Southam Lecturer Vivian Smith talks gender & journalism
We may be living in the 21st century, but that doesn’t mean we’ve achieved gender equality in Canada. Nowhere is this more evident than in the field of journalism, as Vivian Smith well knows. The 2016 for the Department of Writing, Smith is drawing from her own...
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Former FBI art crimes expert visits Art History & Visual Studies
What kind of agent does it take to infiltrate a gang of international art thieves capable of pulling off a museum heist involving car bombs and getaway speedboats? Just ask former FBI art crime special agent Robert K. Wittman. “We did an undercover operation in...
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Mi’gmaq filmmaker Jeff Barnaby kicks off Indigeneity & the Arts series
Fine Arts is proud to kick off its new Orion Series on Indigeneity and the Arts with a public presentation by acclaimed filmmaker, author & composer Jeff Barnaby. While at UVic, Barnaby will be hosting a free screening some of his short films starting at 7pm...
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Writing event features inaugural Lorna Crozier Scholarship recipient
Even though she’s now retired, beloved poet and Department of Writing professor Lorna Crozier continues to have an impact on campus: a highlight of the popular annual faculty reading night—happening 7 p.m. on Sept. 28 in room 105 of UVic’s Hickman building—will...
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BC sculptor’s donation benefits study of Art History
A gift from BC sculptor Jeffrey Rubinoff and the Jeffrey Rubinoff Foundation will allow doctoral students at the University of Victoria exceptional opportunities to study the complexities and richness of the history of modern and contemporary art and why it matters to...
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A September full of events
Welcome to a new semester, a new academic year and a totally fresh series of events in Fine Arts! Even though it’s only September and the academic year has just begun, we’re already looking at a busy month of concerts, readings, guest lectures, exhibits,...
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Strong buzz around Steven Price’s new novel
It’s the kind of buzz emerging authors can only dream about: after being sold to American publisher Farrar, Straus & Giroux in 2014 for “a figure rumoured to be in the substantial six-figure range,” the latest novel by noted poet, author & stellar...
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Harald Krebs is our newest Royal Society Fellow
Award-winning scholar, pianist, author and School of Music professor Harald Krebs can now add Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (RSC) to his many accomplishments. One of Canada’s best known music theorists, Krebs was announced as UVic’s newest RSC Fellow on...
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Welcome (back) to Fine Arts!
It’s that time of year when we welcome all our new and returning Fine Arts students! On top of the formal Orientation schedule, there are plenty of fun — and free — events happening all week. First day of classes is Wednesday, September 7, and that’s also...
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Phoenix at the Fringe 2016
Anyone concerned about post-degree prospects for Fine Arts students should consider the ongoing success of students in our Department of Theatre. For 50 years now, Phoenix Theatre has been producing some of Canada’s finest theatre artists by instilling in them...
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Paths to Reconciliation
Situated on traditional Coast and Straits Salish territory, UVic is recognized for its commitment to and expertise in innovative programs and initiatives that support Indigenous students and communities. We recognize the special role the university can play in...
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Celebrating 50 years of great theatre
This fall, UVic’s Department of Theatre will celebrate 50 years of creating great theatre—and great artists. Along they way, the Phoenix has also created some incredible moments on their stages. Generations of students (literally, they have several...
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Cedric Bomford wins $15,000 Canada Council award
Congratulations go out to Visual Arts professor Cedric Bomford, who was announced on July 12 as the visual arts winner of the $15,000 Victor Martyn Lynch-Staunton Award. Presented annually by the Canada Council for the Arts, the Victor Martyn Lynch-Staunton Awards are...
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Summer in the city
While our classrooms and studios may be quiet this summer, that doesn’t mean our Fine Arts faculty, students and alumni are lazing in the summer haze. While many spend their time researching or working on creative projects, summer is traditionally a busy time in...
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Dr Susan Lewis becomes the new Dean of Fine Arts
We are proud to announce that Dr. Susan Lewis has been selected as the new Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts for a five-year term beginning July 1, 2016. She will be the ninth Dean since Fine Arts became a faculty in 1969, and has already been serving as Acting Dean...
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School of Music announces new brass scholarship
The sound of studying just got a little sweet for first-year UVic School of Music students, thanks to a new brass scholarship from Yamaha Canada Music. Beginning in the fall of 2016, and continuing for the next three years, the Joan Watson Memorial Scholarship will...
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Double-medal winning grad Kelsey Wheatley offers an inspiring example
Each year, the Victoria Medal is awarded to the student with the highest GPA in the Faculty of Fine Arts. Similarly, the Governor General’s Silver Medal is awarded annually to UVic’s top undergraduate student—but it’s a rare day indeed when both awards are given...
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Regan Shrumm wins Lieutenant Governor’s Silver Medal
While much of the convocation spotlight naturally falls on our undergraduates, we’re pleased to see recent Art History & Visual Studies alumna Regan Shrumm step back into the spotlight on June 15 as the recipient of UVic’s 2015 Lieutenant Governor’s Silver...
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Theatre grad Jasleen Powar steps into the intercultural spotlight
Most students wait until after graduation to start making their mark on the world, but Jasleen Powar already has something to sing about. Graduating with a BFA in theatre on June 15, the 24-year-old Powar has been making waves as Vancouver rapper Horsepowar, thanks to...
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Connor Gaston’s The Devout sweeps Leo Awards
Hearty congratulations go out to the Fine Arts alumni team behind the locally shot 2015 feature film The Devout—including writer/director Connor Gaston and producers Daniel Hogg and Amanda Verhagen—which won seven major awards out of 14 nominations at the annual Leo...
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Gareth Gaudin’s Perogy Cat gets a book—and theme song
With puffy white features and a lovable personality, the Perogy Cat is an iconic local comic character whose popularity has inspired art projects worldwide. Now the plump feline ventures onto the high seas in The Perogy Cat, a hardcover kids’ book illustrated and...
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Visual Arts alumna Jody DeSchutter creates a fresh perspective
Jody DeSchutter working on her Centennial Square panels in fall 2015 DeSchutter comparing fabric swatches before painting the patterns onto her mural panel (photo: Leya Anderson) DeSchutter shows off her in-process panel, with the fabric patterns and stylized tree...
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Faculty comings and goings
A number of longtime faculty members are retiring this year, including Theatre’s Allan Stichbury (design), Visual Arts‘ Vikky Alexander (photography) and Writing’s Lynne Van Luven (creative nonfiction), as well as the School of Music’s Louis Ranger (trumpet) and...
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Bill Gaston receives the 2016 Craigdarroch Award
For 38 years, Bill Gaston’s award-winning prose has exemplified the relentless curiosity, deep human empathy, acute moral vision and commitment to exploring new creative frontiers that are at the heart of artistic excellence. Now, the veteran Department of Writing...
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A busy spring for Writing
It’s been a busy spring for the Writing department, with a wide variety of faculty and alumni in the spotlight for award nominations and new book releases. Poetry professor and Governor General’s Award-winning poet Tim Lilburn has released The Names...
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MFA exhibit offers mix of practices
Always looking for a new way to present work, the Department of Visual Arts has changed the format of their annual exhibition by graduating students of their MFA program. Rather than presenting one large exhibit featuring all the graduating MFA students, this...
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Annual BFA show reveals “Iterations” of contemporary art
If you think organizing an art show is simply about hanging paintings on a wall, think again. As the annual Bachelor of Fine Arts graduating exhibit in the Department of Visual Arts reveals, there’s as much innovation as inspiration behind a well-planned exhibition....
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Audain Professor Rande Cook raises awareness with class and art
One of the best things about an annual guest teaching position is the diversity it offers students. Now in its sixth year in the visual arts department, the Audain Professorship of Contemporary Art Practice of the Pacific Northwest has benefited from a variety of...
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Technology promotes dynamic learning
Call it learning 360. When Writing professor Maureen Bradley teaches digital media for storytellers, her venue is a departure from the typical university lecture hall: no podium, desk seating or front of the classroom. Instead, tables with roller-wheel chairs line the...
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Four from Visual Arts shortlisted for Philip B. Lind art prize
When Vancouver’s Presentation House Gallery announced the eight nominees for their inaugural Philip B. Lind Emerging Artist Prize in March, the Visual Arts department was proud to have connections to half the nominees. Among the artists nominated for this new...
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2016 Youth Poet Laureate Ann-Bernice Thomas speaks her mind
Ann-Bernice Thomas doesn’t even hesitate when asked the most surprising aspect of being named the City of Victoria’s 2016 Youth Poet Laureate. “All the attention,” she says with a quick laugh. “Considering I didn’t really hear anything about last...
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Graduating Visual Arts MFAs present a Solo Series
Always looking for a new way to present work, the Department of Visual Arts has changed the format of their annual exhibition by graduating students of their MFA program. Rather than presenting one large exhibit featuring all the graduating MFA students, this...
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