Current Students

An Instrument of Colour: Student Exhibition at the MIWSFPA

Wednesday, October 30, 2019 | By dvivian

A curated exhibition of student work exploring colour as language, organized by Visual Arts Professor Shawn Serfas.

Participating artists include:

Danielle Booker
Sarah Cecchini
Rea Kelly
Lindsay Liboiron
Ashleen Mohaupt
Krista Nap
Lillian Pasqua
Taylor Sorensen
Shania Anne Thompson
Cree Tylee
Blake Wilson
&
Various Artists Representing Geographies of Process

exhibition: Nov. 1 to Nov. 29

Reception Nov. 6, 2019 — 5 to 8 p.m.

VISA Art Gallery and Student Exhibition Space,
Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts,
Brock University

The gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday, 1 to 5 pm
and for special events.

see the ExpBU calendar listing

see the video produced by YourTV

Tags: colour, painting, Serfas
Categories: Current Students, Events, Exhibitions, News, Uncategorised
Colourful new mural reflects Brock’s international connections

Wednesday, September 04, 2019 | By dvivian
Fourth-year Visual Arts student Chardon Trimble-Kirk completed the new International Centre Global Commons mural over 240 hours this summer.

(From: The Brock News, TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2019 | by Mike Morrison)

Before graduating from Brock University next year, Chardon Trimble-Kirk hoped to leave a vibrant mark on campus.

And after committing more than 240 hours of work to a project at Brock’s International Centre this summer, the fourth-year Visual Arts student has done just that.

Trimble-Kirk was drawn to a request for proposals posted in April that sought someone to create a mural in a commonly used community space within the centre. She had an idea, which she named “Connections,” and submitted a scaled-down version for review.

Fourth-year Visual Arts student Chardon Trimble-Kirk worked from June to August to complete the new mural in Brock’s International Centre.

Her vision featured chrysanthemums flowers, which are “symbolic of friendship and well-wishing,” she said. “Connecting them to a variety of countries intends to showcase the friendship that can be found in individuals regardless of their country of origin.”

Leigh-Ellen Keating, Director of Brock International, said the design chosen for the project had to meet certain criteria, including being reflective of the entire Brock community, including faculty, staff and students from more than 100 countries around the world. It also needed to highlight the importance of internationalization and globalization, a key part of the University’s new Strategic Plan.

After careful deliberation by a committee of Brock University representatives, Trimble-Kirk’s design was selected for the project and she began the painting in June.

The newest symbol of Brock’s growing international community now stands more than 15 feet wide and nine feet tall in the Global Commons, a student lounge inside the International Centre that’s home to events and activities open to the entire Brock community.

It is by far the largest project that Trimble-Kirk has ever worked on. Her previous record was four six-by-three-foot paintings for a third-year class.The experience led to a number of firsts for the artist.“

I used scaffolding for the first time to complete the higher sections,” Trimble-Kirk said. “I had also never painted directly on brick walls and found myself learning to work with the texture rather than fight it.”

The mural will be officially unveiled during Brock International’s Open House on Wednesday, Sept. 4 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the International Centre.

Trimble-Kirk, who will continue doing freelance paintings after she graduates, plans to apply to a Master of Fine Arts program in the coming years.
Tags: brock international, Brock International Services, Chardon Trimble-Kirk, Department of Visual Arts, Leigh-Ellen Keating, marilyn i. walker school of fine and performing arts, MIWSFPA
Categories: Current Students, In the Media, News, Uncategorised
Home, from above: an exhibition by Kira Pretty

Sunday, August 25, 2019 | By dvivian

The first exhibition of the year presents the work of Brock Visual Arts Student, Kira Pretty.
This solo exhibition is the culminating project for an independent study course, VISA 3F99 featuring photography and video work.

Sept. 4 to Sept. 30, 2019
Reception: Sept. 4, 2019 5-7 pm

VISA Art Gallery and Student Exhibition Space,
Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts,
Brock University

The gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday, 1 to 5 pm
and for special events.

Tags: 3F99, Exhibition, Kira, Pretty
Categories: Current Students, Events, Exhibitions, News, Uncategorised
Students transform trash into treasure for new art exhibit

Monday, June 24, 2019 | By sackles

Visual Arts major Caroline Holroyd, 67, works away at her plaster of paris sculpture for the upcoming exhibition, Material World.

(From The Brock News, June 24, 2019 | By: Sarah Ackles)

In a world where both packaging and products are marketed as disposable, Brock Visual Arts students have been challenged to rethink the concept of materialism.

As part of instructor Donna Akrey’s Sculpture VISA 2F05 course, students were tasked with collecting various everyday items to be used as the basis for their final art projects.

Everything from Styrofoam packing material to masking tape was fair game as students sculpted their works, which are featured in the upcoming exhibition Material World, on view from Friday, June 28 to Friday, July 19.

In the process of creating, experimenting and working with their hands, students questioned society’s relationship to disposable materials. They also explored the often-overlooked aesthetics of simple, everyday objects, while being conscious of how everyday “stuff” is treated.

Artist Caroline Holroyd, for example, repurposed an old speaker and plastic hockey stick handle for one of her pieces.

“It’s an important topic because there’s so much waste all around us,” she said of working with found objects for this exhibition. “We’re showing creative ways to reuse that waste in this exhibition, but there is still so much more that we can do to combat this serious issue of waste in our society.”

The 67-year-old Visual Arts major has been completing her degree on a part-time basis and said that working on projects like Material World alongside other artists is one of her favourite parts of the program.

“They make me feel young,” she said with a laugh.

Other participating artists in the show include Lindsay Allen, Meagan Benner, Kendra Bosse, Peri Goodman, Erica Greshuk, Rea Kelly, Ang Li, Sarah Martin, Ami Okafor, Harvind Sekhon, Taylor Sorensen, Miles Stanley, Jamie Tomao-Martin and Jessica Turk.

Material World runs from Friday, June 28 to Friday, July 19 in the VISA Gallery and Student Exhibition Space at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts.

An opening reception will take place Friday, June 28, from noon to 3 p.m.

The exhibition and reception are free and open to the public.

Tags: 15 Artists’ Common, Department of Visual Arts, donna akrey, Exhibition, marilyn i. walker school of fine and performing arts, MIWSFPA, visa, Visual Arts
Categories: Announcements, Current Students, Events, Exhibitions, News
Summer student employment opportunites at Rodman Hall

Thursday, April 25, 2019 | By amcbay

Rodman Hall Art Centre has three summer student positions available, please check the link below for details on these positions:

https://brocku.ca/rodman-hall/community/#1556118960648-db092170-9704

Categories: Announcements, Current Students, Faculty & Instructors, Future Students, In the Media, News
Visual Arts students get creative career advice from international artists

Thursday, April 25, 2019 | By Brock University

Visual Arts students in Assistant Professor Amy Friend’s Introduction to Digital Photography class were given the chance to interview six successful, creative professionals from around the world thanks to an Experiential Education Teaching and Learning Innovation Grant. The class is pictured engaged in discussion with Dornith Doherty, a Texas professor who documents and collages seeds and tissue samples.

(From The Brock News, April 25, 2019 | By: Sarah Ackles)

What’s it like to create a photographic archive of plant seeds and tissue samples that could one day ensure humanity’s very survival?

What about travelling the world to capture award-winning images of the rapidly melting polar ice caps or soldiers in conflict zones?

Students in Brock’s Introduction to Digital Photography class learned all of this and more, directly from creative professionals this past semester.

Thanks to an Experiential Education Teaching and Learning Innovation Grant, Assistant Professor Amy Friend was able to invite six professionals in the field of photography from around the world to visit her class via video chat.

British-American artist Phillip Toledano, pictured on screen, was one of six artists who participated in student-conducted interviews as part of Assistant Professor Amy Friend’s Introduction to Digital Photography class. The Visual Arts students were given the opportunity to interact with these creative professionals thanks to an Experiential Education Teaching and Learning Innovation Grant.

Visual Arts students researched and subsequently interviewed guest speakers one-on-one, before ending each session with a group discussion.

The exercise provided valuable insight into the artistic process and the challenges involved with working in different areas of photography, Friend said.

“The students responded quite well; you could see a sense of excitement,” she said. “They heard interesting stories about how artists work through their processes and different insights about how and why specific choices are made, and the methods used to get this work out into the world.”

Participating artists included Dornith Doherty, a professor and Guggenheim Foundation Fellow from North Texas who documents and collages plant seeds and tissue samples in her Archiving Eden project; Cig Harvey, an artist whose work has been exhibited at major museums and collections in the United States and Europe; Spanish artist Alfonso Almedros; award-winning photojournalist Louie Palu, whose work has been featured in National Geographic and numerous international collections; Jacqueline Bates, Photography Director of The California Sunday Magazine; and British-American mixed-media artist and author Phillip Toledano.

Fourth-year Visual Arts student Rachel McCartney was tasked with interviewing Toledano, whose work is similar to what she aspires to create herself one day.

“Interacting with visiting artists in a classroom setting was an extremely useful and gratifying experience,” she said. “It allowed for direct one-on-one communication and to dissect the brain of someone who is a successful future version of what I aspire to be.”

The grant was one of 18 that were awarded in 2018-19 to support the development of new experiential learning courses and experiential opportunities within existing courses.

The Teaching and Learning Innovation Grants were supported financially by Experiential Education at Brock and external funding through the province’s Career Ready Fund.

Sandy Howe, Associate Director, Experiential Education, said the new interview series went “above and beyond” expectations and offered a “highly impactful” experiential learning opportunity for participating students.

“It’s always amazing to me to see faculty members trying something new in their courses and how this impacts their own learning and engagement with their teaching,” she added. “This is an excellent example of how different types of experiences can be used to improve both teaching and learning.”

Friend said the calibre and range of artists who participated also exposed students to the range of career opportunities that exist for someone with a Fine Arts and Photography background.

“It was one of the best things I’ve ever experienced in my teaching strategies,” she said. “I was stunned by how much information the students were able to learn in a short period of time.”

For McCartney, the experience armed her with more confidence as an artist and a wealth of advice for ensuring success in her future career.

“I find it really important that we constantly look for new ways to teach and learn because it promotes better student engagement,” she said. “Actively changing the curriculum to integrate new ways of learning creates a more personalized education that is beneficial to students. I’m very thankful to the artists who participated and immensely thankful for Professor Friend for organizing this experience.”

Tags: Amy Friend, Department of Visual Arts, Experiential Education, marilyn i. walker school of fine and performing arts, MIWSFPA, Rachel McCartney, Sandy Howe, Teaching & Learning Innovation Grant, visa
Categories: Current Students, Faculty & Instructors, News
Applications being accepted for Visa Student Assistants/Monitors for Fall/Winter 2019-2020.

Wednesday, April 17, 2019 | By amcbay

Applications now being accepted for Visual Arts Student Assistants/Monitors for Fall/Winter 2019-2020.

Qualifications:
• Must be a Brock University Visual Arts major (priority given to upper year students)
• Able to consistently lift up to 30 lbs
• Knowledge and interest in the Arts
• Strong communication skills
• Team oriented, willing to support where the greatest need is
• Flexible – hours may vary. Call-in shifts may occur

Duties include: Monitoring/clean-up duties of assigned areas, and other related duties assigned by supervisor.
Compensation: $14.00/hour. Apply by: Fri, April 26, 2019.

To apply send resume & cover letter to Monika Lederich at visualarts@brocku.ca (please use your Brock student email account) with you student number, major, year of study & relevant qualifications.

You may also apply on-line at the Brock HR page: https://brocku.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/brocku_careers/job/St-Catharines-Downtown-Campus/Student-Assistant-Monitor-Visual-Arts-Student-Monitors_JR-1002509-1

Categories: Announcements, Current Students, Faculty & Instructors
Visual Arts students share creative Modus Operandi in new exhibition

Thursday, April 04, 2019 | By Brock University

Connor Playfair, a Brock Visual Arts student in the 3M90 Advanced Art Practices course, will show his work on wood blocks at Modus Operandi, beginning Saturday, April 13 at the Niagara Artists Centre.

(From The Brock News, Thursday, April 4, 2019 | By: Sarah Ackles)

Under the mentorship of instructor Donna Akrey, Brock Visual Arts students spent the last semester working in the studio to hone their craft and develop their own unique artistic identities.

The end result, and the process they underwent to get there, will be on display in their final exhibition, Modus Operandi, on view at the Niagara Artist Centre (NAC) from Saturday, April 13 to Wednesday, April 24.

The contemporary art show features the work of students in the 3M90 Advanced Art Practices course at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA).

Brock Visual Arts student Zach White works away at the pieces he will be showing as part of Modus Operandi, a contemporary art show at the Niagara Artists Centre beginning Saturday, April 13.

The artists tackle themes of environment, sexuality, mental health, identity and joy through a wide range of methods and materials such as wood, paper, installation, photography, zines, sculptured wire and clay, audio and research into optics via mirrors, virtual reality, video and performative work.

Artist Lindsay Allen said she was “inspired by seeing everyone’s work together.”

“Modus Operandi is a collection of hard work and progress made throughout the year, and each artist worked towards having a solid grasp on their subject matter and materials,” she added. “It required a lot of research and experimentation, but I think we all learned a lot and have become better artists through this experience.”

The course is structured, so the artists are given the autonomy to develop a mature and individual body of work with the end goal of producing a final exhibition for the public.

For some students, such as Angelina Turner, this is the first time they have exhibited their work outside of the MIWSFPA.

“I am very excited to get my work out there and to further my career,” she said.

Fellow artist Connor Playfair agreed, adding the experience gives students a “real taste of having a professional art show.”

“We are involved in every step of the planning and execution process and are making work that is without guidelines or restrictions using the skills that we have developed over our past four years at Brock,” he said.

In addition to Allen, Turner and Playfair, artists featured in the exhibition include: Chelsea Dietrich, Amy Doan, Renz Baluyot, Alona Nyforovska, Lillianna Pagliaro, Curt Richard, Zach White and Evan Wiens.

Modus Operandi will run from Saturday, April 13 to Wednesday, April 24 at the Niagara Artists Centre, 354 St. Paul St. in St. Catharines.

There will be an opening reception Saturday, April 13 from 7 to 9 p.m.

Visit the Niagara Artists Centre website for additional gallery hours.

Eleven visual artists in Brock’s 3M90 Advanced Art Practices course will have their work on view at a show titled Modus Operandi, hosted at the Niagara Artists Centre in St. Catharines beginning Saturday, April 13.

Tags: 3M90 Advanced Art Practices, Alona Nyforovska, Amy Doan, Angelina Turner, Chelsea Dietrich, Connor Playfair, Curt Richard, Department of Visual Arts, donna akrey, Evan Wiens, Lillianna Pagliaro, Lindsay Allen, marilyn i. walker school of fine and performing arts, MIWSFPA, Modus Operandi, Niagara Artist Centre, renz baluyot, zach white
Categories: Current Students, Events, Exhibitions, News
New art exhibition the product of student collaboration

Thursday, March 28, 2019 | By Brock University

Quality Family Time (and Space), a piece by Brock alumna Emily Andrews (BA ’11), is part of the new Erasures exhibit that will run from April 2 to 27 in the VISA Art Gallery and Student Exhibition Space at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts. An opening reception is set for Thursday, April 4 from 5 to 8 p.m.

(From The Brock News, March 27, 2019 | By: Jaquelyn Bezaire)

While they’re known for correcting errors, erasures are signs of progress and an expanding imagination.

Students in Brock’s Visual Arts (VISA) and Studies in Arts and Culture (STAC) programs will explore this theme in a new collaborative art exhibit on view from Tuesday, April 2 to Saturday, April 27.

The exhibit, Erasures, will be open to the public in the VISA Art Gallery and Student Exhibition Space at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA) in downtown St. Catharines.

An opening reception will be held in the gallery on Thursday, April 4, from 5 to 8 p.m.

Led by Shawn Serfas, Associate Professor of Visual Arts, and Catherine Parayre, Director of the Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture, students enrolled in VISA 4P03/4P04 and STAC 3P01 worked together to create a show that features paintings and text that thematize different types of erasures.

The work ranges from the exploration of scenes lacking important elements, simplified adaptations of existing artworks and abstracted forms of figurative objects.

Short written statements commenting on well-known recent artworks accompany the paintings to provide further context.

Serfas and Parayre frequently bring students from different backgrounds together to collaborate on creative endeavours.

“It has been an enriching learning experience, for both the students and the instructors,” Parayre said of working with the students on Erasures.

The exhibition evokes transformations and process, an important theme in both Serfas’ senior studio courses and Parayre’s Media Transformations in the Creative Arts course.

Whether in visual expressions or in texts, Parayre added, erasures are invitations to scrutinize, read and interpret, which is exactly what the public is encouraged to do at the upcoming exhibition.

Erasures runs from April 2 to 27 in the VISA Art Gallery and Student Exhibition Space at the MIWSFPA in downtown St. Catharines. The gallery is open to the public Tuesdays to Saturdays from 1 to 5 p.m.

Tags: Catherine Parayre, centre for studies in arts and culture, Department of Visual Arts, Erasures, marilyn i. walker school of fine and performing arts, MIWSFPA, Shawn Serfas
Categories: Current Students, Events, Exhibitions, News
Rescheduled sculpture-making workshop to be held March 27

Friday, March 22, 2019 | By Brock University

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.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.

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

Tags: Department of Visual Arts, Emma Mary Sked, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA) Wellness Series, MIWSFPA, MIWSFPA Wellness Series
Categories: Current Students, Events, News