Articles tagged with: Catherine Parayre

  • Thousands of prospective Brock students to explore campus Sunday

    Originally published in the Brock News, November 01, 2023.

    Brock will welcome thousands of potential Badgers and their families to campus Sunday, Nov. 5 to get a glimpse of the University’s renowned student experience. Representatives from the Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture will be present.

    Academic programs, extracurricular activities, student supports and campus services will be among the highlights of Brock’s annual Fall Preview Day, which will run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at both the University’s main campus and the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts in downtown St. Catharines.

    The University’s largest on-campus recruiting event will offer visitors a chance to attend Faculty- and program-specific presentations, explore residences and various labs and facilities, attend an 80-booth information fair and tour the scenic campus on the Niagara escarpment as they learn about all that Brock has to offer.

    “This year, Fall Preview Day comes on the heels of Brock employees and volunteers making connections with students across the province at the popular Ontario Universities’ Fair in Toronto, previously held in September,” says Kara Kelly, Manager, Recruitment Operations and Communications. “We’re excited to see that momentum continue as students arrive to experience campus for themselves and learn more about Brock’s outstanding academic offerings, its dedicated faculty and staff, and the wealth of supports available here to help them on their path to success.”

    In addition to a packed schedule of presentations, dozens of tours and drop-in opportunities will welcome prospective students into labs and classrooms across campus, visiting a variety of spaces such as Brock’s Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute, the newly opened Black Student Success Centre, Nursing Clinical Simulation Lab and Brock Functional Inclusive Training Centre, where health sciences students lead exercise and wellness programming for local seniors. A shuttle will also be available from the main campus for visitors interested in exploring Brock’s downtown arts school.

    While many of the attendees are typically high school applicants, the day will also feature information for transfer and mature students interested in pursuing their studies at Brock.

    “Brock offers a variety of pathways to higher learning, and we encourage people interested in finding out more to come out on Sunday and speak with our knowledgeable staff,” Kelly says.

    The MIWSFPA-specific program includes:

    Sunday, November 5,11 a.m.-4:00 p.m.

    Information Fair, Ian Beddis Gymnasium
    MIWSFPA tables
    11 a.m.- 4 p.m.

    Humanities presentation
    South Block 202
    11:15 a.m.- noon.
    Meet the Dean and Associate Dean of Humanities, to learn about the first-year experience in the Humanities. Information will include departments, programs, and key contacts.

    Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine & Performing Arts presentation
    South Block 202
    12:15-12:55 p.m.
    Meet the Dean and Associate Dean, Fine & Performing Arts to learn about the first-year experience as students in the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts. Information will include departments, programs, and key contacts, followed by a tour of MIWSFPA downtown.

    Experience Humanities (Walking Tour)
    Meet outside of South Block 202
    1 p.m.
    Visit each department in the Faculty of Humanities on our main campus, with students from many programs in attendance to convey real-life experiences. There will be drop offs at Modern Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, Centre for Digital Humanities, English, History, Philosophy, Medieval & Renaissance Studies, Canadian Studies, and Classics. Learn more about student spaces, faculty office hours, and how to get involved in special Humanities events.

    Experience MIWSFPA (Tours)
    Gather at the Brock Statue
    1 p.m.
    You’ll be taken via bus downtown to the MIWSFPA, and a shuttle will take you back to main campus at 2:45 p.m.

    Program Specific Tours for Dramatic Arts, Music, Visual Art, and Studies in Arts and Culture.
    15 Artists’ Common, downtown St. Catharines (main Lobby doors)
    1:30-2:30
    Tour the classrooms, studios, and rehearsal spaces that you will be learning in during your time at MIWSFPA. Your Program Chair or Director will be available for questions you may have, along with students to convey their real-life experiences at the School. Parking also available on-site.

    MIWSFPA Open Tour
    15 Artists’ Common, downtown St. Catharines (main Lobby doors)
    3:00-4:00
    Tour the classrooms, studios, and rehearsal spaces that you will be learning in during your time at MIWSFPA. Parking available on-site.

    For more information or to register for Fall Preview Day, visit the event website.

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

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

    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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  • Geoff Farnsworth and the Small Walker Press, launch Tuesday, Sept. 26, at the MIWSFPA

    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.

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  • What I want you to see is this…

    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.

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  • Small Walker Press publications examine colonial histories, love poems

    The Small Walker Press held a book fair in the James A. Gibson Library for the students and public to explore and learn about their publications.


    Originally published in The Brock News | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2022 | by Charles Kim

    Brock’s Small Walker Press (SWP) has launched its newest publications.

    On Oct. 4, as part of its Walker Cultural Leaders Series, the SWP and Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture (STAC) hosted authors, editors, artists and the public to mark the release of BENEATH A VELVET MOON: Early Love Poems and Possible Grounds: Redrawing Relations in Toronto.

    The SWP publishes collaborative work that brings together authors and artists from the Niagara region as well as the Canadian or international contexts. Fields covered include all disciplines and creative practices taught and researched at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts as well as creative writing.

    Possible Grounds: Redrawing Relations in Toronto features artists Adrian Blackwell (settler) and Bonnie Devine (Anishinaabe), who share their thoughts on and experiences of mapping the complex colonial histories of these lands, and question the region’s historical records. Blackwell and Devine also offer commentary on their works exhibited in 2018 and 2019.

    In BENEATH A VELVET MOON, Early Love Poems, Canadian artist Landon Mackenzie selects nine poems by E. Pauline Johnson Tekahionwake, and reimagines the amorous relationship between the Mohawk poet and the artist’s settler great-grandfather, Michael Mackenzie, in the 1880s. For these autofictional explorations, Mackenzie takes her title from one of Johnson’s early love poems in The White Wampum, first published in 1895 by John Lane’s Bodley Head publishing house.

    The launch event featured guest speaker Derek Knight, Associate Professor of History of Art and Visual Culture and founding co-editor of the SWP, who led a lecture exploring the text, images and connections some of the publications shared with the Niagara region.

    Following the launch, the SWP also held a book fair in the James A. Gibson Library. Many students stopped to explore the SWP collection and learn more about the press and the academic opportunities with STAC. Catherine Parayre, Editor of the SWP and STAC Professor, shared her insights on the publications and introduced many students to the details each book had to offer.

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  • Concepts of land and ownership in Canada at centre of upcoming Brock panel discussion

    Image caption: Artist and educator Adrian Blackwell (left) and architect David Fortin (right) will be co-moderating an upcoming online roundtable discussion about land ownership in Canada.

    WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 03, 2021 | by 

    An upcoming Brock University panel discussion will bring together distinguished Indigenous and other artists, designers and architects to reimagine Canadian cities towards a more inclusive future.

    Presented by the Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture (STAC) and Department of Visual Arts (VISA), “Rethinking Property in c\a\n\a\d\a” will be hosted as a Zoom webinar on Wednesday, Nov. 10 from 1:30 to 3 p.m. and is open to the Brock and wider community.

    The online event will be co-moderated by artist and educator Adrian Blackwell, Associate Professor, School of Architecture at the University of Waterloo, whose art practice spans photography, video, sculpture, urban theory and design; and David Fortin (Métis Nation of Ontario), a LEED-accredited professional and registered architect. Fortin is also a member of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) Indigenous Task Force that seeks ways to foster and promote Indigenous design in Canada.

    The discussion will bring together a diverse group of panelists, including artist Bonnie Devine (Genaabaajing First Nation), Founding Chair of the Indigenous Visual Culture program at OCAD University and winner of the 2021 Governor General Award in Visual and Media Arts; landscape architect Tiffany Kaewen Dang, a territorial scholar from Treaty 6 Territory in Edmonton, Alta.; and Luugigyoo Patrick Reid Stewart (Nisga’a, B.C.), the first Indigenous president of an architectural association in Canada and the first Indigenous person in B.C. to own and operate an architectural firm.

    Rethinking Property in c\a\n\a\d\a is the first of four events in a series called Fictive Architecture presented by STAC. The series is funded through a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Connection Grant, with matching funds from the Office of the Vice-President, Research at Brock University.

    Catherine Parayre, Associate Professor and Director of STAC’s Research Centre in Interdisciplinary Arts and Creative Culture, said these events will provide a creative and intellectual environment for all participants to express and debate views, sharing experiences that touch on personal perspectives or matters of social urgency.

    “This series is part of the activities of the Research Centre in Interdisciplinary Arts and Creative Culture, whose vision is predicated on the fact that researchers and creators, no matter their discipline, share a passion and drive for their subject in which creativity is often at the root of their unique vision or forms of inquiry.”

    The series is also connected to STAC’s Small Walker Press (SWP), a small innovative publishing house that produces two companion books each year as part of the Walker Cultural Leader Series. Blackwell is one of the artists (along with Landon Mackenzie) who will contribute to the 2022 SWP publications informed by the roundtable discussion.

    Derek Knight, Associate Professor, History of Art and Visual Culture and co-editor for the Small Walker Press, said this timely panel promises to be informative, far-reaching and will posit new, inclusive ways of re-imagining the land, concepts of ownership and shelter in Canada.

    “Blackwell is committed to thinking about new ways of interacting with our built environs, especially at this critical time in which decolonialization brings into focus the pressing need to resolve the challenge of unceded territories and respect the role of First Peoples as integral to how we re-envision Canada in the future,” Knight said.

    The webinar is free to attend, although registration is required through the Zoom event web page.

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  • Small Walker Press launches publications exploring music, choreography

    Image caption: The Small Walker Press has announced two new spring publications: Arc, a choreographed poem and Improvising Places / Improvising Time.

    Originally published in The Brock News on TUESDAY, MAY 04, 2021 | by 

    The Small Walker Press (SWP) is announcing two new spring publications with an online book launch page.

    With in-person book launches still on hold due to public health restrictions, the innovative publishing house within Brock’s Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA) opted for a virtual celebration.

    The online launch page features two new books: Arc, a choreographed poem written by Paul Savoie with accompanying choreography by Mélanie Mesager, and Improvising Places / Improvising Time with music notation by Devon Fornelli, creative writing by Thomas Ayouti and essays by Derek Knight and Matthew Royal. Graphic design for both publications was done by Bernhard Cella.

    The concept for the books, “music and choreography,” was outlined by Small Walker Press editors Catherine Parayre, Associate Professor and Director of the Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture, and Derek Knight, Associate Professor of Visual Arts. The creative texts were inspired by these themes, drawing on inspiration from participating artists incorporating dance, music and creative writing.

    The book launch page features excerpts from the publications as well as notes from both SWP editors.

    To learn more about The Small Walker Press, please visit the website.

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  • Art residency “A River Rises” now on view

    Caption: Brown Homestead (Photo by Shawn Serfas)

    STAC’s Research Centre in Interdisciplinary Arts and Creative Culture presents “A River Rises,” a collective investigation of a creative-writing piece, resulting in the creation of photography work, a recorded performance, an inverted sculpture, an experimental book, and more fiction writing. The project also documents the Brown Homestead, in close proximity of Short Hills Provincial Park and the oldest building in St. Catharines.

    View A River Rises here.

    To learn more about the Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture, please visit the STAC website.

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  • Join Studies in Arts and Culture for virtual open office hours

    Catherine Parayre, Director of the Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture (STAC) will be hosting virtual open office hours on:

    Wednesday, Dec. 2 2020, 1-2 p.m.

    Wanting to know more about arts and culture, arts management, careers in the field? Do you have questions about our STAC courses? For any question, or just to say hello, don’t hesitate to join Catherine Parayre, Director of the Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture on Wednesday 2 December 2020 from 1 to 2 pm.

    You are invited to call STAC Virtual Hour 2 Dec 2020 1-2 pm on Lifesize.

    Join the meeting: https://call.lifesizecloud.com/6623799
    Join the Lifesize meeting using Skype for Business: https://skype.lifesizecloud.com/6623799

    Click to call from Mobile (audio only)
    Canada: +1 (844) 572-5683,, 6623799#
    United States: +1 (877) 422-8614,, 6623799#
    United States: +1 (833) 881-5208,, 6623799#

    Call in by Phone (audio only)
    Canada: +1 (844) 572-5683
    United States: +1 (877) 422-8614
    United States: +1 (833) 881-5208

    Meeting extension: 6623799#
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  • Join Studies in Arts and Culture for virtual open office hours!

    Catherine Parayre, Director of the Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture will be hosting virtual open office hours on:

    Tuesday 15 September, 2020 (3-4:00 pm, EST)

    She will be available for:

    • advising and support;
    • course and program opportunities;
    • outreach, experiential activities, and professionalization;
    • or just to say hello and have a chat.

    Join the meeting on Lifesize: https://call.lifesizecloud.com/5312972

    Join the Lifesize meeting using Skype for Business: https://skype.lifesizecloud.com/5312972

    Click to call from Mobile (audio only):
    Canada: +1 (844) 572-5683,, 5312972#
    United States: +1 (877) 422-8614,, 5312972#
    United States: +1 (833) 881-5208,, 5312972#

    Call in by Phone (audio only)
    Canada: +1 (844) 572-5683
    United States: +1 (877) 422-8614
    United States: +1 (833) 881-5208
    Meeting extension: 5312972#

    Additional phone numbers: https://call.lifesize.com/numbers

    Other ways to call: https://call.lifesize.com/otherways/5312972

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