Looking to add some hands-on art-making to your summer plans? Curious about how art can transform our experience of the world and the way we engage with each other?

The UVic Summer Arts Series is back in July with a series of Fine Arts alumni-led public workshops focused on art and the urban landscape —- including drawing in the urban landscape, writing place-based fiction, interdisciplinary environmental field guides, textiles and wearable art, and a Victorian Medievalism walking tour.

These short workshops are appropriate for learners of all backgrounds as you learn from experts how art transforms our experience of the world and the ways we engage with one another.

The Summer Arts Series is offered by UVic’s Division of Continuing Studies, in partnership with the Faculty of Fine Arts and Alumni Relations.

Here’s the full info:

Sentimental Affects: Textiles, Wearable Art and Urban Life – July 2, online

This lively and informative presentation by Danielle Hogan is designed to encourage you to think deeply about textiles and the role they play in shaping not only our own lives but also the urban landscape. Consider a wide range of objects that have been created, or transformed, by different makers some of whom are professional artists and others who are not. Danielle will touch on subjects including affect theory, feminism, urban fashion, wearable art and maker culture, in addition to sharing ideas about creative mending and repurposing to express personal history or style.

Urban Spaces in Place-Based Fiction – July 3, 8 & 10

Many stories in the cultural canon are set in “recognizable” cities, but how many of us actually live there? What are the stories of our urban spaces? How can we begin to capture the cities we call home in our writing? Through lectures, writing exercises and workshops, Hana Mason will help you develop a more intimate understanding of the urban spaces that are significant to you and leave the sessions with a draft of your own place-based fiction.

Drawing in the Urban Landscape – July 6-7

Drawing outdoors, in public spaces, presents numerous challenges such as overcoming the fear of being seen and observed. Liz Charsley with help you see how drawing with a group minimizes this concern, leaving room for the next hurdle: how to take all the visual information in front of you — UVic’s landscape and embellished, modernist buildings — and refine it into a balanced composition that reflects what you see. This workshop will increase your confidence in drawing in public, enhance your observational drawing skills and also give you the freedom to create abstract compositions.

Victorian Medievalism Walking Tour – July 6 & 13

This walking tour will introduce you to tangible manifestations of the 19th century medieval revival movement in Victoria. Join Michael Reed to explore Ross Bay Cemetery and Pioneer Square, and discuss iconic examples of medieval revival funerary markers. We will also visit Christ Church Cathedral and the Church of Our Lord and discuss the Gothic Revival architectural aesthetic.

Lost and Found: A Field Guide – July 14

Join us for an immersive workshop by interdisciplinary artist Laurel Terlesky. Dive deep into sensory awareness exercises, mindful walking and navigational mapping as we navigate the urban terrain. Through creative outdoor exploration and nature immersion, you will craft field guides and explore environmental field guides discovery, uncovering hidden ways to inform place making.