New play by Writing student explores trans joy & resilience

New play by Writing student explores trans joy & resilience

It's always exciting to see student work spring off the campus and into the community. Local playwright and fresh Writing alum Jasper Mallette — who just graduated in June 2025 — is now debuting Expiry Date, a brand new piece of transgender theatre, which runs at...

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Sean Holman wins BC journalism award

Sean Holman wins BC journalism award

Congratulations go out to UVic Writing professor & Climate Disaster Project founder Sean Holman on being named the 2025 recipient of the Jack Webster Foundation's Bill Good Award. Presented annually by Western Canada's preeminent journalism foundation, the Bill...

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Climate Disaster Project play wins award

Climate Disaster Project play wins award

Congratulations go out to the Climate Disaster Project on winning Silver in the "Environmental and Climate Change" category at the Canadian Association of Journalists Awards on June 1 for Eyes of the Beast:Climate Disaster Survivor Stories, a documentary play about...

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Hidden networks spark ONC artistic residency

Hidden networks spark ONC artistic residency

From the human body’s neural connections to unseen water channels sustaining life in arid landscapes, the mysterious nature of invisible systems has always fascinated artist Parvin Hasani. “Hidden networks have always sparked my imagination and fueled my exploration...

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Instructor & Lehan Lecturer wins $25K award

Instructor & Lehan Lecturer wins $25K award

Congratulations go out to Theatre instructor and 2025 Lehan Family Activism & the Arts Lecturer d’bi.young anitafrika, who has been awarded a $25,000 Johanna Metcalf Performing Arts Prize. An internationally acclaimed Black-queer-feminist non-binary dub poet,...

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Across Lands & Waters CERC gathering

Across Lands & Waters CERC gathering

The Qiaqsutuq installation will be on view at Across Lands and WatersVictoria may not immediately come to mind as the obvious location for an international gathering of 60 circumpolar and Pacific artists and curators, but that’s one of the advantages that comes with...

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Annual Visual Arts BFA exhibit opens April 11

Annual Visual Arts BFA exhibit opens April 11

Once a year — and for one week only — UVic's entire Visual Arts building gets transformed into Vancouver Island’s largest pop-up gallery of emerging artists! Don’t miss your chance to see If Traces Remain, an exciting exhibit of contemporary art by 35 graduating...

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Sean Holman presents at My Climate Story summit

Sean Holman presents at My Climate Story summit

When 20 of the best climate storytellers from around the world present their ideas at the international My Climate Story project on April 10, UVic will be in the room as well: Writing professor Sean Holman was selected out of nearly 100 submissions to share a...

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Submission call for $1K Student Impact Awards!

Submission call for $1K Student Impact Awards!

Are you a current or graduating Fine Arts student who’s been involved with some community-engaged creative activity between January 1 2024 & May 31 2025? If so, you could qualify for $1,000 via our annual juried, donor-funded Community Impact Awards.  Since 2021,...

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Distinguished Alumni Award: Crystal Clark

Distinguished Alumni Award: Crystal Clark

Indigenous Community Alumni Award recipient Crystal Clark is a Cree/Dene and Métis mother, an artist and an Indigenous education specialist who has worked within First Nations and public schools. She holds a Master of Educational Technology, Bachelor of Education,...

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Distinguished Alumni Awards: Cassandra Miller

Distinguished Alumni Awards: Cassandra Miller

We are thrilled that Cassandra Miller is the recipient of one of the 2025 Presidents’ Alumni Awards. Born in Victoria, Cassandra received her Bachelor of Music in Composition and Theory from UVic in 2005; her brother, the award-winning graphic designer Emrys Damon...

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Indigenous research and community springs from arts lab

Indigenous research and community springs from arts lab

From left: Heather Igloliorte with Taqsiqtuut Research-Creation Lab staff Chris Mockford & Natalie RollinsThere’s a new Indigenous arts research space at the University of Victoria (UVic) that is looking up—way up—to the arts of the circumpolar region, as well as...

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2025 Lehan Lecture:  d’bi.young anitafrika

2025 Lehan Lecture: d’bi.young anitafrika

When it comes to activism and the arts, it’s hard to think of anyone more suitable than d’bi.young anitafrika. The author of 12 plays, seven albums and four poetry collections, they embody, create and teach decolonial performance praxis on a global scale. The third...

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Fine Arts engages with Governor General

Fine Arts engages with Governor General

From left: UVic President Kevin Hall, Her Excellency Mary Simon, His Excellency Whit Fraser; Ry Moran, Andrea Walsh, Carey Newman; Kylie FinedayHer Excellency The Right Honourable Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada, shared opening remarks last week at an emotional...

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One-day art action supports Indigenous sovereignty

One-day art action supports Indigenous sovereignty

First it was taking an orchestra onto the surface of a glacier, then it was putting a glittering digital projection into the background of a Metallica video. Now, two University of Victoria art professors are using their unique creative talents to join over 100 people...

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Music student releases debut album

Music student releases debut album

Mixing his studies with his passions, Music & Computer Science student Maxwell Sorensen wrote, produced & just released the ambitious chamber-rock album Bad Luck Pearl — which he recorded in the School of Music’s own CReaTe Lab studio. "The recording happened...

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UVic theatre grad headed to London for MFA

UVic theatre grad headed to London for MFA

El Newell receives the Spirit of the Phoenix Award from professor Peter McGuire (photo: Sadie Kupery)With over 200 students graduating from Fine Arts on June 12, we're not able to profile everyone but Theatre student El Newell is an outstanding representative of her...

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Music professor Lauren McCall keen to extend realities

Music professor Lauren McCall keen to extend realities

Lauren McCall (photo: Shannel Resto)When it comes to attracting new talent to our faculty, national borders are no barrier. Hailing from Atlanta, Georgia, Lauren McCall is the newest professor to join our School of Music faculty. Music technology a draw An assistant...

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Inaugural JRSP Artist-Scholar Residency announced

Inaugural JRSP Artist-Scholar Residency announced

In partnership with the Jeffrey Rubinoff Sculpture Park (JRSP), Fine Arts is pleased to announce that Canadian artist Siobhan Humston has been selected as the inaugural recipient of the UVic/JRSP Artist-Scholar Residency for 2025-2026. During her time at the Rubinoff...

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Writing grad Kyeren Regehr is Victoria’s newest Poet Laureate

Writing grad Kyeren Regehr is Victoria’s newest Poet Laureate

Once again, the City of Victoria's Poet Laureate position has gone to a Department of Writing alumni. Writing grad Kyeren Regehr was recently appointed as the City of Victoria's latest Poet Laureate. Regehr (MFA ’13, BFA ’11 + a Fine Arts Victoria Medal recipient) is...

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New Phoenix season announced

New Phoenix season announced

While the 2024/25 academic season is coming to a close, it's the ideal time to pick up a subscription to the 2025/26 mainstage season at UVic's Phoenix Theatre. This year, we saw a remarkable season highlighted by productions of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling...

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Distinguished Alumni Awards: Tania Willard

Distinguished Alumni Awards: Tania Willard

We congratulate 2025 Presidents’ Alumni Award recipient Tania Willard, a mixed Secwépemc and settler artist whose research intersects with land-based art practices. A graduate of the Department of Visual Arts (BFA, 1998), the work of Kamloops-born Willard activates...

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Distinguished Alumni Award winner: Chari Arespacochaga

Distinguished Alumni Award winner: Chari Arespacochaga

Chari Arespacochaga is an acclaimed theatre director and educator at the College of Fine Arts at Florida State University (FSU) where she is the Director of the MFA Directing Program. Her theatrical direction credits include Rent, Kinky Boots (Short North Stage), The...

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Three REACH Award winners in Fine Arts

Three REACH Award winners in Fine Arts

Congratulations go out to three Fine Arts professors who have been named recipients of UVic's annual REACH Awards, which recognize outstanding achievement by teachers and researchers who are leading the way in dynamic learning and making a vital impact on campus, in...

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New Indigenous student listserv

New Indigenous student listserv

Xʷkʷənəŋistəl | W̱ ȻENEṈISTEL | Helping to move each other forward—UVic’s Indigenous Plan  Are you an Indigenous student in any of our Fine Arts units (Art History & Visual Studies, Music, Theatre, Visual Arts or Writing)? If so, you may like to sign up for our...

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Phoenix Theatre is seeing double with Twelfth Night

Phoenix Theatre is seeing double with Twelfth Night

Running March 13-22, the final mainstage production of Phoenix's 24/25 season is Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. Shipwrecked and separated from her twin brother Sebastian, Viola disguises herself as a young man to serve Duke Orsino. What follows is a whirlwind of...

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Orion Lectures: Michelle Chawla

Orion Lectures: Michelle Chawla

The OrionLecture Series in Fine ArtsThrough the generous support of the Orion Fund in Fine Arts, the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Victoria, is pleased to present:Photo: Christian LalondeMichelle Chawla  Director & CEO, Canada Council for the Arts A...

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Orion Lectures: Don Kwan

Orion Lectures: Don Kwan

The OrionLecture Series in Fine ArtsThrough the generous support of the Orion Fund in Fine Arts, the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Victoria, is pleased to present:photo: William LukDon Kwan  Visiting Artist "(Un)covering the Art of Don Kwan" 7:30 pm Wednesday,...

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The Killing Game at the Phoenix

The Killing Game at the Phoenix

The latest mainstage production at our Phoenix Theatre is Eugène Ionesco's absurdist comedy The Killing Game. Directed by Theatre professor Conrad Alexandrowicz, from a translation by Helen Gary Bishop, The Killing Game transcends the ordinary by offering a surreal,...

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