by John Threlfall | Nov 5, 2019 | Award, Undergraduate, Visual Arts
There may have been 325 nominations from 139 institutions in 4 countries — but, out of the 11 overall winners, there was ultimately only 1 Canadian recipient of the US-based International Sculpture Center‘s 2019 Outstanding Student Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award: current Visual Arts undergraduate Austin Willis.
Willis, a painter and sculptor due to graduate in spring 2020, has been awarded the prestigious award for his piece, “Framed Landscape”. He says it feels “A-okay!” to be named the only Canadian winner for his sculpture.
Framing a landscape
“I wanted this piece to reference painting while pushing into the realm of sculpture,” he explains. “In pursuit of this goal, I ‘framed’ the image of a landscape, using the sensibility of abstract painting but constructing the object out of a wooden assemblage. I like how the framing device and aesthetics of the assemblage indicate painting, while the sculpture itself asserts its own three-dimensionality, undermining any painterly illusions.”
While he was allowed to enter images of three different pieces, Willis says he was “trying to have fun” with the dynamic composition of “Framed Landscape” by bringing together solid geometric shapes with the hectic assemblage of wood. “Look at those shapes and colours!”
“Framed Landscape” by Austin Willis
About the prize
The International Sculpture Center (ISC) established the annual outstanding student award program in 1994 to recognize young sculptors and to encourage their continued commitment to the field. It was also designed to draw attention to sculpture programs of participating universities, colleges and art schools.
Austin Willis with his “Framed Landscape” at the ISC conference in Portland
Willis was nominated by the Visual Arts department, with Megan Dickie as faculty sponsor.
The judging panel included Michigan ceramicist, sculptor and designer Ebitenyefa Baralaye; Kentucky’s Josephine Sculpture Park artistic director and founder Melanie Van Houten; and Michigan artist, curator and educator Alison Wong. In addition to the 11 recipients, 18 honorable mentions were also named.
The 11 award recipients will participate in a future exhibition, and will see their work featured in the September/October 2019 issue of the International Sculpture Center’s award-winning Sculpture magazine, as well as on the ISC’s website. Willis’ piece will also be featured in a congratulatory ad by the Visual Arts department in the winter 2019 issue of Canadian Art magazine.
A year of achievement
In October, Willis also had the pleasure of attending the ISC conference in Portland, Oregon, where his winning sculpture was on display with the other winning pieces.
“I had seen snippets of the show online and through social media, but seeing everything installed in person was truly something special,” he says. “The other students involved produced some exceptional work and it was a phenomenal show. I feel honoured and grateful to have been a part of it.”
Willis was one of the more active student artists off-campus during his time in the department. In addition to organizing a pop-up exhibition at Intrepid Theatre plus having work featured in the Ministry of Casual Living Window Gallery, he also mounted solo exhibits at the Arts Centre at Cedar Hill, arc.hive artist run centre and Xchanges Gallery and did a co-op term working with the Victoria Jazz Society, where he will also return next summer.
Willis with his Commercial Gallery pieces in 2018 (photo: Fiona Ngai)
He was also selected to participate in two City of Victoria emerging artist initiatives — the ongoing Commute: Bus Shelter Art Exhibition and the Commercial Art Gallery, where he was the sixth artist to be featured in the outdoor public art space between Yates Street and Bastion Square; he also participated in a public art talk with the City in September.
“As an emerging artist, I have a great interest in public art and creating work that beautifies spaces,” he says.
Coming up next
Upcoming for Willis is an April 2020 stint as Artist in Residence at The Ou Gallery in Duncan, as well as furthering his own practice. “I’ll be generally engaged in producing more art and getting my work out there,” he says.
The International Sculpture Center (ISC) is a member-supported, nonprofit organization founded in 1960 to champion the creation and understanding of sculpture and its unique, vital contribution to society. Members include sculptors, collectors, patrons, architects, developers, journalists, curators, historians, critics, educators, foundries, galleries, and museums-anyone with an interest in and commitment to the field of sculpture.
by John Threlfall | Nov 4, 2019 | School of Music, Theatre, Writing
The late Roger J. Bishop — local scholar, avid book collector and lifetime supporter of the arts, humanities and library at UVic —believed so strongly in the power of a liberal arts education and the importance of reference archives that he frequently shipped boxes of rare books to campus from his travels overseas.
But Bishop’s dedication to teaching liberal arts was not limited to his love of English and literature. Bishop also helped create UVic’s Theatre department out of his eagerness to provide students with the opportunity to participate in live drama and production, directing many of the first plays on campus. That leadership led to one of the Phoenix’s three theatres being named in his honour: the Roger Bishop Theatre at UVic, a 208-seat proscenium theatre.
Now, UVic is celebrating a $1.6-million donation from Bishop’s estate.
“Roger Bishop has always had a presence in our department, because one of our theatres is named for him,” says Theatre chair Anthony Vickery. “But his generosity, as represented by this gift, will directly and positively contribute to the success of our students and continue the great legacy of excellence in the Theatre department which he helped to found.”
UVic alumnus Brian D. Young, estate executor and close family friend of the Bishops, with UVic Music student Emily Markwart, one of the first recipients of the new Roger and Ailsa Bishop Travel Award in Music, outside the Bishop Theatre (UVic Photo Services)
New endowments in Writing & Music
While the overall donation is $1.6 million, over $300,000 of the estate gift goes specifically to the Faculty of Fine Arts for the creation of three new endowments: the Ailsa and Roger Bishop Entrance Scholarship in Theatre, the Roger J. Bishop Writing Prize, and the Ailsa and Roger Bishop Travel Award in Music — and supports an existing bursary in the English department.
“Roger Bishop’s legacy lives on in so many at UVic,” says Writing chair Maureen Bradley. “This gift creates a new opportunity to nurture the next generation of innovative creative writers.”
Current Music student Emily Markwart was one of the 2019 recipients of the travel award in music. “Music can be a challenging career choice but knowing there are people who believe and want to invest in our education is encouraging,” Emily says. “There are no words to thank the Bishops for their generosity properly.” Current Writing MFA candidate Troy Sebastian nupquʔ ak·ǂam̓ is the inaugural recipient of the Bishop Writing Prize.
Both students appeared at a private luncheon celebrating the bequest at the University Club on Nov 1, with Markwart performing and Sebastian reading, as well as a short musical interlude by the Vocal Jazz Ensemble.
A further bequest to Special Collections
This silver mirrored box was presented to Bishop by the Players’ Club of Victoria College in the late 1940s. The club comprised of students and faculty staged plays and Bishop, as head of the fledgling English department, directed a number of them.
A further bequest directed a number of gifts-in-kind to Special Collections including Indigenous woven artworks and contemporary artifacts. A fourth bequest allowed Special Collections to establish an endowment to purchase new materials for research in English language and literature.
“Roger’s commitment to education and passion for learning will live on through these gifts,” says Carmen Charette, UVic’s vice-president of external relations. “The creation of these new student awards, the existing bursary in English and his enduring support of UVic Libraries all stand as a remarkable tribute to Roger’s lifetime of support to the university and also as an example of the extraordinary impact that estate giving can have on the experiences of our students.”
A storied history since 1941
Born in Vancouver, Roger Bishop began teaching at Victoria College in 1941 and joined UVic at its inception in 1963. Bishop was head of the English department from 1945 to 1967, before retiring in 1971.
“We are honoured to be a recipient of Professor Bishop’s generosity and passion for collecting,” says director of Special Collections and university archivist Lara Wilson. “Victoria College’s — and subsequently UVic Libraries’ — rare and unique collections grew under his vision and dedication.”
But, as was noted in this Times Colonist article about the bequest, it was UVic’s study of English, theatre, poetry, art and language — subjects that could be preserved, appreciated and explored endlessly — that was an enduring love.
Donations to UVic play a vital role in enriching the academic experience and offering even more opportunities for our students, researchers and campus community to help build better futures for people and the planet.
As Wilson said of Bishop in the Times Colonist article, “the gift from his estate is the ultimate expression of his belief in our academic mission”.
by John Threlfall | Oct 29, 2019 | Events, Faculty, Theatre
When it comes to dressing for success, Karla Stout knows how to get it right. As the head of wardrobe for the Department of Theatre and a volunteer rober since 1994, Stout has ensured thousands of graduating students look their best when they cross the stage at convocation. Beyond draping hoods, adjusting tassels and soothing jangled nerves, Stout has also helped a variety of UVic presidents and chancellors look tip-top for the big day.
Now a convocation marshal, Stout well knows the importance of clothing—and, as the recipient of three university degrees herself, she feels convocation is a significant event that shouldn’t be skipped.
“It’s an acknowledgement and recognition of what you’ve accomplished, and the start of the next period of your life,” she says. “We have less and less ceremony in our lives, and convocation offers a kind of closure to the degree experience. It brings you full circle from your first day to your last.”
Stout (in blue convocation marshal’s robes) & graduating theatre major Kelsey Ward (UVic Photo Services)
An academic veteran on many levels
With four decades of costume work, 25 years of convocations and a law degree behind her, Stout is intimately familiar with a variety of regalia and formal wear.
“Clothes say so much about how a person is feeling and what’s going on for them that day,” she explains. “It shows consciousness or respect for whatever situation you’re going into—you should be clean for court, for example, and tidy for a wedding. It’s the people who come to convocation in torn jeans or track pants I don’t understand.”
While she has built costumes for the Stratford Festival, the Banff Centre, the Commonwealth Games, the Toronto run of The Phantom of the Opera and countless Phoenix mainstage productions, Stout has also taken the measure of current UVic president Jamie Cassels, fixed the hat of past-president David Turpin, created a dickie blouse for current chancellor Shelagh Rogers, sewn a hidden glasses pocket into the robe of former chancellor Murray Farmer, and constructed a special emeritus robe designed by theatre professor emeritus Juliana Saxton.
But one of her first convocation tasks after joining the theatre department in 1990 was to do some custom work for former president David Strong. “He didn’t want to wear a full jacket under his robes in the heat of summer,” she recalls, “so I created false sleeves to go under his robe.”
Still a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada, Stout’s heart is firmly set in the theatre—and she can see the links between the two. “I may not have liked the adversarial nature of the legal system, but court is performance,” she says, noting the shared importance of speaking with clarity, addressing your audience and, of course, costuming. (She says it’s no coincidence that Harcourts, the Toronto company who make legal robes, also make academic regalia.)
No typical day
Over in the theatre department, Stout says she’s doesn’t really have a typical day. “Well, today I taught a class, attended a production meeting for our upcoming run of Othello, met with my student wardrobe team and then I’ll have a two-and-a-half-hour fitting with the cast,” she says. “For Othello, we have 24 people and about 60 costumes. The thing about wardrobe is how labour-intensive it all is: it may be one stage set and one group of lights for one show, but the costumes have to be individually fitted and altered for all the actors.”
In addition to the chance to hear some fantastic guest speakers, Stout believes volunteering for convocation is an opportunity to mark a rite of passage . . . and to instill one final bit of confidence. “It’s a chance to congratulate our students on their accomplishments, and say goodbye to them,” she says. “But every year we have hundreds of graduates who have never done this before and are worried about getting it right: we know how to make it work exactly right.”
And while Karla Stout’s work with theatre is all behind the scenes, volunteering for convocation gives her the chance to be front and centre with the students. “Convocation is a great occasion, and I like to be part of marking an occasion.”
Interested in becoming a convocation volunteer? Visit the Ceremonies and Events website by October 30 for more info.
by John Threlfall | Oct 22, 2019 | Art History & Visual Studies, Events, School of Music, Visual Arts
The public is invited to attend two special presentations, as part of the research convening, In the Present Moment: Buddhism, Contemporary Art and Social Practice, running Oct 25-27 at UVic. These events are organized by the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria in partnership with UVic’s Faculty of Fine Arts, Multifaith Services and Centre for the Study of Religion in Society.
Kay Larson (photo: Patrick Shen)
The public is invited to the Orion opening keynote lecture and performance at 7pm Friday, Oct 25 at UVic’s Phillip T Young Recital Hall: “Lecture on Nothing” by acclaimed art critic, columnist, and author Kay Larson. Her 2012 book on John Cage —Where the Heart Beats: John Cage, Zen Buddhism, and the Inner Life of Artists — remains a definitive text.
At this talk, Larson will discuss Cage’s seminal text, Lecture on Nothing, which was first performed in New York City in 1949. Written as a piece of music organized around a series of “empty” time intervals (the central statement of the lecture is, “I have nothing to say and I’m saying it”) reads as an oxymoron at first, but reveals Cage’s inquiry into Buddhism.
Following this discussion, there will be a performance of Cage’s text, scored by Larson, conducted by School of Music director Christopher Butterfield and featuring local artists and performers.
John Cage’s 4’33” by Paul Walde
Then, from 3:30 – 5:30pm on Sunday, Oct 27 , the public is invited to attend the Orion keynote conversation in room 105 of UVic’s Hickman Building: “Beautiful Trouble: A Conversation on Activism, Art and Buddhism” features Suzanne Lacy, artist and professor at the USC (LA) Roski School of Art and Design and Jodie Evans, author, activist, co-director, CODEPINK (Los Angeles). Join in a conversation between these two long-time friends as they explore the relationship between art and activism, activism and Buddhism, and the spaces in between.
Suzanne Lacy, with her 2017 performance “The Circle and the Square”
Lacy is a pioneering artist in social art practice who was introduced to Buddhism in the mid-1980s. She was the subject of a major retrospective exhibition at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in 2019, titled Suzanne Lacy: We Are Here.
Evans is a cultural producer and global activist who has worked with His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, and the Zen master, Thich Naht Hahn, who advocated for a notion of engaged Buddhism during the Vietnam War.
Evans & the 2018 CODEPINK march on the Pentagon
“UVic’s Visual Arts department is very pleased to be hosting this AGGV-organised event in conjunction with the Faculty of Fine Arts. The world-class calibre of the invited artists and scholars makes this a key event in the study of the immense impact of Buddhist teachings on modern and contemporary art,” said Visual Arts chair Paul Walde.
In the Present Moment: Buddhism, Contemporary Art and Social Practice is a multi-phase research and exhibition project led by AGGV Curator, Haema Sivanesan. The project takes a chronological and thematic approach towards examining the impact of Buddhism on art in North America from the post-war period (c1950) to the present.
“The AGGV’s collaboration with UVic to present this research convening is of great value, enhancing our community outreach and engaging students and faculty with the Gallery’s mission,” says AGGV director Jon Tupper. “These two lectures promise to entertain, provoke and challenge preconceived ideas of both art and Buddhism.”
Research support is generously provided by The Robert H N Ho Family Foundation, Hong Kong and the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, New York.
by John Threlfall | Oct 17, 2019 | Events, Faculty, indigenous, Visual Arts
A historic agreement between Kwakwaka’wakw artist Carey Newman (Hayalthkin’geme) and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR) was finalized on October 16 through traditional ceremony at Kumugwe, the K’ómoks First Nation Bighouse on Vancouver Island.
The ceremony marks the first time in Canadian history that a federal Crown Corporation has ratified a legally binding contract through Indigenous traditions‚ in a process that has attracted interest from legal and cultural communities, Indigenous peoples and academics all around the world.
CMHR CEO & President John Young (left) with Carey Newman (centre) & CMHR Head of Collections Heather Bidzinski (Photo: Media One)
A groundbreaking agreement
The groundbreaking agreement governs protection and use of The Witness Blanket, Newman’s powerful art installation made with over 800 items collected from survivors and sites of Indian residential schools across Canada. In an unprecedented process, Kwakwaka’wakw traditions and governance and Western contract law have been given equal weight, vesting rights with the artwork itself as a legal entity that carries the stories of the survivors.
The ceremony, held near Newman’s traditional territory, was facilitated by chief and spiritual leader Wedlidi Speck, head of the Gixsam namima (clan) of the Kwagul people. The ceremony included song and dance and the presence of an ancestors’ mask, with Carey Newman and CMHR president and CEO John Young each stating their purpose and intentions for the stewardship of The Witness Blanket.
Respected witnesses from the Kwakaka’wakw community, youth, elders and people with connections to the project, then reflected on their responsibilities as storykeepers and memory holders. The parties celebrated with a feast in the tradition of potlatch, acknowledging the gift of the agreement and the deep relationship that has been forged.
Spirit of reconciliation
“Reconciliation means letting go of certain ways of doing things and looking for new ways that fundamentally alter the nature of relationships,” said Newman, a master carver and Audain Professor of Contemporary Art Practice of the Pacific Northwest in UVic’s Visual Arts department.
“Through spoken words and shared memory, we can express our commitment in ways that transcend written contracts — how we feel, our hopes and our goals for this agreement and our relationship as collaborative stewards of the Blanket and survivors’ stories it holds.”
As part of the ceremony, Newman created this bentwood box specially to house the agreement (Photo: Media One)
Young said the approach to this agreement reflects the Museum’s commitment to recognizing the importance of Indigenous values in ways that encourage thought and discussion about promoting human rights.
“The Witness Blanket has national significance as a framework for conversations about the genocide of Indigenous peoples in Canada,” he said. “As we jointly acknowledge our duties as its caretakers, we want to begin in a good way, based on a strong relationship of shared understanding and respect.”
Professor Rebecca Johnson, Associate Director of UVic’s Indigenous Law Research Unit, said the oral ceremony binds each party together on a deeper level than simply signing a legal document. Through the bodies, words and interactions of participants, the agreement is brought to life as a physical entity, she said.
“It matters that the parties are face to face, that they see each other and hear each other express their commitments and intentions,” said Johnson, who attended today’s event. “The ceremony places the agreement firmly in their memories and embeds it in their personal intentions.”
The future of The Witness Blanket
The Museum will soon begin restoration work on the 12-metre-long, cedar-framed art installation, in preparation for an upcoming exhibition project. A travelling photographic reproduction is touring Canada, currently showing at the Neil John Maclean Health Sciences Library in Winnipeg until October 31 before travelling to other locations in Saskatchewan, Alberta, Ontario, British Columbia and the Yukon.
Carey Newman’s “Witness Blanket” installed at the Canadian Museum of Human Rights in Winnipeg (photo: Jessica Sigurdson, CMHR)
A new book called Picking up the Pieces: Residential School Memories and the Making of the Witness Blanket, has recently been released by Orca Book Publishers. An official national book launch is scheduled for November 20 at the CMHR in Winnipeg with Newman, co-author and former Writing instructor Kirstie Hudson and national CBC radio host and UVic Chancellor Shelagh Rogers.
A documentary film about The Witness Blanket — co-directed by Newman and Cody Graham — is also being distributed for educational purposes by the CMHR and for broadcast by Animiki See Distribution, a subsidiary of the Aboriginal Peoples’ Television Network (APTN).
The Canadian Museum for Human Rights is the first museum in the world solely dedicated to the evolution, celebration and future of human rights. Using multimedia technology and other innovative approaches, the CMHR creates inspiring encounters with human rights for all ages, in a visitor experience unlike any other.
