Visual Arts Department drawing instructor Lorène Bourgeois’ next exhibition “Large Drawings – Gathering” is opening at the One on One Gallery at Medicine Hat College.
March 2 – March 27, 2018
Opening reception: Thursday, March 2, 4:30 pm
William Bell and Grandma, from the Bell-Sloman Collection of the James Gibson Library, Brock University
A Walker Cultural Leader Series and Canada 150 Exhibition and Public Lecture:
Visual Arts faculty have selected photographs and ephemera from the Bell-Sloman Collection of the James Gibson Library, part of a remarkable collection donated to Brock University by Rick Bell in 2010. The collection features more than 300 photos and various papers spanning more than a century that document the Bell and Sloman families, who descended from former slaves in the American south. The exhibition at the Visual Arts gallery will showcase some of the material presented at the Walker Cultural Leader series lecture on January 31, when we are pleased to welcome Dr. Julie Crooks from the Art Gallery of Ontario. Her research situates the Bell-Sloman Collection as a “fugitive archive,’ built with defiance and resistance, in order to preserve, salvage and recover the histories of African Canadian communities whose stories and material artefacts are often left untold or subject to erasure.
Exhibition: Monday, January 9, 2018 to Friday, February 9, 2018
Regular visiting hours are Tuesday through Saturday 1 to 5 pm.
To check viewing times of the exhibition please see the webpage.
Location of Exhibition: Visa Gallery and Exhibition Space, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, Brock University
Note: The date of the exhibition reception is Wednesday, January 31 at 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
The lecture follows at 7:00 p.m. A free community event. Please see below for more details.
Dr. Julie Crooks of the Art Gallery of Ontario
Dr. Julie Crooks is our second Walker Cultural Leader in Visual Arts for 2017-18. Her public lecture will draw on current research that examines the ways in which black communities, by the mid to late 19th century, in settlements throughout Southern Ontario, used photography as a critical and powerful tool for self-representation. Crooks’ research situates the Bell-Sloman Collection as a “fugitive archive,” built with defiance and resistance, in order to preserve, salvage and recover the histories of black communities whose stories and material artefacts are often left untold or subject to erasure. The exhibition at the VISA Gallery and Exhibition Space (above) will showcase some of the material presented in the lecture.
Wednesday, January 31, 2018
Time: 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Preceded by a reception for the exhibition at the VISA Gallery and Exhibition Space.
Location: Marilyn I. Walker Theatre, Brock University (second floor, above the VISA Gallery)
This is a free community event, but tickets are required and are available at wcl-bell-sloman-crooks.eventbrite.com
Visual Arts Department Gallery Monitor/Assistant Needed Immediately
The position is available to full time VISA students for Thursdays from 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm. Please send cover letter and resume to Professor Amy Friend at afriend@brocku.ca and cc. Monika Lederich at mlederich@brocku.ca
“One of Them Is a Human #1” by Maija Tammi won third place in this year’s Taylor-Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize. Tammi studied photography at Brock in 2008-09 with Visual Arts professor Amy Friend. (Image copyright Maija Tammi; Used by permission).
(Source: The Brock News | Friday Dec. 15, 2017 by Alison Innes)
At first glance, the photo is a portrait of a young woman.
On closer inspection, the ‘woman’ isn’t human at all. It is, in fact, an android called Erica, developed by Hiroshi Ishiguro Laboratories in Osaka University, Japan.
The photograph, taken by Finnish artist Maija Tammi and titled “One of Them is a Human #1,” won third prize in this year’s prestigious Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize.
The photograph also has a surprising Brock connection.
Finnish artist Maija Tammi, who studied at
Brock University in 2008-09
Tammi spent a year studying film and art at Brock University in 2008-09. Although she already had a background in photojournalism, her experience at Brock, and in particular a course with Professor Amy Friend, encouraged her towards art photography.
“The Visual Arts program at Brock offers an abundance of opportunity for one-on-one interactions in class with students and professors,” says Friend.
Such interactions allow for personalized and concentrated instruction that allow students to reach their potential.
“Maija flourished in this environment and took advantage of the surrounding community with her interactive installations and thought-provoking course projects,” says Friend.
Tammi cites the film Five Obstructions, which she first saw in Friend’s course, as particularly influential.
The 1967 film shows the remaking of the same story five times, each with a different obstruction. This process of rethinking and reframing inspired Tammi.
“Once you have thought of a concept,” she explains, “you rethink it several times from different perspectives.”
Tammi was immediately interested in the ways obstructions can encourage creativity and used the idea in her class project, redoing the same photograph multiple times with different obstructions.
This experience in Friend’s course influenced her approach to photography. She gives herself obstructions, such as limiting her camera gear, to encourage her own creativity.
Tammi is particularly attracted to portraiture, which she says tells us more about ourselves as viewers of the photograph than the subject of the photo as we project our stereotypes on them.
One of Them is a Human #1 has attracted a lot of attention in the arts community. Although the Taylor Wessing contest rules state that the subject needs to be alive, Tammi’s photograph was accepted because it raises important questions about what it means to be human.
“I’m very excited about the conversation that has arisen,” Tammi says. “It is time to think about what it means to be alive.”
Tammi doesn’t shy away from difficult subjects; she is currently completing a practise-based PhD exploring representations of sickness in art photography.
“I like topics that are very difficult and people don’t like to talk about,” she says.
Friend, who exhibited work in the same show as Tammi in New York in August 2015, has been watching her former student’s success closely.
“Her success is indicative of the connections that many students make with classmates and professors,” Friend says. “When I see opportunities that fit her areas of expertise I send them her way. These are the types of extended interactions that happen when we are given space to know our students.”
Tammi’s work was one of three finalists chosen from more than 5,717 submissions. Selected submissions, including the shortlisted portraits and competition winner, are on display at the National Portrait Gallery in London, England.
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.
Brock University, Danny Custodio, Denise Apostolatos, Department of Visual Arts, Exhibit, Exhibition, marilyn i. walker school of fine and performing arts, MIWSFPA, Photography, RMG Exposed, Rodman Hall, Rodman Hall Art Centre, Visual Arts
Categories: Announcements, Current Students, Exhibitions, In the Media, News
Canadian Art has reviewed a recent exhibition that features the work of Visa Sessional Instructor Donna Akrey. Click HERE to read the article.
The artwork of Brock Fine Arts Assistant Professor Amy Friend is being featured on the international tour of renowned Canadian musician Diana Krall.
(Source: The Brock News, Thursday, November 2, 2017 | By: Maryanne Firth)
When the e-mail popped into Amy Friend’s inbox, she was certain it couldn’t be real.
But a feeling inside prompted the Brock Fine Arts assistant professor to respond to the inquiry, which asked about her artwork and whether she’d consider collaborating with renowned Canadian musician Diana Krall.
It was soon after that Friend found herself on the phone with the Grammy Award winner discussing possibilities for her upcoming tour.
Friend’s experimental photography has since helped Krall to set the scene on stage, acting as her backdrop as she captivates crowds in venues across North America and Europe.
Brock University Fine Arts Assistant Professor Amy Friend.
Friend’s work has been featured on the jazz singer’s international tour since June and the partnership is expected to continue through to the summer.
The project, which includes art pieces from three different bodies of work, has been “particularly fulfilling,” Friend said.
She has enjoyed the challenge of working with Krall to find pieces that fit the mood and message of individual songs, while also complementing the title of the tour and Krall’s most recent album, Turn Up the Quiet.
“It’s about trying to respect your own work, while also seeing how you can accommodate a vision that will fit within the repertoire they’re working with,” she said.
Friend is currently working to select new pieces for Krall’s Canadian tour dates, including a Nov. 24 show at Massey Hall in Toronto that she plans to attend.
“I’m looking forward to seeing her perform and to seeing my work filling the stage in a concert hall where I have heard musicians like Johnny Cash, Tom Waits and Nick Cave perform,” she said.
Krall’s latest repertoire will include a cover of Bob Dylan’s Simple Twist of Fate, which Friend is particularly excited to find a piece to accompany.
“Much of my work revolves around ideas of memory, impermanence, history and time,” said Friend, who has worked at Brock for the past decade. “I am less concerned with capturing a ‘concrete’ reality. Instead, I aim to use photography as a medium that offers the possibility of exploring the relationship between what is visible and non-visible.”
Work featured on the tour includes hand-manipulated photographs, pieces featuring floating handkerchiefs once belonging to Friend’s grandparents, and artwork inspired by snippets of film from her childhood.
Over the past few months, Friend and Krall have shared many inspiring conversations about family, creativity and women in the arts.
“She has been so great to work with, you could almost forget her status in the music world,” Friend said.
Krall often emphasized the need to respect Friend’s work and always checks in with the artist to ensure she’s pleased with the end results of each tour stop.
Friend called it “refreshing” to be able to engage with other artists.
“It exposes you to experiences that have commonalities and, at times, interesting variances,” she said. “It’s also wonderful to see how my work found a place to exist far beyond my initial intentions.”
The team responsible for the on-stage initiative also included Judy Jacob, a video and visual content director, and Paul Normandale, a lighting designer, who Friend said “took the project to the next level.”
In addition to her work with the tour, Friend has been busy over the past year with international exhibitions in Spain, Korea, Poland, Portugal and France. She has shows coming up in Boston and Italy and plans to release a new book in the near future.
The artwork of Brock Fine Arts Assistant Professor Amy Friend is being featured on the international tour of renowned Canadian musician Diana Krall.
Associate Professor and Visual Arts Department Chair Donna Szoke’s work is discussed in the on-line journal New Media Caucus in an article by Lisa Moren, Professor of Visual Art and Graduate Program Director of Intermedia + Digital Art, MFA Program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County [UMBC]. Her interactive video installation and all watched over by machines of loving grace is a humorous intervention in the dystopian reality of contemporary dataveillance and societies of control.
Image courtesy of Tim Nohe.
Visa Instructor Donna Akrey is part of two collectives with projects being mounted in an exhibition at the Art Gallery of Windsor this fall:
Downtown/s: Urban Renewals Today for Tomorrow, The 2017 Windsor-Essex Triennial of Contemporary Art.
Art Gallery of Windsor
October 21 to January 28, 2018
(F)NOR
(L)Herbes Other Rivers
October 20, 7pm
In/Terminus Research Colective & the Hamilton Perambulatory Unit (Lee Rodney, Michael Daroch, Taien Ng-Chan & Donna Akrey)
Reconnaissance, Heart + Soul: the Windsor Armouries
October 20, 7pm
Walker Cultural Leader Series and Canada 150 present:
Colonial Print Culture and the Limits of Enslaved Resistance: Examining the Late Eighteenth and Early Nineteenth-Century Fugitive Slave Archive in Canada and Jamaica,
a public lecture, reception and book signing by Dr. Charmaine Nelson
Dr. Charmaine Nelson is a Professor of Art History at McGill University. Her current research project juxtaposes fugitive slave advertisements, portraiture, and genre studies from Nova Scotia, Quebec, and Jamaica, to examine differences in the visual dimensions of creolization between slave minority and slave majority sites of the British Atlantic world. In 2016, she was named as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, College of New Scholars, Artists, and Scientists. Most recently, Nelson has been appointed the William Lyon Mackenzie King Visiting Professor of Canadian Studies at Harvard University for the 2017 – 2018 academic year. Dr. Nelson will present her research in a public lecture as a part of Visual Arts’ Walker Cultural Leader Series programming.
The lecture abstract and presenter’s bio is available at Eventbrite.
See the article in the Brock News.
Thursday October 19, 2017
Lecture Time: 7:00 pm.
Note: The lecture will be followed by a reception and book signing at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts.
Location: The FilmHouse, FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, 250 St. Paul Street, St. Catharines
This is a free community event. Reserve your seat with tickets available at Eventbrite.
Groups are welcome! Contact Professor Linda Steer lsteer@brocku.ca for orders of more than 10 tickets.
—
The event is presented by the Department of Visual Arts for the Walker Cultural Leader Series, generously founded by Marilyn I. Walker.
The Walker Cultural Leader series brings leading artists, performers, practitioners and academics to the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts at Brock University. Engaging, lively and erudite, these sessions celebrate professional achievement, artistic endeavour and the indelible role of culture in our society. Please join us. This education program is generously founded by Marilyn I. Walker.