Visual Arts students work with famed performance artist
When it comes to international performance artists, it’s tough to top Cassils. The recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, several grants from the Canada Council for the Arts, a Creative Capital Grant, a United States Artists Fellowship, a California Community Foundation Visual Artist Fellowship and the Rema Hort Mann Foundation Visual Arts Fellowship—to name a few—Cassils’ work uses their body in a sculptural fashion, integrating feminism, body art, and gay male aesthetics into remarkable public performances that leave a lasting impression.
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Two MFA exhibits: one downtown, one crossing borders
Following a series of on-campus solo exhibitions in the Audain Gallery this spring, this year's graduating MFA artists have taken their work downtown for their final public exhibit. Titled In Toto, the annual Visual Arts MFA graduation exhibition runs May 4 to May 14...
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Concert debuts results of Guggenheim Fellowship
It was big news last year when internationally acclaimed School of Music professor Dániel Péter Biró was named the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship — one of North America’s most prestigious awards. Biró’s intention was to use the one-year award (worth $50,000 US)...
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Annual Visual Arts BFA show fills building with art
Always one of the most exciting events of the year for the Department of Visual Arts, the annual Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) graduating exhibit is back and ready to showcase the work of nearly 40 emerging artists.
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Victoria artist Rick Leong joins Visual Arts faculty
When the call went out in search of a new professor for the University of Victoria’s Department of Visual Arts, applications came in from across the country — yet the latest person to join the celebrated teaching faculty is an alumni artist who ultimately came from our own backyard. Starting July 1, 2018, the Victoria-based Rick Leong will become UVic’s new assistant professor in painting and drawing.
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When Art Meets Science
Ever wanted to have an intimate, interactive moment with a baby orca? A new student-created sculpture allows viewers to have just that, while also learning something about the threats currently facing our local killer whale population.
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Call for Artist-in-Residence Ocean Program
The Faculty of Fine Arts and Ocean Networks Canada at the University of Victoria in British Columbia, are sponsoring an Artist in Residence program. The concept strengthens connections between Art and Science to broaden and cross-fertilize perspectives and critical...
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Southam Lecture presents filmmaker Judith Pyke
From the frozen lands of the High Arctic to the scorching streets of Liberia, filmmaker Judith Pyke has never shied away from diverse and challenging locations. Currently the 2018 Southam Lecturer in Journalism and Nonfiction for UVic’s Writing department, the...
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From Damascus to deadlines: Deborah Campbell joins Writing faculty
From embattled cities in Syria to intractable encounters in Israel, the writing of Deborah Campbell fuses journalism and travel writing with the kind of personal observations that can only come with being immersed in some of the most pressing international issues of...
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Grand “Finale” for Wind Symphony Maestro Gerald King
It’s doubly fitting that the upcoming concert by UVic’s Wind Symphony is titled “Finale” — not only is it the final Wind Symphony concert of the 2017/18 season, but it will also mark the final bow for beloved conductor and highly respected music educator Dr. Gerald King.
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Shakespeare for the iTunes generation
Shakespeare’s funniest and shortest comedy is getting a reboot for the digital age. Self-professed Shakespeare nerd Jeffrey Renn — currently completing his MFA in Directing at the Department of Theatre — has been working to create a Shakespeare production that would...
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Theatre & Writing students ignite at Belfry’s SPARK Festival
One of the best parts of being a Fine Arts faculty in an arts-rich city like Victoria are the opportunities available to current students through our associations with local cultural institutions. From Pacific Opera Victoria and the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria to...
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Lunchtime artist talks on contemporary Indigenous art practices
Interested in contemporary Indigenous art practices? Excited by some of the dynamic and engaging work being created and exhibited both locally and nationally? Wondering how contemporary artists respond to important issues like Truth & Reconciliation, and Murdered &...
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Get interactive with writing, music & art at Ideafest 2018
Whether you’re a regular part of the UVic community or simply a visitor to campus, Ideafest 2018 offers an ideal chance to explore the vast and diverse range of research and creative activity happening all around the Ring Road.
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Crimes of the Heart offers a memorable sister act
Is there anything more lovable — or more maddening — than sisters? With an unshakeable bond that can often escalate into emotional heights unmatched by any other familial relationship, sibling rivalry and reconciliations are in the spotlight in Crimes of the Heart, the latest mainstage production at Phoenix Theatre.
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Latest Southam Lecturer Judith Pyke talks docs
When it comes to narrative filmmaking, it’s hard to beat a good documentary. The form of visual storytelling most closely related to journalism, documentaries have unparalleled power to not only connect us with their subjects in remarkably personal ways, but to also...
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Three Music alumni win CBC’s Music Class Challenge
Some people train for years to achieve Olympic glory, but two local school groups are already sounding like gold thanks to the efforts of three local music teachers — all of whom are School of Music alumni. When the results of the annual CBC Music Class Challenge were...
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Fine Arts grads shine during Alumni Week
UVic's annual Alumni Week is back, and Fine Arts is well-represented in the various events happening across campus and around the city from February 1-7. 2018 marks the 11th annual celebration highlighting the achievements and impact of our alumni, and offers everyone...
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Exhibition reframes Innocence of 1960s artists
In 1963, National Film Board director Léonard Forest travelled from Montreal to the west coast to direct a documentary about artists and poets working in Vancouver and Victoria. Forest said he came here with “zero idea” of what he would find and made the resulting 27-minute film, In Search of Innocence, with what he called an “innocent eye.” Now, the latest Legacy Gallery exhibit pairs the original NFB documentary with work by artists featured in the film.
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It’s twice the charm for 2018 Distinguished Alumni Award winners, Twin Kennedy
It’s only been 10 years since sister duo Twin Kennedy graduated from the School of Music, but during that short decade, the acclaimed country/roots duo already released two albums, toured across North America, moved to Nashville and won the hearts of country radio...
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New Music & Digital Media Festival
The landscape of new and experimental music in Canada has been greatly influenced by the creative individuals who have taught and studied at the UVic School of Music. From February 2-4, this dynamic community spanning five decades — from former faculty to current students — will converge for a New Music & Digital Media Festival as part of the School’s ongoing 50th anniversary season.
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Iconic literary journal celebrates 50 years of excellence
It's said nothing succeeds like success, which is an aphorism well-appreciated in the offices of The Malahat Review. Currently celebrating both its 50th anniversary and 200th issue, UVic’s venerable and revered literary journal has served as a springboard for some of...
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Fine Arts Wellness Day
Feeling tired? Got the sniffles? Worried about new classes? Start the semester off with a healthy sense of well-being at our Fine Arts Wellness Day! Running 11am – 2pm on Wednesday, January 17, in the lobby of the Fine Arts building, students can shuffle off their January blahs with a variety of special events.
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New Visual Arts professor creates Avatar Grove film project for IMAX screens
Internationally acclaimed artist and new Visual Arts professor Kelly Richardson will be one of five digital media artists featured in the upcoming XL-Outer Worlds large-format film project, which will be shooting at Port Renfrew’s Avatar Grove / T’l’oqwxwat in summer...
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New AHVS seminar spearheads new classroom concept
From large lectures and working with TAs to a lack of one-on-one time with professors, there’s no question first-year classes can seem overwhelming to students. But the Department of Art History & Visual Studies is looking to broaden first-year opportunities with both...
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Top 10 Fine Arts stories of 2017 – part two
What else happened in Fine Arts in 2017? More than we can mention in one blog post, so here's part two of our top-10 stories of the year. International attention Considering we're based on an island at the edge of the continent, it's surprising how much international...
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Top 10 Fine Arts stories of 2017 – part one
There’s no easier measure of just how creative the activity is here in the Faculty of Fine Arts than by looking back at what happened over the previous year. From classes and guest lecturers to concerts, exhibits, plays, readings, seminars and our core research and...
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Two Visual Arts grads win national art prize
Two 2017 Visual Arts BFA graduates are gaining some national attention this month, thanks to their selection as prize winners in the annual BMO 1st Art invitational competition.
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Try your luck with this Art History Christmas quiz!
Like art? What about quizzes? How about art quizzes with a word-play twist? If you answered yes to any of these, then you’re in for a real treat: the return of the Art History Christmas Quiz!
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Music alum Rodney Sharman wins Excellence in the Performing Arts prize
Celebrated School of Music alumnus Rodney Sharman was announced as the recipient of the $50,000 Walter Carsen Prize for Excellence in the Performing Arts on November 20. Awarded by the Canada Council for the Arts, the Walter Carsen Prize recognizes the highest level...
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School of Music celebrates 50 years of sparking the musical imagination
When Maestro Timothy Vernon raises his baton at the School of Music’s 50th Anniversary Gala concert on December 2, it won’t simply be in recognition of the Honorary Doctor of Music he received at spring convocation. Instead, his performance with the UVic Chorus and...
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Madwoman serves up “visual delights and thought-provoking observations”
The reviews are in for Phoenix Theatre's mainstage production of The Madwoman of Chaillot, and audiences are enjoying its "visual delights and thought-provoking observations," as local arts writer Janis La Couvée writes in this review, which also highlighted the work...
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