown landscape.

    For more info: Jeffrey Sinibaldi, media relations, Brock University, 905-688-5550 x4687; jsinibaldi@brocku.ca

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    Categories: Media Releases, News

  • View the new MIWSFPA promotional video

    Friday, March 15, 2013 | By

    The Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine & Performing Arts has released a new promotional video highlighting our departments and centre. View the video below:

     

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    Categories: Announcements, Current Students, Future Students, News

  • New Walker series opens doors for arts students and the public

    Tuesday, February 12, 2013 | By

    BROCK UNIVERSITY
    MEDIA RELEASE

    February 12, 2013
    Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts
    905.688.5550 x4765

    New Walker series opens doors for arts students and the public

    A major series of cultural events, workshops and performances being launched this fall by Brock University will provide new learning experiences for students, and in many cases will also be open to the public.

    The Walker Cultural Leader Series will see leading artists, performers and academics convene more than a dozen events in disciplines ranging from animation to classical music and theatrical performance. The events will take place on campus as well as in the community.

    Presented by Brock’s Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA), the series opens Oct. 16-19 with workshops, studio visits and performances by Sobey Award-winning performer and animator Daniel Barrow.

    The series will also feature presentations by Joan Watson, principal horn of the Canadian Opera Company; performer and author Stephen Nachmanovitch; acclaimed Canadian pianist Robert Silverman; and Daniel Levinson, an expert in movement and stage combat.

    The new series is being funded thanks to the Marilyn I. Walker Fund, an endowed fund created in 2008, when Marilyn Walker donated $15 million to Brock’s school of fine and performing arts.

    Derek Knight, director of the Walker School, said the main objective of the series is to engage students, but pointed out many sessions are open to the community.

    “The new series is committed to inviting varied and interesting guest speakers,” said Knight. “It will be engaging, lively and erudite. These sessions celebrate professional achievement, artistic endeavour and the indelible role of culture in our society.”

    Douglas Kneale, Dean of Humanities at the University, said the initiative is another step forward for Brock on the academic, cultural and community fronts.

    “Thanks to the generosity of Marilyn I. Walker, we are able to offer students unique interactions with creative leaders in the fine and performing arts, and also extend to the community educational and cultural opportunities that will be enormously enriching.”

    The Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts is comprised of the departments of Dramatic Arts, Music, Visual Arts, and the Centre for Studies in Arts & Culture.

    For more info and follow-up interviews: Marie Balsom, Communications, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, Brock University, 905-688-5550 x4765; mbalsom@brocku.ca

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    Categories: Media Releases, News

  • Industrial Fabric 3: Festival of the Arts

    Saturday, February 02, 2013 | By

    ifbannerbrock

    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.

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    Categories: Events, Industrial Fabric

  • Brock signs contract to build arts school

    Friday, January 18, 2013 | By

    Marilyn I Walker School of performing arts building rendering

    (Source: Niagara This Week, January 18, 2013 | By Mike Zettel)

    Brock has signed a construction contract with Bird Construction Group to build its new fine and performing arts facility in downtown St. Catharines.

    Activity at the site of the old Canada Hair Cloth textile mill at 198 St. Paul Street is expected to start the week of Jan. 21, 2013, with site preparations beginning in early February.

    Construction bids for the project were received in October 2012 and all six bids were over the University’s $26-million budget. The budget was based on the design prepared by Diamond Schmitt Architects, and on the cost estimate prepared by cost consultants Turner & Townsend cm2r.

    Every bid was more than $6 million over the budget.

    Bird Construction Group’s bid came in at $32.2 million, while the others were: ACCEL Construction Management – $32,400,000; Merit Contractors Niagara – $33,290,000; EllisDon Corporation – $33,469,000; Graham Construction & Engineering – $33,900,000; and Carillion Canada Inc – $33,950,000.

    Brock then entered into successful negotiations with Bird Construction, the low bidder for the new home of the University’s Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts facility, to reduce construction costs and move the project forward.

    Brian Hutchings, vice-president of finance and administration, said they were able to shave between $2 and $2.5 million off the $6-million cost overrun. He said the new budget, which is still between $3.5 and $4 million above the original, was presented to Brock’s board of trustees, and it was approved.

    Moving forward, he said Brock will attempt to fundraise the difference, noting that naming rights for the schools are still up for grabs. If the fundraising efforts are not successful, Brock may have to incur additional debt.

    “Worst case, we’ll have to finance it,” Hutchings said.

    As to how the savings were achieved, Scott Walker, director of planning, design and construction, said it wasn’t easy as they thought they had a lean project to begin with. He said when the bids came over budget for the city project, they double checked their numbers.

    He said they looked at literally every aspect of the project and made between 100 and 150 little changes to trim costs.

    He said the team worked with the academic department — the eventual end users for the school — to see what savings could be achieved.

    Examples include using different materials, such as cheaper bricks and tiles, to eliminating drywall ceilings in some parts, narrowing sidewalks, and straightening out walls and a staircase that had been designed with a curve. They even found a cheaper model of toilets.

    “The majority of the savings are made up of little pieces,” he said. “We left no stone unturned.”

    At the end of the day, he said, the overall design looks very similar to the original.

    Brock says there will be a mark the official start of the project with a groundbreaking ceremony in mid-February.

    The facility will put about 500 students, faculty and staff into the city’s downtown when it relocates from Brock’s main campus. The new school will be adjacent to a new Performing Arts Centre and Spectator Facility, which are being built by the City of St. Catharines.

    Hutchings said constructed is expected to wrap up by May 2015, with students starting classes the following September.

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  • Brock reaches arts school deal

    Friday, January 18, 2013 | By

    Marilyn I Walker School of performing arts building rendering

    (Source: The Welland Tribune, Friday, January 18, 2013 | By Jeff Bolichowski)

    Brock University will shell out a little more cash in a new deal to build its downtown arts school.

    The university announced it’s reached a deal with Bird Construction Group to build the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts. Bird was the low bidder in October when Brock received a raft of over-budget bids for the school, to be built at the old Canada Hair Cloth building.

    Bids came in about $6 million over budget, but Brock vice president of finance Brian Hutchings said the school negotiated a lower cost with the company. He said figures still have to be finalized but the school will likely end up paying around $30 million, rather than the $26 million budgeted.

    “We’ve been able to do some value engineering on the project. We’re approximately two to three million dollars less,” he said.

    “We believe Brock’s getting a very good deal. Bird’s a very good partner on this.”

    Scott Walker, the school’s campus planning, design and construction director, said Bird’s bid came in around $32.2 million. He figured the school is saving around $2.1 million.

    Most of the design changes, he said, involve using cheaper materials. They’ll use cheaper bricks, cheaper roof materials and even cheaper toilets.

    Curved walls will be straighten out to save money, he said, and the foundation design will be simplified.

    Hutchings said the changes include scratching the use of suspension ceilings and leaving a formerly covered walkway uncovered.

    Most of what was cut, he said, was “some nice-to-haves, but nothing that was necessary.”

    Walker said the school cut everything it feasibly could without compromising space. It was by and large “a whole bunch of mostly small things” that have added up.

    “If we take any more out of it, we’d have to make it a smaller building.”

    Hutchings said Brock is prepared to go over its initial budget to build the school.

    “At this point, we’re obviously going to look for any other donors for the building. The building’s looking for a name,” he said.

    He said the school would also free up 45,000 square feet of space on campus. That means more space for tuition and programs.

    A groundbreaking ceremony is expected to be held in February but activity is expected to begin next week.

    The early work would mostly entail fencing and work on the foundation.

    The deal follows bids on the school coming in well over budget in October.

    It also follows bids on the city’s nearby performing arts centre coming in over budget in August.

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  • Brock signs contract with construction firm for downtown fine and performing arts facility project

    Friday, January 18, 2013 | By

    construction rendering of the downtown fine and performing arts facility project

    (Source: The Brock News, Friday, January 18, 2013 | by . Photo: An artist’s rendering of the Marilyn I. Walker School for the Fine and Performing Arts)

    Earlier today, Brock University finalized a construction contract with Bird Construction Group to build its new fine and performing arts facility in downtown St. Catharines.

    Activity at the site of the old Canada Hair Cloth textile mill at 198 St. Paul Street is expected to start the week of Jan. 21, 2013, with site preparations beginning in early February.

    Construction bids for the project were received in October 2012 and all bids were over the University’s budget. Brock then entered into successful negotiations with Bird Construction, the low bidder for the new home of the University’s Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts facility, to reduce construction costs and move the project forward.

    A groundbreaking ceremony to mark the official start of the project is expected to take place mid-February.

    The new facility will put about 500 students, faculty and staff into the city’s downtown when it relocates from Brock’s main campus. The new school will be adjacent to a new Performing Arts Centre and Spectator Facility, which are being built by the City of St. Catharines.

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    Categories: In the Media, News

  • The Walker Cultural Leader Series 2012-13

    Tuesday, August 21, 2012 | By

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    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 in this inaugural year of the series.

    This educational program is generously funded by Marilyn I. Walker.

    danielbarrowwcl

     

    Daniel Barrow

    Daniel Barrow, creator of graphic performance and manual animation, will offer studio visits with students, an artist talk open to the general public, a workshop with Foundation students, and a public performance at Robertson Hall

     

    Oct. 16

    • Studio visits: 1:30 – 3 pm, 7 – 8 pm, Rm. GLN 162 and EA 115 (closed session)

    Oct. 17

    • Studio visits 9 – 10:30 am, Rm. GLN 162 and EAA 115 (closed session)
    • Artist Talk: Sean O’Sullivan Theatre, 12 noon – 1:30 pm (free community event)

    Oct. 18

    • Workshop with foundation students: 10 am – 12 noon, Rm. GLN 162 (closed session)

    Oct. 19

    • Public performance: Robertson Hall, Folk Arts Centre: 7 – 8 pm (free community event)
    • Wrap-up party with DJ Granny Ark: 8 – 10 pm (free community event)

    Robertson Hall, Niagara Folk Arts Multicultural Centre, 85 Church St., St. Catharines, Ontario
    Contact: Prof. Duncan MacDonald, Visual Art

    Winnipeg-born, Montreal-based artist Daniel Barrow uses obsolete technologies to present written, pictorial and cinematic narratives centering on the practices of drawing and collecting. Since 1993, he has created and adapted comic book narratives to “manual” forms of animation by projecting, layering and manipulating drawings on overhead projectors.

    Daniel has exhibited widely in Canada and abroad. He has performed at the Walker Art Center (Minneapolis), PS1 Contemporary Art Center (New York), the Museum of Contemporary Art (Los Angeles), the International Film Festival Rotterdam, the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art’s TBA festival, and the British Film Institute (London). Barrow is the winner of the 2010 Sobey Art Award. He is represented by Jessica Bradley Art + Projects, Toronto.

     

     

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    Joan Watson

    Joan Watson, principal horn of the Canadian Opera Company and member of True North Brass, will be providing workshops on setting career goals for musicians.

     

    Nov. 2

    • Workshop on setting career goals for musicians I: 3 – 5 pm, Concordia Seminary Chapel (free to MIWSFPA students, $5 admission for the public)

    Nov. 3

    • Workshop on setting career goals for musicians II: 10 am – 12 noon, Concordia Seminary Chapel (free to MIWSFPA students, $5 admission for the public)

    Contact: Prof. Matthew Royal, Music

    Joan Watson is Canada’s foremost horn soloist, principal horn, lecturer and educator. She is highly regarded as a consummate musician and skilled virtuoso. Her contributions across the country include presently serving as principal horn of the award-winning Canadian Opera Orchestra, founding member of the prestigious True North Brass quintet, associate principal horn of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra for 14 seasons (having won the job while 8 months pregnant), and principal horn of the Esprit Orchestra, the Victoria Symphony Orchestra, and the Pacific Opera and Vancouver Opera Orchestras.

    A member of the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Music, Joan teaches horn and lectures on Performance Skills, audition preparation, practice tips, and creating a passionate and fulfilling life of music making.

     

     

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    Stephen Nachmanovitch

    Stephen Nachmanovitch, performer, author and workshop leader who emphasizes improvisation and creativity in “life and the arts” will provide a presentation and workshops for students, workshop for fine arts teachers, and a public performance.

     

    Nov. 15

    • Presentation to DART 1F95 students: 9 – 10 am, Rm. AS 202 (closed session)
    • Workshop for DART 1F95 labs 1 & 2: 11 am – 1 pm; labs 3 & 4: 2 – 4 pm, Pond Inlet (closed session)

    Nov. 16

    • Public lecture/performance: 7:30 – 9 pm, Rm. TH 325 (free community event)

    Nov. 17

    • Workshop, invited faculty and students, 9 – 12 noon, TH 103/105 (closed session)
    Contact: Prof. Joe Norris, Dramatic Arts

    Author of the book Free Play: Improvisation in Life and Art, improvisational violinist Nachmanovitch has dedicated his life to fostering the creative spirit within us all. Central to his beliefs is the importance of play. He has traveled world-wide lecturing on creativity and the spiritual underpinnings of art. He has presented master classes and workshops at many conservatories and universities, and has had numerous appearances on radio, television, and at music and theater festivals.

    Collaborating with other artists in media including music, dance, theater, and film, Stephen has developed programs melding art, music, literature, and computer technology. He is a pioneer in free improvisation on the violin, viola and electric violin and has developed software including The World Music Menu and Visual Music Tone Painter. While music has been his major artistic form, his work inspires the artists of any genre. More information about Nachmanovitch and his work can be found at freeplay

     

     

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    Robert Silverman

    Robert Silverman, leading Canadian pianist and Professor Emeritus of the University of British Columbia will be providing a lecture-recital at the Sean O’Sullivan Theatre, and a public master class with piano students from the Department of Music.

     

    Jan. 11

    • Hammering the Klavier: Beethoven’s Earthshaking and Bone-crushing Masterpiece, Lecture/Recital: 7:30 pm, Sean O’Sullivan theatre (free to MIWSFPA students, $15 admission for the public)

    Jan. 12

    • Master class with Dept. of Music piano students: 10 am – 12 noon, Sean O’Sullivan Theatre (closed session)

    Contact: Prof. Matthew Royal, Music

    Recognized as one of Canada’s premiere pianists, Robert Silverman has reached a level of musical and technical authority that can only be accomplished after years of deep commitment to the instrument and its vast literature. Many aspects of Silverman’s playing are frequently noted: a polished technique, an extraordinary range of tonal palette, an uncanny ability to sing his way into the heart of a phrase, and probing interpretations of the most complex works in the repertoire.

    The distinguished pianist has performed in concert halls throughout North America, Europe, the Far East and Australia. Under the batons of such renowned conductors as Seiji Ozawa, John Eliot Gardiner, Gerard Schwarz, Neeme Järvi, and the late Kiril Kondrashin and Sergiu Comissiona, he has appeared with orchestras on three continents, including the Chicago Symphony, the Sydney Symphony, the BBC (London) Symphony, the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestras, and every major orchestra in Canada.

     

     

     

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    Daniel Levinson

    Daniel Levinson, movement and stage fighting expert, will be providing a Movement and Stage Combat Intensive program delivered Feb 20 – 23, 2013

     

    Feb. 20, 21, 22 & 23

    • Single Sword workshop:  9:30 am – 12:30 pm, Dance Studio, Walker Complex (closed session; registrants only)
    • Unarmed Combat workshop: 1:30 – 4:30 pm, Rm. TH 141 (closed session; registrants only)

    Maximum enrollment: 20 students; apply by Nov. 1 at the DART main office ST 104, or by email. There is a non-refundable $10 deposit upon registration.
    Contact: Prof. Virginia Reh, Dramatic Arts

    Daniel is one of the leading fight directors and stage combat instructors in Canada. He is a certified Fight Director and Fight Instructor with Fight Directors Canada, and the past president of Fight Directors Canada.  His qualifications are recognized by the Society of American Fight Directors, the British Academy of Dramatic Combat, the Nordic Stage Fight Society, the New Zealand Stage Combat Society and the Society of Australian Fight Directors. Daniel is the Artistic Director of Rapier Wit and The Rude Mechanicals, and is resident Fight Instructor at Sheridan College and Theatre Erindale.
    Daniel has performed with and/or created fights for numerous theatre companies including Factory Theatre, Equity Showcase, Crow’s Theatre, Canadian Stage, Skylight Theatre, Walking Shadow Theatre Company, The Canadian Opera Company, Earthbound Theatre, Lovers & Madmen, Tarragon Theatre and Theatre Voce. He is in his fourth season at the Stratford Festival, where last season he worked on Jesus Christ Superstar and went on with it to Broadway.

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    Categories: Events, Walker Cultural Leader Series

  • Brock welcomes more community partners to downtown project

    Wednesday, June 20, 2012 | By

    Artist's rendering of the Marilyn I. Walker School for the Fine and Performing Arts

    An artist’s rendering of the Marilyn I. Walker School for the Fine and Performing Arts showing the new theatre for the Department of Dramatic Arts.

    (Source: The Brock News, Wednesday, June 20, 2012 | by )

    As Brock University prepares to select a contractor for its new arts school in central St. Catharines, community members are coming forward to financially back a project many people see as being a crucial bridge to future economic and cultural health.

    This summer, contractors will be invited to bid on the major job of renovating and expanding the old Canada Hair Cloth textile mill into the new home for Brock’s Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts. Work is to begin this fall.

    Besides relocating 500 students, faculty and staff into the downtown, the new school will also complement and share some facilities with a public Performing Arts Centre being built by the City of St. Catharines on an adjacent lot. Both projects are scheduled for completion in 2014.

    Brock’s school has a construction budget of $39.6 million. The Ontario government has given $26.1 million to the project, and the University is continuing efforts to raise more than $10-million to pay its share.

    Important supporters of the Brock project were revealed today when it was announced that three donors with strong ties to the community and Brock University are making gifts totaling more than a quarter-million dollars.

    Peter and Janet Partridge are giving $100,000 to the project. Art and Val Fleming have also committed $100,000. And the St. Catharines law firm of Lancaster Brooks & Welch is donating $75,000 to the new school.

    Peter Partridge, Vice President and Portfolio Manager with RBC Dominion Securities and a past member of Brock’s Board of Trustees, said their gift is a way of giving back to the community.

    “To have a cultural campus strategically positioned in the heart of the downtown is very important,” he said. “This is going to bring a whole new level of artistic experience not only to young performers but to an audience here in Niagara.”

    The Flemings are also eager to see the Walker School flourish.

    “We really believe in Brock,” said Val, a Brock graduate and past member of the Board of Trustees. “We especially want the Walker project to succeed. It’s a wonderful opportunity, and we believe the downtown will definitely be rejuvenated because of it.”

    At the offices of Lancaster Brooks Welch, senior partner Dave Edwards said the law firm believes the benefits of the new school will be more than economic.

    “This will change the culture of the city centre for the better by bringing students into the downtown during normal working hours,” said Edwards, a former member and chair of the Brock Board of Trustees. “It will provide an integration that’s entirely different compared to when they’re only downtown at nighttime.

    “It makes you think of Kingston, and how students there are often in the downtown during the day. This will help our restaurants, stores, coffee shops, and bring a new vibrancy to the downtown throughout the day.”

    Douglas Kneale, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities at Brock and a member of the committee overseeing the University’s downtown project, said the support is very heartening and much-needed.

    “The truth is, we really are all in this together, this strengthening of the community,” said Kneale. “And when you have partners like these marvelous people, it is this kind of support that helps make these dreams come true for everybody.”

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  • Work to begin on Brock’s downtown arts school

    Tuesday, March 20, 2012 | By

    The new home of the Marilyn I Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts.

    After more than a year of planning and design, construction will soon begin at the future home of Brock University’s Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts in a vacant factory in downtown St. Catharines.

    Following a tendering process, a contract has been awarded to JMX Environmental Inc. to conduct preliminary work this spring at the site of the former Canada Hair Cloth textile mill at 198 St. Paul Street.

    This “Early Works” phase involves clearing interior space and abatement of hazardous materials within the building. Work should begin in late March and take about three months to complete.

    Crews will remove some interior non-load-bearing walls and redundant services, and deal with hazardous materials that are common in older buildings. Asbestos floor and ceiling tiles will be removed, as will asbestos insulation on water pipes. Workers will also remove or seal surfaces containing lead-based or chromium-based paints. All environmental abatement work must pass inspections and meet regulatory requirements.

    The Walker School will put about 500 students, faculty and staff into the city’s downtown when the facility relocates from the main Brock campus in 2014. It is part of a collaboration that includes a new Performing Arts Centre being built on adjacent land by the City of St. Catharines.

    from University Marketing & Communications
    March 20, 2012

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