Current Students

  • Celebrating creativity and diversity in Niagara with SAFRAN 2024

    Saturday, April 06, 2024 | By

    Brock Professor Jean Ntakiturimana of Modern Languages, Literatures & Cultures

    Image caption: Brock Professor Jean Ntakiturimana of Modern Languages, Literatures & Cultures, (right) at the Sunday morning long table about the world of publishing, hosted by Binta Wague of les Éditions Touana (Toronto , centre-right, in green). 

    Brock University recently welcomed the Salon du livre des Francophonies du Niagara (SAFRAN) 2024 for a diverse and dynamic weekend of events and performances celebrating literary creativity and diversity in the Niagara region.

    Hosted by Brock’s Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture (STAC) and Department of Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures (MLLC) in collaboration with SOFIFRAN, the event was held from March 21 to 24 at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, with an opening ceremony at the Film House in the First Ontario Performing Arts Centre. With the important collaboration of the Maison de la culture francophone du Niagara, the event coincided with the UNESCO World Poetry Day, World Puppetry Day and International Francophonie Day.

    Director of the Salon du livre and MLLC Instructor, Nafée Faigou, hosting the opening ceremonies at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre.

    “It’s been an absolutely remarkable celebration of language and culture, beautifully led and produced by Director of the Salon du livre, Nafée Faigou and Fété Ngira-Batware Kimpiobi, Director General of SOFIFRAN,” said Professor David Vivian, Director of the Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture. “Our learning community is so much richer for having hosted SAFRAN.”

    Guests and community members from the Niagara Francophone community and beyond were treated to a diverse offering of cultural interactions including entertaining and thoughtful puppet shows by Le chemin qui marche from Quebec, workshops for youth on robotics and AI and compelling roundtable discussions  in the MIWSFPA venues.

    A highlight was the publisher’s fair in the MIWSFPA lobby, igniting important long-table discussions amongst publishers and authors that celebrated the Francophonie of the region, including both Franco-Ontarian and new Franco-Canadian voices.

    For more information about the event, please visit the STAC website.

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    Categories: Alumni, Announcements, Current Students, Events, Faculty & Instructors, Future Students, In the Media, Media Releases, News, Uncategorised

  • Salon du livre des francophonies du Niagara (SAFRAN), a special collaboration at the MIWSFPA, opens March 21

    Friday, March 01, 2024 | By

    Le Safran logo

    Salon du livre des francophonies du Niagara (SAFRAN):
    Les contradictions dans les littératures

    March 21-24, 2024
    Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine & Performing Arts
    15 Artists’ Common, St. Catharines

    SOFIFRAN is delighted to announce the details of the next edition of the Salon du Livre des Francophonies du Niagara (SAFRAN), an exceptional literary event in and for the peninsula. The event will take place March 21st to 24th, 2024, and will begin at 10am each day in the prestigious space of the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, Brock University, downtown St Catharines. The opening will be held at the Film House, in the First Ontario Performing Arts Centre, also located in downtown St Catharines.

    We are especially honoured to present Nafée Faïgou, the director of the Salon du Livre des Francophonies du Niagara. Nafée Faïgou is passionately devoted to Niagara’s francophone literary ecosystem and plays a central role in the planning and development of this major event. You can contact her directly at the following email address: lesafran2024@gmail.com.

    SAFRAN is made possible thanks to the financial support of the Ministry of Francophone Affairs, through the Francophone Community Grants Program.

    We invite all members of the community to come and celebrate the diversity of francophone literatures at the Salon du Livre des Francophonies du Niagara. Join us and immerse yourselves in captivating stories, literary discoveries, workshops, and inspiring encounters.

    For more information and to stay connected with the latest updates, follow us on social media and visit our official website: www.sofifran-safran.com.

    —

    SOFIFRAN annonce avec enthousiasme la 2ème édition du Salon du livre des Francophonies du Niagara (SAFRAN)

    SOFIFRAN est ravie de dévoiler les détails de la prochaine édition du Salon du livre des francophonies du Niagara (SAFRAN), un événement littéraire et culturel incontournable qui se tiendra du jeudi 21 mars au dimanche 24 mars 2024. L’événement débutera à 10h chaque jour et se déroulera au prestigieux espace de l’école des beaux-arts Marilyn A. Walker de l’université Brock, située à St. Catharines.

    Nous sommes particulièrement honorées de présenter Nafée Nelly Faïgou, la directrice du Salon du livre des francophonies du Niagara. Nafée Nelly Faïgou apporte une passion dévouée à l’univers littéraire francophone et joue un rôle clé dans la réalisation de cet événement majeur. Vous pouvez la contacter directement par courriel à l’adresse suivante : lesafran2024@gmail.com.

    Le SAFRAN est rendu possible grâce au soutien financier du Ministère des Affaires Francophones, dans le cadre du Programme d’appui à la Francophonie ontarienne (PAFO).

    Nous invitons chaleureusement la communauté à se joindre à nous pour célébrer la diversité littéraire francophone au Salon du livre des francophonies du Niagara. Venez plonger dans un monde d’histoires captivantes, de découvertes littéraires et de rencontres inspirantes.

    Pour plus d’informations et pour rester connectés avec les dernières actualités du SAFRAN, suivez-nous sur nos réseaux sociaux et visitez notre site web officiel : www.sofifran-safran.com

    —

    Organized under the  main theme of Les contradictions dans les littératures,
    programming will address the sub themes of:
    – Sensitivity and Sensationalism
    – Waiting: Hope and Despair
    – Spaces and Comfort Zones (status quo in opposition to evolution)
    – Beliefs (in oneself and in others), Fear and Courage
    – Nature and Materialism/Artificial Intelligence/Technology
    – Individuality and Sense of Group
    – Body/Mind/Psyche

    Free event, open to the public.
    la programmation est disponible ici / The program is available here.

    Les auteurs

    Le Safran a pour objectif de promouvoir la diversité culturelle et linguistique des francophones du Niagara, de valoriser les auteurs et les artistes d’expression française, et de favoriser le dialogue et les échanges entre les différentes communautés.

    SAFRAN aims to promote the cultural and linguistic diversity of French speakers in Niagara, to celebrate authors and artists of French expression, and to promote dialogue and exchanges between different communities.

    Didier Leclair
    Mireille Messier
    Gaston Mabaya
    Kalula Kalambay
    Unblind Tibbin
    Marie Yanick Dutelly
    Binta Wague
    Marlène Thélusma
    Serge Stéphane TESSA
    Michèle Laframboise
    Mélina Seymour
    Khadydja Ndoye
    Nafée Faïgou
    Fété Ngira-Batware Kimpiobi
    Aristote Kavungu

    avec la précieuse participation de professeurs et d’instructeurs de l’Université Brock du département / with the special participation of Brock University faculty and instructors from the
    Department of Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures:

    Nafée Faïgou
    Nicholas Hauck
    Richard Ndayizigamiye
    Jean B. Ntakirutimana
    Catherine Parayre (also Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture)
    Paul Savoie
    David Vivian (Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture/Department of Dramatic Arts)

    …and others. For more information: www.sofifran-safran.com

    To reserve a ticket for events organized by the Maison de la culture francophone du Niagara in honour of the Journée internationale de la Francophonie et les Rendez-vous Poétiques 2024 (March 20, 2024) and the Journée mondiale de la marionnette et les Rendez-Vous Poétiques 2024 (March 21, 2024) : mcfniagara.com/programmationsVeuillez noter q’un laptop est nécessaire pour s’inscrire à cet atelier./ Please note that a laptop is required to participate in this workshop. lesafran2024@gmail.com pour s’inscrire/to register

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  • ‘Someone Lives Here’ – Free Community Screening and Panel Discussion

    Friday, November 17, 2023 | By

    man in a very small makeshift house

    SOMEONE LIVES HERE – Free Community Screening & Panel Discussion
    presented by Rad Snax and hosted by the Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts

    Saturday, November 18, 7:00 pm

    Marilyn I Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts
    15 Artists’ Common, St. Catharines, ON L2R 0B5,
    Room MWS 156.

    Ground level with elevator and accessible washrooms. Event is free. No childcare. If you have additional accessibility needs, please reach out to us.

    ******************************************

    Throughout the COVID pandemic, Toronto has seen a catastrophic increase in homelessness. Sick of seeing his city unable to care for its unhoused people, Khaleel Seivwright quit his job as a full-time carpenter and dedicated himself to building insulated shelters—called “tiny shelters.”

    Innovatively using body temperature for heating, Khaleel’s efforts garnered international media attention, leading Toronto to propose a possible partnership—only to reverse its decision a week later.

    Capturing the ups and downs of Khaleel’s brilliant intervention, Someone Lives Here also features the voices of those experiencing homelessness, including the articulate and philosophical Taka. The film poignantly captures the City of Toronto’s costly $1.9 million clearance of Toronto’s park encampments, asking all the right questions: What makes Toronto unable and unwilling to address this humanitarian crisis? Why are people like Khaleel being prevented from trying to find solutions?

    Who do we prioritize in this city? A sobering and maddening watch.
    Film description by Hot Docs programmer Aisha Jamal.

    https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27366407/

    Winner – Rogers Audience Award for Best Canadian Documentary, Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, 2023

    Winner – Bill Nemtin Award for Best Social Impact Documentary, Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, 2023

    —- This presentation is organized by Rad Snax with the participation of community partners.

    Guests include Khaleel Seivwright who will participate in a panel discussion after the film with:

    Patty Krawec, an indigenous author and activist, moderator

    https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/2107428931725

    Alicia Marshall, a local social service provider and advocate for unhoused folks
    https://twitter.com/Aliciaadvocate

    Sabrina Shawana, Anishinaabe Nation, Eagle Clan, tireless advocate for her People, and who established the Strong Water Singers in 2015.

    Brock grad and researcher Sarah Lukaszczyk, who has just returned from the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness conference, previously with Housing Help Centre, and who has written about the City of St. Catharines rhetoric of compassion, exposing participation in the Compassionate Cities movement as hollow municipal marketing.

    among others.

    See the FB posting for more info: https://fb.me/e/1ANjJFyH9

    Approximately 100 people participated in the evening program.  Seen below (l-r) are Sarah Lukaszczyk, Alicia Marshall, Khaleel Seivwright, Sabrina Shawana and moderator Patty Krawec during the post-screening discussion. Thank-you to Hilary of Game Theory Films for the opportunity to share this film with the community.

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  • STAC at the Makerspace with workshops to teach creative technologies skills

    Sunday, November 05, 2023 | By

    Christy Mitchell removes a model from a 3D printer

    Makerspace Assistant and fourth-year Studies in Arts and Culture student Christy Mitchell removes a model from a 3D printer. The Brock community is invited to participate in an Intro to 3d Printing workshop on Tuesday, Nov. 21 at 1 p.m. in the Makerspace.

    published in the Brock News on Friday 03, November 2023

    The Brock University Library Makerspace is providing students, staff and faculty with opportunities to develop new skills in 3D printing, modelling and animation as well as podcasting through a series of upcoming introductory workshops.

    The free in-person sessions, held in RFP 203, are intended to help participants build their confidence working with 3d Studio Max, a professional 3D modelling, animation and rendering application, and Blender, an open-source 3D creation suite.

    “All of the workshops teach participants from scratch,” says Makerspace Technician and Facilitator Zak Mason. “No previous experience is required; however, for optimal learning, we recommended participants commit to doing both in the same week when sessions are offered in two parts.”

    Also offered this semester are drop-in times for miniature painting and musical jam sessions.

    “Come hang out with like-minded people and make some new friends,” says Mason. “We supply everything you need except the appetite to learn new skills.”

    Upcoming workshops include:

    Introduction to Podcasting

    • Monday, Nov. 6 at 11 a.m.
    • Monday, Nov. 20 at 11 a.m.
    • Monday, Dec. 4 at 11 a.m.

    3D Modelling in Blender – A two-part series

    • Part 1: Tuesday, Nov. 14 at 1 p.m.
    • Part 2: Wednesday, Nov. 15 at 1 p.m.
    • Part 1: Tuesday, Nov. 28 at 1 p.m.
    • Part 2: Wednesday, Nov. 29 at 1 p.m.

    Introduction to 3d Studio Max

    • Part 1: Tuesday, Nov. 7 at 1 p.m.
    • Part 2: Wednesday, Nov. 8 at 1 p.m.
    • Part 1: Tuesday, Dec. 5 at 1 p.m.
    • Part 2: Wednesday, Dec. 6 at 1 p.m.

    Introduction to 3D printing

    • Tuesday, Nov. 21 at 1 p.m.

    Miniature Model Painting

    • Friday, Nov. 17 at 1 p.m.
    • Friday, Dec. 1 at 1 p.m.

    Jam Sessions

    • Thursdays Nov. 9, 16, 23, 30 and Dec. 7 starting at 1:30 p.m.

    To learn more or to register for a workshop visit ExperienceBU.

    Drop-in hours are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Friday.

    Additional learning resources, such as self-directed tutorials and an online tour of the Makerspace, are available on the Brock University Library Makerspace website.

    Questions about workshops and the Makerspace can be emailed to makerspace@brocku.ca

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  • Join us on Nov. 2 for Lan ‘Florence’ Yee: Sharper Tools for Unripe Fruit

    Sunday, October 29, 2023 | By

    picture of a Vintage couple dancing with words printed on top of glass

    Image: Lan ‘Florence’ Yee

    Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture and Walker Cultural Leader Series:

    Lan ‘Florence’ Yee: Sharper Tools for Unripe Fruit

    Online and onsite artist talk
    STAC 2P93 — Critical Practice in the Fine & Performing Arts
    Thursday, Nov. 2 from 7 to 9 p.m.

    Spanning media from textiles to signage, Lan “Florence” Yee’s interdisciplinary practice uses text and labour-intensive creation. Inspired by the socio-political and personal history of Cantonese displacement, Lan explores what Desmond Wong calls “the intersection of filiality and arrival.”

    The public is invited to join us in MWS 156 to attend Lan Yee’s virtual presentation or to join us on zoom.
    Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine & Performing Arts
    Art and Val Fleming Smart Presentation Classroom
    MWS 156, MIWSFPA , 15 Artists’ Common, St. Catharines

    The presentation is also available to view online,
    please register ahead of time via Zoom.

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  • Derek Knight: PLACES, A Flâneur’s Eye opens October 27 at the MIWSFPA

    Monday, October 23, 2023 | By

    Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden, Museum of Modern Art, New York,

    Photo credit: Derek J.J. Knight, Gaston Lachaise, Floating Figure, 1927 (cast 1935), Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden, Museum of Modern Art, New York, USA (© dk 2018).

    Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture presents

    Derek Knight: PLACES, A Flâneur’s Eye
    October 27, 2023 to January 13, 2024

    Exhibition opening: Friday, October 27 from 5 to 7 p.m.
    Museum in the Hallway / Boîte-en-valise
    (2nd floor by the Theatre entrance), MIWSFPA
    15 Artists Common, St. Catharines

    Museums and galleries draw prestige from their architecture, geographic locale or historical significance, while compelling works of art, performances, and public expressions of creativity galvanize the diversity of art both within sanctioned institutional spaces and the ‘non-spaces’ that have the capacity to take on resonance.

    Derek Knight: PLACES, A Flâneur’s Eye documents Knight’s museum visits over the last decade in North America and Europe.

    Curators: Catherine Parayre and David Vivian
    Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture

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  • An excellent year of learning for students in Studies in Arts and Culture

    Thursday, July 13, 2023 | By

    Faculty and instructors teaching courses in the STAC program are planning for an exciting year of courses in the fall/winter 2023-24 sessions, including those offered by the Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture and those offered by affiliated programs, namely Canadian Studies, Communication, Popular Culture and Film, Dramatic Arts, Geography and Tourism Studies, Goodman School of Business, History, Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures, Music, Sociology, and Visual Arts.

    If you are seeking full-time or part-time learning opportunities beginning in September, please reach out to the academic advisor Elizabeth Maddeaux rmaddeaux@brocku.ca or the Director of the Centre, David Vivian dvivian@brocku.ca for more information.

    Many of the courses on offer have minimal prerequisite requirements, and in every case we are happy to provide permission to register for students who bring appropriate alternate learning and experience to the courses.

    We look forward to meeting our students in September!

    Spectating the arts in Niagara – Fall 2023

    STAC 2P93 Critical Practice in the Fine and Performing Arts, is an interdisciplinary approach to key ideas about music, art, dance and drama through critical readings and guided exposure to selected public fine and performing art events. 2023 brings an exciting return to the galleries, theatres and concert halls in St. Catharines, the region and online.

    A blended course, with online and onsite events.

    Prerequisites: Prerequisite(s): one credit from CANA 1F91, DART 1P91, 1P92 (1F91/1F93), IASC 1F01 (1F00), STAC 1P50, VISA 1Q98,1Q99 or permission of the Centre.

    Crosslisting: also offered as CANA 2P93, IASC 2P93 and MLLC 2P93

    When? ASYNC online in D2 and with onsite programming Thursdays at 1900-2100

    Calendar link: https://brocku.ca/webcal/2023/undergrad/stac.html#STAC_2P93

    —

    STAC 3P01 Media Transformations in The Creative Arts
    The trajectory and influences of new media on the development of and discourses in the 20th and 21st c.

    Prerequisites: Prerequisite(s): two STAC, COMM, ENGL, IASC,MLLC, VISA, WRDS (WRIT) credits or permission of the instructor.

    Crosslisting: also offered as IASC 3P01, MLLC 3P01 and VISA 3P01

    When? ASYNC online in D3.

    Calendar link: https://brocku.ca/webcal/2023/undergrad/stac.html#STAC_3P01

    —

    STAC 4P01 Creating Social Value from Material Culture
    Theory and practice of creating social value from material culture.

    Restrictions: students must have a minimum 10.0 overall credits or permission of the instructor.

    Crosslisting: also offered as IASC 4P01, MLLC 4P01 and VISA 4P01

    When? At the MIWSFPA in D2 on Wednesday at 1000-1130 and with ASYNC online content.

    Calendar link: https://brocku.ca/webcal/2023/undergrad/stac.html#STAC_4P01

    —

    STAC 3P41 Approaches to Curatorial Practice
    Practical application of curatorial methods.

    Prerequisites: Prerequisite(s): VISA 1Q98 and 1Q99, one credit from second- or third-year VISA or STAC courses, or permission of the Centre.

    Crosslisting: also offered as VISA 3P41

    When? At the MIWSFPA in D2 on Monday at 1800-2100 and with ASYNC online content.

    Calendar link: https://brocku.ca/webcal/2023/undergrad/stac.html#STAC_3P41

    —

    STAC 3P42 Methods and Principles of Curating
    The museum and the role of the curator in society. Critical approaches to the presentation of cultural artifacts, artworks and new forms of media.

    Prerequisites: Prerequisite(s): VISA 1Q98 and 1Q99, one credit from second- or third-year VISA or STAC courses, or permission of the Centre

    Crosslisting: also offered as VISA 3P42

    When? At the MIWSFPA in D3 on Monday at 1800-2100 and with ASYNC online content.

    Calendar link: https://brocku.ca/webcal/2023/undergrad/stac.html#STAC_3P42

    —

    Become a culture producer – Fall 2023

    STAC 3P93 Producing a Performance Event, examines the planning and organization for a performance-based cultural event, such as a festival, rave, poetry-slam or community choral fundraiser. This popular course includes special guest presentations by leaders in regional arts production and management, and fieldtrips to unique cultural events. The highlight of the course is a ‘Dragons Den’ with cultural producers and presenters.  A blended course, with online and onsite events.

    Restrictions: students must have a minimum of 10.0 overall credits or permission of the Centre.

    Crosslisting: also offered as DART 3P93

    When? At the MIWSFPA in D2 on Thursday 1000-1300 and with an ASYNC online lab

    Calendar link: https://brocku.ca/webcal/2023/undergrad/stac.html#STAC_3P93

    —

    click to open PDF

    The beauty of making books – Winter 2024  *NEW COURSE

    STAC 3P97 Publishing: Creative Elements and Editorial Process. Working in publishing encompasses a wide variety of skills, such as editing, design, media relations, marketing, and copywriting. This new course will take introduce you to the facets of editing and publishing in our contemporary world, with experiential learning and skills-rich practice based upon the creative publishing program of the Small Walker Press.
    NEW COURSE, offered online.

    Restrictions: students must have a minimum of 8.0 overall credits or permission of the instructor.

    When? Online in D3, ASYNC and with an online SYNC component Wednesday 1500-1700

    Calendar link: https://brocku.ca/webcal/2023/undergrad/stac.html#STAC_3P97

    —

    STAC 4P41 Arts Management
    Effective management of arts organizations. Programming, Marketing, Financing.

    Restrictions: open to STAC, CANA, DART (single or combined), DART (Honours)/BEd (Intermediate/Senior), VISA (single or combined) and VISA (Honours)/BEd (Intermediate/Senior) majors until date specified in Registration guide.

    Prerequisites: Prerequisite(s): students must have a minimum of 12.0 overall credits or permission of the instructor.

    Crosslisting: also offered as DART 4P41 and VISA 4P41

    When? Thursdays in D2 1300-1400 at the School, and with ASYNC online content

    Calendar link: https://brocku.ca/webcal/2023/undergrad/stac.html#STAC_4P41

    —

    STAC 4P68 Arts, Heritage and Culture:
    Public Policy and Governance Intervention in and support for the fine and performing arts and their cultural production.

    Restrictions: open to STAC, CANA, DART (single or combined), DART (Honours)/BEd (Intermediate/Senior), VISA (single or combined), SPMA and VISA (Honours)/BEd (Intermediate/Senior) majors until date specified in Registration guide. Students must have a minimum of 12.0 overall credits or permission of the Centre.

    Crosslisting: also offered as CANA 4P68, DART 4P68 and VISA 4P68

    When? Thursdays in D3 1300-1400 at the School, and with ASYNC online content

    calendar link: https://brocku.ca/webcal/2023/undergrad/stac.html#STAC_4P68

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  • Audio tour explores historic art of Mackenzie Chown Complex

    Sunday, May 14, 2023 | By

    Lesley Bell (BA ’88), former Learning Commons Co-ordinator at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA), has researched the history of Michael Snow’s Timed Images installation at Brock. She is pictured here with Frame Three, which now hangs in the School.

    posted on the Brock News on TUESDAY, MAY 09, 2023 | by 

    Getting lost in Mackenzie Chown Complex is a familiar experience for many Brock students, and it’s easy to miss the artistic significance of the building in the rush to get to class on time.

    A new self-guided audio tour produced by Foreword, a podcast from the Faculty of Humanities, hopes to encourage a new appreciation for a complicated space and the art it contains on the 50th anniversary of its installation.

    The audio tour guides the listener through the various locations of Michael Snow’s 1972-73 art installation Time Images and considers how the building’s unique architecture plays with the space and light.

    Snow was invited by renowned architect Raymond Moriyama to create an art installation as part of the design for Brock’s new Academic Staging Building, now called the Mackenzie Chown Complex. His installation consisted of a series of mirrors, still images and live video situated throughout the building from Pond Inlet to A Block.

    Elements of the installation can still be seen, and the audio tour has an accompanying web page featuring historic photographs, artist sketches and architectural plans collected by Lesley Bell (BA ’88), an artist and retired support staff for Brock’s Department of Visual Arts, during her research on Snow.

    Snow, who died in January, was a widely acclaimed Canadian artist. His many honours included Officer of the Order of Canada (1981), Governor General’s Award in Media Arts (2000) and an honorary Doctor of Law degree from Brock University (1974). He is also known for his Canada geese sculpture, Flight Stop (1979), that hangs in Toronto’s Eaton Centre and his piece The Audience (1989) on the exterior of the Rogers Centre.

    The Foreword podcast’s two-part final episode of series four also features an interview with Bell by host Alison Innes, Strategic Initiatives and Outreach Officer in the Faculty of Humanities. Bell became interested in Snow’s art at Brock while she was working with the Department of Visual Arts. She went on to research and produce a short documentary on Snow and his collaboration with Moriyama at Brock with Tracy Van Oosten (BA ’10) in 2021.

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  • Spotlight on STAC 3P93: Producing a Performance Event

    Friday, April 14, 2023 | By

    STAC 3P93 Producing a Performance Event prepares students for careers in business and the arts by focussing on the practises and procedures to produce a professional performance event.  Collaboration through teamwork and adaptability to the creative, dynamic and stimulating conditions of cultural production are just two important skills that students develop in this intensive 12-week course. 

    In a recent capstone event, each student group pitched their ideas to a trio of panellists in a time-limited competition for producing success. The presentations included a conceptual outline of the cultural experience, supported by the planning, operating, funding, marketing, staging and production components of a successful audience and community engagement event.  

    Canadians recognize that the performing arts improve their quality of life and acknowledge the impact of the arts on the social and economic health of their communities. Events that imagine storytelling, music, dance and visual arts in different spaces of community engagement, such as theatres and cafes are often proposed by the students in this course. The students share a concern for improved mental health, sustained housing security and the well-being of the individual and the community, and they propose cultural experiences that will contribute to these outcomes.

    “Do not be afraid of the art!” – Colleen Smith, CEO, First Ontario Performing Arts Centre. 

    pictures of Colleen Smith (FOPAC) and Steve Remus (NAC)

    Colleen Smith (FOPAC) and Steve Remus (NAC)

    The guest panellists, invited for their breadth and depth of experience in their professional fields, share their wisdom learned from many years of successful leadership in the arts and culture sector. In recent years this has included the CEO of the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre (FOPAC), Colleen Smith, the Minister of Energy, Minds and Resources at the Niagara Artists Centre (NAC), Stephen Remus, and the Director of the Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, David Vivian.  

    Students conceptualize the events through an examination of the complexities of planning and creating public productions. Each group integrates the technical and business demands with the creative experience. And what was the overwhelming advice from the panelists at a recent presentation? Keep the production – the art – at the centre of the plan. 

    Art is the most important part of an artistic event, and I realized that it’s easy to lose sight of that in all the technicalities and logistics of planning, but it’s important to always come back to it.
    Hannah Cain (Student, STAC 3P93, Winter 2022). 

    Impressed by the enthusiasm and originality of the students’ proposals, the panelists encourage students to further explore their ideas and make suggestions of how to take their work from the classroom into the community. Some students have received invitations to pursue the projects with the community partners.  

    Fleshing out a fully comprehensive plan, and then having the opportunity to pitch our performance event not only created an opportunity to apply my learning from the myriad of lesson materials but also gave me the experience of working with a team of other passionate peers whom I could see myself working with in the future…theory alone cannot teach the valuable life lessons that occur when you get your hands dirty and create something that excites you.
    Skye Rogers (Student, STAC 3P93, Winter 2022). 

    STAC 3P93 Producing a Performance Event will be available for registration in the Fall session of 2023-24. 

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  • Spirit of Mali: Kosar’s Corner – Part 2

    Monday, February 27, 2023 | By

    Professor David Vivian, Director of the Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture (STAC) and the students of DART 3F61 Design: Theatrical Design visit Stève Viès and the exhibition. photo: Paul Jams.

    In my previous post, I provided some general information about The Spirit of Mali exhibition, including the backstage production and specific events. In this post, I intend to examine the exhibition critically and discuss its importance and contribution. 

    The Spirit of Mali brought a diverse community together for a celebration of Malian art at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, St. Catharines, from the 1st to the 10th of February, 2023. The exhibition presented textile art, sculpture, puppets, masks, musical instruments, games, and wooden crafts and immersed its audience in the art and culture of Mali. Visitors could enjoy a variety of arts and were welcomed with lectures, individual guidance, live music, dance, food, and an opportunity for socialization in an artistic space. One of the main components of this exhibition was the textiles, some of which are intended to narrate historical and mythological stories which were mentioned in my previous post. Throughout the exhibition, Stève Viès, the curator of this exhibition and a multidisciplinary artist, told the stories upon which the textiles were created. The audience, however, was invited to make their own reading from the works in the exhibition. “Not everyone connects with an artwork the same way”, said Dr. Jean B. Ntakirutimana, a professor in the Department of Modern Languages, Literatures, and Cultures at Brock University, a lead partner in the production of this exhibition. In the round table discussion on February 3rd, Dr. Ntakirutimana shared the profound feeling he had when he entered the space for the first time and talked about one of the objects in the exhibition, the crocodile mask.  He stated that the aesthetics of the crocodile which was hung on a piece of white fabric stood out for him initially. He mentions that aside from the symbolism of the crocodile, which represents strength, power, and friendship, one can have their own interpretation when seeing the artifact. He encouraged the viewers to see the artifacts and feel. He added that artworks are stimuli to provoke “vibrations”, and the vibrations are different for each person. He later mentioned that for him, the exhibition connected him with a motherly source.

    Dr. Jean B. Ntakirutimana (left) and Stève Viès discuss last minute planning before the guided visit and round table discussion. Photo: Paul Jams.

    Nafée Faigou, a St. Catharines artist, poet and community leader, the former artistic director of SOFIFRAN, talked about the expression of every component of a work of art, saying the process of making a textile from a plant is “itself a story, which is the story of life”. She continued that “life is not just the matter, but also the spirit”. She mentioned that in this exhibition, the spirit was put into a material space. She stated that the spirit of Bogolan art is fluid and can be described in many ways and may resonate differently for everyone.

    Nafée Faigou shares her insight during the roundtable discussion. Photo: Paul Jams.

    For me, the exhibition was remarkable in the range of meaning that it offered. It encouraged the personal and symbolic interpretation of the artworks. It provided its audience with information about the artworks but asked them to reflect upon the artworks. What stood out for me in some of the textiles was the use of patterns as a way of coloring some parts of paintings. Some of the patterns, however, symbolized concepts, values, and elements. To me, the patterns seemed like the creation of an intertext in the artwork that connects it with other stories. By providing visual hints to the viewers, they also seemed to be presenting a lens to see the image, suggesting how to interpret the story that the composition depicts. The work, Spiritualité Bambara, for example, depicts an aspect of Bambara culture –  the idea of care in a community that is not limited only to humans. A community is formed by interactions between humans and other living entities. In this textile, we see patterns that symbolize marriage, a subtheme for this composition. According to Stève Viès, marriage in Mali culture is not just between two individuals;  with the tie of marriage, one becomes responsible for all their new family members. This care and responsibility is not limited to family but can also be seen in the workplace.

    From left, Maman Fété Ngira-Batware Kimpiobi, Justine Djoléi Gogoua and Stève Viès welcome the guests during the opening night ceremonies. Dr. Jean B. Ntakirutimana is seen far right. Photo: Paul Jams.

    According to Stève Viès, some of the objects such as masks and puppets presented in the exhibition are used for storytelling in performing arts traditions in Mali. They contribute to the transmission of knowledge in Malian culture. The puppets presented in the exhibition are designed by Torri Diarra for the play The Legend of Bogolan, a musical that was written and performed by Stève Viès and Isabelle Garceau. Torri Diarra has made hundreds of puppets and masks to educate young audiences on the importance of preserving nature, protecting endangered species, and planting trees.

    In the opening and closing celebrations of the exhibition on February 4th and 10th, 2023, the audience were immersed in the culture of Mali through music, dance, and food. The organizers of the project from Brock University, Dr. Jean B. Ntakirutimana (Modern Languages, Literatures, and Cultures) and  Prof. David Vivian (Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture/Department of Dramatic Arts) engaged the audience in meaningful conversations about the artworks. The group dance exercise was a joyous practice of community building. The celebration ended with notes about collective identity, a sense of belonging, and the importance of the improvement of the self. Community engagement was one of the purposes and outcomes of this exhibition, according to Dr. Ntakirutimana. 

    “After the closing ceremony”, Dr. Ntakirutimana remarked, “I started feeling a separation like the anxiety a child feels after being weaned.” He referred to Africa as a mother figure for him and the arts presented in the exhibition as the spirit of that continent. The exhibition was a moment for individuals of all ages to see art, appreciate it, discuss it, make connections, dance, and play.

    Stève Viès demonstrates a musical instrument in his collection. Photo: Paul Jams.

    In order to share the art of Mali with a larger audience, Stève Viès will continue to tour the exhibition and develop a website at impressionsdeterre.com. He presents the art of Mali culture with a “positive vibration” and looks forward to bringing the artists, whom he calls brothers and sisters, to future exhibitions so that they may spark intercultural conversations and knowledge transmission.

    Museum in the Hallway / Boîte-en-valise, a project of the Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture, situated on the second floor of the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, continues a small exhibit of art and objects from Mali until the closing reception on March 3, 2023.

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