Articles tagged with: MIWSFPA Wellness Series

  • Rescheduled sculpture-making workshop to be held March 27

    Friday, March 22, 2019 | By

    Brock Visual Arts student Emma Mary Sked

    Brock Visual Arts student Emma Mary Sked will lead attendees in a free, fabric sculpture-making workshop that has been rescheduled to Wednesday, March 27 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in ST231 of the Library’s Matheson Learning Commons.

    (From The Brock News, March 22, 2019)

    After inclement weather put a halt to the third event in the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA) Wellness Series last month, students and community members alike will be able to unwind and explore their inner creativity at a new time.

    Participants in an upcoming MIWSFPA Wellness Series workshop will learn to make sculptures from scrap fabric.

    Brock Visual Arts student Emma Mary Sked will lead attendees in a free, guided workshop on Wednesday, March 27 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in ST231 of the Library’s Matheson Learning Commons.

    The event was rescheduled after a winter storm hit Niagara earlier last month.

    For this workshop, participants will learn how to transform scrap textiles into sculptures of their choosing.

    The Wellness Series, which is hosted by the MIWSFPA, features free monthly activities that promote well-being and the benefits of engaging in the arts.

    No previous art experience is required and all necessary materials will be supplied.

    The event is free, but registration is required at ExperienceBU or by contacting sackles@brocku.ca

    For more information about the event and others in the series, visit the MIWSFPA Wellness Series web page

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    Categories: Events, News

  • Scrap textiles to be turned into artistic treasures at Brock workshop

    Thursday, February 21, 2019 | By

    Brock Visual Arts student Emma Mary Sked

    Fifth-year Visual Arts student Emma Mary Sked will lead a workshop Feb. 27 to teach participants how to transform scrap fabric into unique sculptures, similar to the animals she created in her recent exhibition, Maybe You Should Drive.

    (From The Brock News, February 21, 2019 | Sarah Ackles)

    Bits of fabric set to be thrown away will instead be used to create unique sculptures during a workshop held on Brock’s main campus next week.

    Fifth-year Visual Arts student Emma Mary Sked, who is also part of the upcoming VISA 4F06 Honours Exhibition, will show participants how to transform the scraps into works of art on Wednesday, Feb. 27 in the James A. Gibson Library.

    The workshop is the third event in the new Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA) Wellness Series, which is hosted by the MIWSFPA and features free monthly activities that promote well-being and the benefits of engaging in the arts.

    Sked recently worked with textiles to construct brightly coloured fabric animals as part of her Maybe You Should Drive exhibition at the MIWSFPA in November.

    She is excited to now teach others how to bring their own creations to life.

    Everyone in the Brock and broader community looking to relax and unwind, while harnessing their inner creativity and learning a new skill, is welcome to attend. The event runs from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in ST231 of the Library’s Matheson Learning Commons.

    No previous art experience is required and all necessary materials will be supplied.

    The event is free, but registration is required at ExperienceBU or by contacting sackles@brocku.ca

    For more information about the event and others in the series, visit the MIWSFPA Wellness Series web page.

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    Categories: Current Students, Events, News

  • Student to share journey from life-changing concussion to finding strength in art

    Monday, January 14, 2019 | By

    Brock Kinesiology student Chance Mutuku will lead students in an interactive keynote lecture about the connections between the arts, sports and mental wellness on Wednesday, Jan. 16 in the theatre at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts.

    (From The Brock News, Friday, January 11, 2019 | By: Sarah Ackles)

    Chance Mutuku was well on his way to achieving a successful career as a wrestler.

    Within five years of the loss of his father and a life-changing move to Canada from the tumultuous and violent Democratic Republic of the Congo, he had earned himself a coveted spot on the Canadian Junior National Wrestling Team and a scholarship to wrestle at Brock.

    Then, a severe concussion he suffered during a training camp two years ago halted his athletic career and forced him to reevaluate everything.

    “At the time, I didn’t clue in to how life-changing that moment was going to be,” he recalled. “It was supposed to take a few days to get back into training, but the days turned to weeks, weeks to months and now, here we are two years later — and I am still in recovery.”

    Not one to shy away from adversity, Mutuku shifted gears, instead connecting his passion for the arts with his entrepreneurial spirit to engage in new projects that both aided in his recovery and set him on a new course.

    At an upcoming lecture at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA) on Wednesday, Jan. 16, he will share his inspiring story of perseverance and explore ways of bringing people from all disciplines together to promote mental wellness, enact positive change and find professional success.

    This marks the second event in the newly launched MIWSFPA Wellness Series, which offers monthly events that promote creative ways to help ease stress and promote mental well-being.

    Visual Arts Associate Professors Amy Friend and Derek Knight will also add to the discussion, and Dramatic Arts Chair Joe Norris will lead students in an interactive exercise about the ups and downs of student life.

    BioLinc and local community partners will also share career and volunteer opportunities in the arts and the health and wellness sector, and members of Brock’s Student Wellness and Accessibility Services will be on hand to discuss services they can provide to students.

    The event will conclude with a free lunch from Mahtay Café.

    Mutuku hopes the lecture will inspire students to find creative ways of healing and to think about how to apply their skills and interests in new and innovative ways.

    “I can’t say enough how amazing my experience was learning from all of these people around me, and I encourage everyone to get involved in the arts, because it connects us all and we can all benefit from it,” said Mutuku. “These projects I have been working on show me that there needs to be more collaborations between disciplines and we need to start coming together and learning from each other to bring new and great collaborative ideas to life.”

    The event will take place in the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre, located at 15 Artists’ Common in downtown St. Catharines, on Wednesday, Jan. 16 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

    The event is free, but registration is required at miwsfpa-wellness-series.eventbrite.ca. Brock students must also RSVP through ExperienceBU to receive credit for the Campus-Wide Co-Curriculum. A copy of your ticket and/or Brock card (if applicable) will be required at the door for admittance.

    Students can take the STC Route 316/416 bus from main campus to the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts stop, located near the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre.

    There will be event staff stationed on Brock’s main campus and downtown to guide students to the School.

    All students, staff and faculty are welcome.

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    Categories: Current Students, Events, Faculty & Instructors, News

  • Zine- and button-making session to kick off new MIWSFPA Wellness Series

    Thursday, December 06, 2018 | By

    People are seen cutting magazines, drawing and colouring to create their own zines.

    Following a successful zine-making workshop in October, artist Christine Cucciniello will return to Brock to lead a drop-in workshop on Dec. 12 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in ST231 of the James A. Gibson Library.

    (From The Brock News, Wednesday December 5, 2018 | By: Sarah Moore)

    The Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA) is offering a creative way to help ease stress associated with upcoming exams.

    As part of the new MIWSFPA Wellness Series, a zine- and button-making workshop is being hosted at Brock’s main campus on Wednesday, Dec. 12.

    Workshop facilitator Christine Cucciniello will host the drop-in session in the Matheson Learning Commons of the James A. Gibson Library.

    The event will run from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and everyone is welcome to attend.

    Workshop facilitator Christine Cucciniello, left, helping Catherine Parayre, Director of the Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture, and Lesley Bell (BA ’88), former Learning Commons Co-ordinator at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, in the creation of their own zines.

    MIWSFPA Director Elizabeth Vlossak said the initiative promotes mental wellness and brings a taste of the events happening at the Walker School up to main campus.

    “I participated in the last zine-making workshop that Christine hosted as part of our Walker Cultural Leaders Series and found the exercise to be fun and extremely therapeutic,” said Vlossak. “Christine’s style is very inclusive to everyone on campus — with or without an artistic background — so we’re encouraging everyone to de-stress and get creative with us.”

    Attendees can combine various materials to make their own creation during the session. There will also be holiday-themed items on hand for those who want to make a few last-minute Christmas gifts or decorations.

    Cucciniello is a multimedia artist, photographer and former Outreach and Spoken Word Co-ordinator at CFBU Brock Radio.

    Her work challenges dominant modes of production and representation as it relates to media and art and she is passionate about bringing people together through community building and collective art projects.

    “I enjoy hosting zine workshops because they allow for the creation of a unique piece of self-expression,” said Cucciniello. “Zines, hand-made and self-published, are an incredibly powerful method of sharing stories and communicating ideas not covered in mainstream media.”

    The workshop will kick off a series of similar events happening both on Brock’s main campus and at the MIWSFPA in downtown St. Catharines.

    The next event will take place Jan. 16 with Brock Kinesiology student Chance Mutuku joining members of the MIWSFPA and local community health and wellness groups in a discussion about the positive mental benefits of engaging in the arts. The presenters will also touch on the accessibility of the arts to everyone — even those who don’t consider themselves to be artists. Interactive demonstrations will take place during the event, held in the MIWSFPA Theatre, and a free lunch will follow.

    Next week’s zine- and button-making workshop will be held in room ST231 in the Learning Commons hallway.

    All materials are included and there is no cost to participate.

    More information is available on ExperienceBU.

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    Categories: Alumni, Current Students, Events, News