Exhibitions

• Brock Visual Arts Gallery showcasing work from students and faculty reopens

  Monday, October 25, 2021 | By gminaker

  

  Image caption: Visual Arts students view works of art from faculty exhibition Apart We Were Together, the first in-person art show to be held in the Visual Arts Gallery since it closed due to the pandemic.

  Originally published in The Brock News on | FRIDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2021 | by Gillian Minaker

  After a year and half, the Visual Arts Gallery and Student Exhibition Space at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA) has recently reopened its doors to the Brock University community and wider public to view in-person exhibitions.

  The latest show running in the gallery is a student exhibition featuring the work of Visual Arts students Sarah Formosa and Rabia Choudhary. Intricate Connections (Sarah Formosa); Unruly Growth (Rabia Choudary) opened Thursday, Oct. 21 and runs until Nov. 19.

  Choudhary called it “thrilling” to be sharing her work publicly.

  “These pieces were created during the pandemic and explore my struggles with identity, and coming to terms with who I am,” she said. “It is such a privilege to share my work with the Brock community.”

  Formosa agrees that sharing her work in a public show is an exciting opportunity.

  “I have officially heard my first gasp from a child, entering a space that holds something that I’ve created,” she said. “I hope visitors enjoy these works and that there might be an opportunity to leave the gallery having gained another perspective on life.”

  The first exhibition to be mounted in the space was a Visual Arts faculty exhibition opened in September entitled Apart We Were Together. Exhibiting artists were Associate Professor and Visual Arts Department Chair Amy Friend, Associate Professor Derek Knight, Assistant Professor Troy David Ouellette and Associate Professor Donna Szoke.

  The concept of the show was loosely borrowed from celebrated author and philosopher Jacques Rancière’s book The Emancipated Spectator, which explores the idea of ‘apart we were together’ investigating outcomes when an artist is separated from their work and the viewer.

  The exhibition included photography, video projections and multimedia installations made of fibre-optic cable. Exhibiting artists drew on pandemic-related themes for their works such as separation, the loss of connection, solidarity and nostalgia.

  As stated in the Exhibition Introduction, the artists acknowledged that even with the closure of galleries, theatres and other areas of cultural production during the pandemic, there was always the possibility of “wonderment and dialogue” within the arts.

  The ‘apart we were together’ theme underscored the importance of solidarity, especially during challenging times. Though the in-person exhibition has closed,  a virtual exhibition can be viewed online.

  The Visual Arts Gallery and Student Exhibition Space is located on the first floor of the MIWSFPA at 15 Artists Common in downtown St. Catharines. The gallery is open to the Brock community and wider public Tuesday to Saturday from 1 to 5 p.m. September through April.

  Brock students and staff are encouraged to RSVP through ExperienceBU to attend the exhibition. All Brock University protocols apply including mandatory full COVID-19 vaccination and masks for all visitors. The visiting public is asked to enter the building through the main entrance for check-in at the Security Desk.

  Questions can be directed to the Visual Arts Gallery at visagallery@brocku.ca

  Tags: Amy Friend, Apart We Were Together, community engagement, Department of Visual Arts, derek knight, Donna Szőke, Exhibition, humanities, Intricate Connections, marilyn i. walker school of fine and performing arts, MIWSFPA, Rabia Choudhary, Sarah Formosa, TROY DAVID OUELLETTE, Unruly Growth, visa, Visual Arts Gallery
  Categories: Announcements, Current Students, Events, Exhibitions, Faculty & Instructors, Future Students, News, Uncategorised

• Visual Arts prof and photographer exhibits new work on international stage

  Thursday, August 12, 2021 | By gminaker

  

  Sea, Salt, Moon, Air by Amy Friend, Associate Professor and department Chair of Visual Arts, is part of a new photography exhibition in Zurich, Switzerland.

  Originally published in The Brock News WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2021 | by Gillian Minaker

  An exhibit showcasing the work of artist and Brock University Associate Professor and Chair of Visual Arts Amy Friend has gained international attention.

  Friend was one of eight artists from around the world invited to exhibit their photography at a summer show entitled Ocean at Bildhalle gallery in Zurich, Switzerland. Bildhalle, founded in 2013 by Mirjam Cavegn, is a highly respected art gallery presenting world class photography.

  The exhibition, which explores the motif of water through different aesthetics, was recently featured in the International Edition of The Guardian in their Art and Design section. The article displayed a selection of images from the exhibition and provided details on each artist and their work.

  

  Becoming 0.4% by Amy Friend from the international exhibition Ocean.

  In her artistic practice, the theme of water and ever-shifting seascapes is of great interest to Friend and is woven through much of her creative work. Due to the travel restrictions of the global pandemic, Friend found herself reflecting on past times at  the seaside during which she collected samples of water from across the world.

  Friend’s photographs featured in the Ocean exhibition came to fruition when she revisited 20 years worth of her photographs involving water and seascapes. Drawing on the notion that photography acts a as vault containing moments from the past, she fused her ideas together.

  “Looking at the abundant images of water in my personal collection, I began to consider my connection to these places and what it meant to take so many images like this,” said Friend. “I questioned what was possible to accomplish with this collection, given my stationary position due to COVID.”

  After selecting a series of the photographs, Friend printed them and then soaked them in the salt water she had collected during previous travels.

  “Over time, the sea water evaporated, leaving a residue of salt on the print,” Friend said.

  She said her pieces Tiny Tears Fill the Ocean (2020) and Endothelium Waves (2020) examine the connection between the body and the ocean.

  “The interplay between the salt content of water and the salt content of our bodies, including our tears, is of particular interest,” she said. “Our bodily connection to place is something that continues to resurface in my practice.”

  Through the exploration of themes of tears and loss, there is an environmental aspect to the work. Although the photographs are not specifically about the effects of climate change, Friend said “it is important to reflect on loss from an environmental standpoint when viewing these works.”

  With the exhibition running into the fall, Friend is looking forward to sharing the details of her experience with her students.

  “It is important that they see others actively engaging within a creative community. By sharing my experience with them, I hope to provide a bit of real-world insight related to the planning and trouble-shooting involved when preparing for exhibitions,” she said.

  To view the exhibition Ocean, visit the Bildhalle website.

  Tags: Amy Friend, Bildhalle, Department of Visual Arts, faculty exhibition, humanities, marilyn i. walker school of fine and performing arts, miwspfa, Ocean, Photography, visa, Visual Arts
  Categories: Current Students, Events, Exhibitions, Faculty & Instructors, Future Students, News, Uncategorised

• Visual Arts students, alumni unite for collaborative exhibition

  Wednesday, June 02, 2021 | By gminaker

  

  Image caption: Artwork from CODA artists Lillian Pasqua, Curt Richards, Aidan Frenette displayed in the Visual Arts (VISA) 4F06 Honours Exhibition at Rodman Hall Arts Centre.

  Brock’s fourth-year student artists and Visual Arts (VISA) graduates are showcasing their contemporary artwork in a new collaborative exhibition entitled CODA.

  CODA not only features the work of current students, but of VISA alumni who were unable to present their final works to the public due to pandemic-related event closures last spring.

  Through the bodies of work of 14 artists, CODA is an overarching contemporary exploration of individual voices and visual languages. The exhibition considers the engagement of traditional material with unconventional installation.

  Mounted at the Rodman Hall Arts Centre (RHAC), CODA is now available to view virtually through a 360 gallery tour and virtual exhibition. The show is curated by Shawn Serfas, Associate Professor of Studio Art and Chair of VISA and Sarah Martin (BA ’19), Gallery Assistant at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA) gallery.

  As no in-person exhibitions were held in the MIWSFPA gallery this past year, Martin understands first-hand the devasatting effects that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the arts community.

  “Being able to make this show a reality for these students was about celebrating their work and sharing that as much as possible,” she said.

  The capstone studio arts course culminates in a public, professional exhibition historically featured at RHAC. In 2020, Brock University announced the sale of the RHAC property and the formation of a community-based group (RHAC Inc.) whose stewardship has ensured the art collection remains a community asset with a sustainable future.

  Martin acknowledges the significance of CODA being the final exhibition to be held in the space.

  “Having shown my own work in an Honours Exhibition at Rodman Hall, it is easy to say that it was the highlight of my experience at Brock. Now, being able to help put this show together feels very special and fulfilling for me,” she says.

  Student Aidan Frenette expressed how meaningful it is to have her work be part of the collaborative exhibition.

  “Like many of my fellow students and alumni, the VISA 4F06 culminating exhibition means a great deal to me,” she says. “The opportunity to display a year’s worth of hard work within a renowned gallery is a rewarding experience in and of itself. However, to have the privilege of participating in the final show held at Rodman Hall is an honour.”

  Zachary White, an alumnus and CODA participating artist, appreciates the opportunity to engage with his art in a professional setting.

  His involvement in the exhibition had him thinking critically about the production of his work.

  “I had to consider the curation process, installation of the work and how to connect pieces together in a cohesive way to let each piece of art shine individually — and as part of a collection,” he said.

  White added that throughout the studio art program at Brock, he worked through different styles and mediums to build his ‘artistic toolbox.’

  “This exhibition gave me the opportunity to let everything I learned speak through a style that is unique to me,” he said. “Ultimately, this show does more than just exhibit work; it highlights a culmination of the studio art program and provides a bridge between the student and the professional art experience.”

  CODA ran from May 12 to 26 at RHAC (closed to the public) but can be viewed virtually through the VISA website.

  Tags: Aidan Frenette, CODA, Department of Visual Arts, humanities, marilyn i. walker school of fine and performing arts, MIWSFPA, Sarah Martin, Shawn Serfas, visa, VISA 4F06 Honours Exhibition, Zachary White
  Categories: 4F06 Honours Exhibition, Alumni, Announcements, Current Students, Events, Exhibitions, Faculty & Instructors, Future Students, In the Media, Media Releases, News, Uncategorised

• Visual Arts grad catches the eye of WIRED magazine

  Monday, May 10, 2021 | By gminaker

  

  Image caption: “Three Polaroids” is a piece from Amber Lee Williams’ collection “Tethered” that uses a Polaroid emulsion lift technique. “Through self-portraits, photos of my own children and other mothers with their children, “Tethered” is part observation and part documentation of daily life,” Williams says.

  Originally published in The Brock News FRIDAY, MAY 07, 2021 | by Gillian Minaker

  While the look of a classic Polaroid picture is familiar to most people, interdisciplinary artist Amber Lee Williams (BA ’20) is challenging that standard and garnering international attention with her creative use of the iconic medium.

  Among those captivated by the St. Catharines’ artist’s compelling work is WIRED magazine, which recently commissioned Williams’ art for an article about adoption. The international publication reaches 30 million readers each month.

  Originally interested in painting, Williams, who graduated from Brock’s Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA) last year with a Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art,  discovered a passion for experimental photography when introduced to the darkroom in her second year Analogue Photography class.

  Williams developed her art practice during her degree based on a technique called Polaroid emulsion lifts. In this treatment, the top layer of a Polaroid photo (known as the emulsion layer) is separated from the physical print by soaking it in water. After the separation of the emulsion image has occurred, it is often transferred to other surfaces such as watercolour paper or hard surfaces like rocks.

  Through creative and scholarly exploration undertaken by Williams during her time in the Visual Arts program, she reimagined the Polaroid emulsion lift technique by capturing digital images of the emulsion lift in the process. She was excited by how the images looked floating in the water and found them to have an “ephemeral quality.”

  

  Brock alumna and local artist Amber Lee Williams was recently commissioned by WIRED magazine for her innovative work with Polaroid images.

  In her current work, Williams continues to explore the interplay between analogue and digital media, weaving this theme through her pieces.

  “My time at Brock put me on a very experimental path. My professors encouraged me to use unconventional materials, or to invent new ways to use materials. I was never told ‘this wasn’t the assignment’ — even when I handed in some weird stuff,” she said with a smile.

  Associate Professor of Visual Arts Amy Friend, who taught Williams’ Analogue Photography class, said that Williams consistently challenged her studio assignments, and with each critique, brought in a plethora of work that demonstrated a clear commitment to pushing process and result.

  “Her unique approach of blending alternate materials within the folds of photographic practice wonderfully represents the explorative nature of studio-based courses and the progression of her practice as an artist,” Friend said.

  Opportunity called in December 2020 when a senior editor of WIRED reached out to Williams — a connection made through Friend — to commission her Polaroid works for an upcoming article. With that, Williams embarked on her first big job in the creative sector.

  Fuelled by excitement and a touch of nervousness, she began her creative work for Adoption Moved to Facebook and a War Began written by Samantha M. Shapiro.

  “First, photographer Juan Diego Reyes took some photos using colour film of the family featured in the adoption article. The film was developed, scanned and sent to me to print as Polaroids to turn into lifts,” Williams explained.

  The lead image of the article created as a result is one of her favourite images that she has ever made.

  “The way Reyes photographed the family — with these big shadows cast behind them — felt so symbolic of what the story was all about, which was this dark side of adoption,” she said.

  Williams also created her own still life images featuring children’s items. With a toddler and seven-year-old at home, she had what she needed on hand to create original images for the rest of the article.

  Creating original images took her out of her comfort zone and posed an exciting challenge, Williams said.

  “I’m usually just making art about myself (or my own family), and for myself. Trying to make the work fit someone else’s ideas was very different than what I’m used to.”

  Williams, who recently completed her second term in the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) program at the University of Waterloo, hasn’t slowed since graduating from Brock. The busy mother of two looks forward to what the future holds.

  “I didn’t think I would be doing my MFA mostly online with my kids home, but here we are. I got through the first year and now I’ll have the summer to make more work and enjoy some time with my family,” she said.

  Williams hopes to showcase her work, “Tethered,” this fall at an exhibition in St. Catharines pending public health protocols.

  As she continues her schooling, she is contemplating what her next moves will be.

  “What I know now is that I just want to make art, and help other people make art,” she said.

  Williams’ art portfolio can be found on her website, amberleeart.com, and on her Instagram page.

  Tags: Amber Lee Williams, Amy Friend, Analogue Photography, Department of Visual Arts, Digital Photography, humanities, marilyn i. walker school of fine and performing arts, MIWSFPA, visa, Visual Arts
  Categories: Alumni, Announcements, Current Students, Events, Exhibitions, Faculty & Instructors, Future Students, In the Media, Media Releases, News, Uncategorised

• Student art exhibition explores isolation, identity during a pandemic

  Monday, April 26, 2021 | By gminaker

  

  ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE BROCK NEWS ON FRIDAY, APRIL 23, 2021 | by Gillian Minaker

  Image caption: The title wall of “unprecedented,” a new exhibition at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts VISA Gallery, is shown with artwork by Visual Arts student Jacob Heathfield titled “Self Portrait based on a Portrait of Olga Khokhlova.”

  A word often used in the past year is taking on a different meaning for Visual Arts (VISA) students as they showcase their work in a new exhibition — “unprecedented.”

  In what has been a different academic year for Brock students and faculty, this newly mounted exhibition explores the art that VISA students have created at home during the pandemic.

  Located on the first floor of Brock’s Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA) downtown campus, the VISA Gallery is a teaching exhibition space showcasing the works of undergraduate VISA students. While the gallery remains closed to the public due to public health protocols, students have been able to present their works throughout April in the physical space and viewers will have the chance to experience the gallery online in the coming days.

  The concept for the exhibition was born of the challenges experienced by students practicing studio-based art from home.

  Brock Studio Arts graduate and VISA Gallery Assistant Sarah Martin (BA ’19) was inspired to create a digital space where students could share their work in the form of an Instagram page.

  “From some of the incredible Instagram submissions made by VISA students in their year of isolation, I put together pieces that explore themes of identity to display on-site in our MIWSFPA gallery.  This has given students an opportunity to present their work in a professional setting beyond their online classes,” she says.

  The result is “unprecedented” (spelled with a lower case “u” as an artistic choice), a new exhibition curated by Martin that features the work of students in their first to fourth year, ranging across all mediums reflecting the scope and diversity of the students’ art practices.

  For third-year Studio Art major Taylor Elliott, participating in the exhibition has been an honour and he is appreciative he has been able to share his work, even if the public cannot see it in person at this time.

  “I’m very grateful for opportunities to see and be seen in this unique way,” he says. “This is the first show of any kind I’ve submitted to since the pandemic started, and it is great to feel connected to the art community in such unprecedented times.”

  Cree Tylee, a fourth-year Studio Art major with a minor in History of Art and Visual Culture, agrees that continuing to show work and share creative ideas with peers is critical given the current climate of the world.

  “If there is ever a time where the need for artistic expression peaks, it is during times of unrest,” she says. “I feel it’s important to keep creating and viewing new work, and so I was happy to have an opportunity to share my work in a gallery space.”

  Drawing on themes of isolation, Tylee was inspired by returning home.

  “Through the collection of natural materials from that landscape, using acrylic and photographic mediums, I chose to allude to a metaphysical version of ‘home,’” she says of her work featured in unprecedented.

  While the student artists welcome the chance to get back to an in-person studio environment when it is safe to do so, participating in this exhibition has been a meaningful experience for them.

  “As someone trying to break into the art scene, even just at a local level, this exhibit means the world to me,” says Eden Rioux, a second-year Studio Art major whose pieces in unprecedented explore self-reflection and the notion of daydreaming. “It’s always an honour to have your work displayed alongside others. It is a cumulative experience working towards a larger impact.”

  Rioux also points out that many artists turn to their art as a coping mechanism, allowing them to share their thoughts and feelings beyond the spoken or written word. While isolation can be lonely, artistic discoveries can still be made, they add.

  “It’s really amazing to see what everyone else is struggling with, thriving with and creating with,” says Rioux.

  Elliott also acknowledges key lessons learned during the pandemic about the importance of community, and not taking it for granted.

  “I think when things open up again, people will be so much more ready to be active and involved in the art world — I know I will be,” he says.

  The unprecedented exhibition runs until Friday, April 30. While currently closed to the public, the VISA Gallery will take over the MIWSFPA Instagram “stories” starting Monday, April 26 so viewers can virtually explore the gallery space.

  The works in unprecedented (and other student works) are available to view on an ongoing basis by following the @brockvisagallery Instagram page.

  Follow the @MIWSFPA Instagram page to view the unprecedented exhibition takeover.

  To learn more about the VISA Gallery, please visit the web page here.

  Tags: Cree Tylee, Department of Visual Arts, Eden Rioux, Jacob Heathfield, marilyn i. walker school of fine and performing arts, MIWSFPA, Sarah Martin, Taylor Elliott, unprecedented, visa, visa gallery, Visual Arts
  Categories: Alumni, Announcements, Current Students, Events, Exhibitions, Faculty & Instructors, Future Students, In the Media, Media Releases, News, Uncategorised

• Brock students create innovative video art in the age of COVID-19

  Thursday, December 03, 2020 | By gminaker

  

  Caption: Pictured above, Brock students create pandemic video art for class VISA/IASC 2PN7 “Video Art”. Clockwise from top left: Lindsay Liboiron, Isolation; Ama Okafor, A Little Adjustment; Christy Mitchell, Saudade; Jamie Wong, Screen Recording 2020-11-04 at 1.46.14PM.mp4

  As most learning this fall has happened through a screen, Brock arts students have picked up their cameras to explore the new look of video art during a pandemic.

  Students taking Video Art (VISA/IASC 2P97) are virtually screening their reflective and experiential videos in a new series entitled “Video Art in the Age of COVID-19” that can now be viewed on the Department of Visual Arts website and the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA) YouTube channel.

  This project is led by Donna Szoke, media artist and Associate Professor in Studio Art at the MIWSFPA and supported by an Experiential Education grant from the Centre of Pedagogical Innovation at Brock University.

  As part of the creative and academic process to create the videos, students considered how the pandemic has changed video art and how new visual interfaces have marked this shift. They critically examined the new video aesthetic of the COVID-19 era, and how this has changed perceptions of individuality and collectivity.

  To watch the student-created videos and learn more about their research, please visit the project webpage Video Art in the Age of COVID-19.

  Tags: Department of Visual Arts, Donna Szőke, marilyn i. walker school of fine and performing arts, Video Art, visa, VISA 2P97
  Categories: Alumni, Announcements, Current Students, Events, Exhibitions, Faculty & Instructors, Future Students, In the Media, News, Uncategorised

• New for 2020: Advanced Art Practices presents their capstone exhibition online.

  Thursday, April 02, 2020 | By dvivian

  

  NOTHING HAPPENS
  UNTIL SOMETHING MOVES
  Launch: Wednesday April 8 at 7pm
  visa3m90.wordpress.com

  Join the students of VISA 3M90 Advanced Art Practices for the launch of their final exhibition on Wednesday, April 8 at 7 pm.

  This year-end presentation features new work from a multi-disciplinary course where cross-pollination is key. During the academic year the students investigate artistic research and creation from the perspective of project oriented, independent production.  They have been mentored by instructor Donna Akrey in the development of artistic practices emphasizing concept through to realization processes.

  In this Spring of COVID-19 the students will show their work online: physically distant, but not socially.

  The featured artists include:

  

  download the poster

  KENDRA BOSSE
  TERI LYNN DITZEL
  PERI GOODMAN
  I.J.IROGBENACHI
  GABRIELLA JONES
  UGO MADUKA
  LAUREN MARCO
  JESS MCCLELLAND
  AMA OKAFOR
  SOPHIA STRACHAN
  CHARLOTTE TARR

  Tags: 3M90 Advanced Art Practices, Advanced Art Practices, Donna Alkrey, VISA 3M90
  Categories: Announcements, Current Students, Events, Exhibitions, Faculty & Instructors, News

• CrissCross, a new student exhibition at the MIWSFPA

  Wednesday, March 04, 2020 | By dvivian

  

  EDITOR’S NOTE: This exhibition is unavailable for viewing until further notice. It is closed as part of Brock University’s ongoing efforts to protect the health and safety of students, faculty, staff and the community in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Please check here again.

  CrissCross, a new student exhibition at the MIWSFPA

  March 5 – 28
  opening reception: March 12th, 5 p.m.
  (This is also the reception for the Artist Talk by the Walker Cultural Leader, Landon Mackenzie.)

  VISA Gallery and Student Exhibition Space, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine & Performing Arts, 15 Artists’ Common, St. Catharines, L2R 0B5.
  

  The gallery is open Tuesday-Saturday, 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
  An exhibition by students from the Studies in Arts and Culture and Visual Arts programs. Our hybrid assemblages celebrate incongruity and unfettered associations. Whether abstract or figurative, paintings, or texts, they are intended to trigger reactions, prompt comparisons, and challenge the usual. Beyond the immediate effect of surprise, they provoke, their apparent disparateness nevertheless generates, on closer view, a semblance of overall coherence.

  Tags: centre for studies in arts and culture, CrissCross, stac, visa, Visual Arts
  Categories: Announcements, Current Students, Events, Exhibitions, Faculty & Instructors, In the Media, Media Releases, Uncategorised

• Sacred Spaces: a student exhibition about mental health, at the MIWSFPA

  Saturday, February 01, 2020 | By dvivian

  

  Sacred Spaces:Student Exhibition

  Feb. 6 to 29, 2020
  Opening reception: Feb. 12, 2020 — 5 to 8 p.m.

  VISA Art Gallery and Student Exhibition Space, MIWSFPA
  15 Artists’ Common, St. Catharines

  The gallery is open Tuesday to Saturday from 1 to 5 p.m.

  With a focus on mental health, an exhibition about understanding emotional vulnerability and self-reflection, while unpacking the human need for comfort. Featuring Visual Arts students Kaitlyn Roberts and Chardon Trimble-Kirk.

  see the review in The Sound by Bart Gazzola.

  Sacred Spaces – Artist Statement
  Kaitlyn Roberts and Chardon Trimble-Kirk

  Mental illnesses often destroy from the inside out. It is a sickness that is hidden through the action of covering oneself from the world, in fear of discovery. Doctors will prescribe medication in an attempt to cure mental illness; medication that comes with dizziness, fatigue, loss of appetite, bruising, sexual dysfunction, and countless other side effects. All of which to shut out the voices from inside one’s mind. Voices that proclaim that you are not good enough, you do not deserve to be happy, you do not deserve to eat. I would much rather stay in bed. If I stay in bed, the medication isn’t necessary. The demons and monsters can be let out and no one will ever know.

  When living with mental illness, it is living a double life. One must hide behind a mask, only finding true relief in the intimate space of the bedroom, amongst the comfort of bedding. Only within these spaces is one truly allowed to express the realities of mental illnesses, whilst finding safety in the sacred spaces of the bed.

  Each work represents the safety and intimacy found within these spaces, whilst offering a juxtaposition between the covering and uncovering realities of the illnesses. The uncovering comes from personal texts written across these spaces, as well as the exposure of the body, and curiously the covering of the eyes in each figurative work. The text which is a direct thought, and nude figures which are an indirect representation of vulnerability, invite viewers into the sacred spaces of one’s true thoughts. The vague figures and various text will resonate with viewers, bringing awareness to mental illness, its prevalence, and its resonance within many.

  The works aim to de-stigmatize some of the most serious and misunderstood mental illnesses, all within the sacred spaces of our beds.

  

  download poster

  Kaitlyn Roberts is currently in her fourth and final year at Brock University, achieving an Honours Bachelor of Arts with a major in Studio Art. Her artistic education birthed an attraction to explore autoethnography. Roberts’ studio practice, specifically, surveys the complexity of mental illness translated through visual art while highlighting how it affects both the artist and the viewer.

  Roberts is currently using her practice to investigate the relationship between the mind and the body, through the artistic process of ‘mapping’. This includes research into the connections between mental illnesses and the physical sicknesses that follow, including trauma.

  Roberts has shown her work in juried shows around Ontario including, St. Catharines City Hall’s Transformations, Niagara Artist Centre’s Fortune Favours, and the Visual Arts Centre of Clarington’s The VAC 39th Annual Juried Show where she was the only student, and youngest person to be accepted. Roberts has also shown her work in exhibitions including; Niagara Artist Centre’s Small Feats, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine, and Performing Arts’ Art Block: BAC
  on the Block, as well as many exhibitions hosted by Mahtay Café.

  Roberts will be showing her thesis work titled, Dear Euodia, in April 2020 at Rodman Hall in St. Catharines, Ontario alongside co-artists Chardon Trimble-Kirk, Brianne Casey, Rachel McCartney, Zach White, Kira Pretty, Curt Richard, and Jess McClelland. Opening reception is Friday, April 3rd at 7 pm.

  Roberts is planning on pursuing a Master’s Degree in Fine Arts once she graduates from Brock University.

  Chardon Trimble-Kirk is a Canadian painter based in St. Catharines. Through the use of figuration and pattern making, themes of femininity and gender roles are explored within her work. In addition to this, Trimble-Kirk is interested in the themes of sexuality, vulnerability, repetition and mental health, and their intersections within femininity. Thematic and aesthetic contrasts are often included within the work, allowing viewers to interpret the work individually while also thinking critically about the concepts presented.

  Tags: Chardon Trimble-Kirk, Kaitlyn Roberts, Sacred Spaces, visa, Visual Arts
  Categories: Announcements, Current Students, Events, Exhibitions, In the Media, Media Releases, News, Uncategorised

• Imagined Urban Gardens opens at Rodman Hall Art Centre

  Saturday, February 01, 2020 | By dvivian

  

  Imagined Urban Gardens: Student Exhibition
  Jan. 30 – March 1, 2020

  

  download the poster

  Rodman Hall Art Centre
  109 St. Paul Crescent, St. Catharines, ON

  Responding to the explorations of urban architecture and its materials in Teresa Carlesimo and Michael DiRisio: more light than heat (on exhibition at the Rodman Hall Art Centre), Imagined Urban Gardens also reflects on today’s global warming and how we could live in the future.

  We dream of green spaces and pleasantly warm cities.
  Students in Visual Arts and Studies in Arts and Culture envision in text and image what could be in a livable world.

  See the YourTV Niagara video spotlight about this exhibition, featuring interviews with the artists and curators.

  Read the article by Bart Gazzola in The Sound STC.

  Tags: centre for studies in arts and culture, Imagined Urban Gardens, RHAC, Rodman Hall Art Centre, Visual Arts
  Categories: Current Students, Events, Exhibitions, Faculty & Instructors, In the Media, News, Uncategorised