Articles tagged with: rodman hall

Brock alumna returns to speak with VISA students

Wednesday, March 06, 2019 | By Brock University
Brock alumna, Natalie Hunter, spent the afternoon with VISA 4F06 students as they discussed their upcoming exhibitions. Back row from left: Teresa Badgley, Amber Williams, Shawn Serfas, Sarah Martin
Front row from left: Gianna Aceto, Emma Hutchison-Hounsell, Cynthia Richards, Natalie Hunter

On Feb. 7, Brock Visual Arts students in the VISA 4F06 Honours course were visited by Brock alumna Natalie Hunter (BA ’11) to discuss their upcoming exhibitions that begin in March. Hunter and the students discussed the pieces they are working on and how to move forward in order to create a cohesive exhibition. During each student’s session, they received a small piece of translucent film that Hunter used in her exhibition, Staring into the Sun, which is currently on view at Rodman Hall Art Centre.

During her time at Brock, Hunter was part of the VISA 4F06 Honours course, where students work all year to put together an exhibition in Rodman Hall. Staring into the Sun features photo-based sculptures and installations that explore the relationship between memory and physical space. The exhibition runs until April 28.

At the Bottom of Everything, the first of two Visual Arts Honours exhibitions, runs from March 23 to April 7, with the opening reception on Friday, March 22 at 7 p.m. at Rodman Hall.

The second exhibition runs from April 13 to 28, with the opening reception on Friday, April 12 at 7 p.m. at Rodman Hall. More details to come.
Tags: Department of Visual Arts, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, miwsfpa, Natalie Hunter, rodman hall, VISA 4F06
Categories: Alumni, Current Students, Events, News
Rodman Hall readying for two exhibition openings

Monday, January 28, 2019 | By Brock University

The work of Brock alumna Natalie Hunter will be featured in one of two exhibitions opening Jan. 31 at Rodman Hall. Hunter’s Staring into the Sun runs until March. (Image: Natalie Hunter, “Songs of May” (detail), 2018, Giclée prints on transparent film.)

(From The Brock News, January 28, 2019 | By: Alison Innes)

Two powerful exhibitions featuring the work of clients from Start Me Up Niagara (SMUN) and Brock alumna Natalie Hunter, respectively, will open at Rodman Hall Art Centre Thursday, Jan. 31 at 7 p.m.

The first of two new Rodman Hall offerings, the Art Me Up Niagara group show is a play on the name of the organization that works with individuals facing significant life challenges, such as poverty, addiction, homelessness, mental illness and unemployment.

SMUN participants have created artwork in response to Rodman Hall’s current Northern Oracle installation, which aims to inspire people to share their message, whatever it might be, with the world and have their voice heard.

“In developing the public programs activating this installation, I was guided by inquiry into why this work might be important to the Niagara community, and homelessness immediately arose as a critical issue,” says Elizabeth Chitty, Interim Grants and Programming Officer at Rodman Hall. “We will all benefit from seeing and listening to the artistic voices of those with lived experiences of homelessness in St. Catharines.”

The second exhibition, Hunter’s “Staring into the Sun,” features photo-based sculptures and installations that explore the relationship between memory and physical space.

Hunter (BA ’11) uses vibrant colour filters and multiple photographic exposures in her creation process. The works are printed on translucent films that hang, ripple and drape to interact with architectural features of the exhibition space.

Each viewer’s experience of the pieces, which allude to enduring routines and the passage of time, shifts with subtle changes in light.

Hunter will give a public talk about her work on Thursday, March 28 at 7 p.m. at Rodman Hall.

In addition to the launch of the Art Me Up Niagara showcase, another event will be held this week related to the Northern Oracle exhibition. Rodman Hall is partnering with the American Sign Language Community of Niagara to present a public lecture by deaf Bahamian photographer and graphic designer Will Henfield at the art centre on Friday, Feb. 1 at 6:30 p.m.

A full list of community events related to the ongoing “Northern Oracle” exhibition by Heather Hart can be found on the Rodman Hall website.

The Art Me Up Niagara and Staring into the Sun exhibitions run until Feb. 10 and April 28, respectively.

Tags: alumni, humanities, miwsfpa, rodman hall
Categories: Alumni, Events, News
Young artists thrive at MIWSFPA summer camps

Friday, August 24, 2018 | By Brock University

(From The Brock News, Wednesday, August 22, 2018 | by Sarah Moore)

Young artists were given a backstage pass to the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts this summer as Brock’s Youth University held camps at the School for the first time this July and August.

More than 70 students from as far as Toronto attended, and participated in camps that focused on arts media, performing arts, or performance props and effects.

Angela McVittie, a parent of one of the participants, had positive feedback about the experience her daughter had at the camp.

“My daughter attended Performance Props & Effects camp last week at Marilyn I. Walker and this was an outstanding camp – and an excellent venue!” she said. “She loved the smaller more intimate feel of this camp and said she had time to become friends with every one there. The staff were incredible, inspiring and professional. The venue was easy to get to, with plenty of parking. I really hope camps will be continue to be offered there.”

The Rodman Hall Art Centre also hosted programming at the school.

Tags: dramatic arts, rodman hall, summer camp, visual arts, youth university
Categories: Events, News
Rodman Hall hosts Visual Arts honours exhibitions

Thursday, April 05, 2018 | By dtemprile

The opening reception for the first instalment of the honours exhibitions on Friday, March 23 drew a large crowd to the Rodman Hall Art Centre. Photo: Danny Custodio.

Graduating students from the Honours Studio course (VISA 4F06) have been busy all semester creating their pieces for the two-part Brock University Department of Visual Arts Honours Exhibition. Students were mentored by Rodman Hall Art Centre gallery staff and Visual Arts Professors Donna Szoke, Shawn Serfas, Derek Knight, and Donna Akrey.

The first instalment of the honours exhibition: Just Resting My Eyes is currently on display at the Rodman Hall Art Centre (109 St. Paul Crescent). The current exhibition features work from students: Denise Apostolatos, Victoria Morinello, Jill Newman, Jacob Primeau, and Aaron Thompson.

These honours exhibitions are vital to students’ education in the Brock Visual Arts program because “the nature, purpose and intended outcome of Honours Studio is that once the students graduate from the art program, they become practicing artists. Art making, as a practice of research-creation, is inherently experiential learning” says Szoke.

The collaboration with the professional team of the Rodman Hall Art Centre is a essential learning experience for Brock Visual Arts students. Akrey says the Rodman Hall staff’s “consultation with each student teaches them the importance of the entire process of art making and exhibiting, and the importance of their individual work in a collaborative event.” Serfas adds that the importance of having Rodman Hall embedded into the Bachelor of Arts program is that “it gives our students a distinctive experiential learning opportunity.”

Knight says that the audience can expect to see “broad cultural themes with emphasis on the impact of mass media, environmental or social issues” throughout the work created by these honours students in this two-part exhibit.

The second instalment, Turnin’ This Car Around, is set to be exhibited from Saturday, April 14 to Sunday, April 29, with the opening reception on Friday, April 13 from 7 to 9 p.m. This upcoming exhibit will feature pieces by Rachel Dove, Lauren Mucciarone, Victoria Reid, Brittany Thomas-Clapp, and Lorraine Zandvliet.

For more information about Rodman Hall Art Centre and their programs see brocku.ca/rodman-hall

see the article by John Law in the St.Catharines Standard: Brock’s top art students gather for one last show

see the video report by Stephen Parr for YourTV Niagara

Tags: Brock University, Brock University Visual Arts Honours Exhibition, Department of Visual Arts, Derek Knight, Donna Akrey, Donna Szoke, Honours Exhibition, just resting my eyes, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, rodman hall, Rodman Hall Art Centre, Shawn Serfas, VISA 4F06, visual arts
Categories: Current Students, Events, Faculty & Instructors, News
Two new exhibits open at Rodman Hall, including the work of curator and alumna Emma German

Monday, January 29, 2018 | By dtemprile

Always Vessels, an exhibit by nine contemporary Indigenous artists, runs Jan. 27 to March 11 at Rodman Hall. Pictured is Nadya Kwandibens’ work — Emergence Series: Sugar Bush Sessions.

(Source: The Brock News | Friday Jan. 26, 2018 by Alison Innes)

The works of nine Indigenous artists will be featured in one of two new exhibits opening at Rodman Hall Art Centre on Saturday, Jan. 27.

Curated by Alexandra Kahsenni:io Nehwegahbow, Always Vessels features nine contemporary Anishinaabek and Haudenosaunee artists who express their art through a range of media, from beads to photography.

Using a blend of traditional and modern approaches, the artists explore the processes of learning, making and analyzing how knowledge is transferred and made. The work, informed by contemporary translation of traditional knowledge, offers insight into the range of skills, techniques and knowledge unique to Anishinaabek and Haudenosaunee cultures.

The exhibit explores how belongings and possessions are meaningful objects that have the ability to carry, hold and transmit memory across time and space.

Nahwegahbow will speak about the exhibit Saturday at 2:30 p.m. as part of Rodman’s Hot Talk series.

Also opening on Saturday is Up close and in motion, an exhibit from Rodman’s permanent collection of nearly 1,000 works dating back three centuries. Curated by Brock alumna Emma German (BA ’14), the year-long, regularly changing exhibit will highlight the collection’s purpose as a tool for research, study and interpretation.

The first installation of this exhibit focuses on recent acquisitions of contemporary Canadian art, many of which will be displayed for the first time.

What: New exhibits opening: Always Vessels and Up close and in motion.

Where: Rodman Hall Art Centre

When: Saturday, Jan. 27, 2 p.m.

Tags: Alumna, Brock University, Emma German, Exhibit, exhibition, miwsfpa, rodman hall, Rodman Hall Art Centre, Up close and in motion, VISA, visual arts
Categories: Alumni, Events, In the Media, News
Brock photographers snap up art show awards

Thursday, December 07, 2017 | By dtemprile

Danny Custodio collaborated with his father to create compositions exploring tar’s organic forms and textures.

(Source: The Brock News | Wednesday Dec. 6, 2017 by Alison Innes)

Two Brock photographers were recently honoured for their ability to capture compelling imagery.

Visual Arts student Denise Apostolatos and Administrative Assistant Danny Custodio, from the Rodman Hall Art Centre, both won awards at RMG Exposed: Out of this World, the Robert McLaughlin Gallery art show and charity auction held Nov. 25.

Oil and Vinegar by Visual Arts student Denise Apostolatos, received first place in the youth category at the Robert McLaughlin Gallery Exposed: Out of this World annual photography show and auction.

Oil and Vinegar by Visual Arts student Denise Apostolatos, received first place in the youth category at the Robert McLaughlin Gallery Exposed: Out of this World annual photography show and auction.

Apostolatos’ work, Oil and Vinegar, won first place in the youth category from a shortlist of 40 works from across North America.

She says it was “truly an honour” to be named the winner of the youth category, and to receive two consecutive acceptances to participate in RMG Exposed.

“As an undergraduate student, these opportunities are unique in that they provide a professional outlet to gain recognition and network in a larger context,” she says.

Apostolatos credits the artistic and professional guidance she receives in the Visual Arts program for fostering her development as a creative professional.

“As an undergraduate artist, it is important to see her work outside of the classroom and in the professional art community,” says Visual Arts Professor and Department Chair Donna Szoke. “We are thrilled to see Denise’s work being celebrated.”

The award is also a means to recognize the “talent being produced here in Niagara in our Visual Arts program at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts,” she says.

Rodman Hall’s Danny Custodio took first place in the Conceptual/Non-Representational category at the Robert McLaughlin Gallery’s Exposed: Out of this World annual photography show and auction. He is pictured with award sponsor Mason Bennett of Johncox professional Corporation.

Rodman Hall’s Danny Custodio took first place in the Conceptual/Non-Representational category at the Robert McLaughlin Gallery’s Exposed: Out of this World annual photography show and auction. He is pictured with award sponsor Mason Bennett of Johncox professional Corporation.

Custodio received the Conceptual/Non-Representational Prize for his image Tar, which explores themes of blue-collar labour.

“Tar is a commonly used substance in roofing, the profession my father worked for 45 years,” says Custodio, who collaborated with his father to create compositions exploring tar’s organic forms and textures.

RMG Exposed: Out of this World brings together artists, collectors and curators to celebrate digital photography and support free arts programming for kids and families. The event, now in its eighth year, includes both live and silent auctions of images carefully selected from 466 submissions.

The event is designed to recognize contemporary photographers and draws artist submissions from across Canada and the United States.

The Robert McLaughlin Gallery is a public art museum in Oshawa and features a collection of over 4,500 works including Canadian contemporary art and photography.

To view this year’s images, visit the RMG Exposed website.

Tags: Brock University, Danny Custodio, Denise Apostolatos, Department of Visual Arts, downtown St. Catharines, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, miwsfpa, RHAC, RMG Exposed, rodman hall, Rodman Hall Art Centre, visual arts
Categories: Current Students, In the Media, News
COLOUR CONSTRUCTS at Rodman Hall/ Constructions en couleurs à Rodman Hall

Tuesday, November 21, 2017 | By dtemprile

Pictured is a view of the exhibition Material Girls at Rodman Hall Art Centre. (source: RHAC)

In fall 2017, Rodman Hall invites visitors to experience the exhibition Material Girls, which brings together Canadian and international female artists from across artistic disciplines and cultural backgrounds. Giving particular attention to the colourfulness and jubilance of this exhibition, in Colour Constructs, students in Visual Arts, Studies in Arts and Culture, and French Studies explore the materiality of colours in their own diverse ways. Student works are complemented by graffiti art by Niagara-based artist Mat Vizbulis, a classroom guest during the semester. Curators Catherine Parayre and Shawn Serfas. /

A l’automne 2017, Rodman Hall invite ses visiteurs à découvrir l’exposition Material Girls, qui regroupe des artistes femmes du Canada et d’ailleurs, dont les pratiques artistiques et l’environnement culturel diffèrent. En s’inspirant des couleurs et de la gaieté de cette exposition, des étudiants-e-s en Arts visuels, Arts et cultures et Etudes en français explorent dans Constructions en couleurs la matérialité des coloris par le biais d’approches variées. Les graffitis de l’artiste Mat Vizbulis, établi dans la région du Niagara, complètent les oeuvres des étudiant-e-s. Commissaires: Catherine Parayre et Shawn Serfas.

Article from the Brock News: Bilingual exhibition to shed light on Material Girls
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2017 | by Darien Temprile

A new Rodman Hall exhibition aims to help visitors experience Material Girls in a new way.

Geo, a piece created by third-year Visual Arts student Lilliana Pagliaro, will be featured in the Colour Constructs/Constructions en couleurs exhibition opening at Rodman Hall Thursday, Nov. 30.

Colour Constructs/Constructions en couleurs, opening at the downtown St. Catharines art centre Thursday, Nov. 30, features works by students in Brock’s Visual Arts (VISA), Studies in Arts and Culture (STAC) and French Studies (FREN) programs.

The exhibition, curated by Brock Professors Catherine Parayre and Shawn Serfas, initiates a sophisticated dialogue with Material Girls, an ongoing exhibition that opened at Rodman Hall Sept. 14.

Material Girls is a large-scale group exhibition of work by Canadian and international emerging, mid-career and senior female artists from different artistic disciplines and cultures. Curated by a team from the Dunlop Art Gallery, a unit of the Regina Public Library, it explores material process and notions of excess as they relate to the feminized body, gendered space and capitalist desire.

For Colour Constructs, students reacted to words, colours and visuals directly related to Material Girls.

STAC students contributed nine texts based on words and expressions found in the curatorial statement of Material Girls; FREN students provided eight written fragments in French, describing colours from Material Girls; and VISA students, in their own paintings, reference the vividness of artwork presented in Material Girls.

In addition to the work of students, the exhibition will include a new large commission by local graffiti artist Mat Vizbulis, who describes his work as ‘genre graffuturism.’

“As the images unfold in layers, we understand that it is truly something unexplainable,” he said. “We are then daring to define things.”

Earlier this year, Vizbulis led Brock students in experiential learning about graffiti and its role in both high art and popular culture.

The opening reception of Colour Constructs/Constructions en couleurs takes place Thursday, Nov. 30 at 5 p.m. at Rodman Hall Art Centre, 109 St. Paul Cres. The exhibition will continue until March 4.

Material Girls continues at Rodman Hall until Dec. 30.

Admission to Rodman Hall Art Centre is free, although donations are accepted. For more information in French or English, visit ExperienceBU.

UPDATE:

French student Amandine Faivre, right,
speaks about her poetry with French Professor Renee-Claude Breitenstein at the opening of Colour Constructs Thursday, Nov. 30. Curated by Professors Catherine Parayre and Shawn Serfas, the exhibition is a collaboration by students in Studies in Arts and Culture, Visual Arts and French Studies. Student artwork is complemented by work by local graffiti artist Mat Vizbulis, who worked with STAC and VISA students over the course of the semester. Colour Constructs is on at Rodman Hall Art Centre until March 4.
Exhibition: Thursday Nov. 30, 2017 – Sunday Mar. 4, 2018

Opening Reception: Thursday Nov. 30, 2017 at 5:00pm

GALLERY HOURS:
Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday: 10 am to 5 pm
Thursday: 10 am to 9 pm
Saturday & Sunday: 12 pm to 5 pm
Closed Mondays, statutory and University holidays

Free community event however donations accepted (suggested $5).

Tags: Brock University, Catherine Parayre, centre for studies in arts and culture, downtown St. Catharines, exhibition, french, french studies, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, Material Girls, miwsfpa, rodman hall, Rodman Hall Art Centre, Shawn Serfas, stac, visual arts
Categories: Current Students, Events
HOT TALKS 2017-2018: Professor Derek Knight speaks at Rodman Hall, November 09

Sunday, November 05, 2017 | By dvivian

Geoffrey Farmer, “A Way Out of the Mirror”, 2017, Canada Pavilion, 57th Venice Biennale. Image courtesy of Derek Knight.

HOT TALKS

Artist Talks and Gallery Conversations at the Rodman Hall Art Centre
Admission by donation ($5 suggested); Members and Students Free
Sponsored by Partridge Wealth Management/RBC Dominion Securities Inc., St. Catharines

November 09: Professor Derek Knight,
Department of Visual Arts, Brock University

“Art Confidential: Trends and Obsession(s) in Recent Art”

Thursday, November 9, 7 pm
2017 saw the confluence of the Whitney Biennial, Münster Sculpture Project, Kassel’s Documenta 14, and the Venice Biennale. Derek Knight, Associate Professor, Visual Arts, Brock University discusses the pros and emerging cons of the international blockbuster exhibition as well as his top picks, from Pierre Huyghe to Phyllida Barlow to Geoffrey Farmer.

Rodman Hall Art Centre, 109 St Paul Crescent, St Catharines, ON L2S 1M3

Tags: Derek Knight, Hot Talks, rodman hall, Rodman Hall Art Centre
Categories: Current Students, Events, Faculty & Instructors, News
Donna Akrey – Also Also

Tuesday, February 07, 2017 | By Brock University

Curated by Marcie Bronson
February 11 to April 30, 2017
Opening Reception: Saturday, February 11, 3 pm
HOT TALK: Thursday, March 2, 7 pm. Donna Akrey in conversation with Marcie Bronson
Rodman Hall Art Centre, 106 St. Paul Crescent, St. Catharines
Admission to the gallery is by donation ($5 suggested)
Gallery Hours: Tues. – Fri. 10 am – 5 pm, Sat. – Sun. 12 pm – 5 pm

Donna Akrey is interested in how habit shapes the way we experience and engage with the world around us. Rooted in her astute observation of patterns of communication and consumption, her work humorously intervenes to raise discussion about social and environmental issues, often responding directly to a particular site or community. Using common, surplus, and discarded materials to construct sculptures and installations that she describes as “ruminations on the spectacle of the unspectacular”, Akrey draws attention to the futility of the notion of “the ultimate” and the richness in the space between intention and result. Akrey explains: “I imagine the absurd as real, because sometimes the real is so absurd.” Alongside selected works from the last 15 years of her practice, this exhibition presents a site-specific outdoor installation created in collaboration with neighbourhood residents.

Tags: Brock University, miwsfpa, rodman hall, visual arts
Categories: Events
A Sublime Vernacular – The Landscape Paintings of Levine Flexhaug

Tuesday, February 07, 2017 | By Brock University

Curated by Nancy Tousley and Peter White
Organized and circulated by the Art Gallery of Grande Prairie, Grande Prairie, Alberta

January 28 to March 12, 2017

Opening Reception: Saturday, February 11, 3 pm

Rodman Hall Art Centre, 106 St. Paul Crescent, St. Catharines
Admission to the gallery is by donation ($5 suggested)
Gallery Hours: Tues. – Fri. 10 am – 5 pm, Sat. – Sun. 12 pm – 5 pm

HOT TALK: Saturday, February 11, 2 pm
Wayne Morgan and Sharilyn J. Ingram, “Making Art for the Market: Flexhaug in Context”

A Sublime Vernacular offers the first overview of the extraordinary career of Levine Flexhaug (1918-1974), an itinerant painter who sold thousands of variations of essentially the same landscape painting in national parks, resorts, department stores and bars across western Canada from the late 1930s through the early 1960s. Whatever its variation, a Flexhaug image represents a Western icon, a silent unspoiled Eden that encapsulates the conventions of sublime landscape painting in a kind of painter’s shorthand, and offers a point of entry for consideration of significant critical questions ranging from issues of taste, originality versus repetition in art, the appeal of landscape and its iconography.

Image: Levine Flexhaug, Untitled (Mountain lake with deer) (detail), nd. Collection of Wayne Morgan and Sharilyn J. Ingram, Grimsby, Ontario.

Tags: art, Exhibit, Hot Talk, rodman hall
Categories: Events