STAC Courses

STAC at the Makerspace with workshops to teach creative technologies skills

Sunday, November 05, 2023 | By dvivian
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 [email protected]
Tags: Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture, Christy Mitchell, Maker Space, Makerspace, STAC
Categories: Alumni, Announcements, Current Students, Faculty & Instructors, Future Students, In the Media, News, STAC Courses, Uncategorised
Join us on Nov. 2 for Lan ‘Florence’ Yee: Sharper Tools for Unripe Fruit

Sunday, October 29, 2023 | By dvivian

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.

Tags: artists talk, Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture, Lan Yee, Sharper Tools, STAC 2P93
Categories: Alumni, Announcements, Current Students, Events, Faculty & Instructors, Future Students, In the Media, Media Releases, News, STAC Courses, Uncategorised
Geoff Farnsworth and the Small Walker Press, launch Tuesday, Sept. 26, at the MIWSFPA

Monday, September 25, 2023 | By dvivian
Stockholm Interior, 2023. Oil and acrylic on panel, 30 x 24 inches. Image: Geoff Farnsworth.

Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture presents

Geoff Farnsworth: Blurs and Vagueness – An exhibition of small paintings
Sept. 26 to Oct. 22, 2023
Opening reception – Sept. 26, 2023 from noon to 2 p.m.
Museum in the Hallway/Boîte-en-valise
(2nd floor by the Theatre entrance)
Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine & Performing Arts
15 Artists’ Common, St. Catharines
Ontario Culture Days event

In partnership with 13th Street Gallery’s exhibition of larger paintings by Geoff Farnsworth running Sept. 23 to Oct. 21, 2023.

Demonstrating a spirit for process, experimentation, and colour exploration, Geoff Farnsworth’s small-sized paintings offer a meditative reflection between figurative and abstraction. They are presented here with small drawings.

Rarely shown to the public, Farnsworth’s drawings form a significant part of his work. They often – although not always – represent a more tightly structured environment. When seen together, his paintings and drawings evoke a fluctuating world of everyday realities and the dreamy fantasies of our imagination.

Geoff Farnsworth studied with the Federation of Canadian Artists (Vancouver chapter), Emily Carr University of Art + Design, Capilano University (Graphic Design & Illustration Program), and the Art Students League of New York. After five years in New York City, Farnsworth relocated to Toronto. 4He currently lives and works in downtown St. Catharines. His paintings have been shown in New York City, Washington DC, Minneapolis, Toronto, Vancouver, Winnipeg, Thunder Bay, Niagara Falls, Norway, Sweden, and Trinidad.

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

The virtual catalogue for the exhibition is available here:
https://exhibits.library.brocku.ca/s/geoff-farnsworth-blurs-and-vagueness/page/virtual-catalogue

Small Walker Press book launch:

Photo credits: Annette le Fort; Bernhard Cella

Books and Archives
Presented by the Centre for Studies in Arts & Culture and Walker Cultural Leader Series

Tuesday, Sept. 26 from 12 to 2 p.m.
Museum in the Hallway/Boîte-en-valise
(2nd floor by the Theatre entrance), MIWSFPA
Ontario Culture Days event

In conjunction with exhibition opening of Geoff Farnsworth: Blurs and Vagueness,

Four book designers publish their reflection on Books and Archives:
- Annette le Fort / Brandon Labelle, Touch and Tender Readings. Books As Archives, a sensory experience at the local library.
- Seth Weiner, Bernhard Cella, Handmade, an illustrated catalogue of books that do not exist.
Small Walker Press Catalogue Fall 2023

Small Walker Press Book Launch two-pager Fall 2023

A Walker Cultural Leader event.
Tags: Blurs and Vagueness, Catherine Parayre, david vivian, Geoff Farnsworth, Geoff Farnsworth; Blurs and Vagueness, Small Walker Press, swp
Categories: Announcements, Events, Faculty & Instructors, In the Media, News, STAC Courses, Uncategorised
An excellent year of learning for students in Studies in Arts and Culture

Thursday, July 13, 2023 | By dvivian

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 [email protected] or the Director of the Centre, David Vivian [email protected] 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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

Tags: 1P99, 2P93, 3P01, 3P41, 3P42, 3P93, 3P97, 4P01, 4P41, 4P68, Approaches to Curatorial Practice, Arts, Arts Management, course, courses, Creating Social Value from Material Culture, Critical Practice in the Fine and Performing Arts, Heritage and Culture, Media Transformations in The Creative Arts, Methods and Principles of Curating, Producing a Performance Event, Publishing: Creative Elements and Editorial Process, STAC
Categories: Announcements, Current Students, Faculty & Instructors, Future Students, News, STAC Courses, Uncategorised
Spotlight on STAC 3P93: Producing a Performance Event

Friday, April 14, 2023 | By dvivian

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. 

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.

Tags: 3P93, arts and culture, Colleen Smith, community, david vivian, Producing a Performance Event, STAC 3P93, Steve Remus
Categories: Alumni, Announcements, Current Students, Faculty & Instructors, Future Students, News, STAC Courses
What I want you to see is this…

Thursday, November 24, 2022 | By dvivian

A group exhibition providing a glimpse into the lives of students.

NOV 21, 2022 – JAN. 15, 2023
(pause: Dec. 10 – Jan. 3)

Opening Reception: Nov. 25 from 4 – 7 p.m.
Hallway gallery, adjacent to the MIW Theatre

If you had 2-3 minutes, and you wanted an audience to know what it was like, in 2022, to be you, as a student, what would you say/display? What demands does the academic institution place on you?

Encouraged to address the challenges they encounter at university, and taking inspiration from activities interlocking various concepts, participants in Social Class and Social Conflict (Criminology, Department of Sociology, Brock University) made photos of their environment and told their stories in short audio recordings. The result are short videos exemplifying individual experiences that would otherwise go unrepresented.

The Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture invites visitors to enter a respectful space, listen to these poignant testimonials, and see what the students want us to see.

Participating artists include:

Ahaz
Shakur
Blake Gowling
Colter Styrna
Daniel Zelazko
Emilie Oakes
Ermal
Faith Westman
Gage Mitchener
Hiral
Isha Brar
Lauren
Lee Marie
Madelyn Sturgeon
Maeve Martin
Mary Oghene
Meera
Morgan Damery
Nicole N. Mellor
Nisha U
Noor Warraich
Rashika
Sara Ourga
Zonny Boateng

and two anonymous contributors.

Curators: David Vivian, Catherine Parayre, and Miles Howe
Assistant Curator: Gertrude Brew

Museum in the Hallway / Boîte-en-valise

Museum in the Hallway / Boîte-en-valise is a rotating exhibit of material culture in two display cases situated in the east alcove on the second floor between the theatre entrances of the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts. The program consists of five exhibits, including objects and evidence of course outcomes and workshops delivered by special guests (including a Walker Cultural Leader for 2022-23). “Boîte-en-valise” is an expression coined by avant-garde artist Marcel Duchamp to refer to the aesthetic value of collecting and assembling.

The small thematic curated exhibitions will have a duration of 4-6 weeks up to 4 months duration. The onsite program will rotate to display cases of the James Gibson Library when possible and will be amplified and celebrated in related communication pieces and image galleries posted to the STAC website.

Tags: Catherine Parayre, Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture, Criminology, david vivian, Gertrude Brew, Miles Howe, Museum in the Hallway, Sociology, STAC, What I want you to see is this
Categories: Announcements, Current Students, Events, Faculty & Instructors, Future Students, In the Media, Media Releases, News, STAC Courses, Uncategorised
Museum in the Hallway / Boîte-en-valise

Sunday, September 25, 2022 | By dvivian

Museum in the Hallway / Boîte-en-valise is a rotating exhibit of material culture in two display cases situated in the east alcove on the second floor between the theatre entrances of the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts. The program consists of five exhibits, including objects and evidence of course outcomes and workshops delivered by special guests (including a Walker Cultural Leader for 2022-23). “Boîte-en-valise” is an expression coined by avant-garde artist Marcel Duchamp to refer to the aesthetic value of collecting and assembling.

The small thematic curated exhibitions will have a duration of 4-6 weeks up to 4 months duration. The onsite program will rotate to display cases of the James Gibson Library when possible and will be amplified and celebrated in related communication pieces and image galleries posted to the STAC website.

Q: What-happened-Then

A: This Happened: Stories and Masks

Museum in the Hallway / Boîte-en-valise

Sept 14, 2022 – Nov 20, 2022

Second Floor East Alcove between Theatre Entrances

The learning in, research about and presentation of material culture and curatorial practice is at the core of the academic program of the Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture and the activities of the Research Centre in Interdisciplinary Arts and Creative Culture (STAC). Courses in curatorial practice (STAC 3P40 and 3P41), writing and language about the arts (STAC 1P96, 1P97, 3P99), Critical Practice and Embodied Text: Art Beyond the Artifact (STAC 2P93, 2P94) are some of the scheduled learning opportunities in this subject field for students at STAC. This learning and research is part of all three Concentrations at STAC: Concentration in Languages, Arts and Culture; Concentration in Cultural Transmission and Heritage Studies; and the Concentration in Cultural Management.

Following upon the learning of STAC 3P42 (2021-22) where students explored the concepts of the ‘micro-museum’/vernacular curating/everyday museum(s) STAC proposes a project that would invite students to curate a small space, bi/weekly/monthly. This would allow students to engage with material culture (integrating with a courses in STAC and VISA/HAVC), as well as explore conceptual and oscillating notions of contemporary curating, while running as an ongoing and evolving project within the walls of the school – a sort of extension of the gallery, conceptually, and to offer students a small exploratory space. Students would explore objects/themes of interest, conceptual brainstorming and participate in a short exercise in writing. This would become a student experience to support professionalization of their learning and practice of curation, providing a ‘micro’ curated piece/project, associated with the school/department, to be added to their CV. Components of the student learning experience include assisting with the development of documentation/photographing their own tiny exhibitions, and assisting with creating content to share, and/or perhaps developing an Instagram page dedicated to this project, planning forward for a renewed annual project and incorporating a catalogue and related best practices.

Photo Credit: Stephanie Dancer

Stephanie Dancer

I’ve been busy. My busyness is partially a learned behaviour, and it doubles as a coping mechanism for Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD), a mental health condition that I’ve struggled with for fifteen years.

I like to describe CPTSD as drowning with a straw in your mouth. If you stop struggling you can get a few wisps of air, but it’s never enough to stop the sensation of drowning so inevitably you begin to struggle and flail for more air again.

In March 2020, when the COVID-19 lockdowns started in Ontario, I was already in poor mental health. A major relationship had ended months prior in a traumatic way and I was completely alone for the first time ever.

At this time I was just returning from a frantic trip from the US back to Canada. I returned to an empty home and had to quarantine, followed by shutting down the business that I had worked so hard for. It remained closed for a year and a half. I was devastated.

I then experienced one of the most interesting and disturbing experiences I have ever had, unregulated CPTSD symptoms. For the first time, I saw myself as myself. I had nothing and no one to use as a regulation tool and I was suddenly experiencing the unbridled waves of this condition.

Along with intense flashbacks, extreme anxiety, and paranoia to name a few of the long list of symptoms this condition brings, dissociation is among the worst of them. Being in a dissociative state sometimes feels like just waking up from a dream or being far away and watching your life happen down a hallway. There are moments of lucidity but it’s mixed in with all of the other symptoms, so they are heartbreakingly fleeting.

Time loss in these states is one of the most insidious parts. It feels like the panic you experience when you wake up and realize you’ve slept too long. Where did the time go? What did I do? How did that happen? I tried hard to not let that happen.

During a particularly intense bout of dissociation, I fell and broke my foot. I was ashamed of myself. My broken foot made everything harder. I have an eating disorder that requires proper maintenance and I struggled to shop for groceries and make food. Cleaning became an almost impossible task. My knees and back became increasingly sore from crawling my staircase and traversing my house.

I am fortunate and privileged to have a psychotherapist. Luckily, she had the foresight to recommend triple the amount of therapy during this time. I am forever grateful for that.

My life became a series of symptoms, pain, management, sprinkled with flecks of tiny improvements.

The mask I have made represents the pain that I experienced during this time. I used straight pins to represent the depth of pain and sorrow I was experiencing internally. The pins penetrate the mask and create a bed of sharp ends, while the heads of the pins create a colourful mosaic that is appealing and unassuming for any person who would see me adorned in this mask. These pins rest on my face as I read this poem, threatening to cause me pain and some succeeding.

Explore More from this Project
View Project

Tags: Boîte-en-valise, curatorial, Museum in the Hallway
Categories: Alumni, Announcements, Current Students, Events, Faculty & Instructors, Future Students, In the Media, Media Releases, News, STAC Courses, Uncategorised
Spring and Summer learning at the Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture

Sunday, May 01, 2022 | By dvivian

The Centre for Studies in Arts in Culture (STAC) is excited to welcome students for the Spring and Summer sessions of 2022.

THE CULTURE OF NOISE: STAC 1P99

Offered annually as a Spring/Summer course by STAC at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA), STAC 1P99 explores the role of noise in music, art and social spaces. Students explore discursive issues concerning the value of sound studies. This is an online asynchronous course taught this year by Fan Wu, a sound poet who collaborates with Toronto musicians Prince Nifty, Vibrant Matter, and other sound artists. Fan is based in Toronto and Kingston and is the cofounder of the Toronto Experimental Translation Collective.

In May 2021 the course was taught by Ryan Bruce, ethnomusicologist, jazz historian and saxophonist. Learn more about the previous offering of the course and listen to some of the students’ projects. In previous years the course has also been taught by Marlie Centawer, a photographer, artist, writer, musician, and archivist now based in the UK.

SPORTS IN ARTS AND CULTURE: STAC 3V91

From paintings of the Olympiads in Antiquity, to the photography of today’s sports events, through to the history of popular street games in Canadian art, music, festivals and opening ceremonies at the games, aesthetic gymnastics and athletic performances. Sports has a long, rich cultural tradition.

Learn about sports, arts and culture during the historic 2022 Canada Summer Games hosted at Brock University in Niagara. An Interdisciplinary approach to the representation of sports and sport events in the arts, the course has an emphasis on Canadian production. This is an online asynchronous course taught by Andrew Tye, a celebrated Niagara educator and creator of the course. The course runs from July through August.

The courses can be found on the university timetable. For more information, please contact: [email protected]

Tags: 1P99, 3V91, Andrew Tye, Canada Summer Games, culture of noise, Fan Wu, Sports in Arts and Culture, STAC 1P99 The Culture of Noise, STAC 3V91 Sports in Arts and Culture
Categories: Announcements, Current Students, Faculty & Instructors, Future Students, In the Media, News, STAC Courses, Uncategorised
STAC student earns recognition for creative projects

Wednesday, April 20, 2022 | By gminaker
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
STAC and VISA students explore curation with arts industry experts

Friday, March 04, 2022 | By gminaker

Brock University students from the Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture (STAC) and Visual Arts (VISA) at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine & Performing Arts (MIWSFPA) are having important conversations with arts professionals around the curatorial function of museums, galleries, and cultural organizations.

Students enrolled in STAC/VISA 3P42 Methods and Principles of Curating will be participating in a field trip to the Niagara-on-the-Lake Museum and upcoming classroom discussions with professionals from the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) and Yale University Art Gallery.

The events are led by Instructor Sonya de Lazzer, Gallery Coordinator at the Visual Arts Gallery & Student Exhibition Space at the MIWSFPA. Sonya is an alumni of the Visual Arts Program at Brock (BA Honours). In 2013, she obtained her M.A. in Art History from University at Buffalo, The State University of New York and is currently completing her PhD in Art and Visual Culture at Western University. Sonya brings extensive experience from the museum and art gallery world, where she worked as a Programming and Curatorial Assistant at a local art gallery and museum for several years, developing her exhibition writing and installation skillsets.

Upcoming class events (not open to the public):

March 7 – Exploring Experiences: Conversations Around Curating
Niagara-on-the-Lake Museum: Shawna Butts, Assistant Curator & Education Programming
Students will be toured through the historical society and view current exhibitions and learn about the way in which these sites collect and care for their collection(s).

March 21 – Exploring Experiences: Conversations Around Curating
Nick Clemens, Preparator, Royal Ontario Museum
Preparator and museum professional Nick Clemens will be joining the classroom to share his many experiences working with art/artefacts/objects at the Royal Ontario Museum. The class will explore the need for mindfulness and respect for the object as it relates to the curatorial practice, and the care that goes into curating and presenting a work to an audience.

March 28 – Exploring Experiences: Conversations Around Curating
Where Collections Live: Roksana Filipowska PhD, Wurtele Study Center Programs and Outreach Manager, Yale university Art Gallery
Dr. Roksana Filipowska joins the classroom for a virtual exploration and conversation on open and visible storage. Filipowska works as Programs and Outreach Manager at the Wurtele Study Centre, Yale University Art Gallery. Students will engage in discussing the importance of collection visibility, as well as learn about the many challenges that many collections face regarding storage.

These events are supported by an Experiential Education grant from the Co-op, Career & Experiential Education Office.

Tags: Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture, community engagement, Nick Clemens, Roksana Filipowska, Shawna Butts, Sonya de Lazzer, STAC, STAC/VISA 3P42, visa, Visual Arts
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