Articles from:April 2022

  • STAC student earns recognition for creative projects

    Images: Christy Mitchell, Camera Obscura 1-3 Your Life is Back to Front, 2021. Digital Photography. Featured in the 2022 Juried Exhibition presented by Brock’s Department of Visual Arts. 


    Brock University student Christy Mitchell has been working on compelling projects this year – with a film award and a gallery show to boot.

    Mitchell is a fourth-year student at the Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture (STAC) with a Concentration in Curatorial Studies at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine of Fine & Performing Arts (MIWSFPA), a program that equips students  with a critical view of contemporary culture by engaging in pragmatic and experiential learning.

    A talented, interdisciplinary creator, Mitchell, alongside filmmakers Angel Chang and Zhiyi Zhao, was awarded second place in the popular 72-Hour Film Festival hosted by The Communication, Popular Culture and Film Student Society (CPCFSS) on Tuesday March 8, 2022. The film, Sparks and Flames, Directed by Angel Chang with Assistant Direction by Mitchell, is a five minute short film that premiered at the festival along with five other films. In addition to directing and sound design, Mitchell (along with Chang) did camera operations and editing. Sparks and Flames is available to view on the STAC YouTube channel.

    STAC student and artist Christy Mitchell.

    Mitchell’s artwork was also recently selected by the Department of Visual Arts (VISA) for the 2022 Juried Exhibition held from March 1 to March 19 at MIWSFPA’s Visual Arts Gallery & Student Exhibition Space. Selected by Visual Arts faculty members and jurors Troy David Ouellette and Amanda Burk, Mitchell was invited to exhibit her body of work entitled Camera Obscura – Your Life is Back to Front featuring her digital photography produced in Visual Arts class VISA 3Q97 – Advanced Photographic Processes. Mitchell’s pieces were among 45 submissions (selected from 122), from 51 applicants across all areas of study at Brock University.

    In her Artist Statement, Mitchell discusses her theme for the works: “Life simply passing you by – I feel this is a sentiment that is common in in today’s world especially with the proliferation of hustle culture, the idea that we must keep moving and keep going on to the next thing. With our lives surrounded with technology and social media it feels like many don’t take the time to really absorb their surroundings and stop and take a moment – they simply just exist in them rather than experience them.” Mitchell’s work in the 2022 Juried Exhibition can be viewed online in VISA’s Exhibition Archive.

    The Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture is dedicated to developing a context in which the contemporary artist, performer or art critic can examine pragmatic and theoretical approaches to understanding the creative process – and Mitchell has certainly thrived in this space, contributing to the vitality of the arts of culture sector with a bright future ahead.

    Guests attending the Opening Reception of the Visual Arts 2022 Juried Exhibition view digital photography by Christy Mitchell and other exhibiting student artists at the Visual Arts Gallery & Student Exhibition Space at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine & Performing Arts. Photo credit: Christy Mitchell.

     

     

    Categories: STAC Courses, Uncategorised

  • Student-run podcast provides guidance, inspiration for future artists

    The Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts in downtown St. Catharines is home to the student-run podcast, Dear Marilyn, named in honour of the late textile artist and philanthropist.

    Originally published in The Brock News | TUESDAY, APRIL 12, 2022 | by 

    What started as a passion project for two Brock University students in search of career tips has become a robust podcast series providing invaluable insight to the next generation of creators.

    Produced for students by students, the popular podcast Dear Marilyn is now in its second season of connecting the student community with professional artists, with plans to continue production on an ongoing basis.

    Created in 2021 by Dramatic Arts (DART) students Danielle Letourneau and Luca D’Amico, the podcast name honours celebrated textile artist, philanthropist and arts advocate Marilyn I. Walker. In 2008, Walker made a historic donation to Brock that led to the creation of the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA).

    Letourneau, the podcast’s producer who is now in her fourth year of study with a concentration in Drama and Education and minor in History, says that she has often felt anxiety about entering theatre as a profession.

    “I started this podcast to give students like myself a resource for practical job advice,” Letourneau said. “The arts industry is not always considered the most conventional career path, but we do it because this is what we love; the arts nurture our souls.”

    Supported by Dean Carol Merriam of the Faculty of Humanities through the Dean’s Discretionary Fund in 2021, the Associate Dean of Fine and Performing Arts and MIWSFPA department Chairs, the Dear Marilyn team invites local and surrounding artists from a range of artistic disciplines to share their stories.

    Co-hosts Hayley Bando, a second-year Dramatic Arts major with a concentration in Production and Design, and Chloe Racho, a third-year Music major with a minor in French Studies, are thrilled to be part of the project.

    “We are honoured to help bring these diverse perspectives about professional journeys in the arts to the Brock community,” Bando said.

    Recent podcast guests include actor, writer and producer Thet Win, voice actor Keegan Vaillancourt and singer-songwriter Glenn Marais.

    MIWSFPA faculty have been supportive since day one, with Karen Fricker, Associate Professor of Dramatic Arts, championing the podcast idea in its early stages.

    “I was happy to support Dear Marilyn initially because it’s a great idea, and a positive student-led project during the hard time of the pandemic,” she said. “I looked forward to each episode and was entertained and educated by the hosts’ sparky exchanges with guests.”

    DART Associate Professor Gyllian Raby guided the grant proposal for Dear Marilyn resulting in the expansion of the podcast to include all four departments at the downtown arts campus (Dramatic Arts, Music, Visual Arts and Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture).

    “What’s not to like about Dear Marilyn? It relates directly to our mission to create experiential, professionalized learning for students producing, hosting, editing and broadcasting,” Raby said. “And, it’s entertaining and insightful.”

    DART Associate Professor Danielle Wilson has been working with the team on the second season. Episodes are edited by Alex Sykes, a fourth-year DART student with a concentration in Production and Design.

    Available on Spotify, the next episode goes live this week. For the latest news, follow Dear Marilyn on Instagram.

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    Categories: Current Students, Faculty & Instructors, Future Students, News, Uncategorised