New Student Orientation Sept 8

by | Aug 31, 2026 | Art History & Visual Studies, Events, School of Music, Theatre, Undergraduate, Visual Arts, Writing

Wondering what it’s going to be like to be a Fine Arts student at UVic? Get a snapshot of your upcoming year while meeting other students at our annual New Student Orientation event!
NSO runs 1-4pm Tuesday, Sept 8: we’ll all start in the Phoenix Theatre building before breaking out into individual groups. Register now for this free session: https://www.uvic.ca/orientation/fall/faculty-sessions/index.php
If you’re not sure about attending, here’s 5 good reasons to join us:
  1. Ask frank questions and get honest answers about whatever’s on your mind
  2. Learn where everything is: Fine Arts has 4 distinct buildings and it’s helpful to know where to go before classes start
  3. Meet other students in your program in a relaxed peer-to-peer setting
  4. Find out about your student association and how it can improve your overall experience
  5. Reduce your uncertainty and increase familiarity with Fine Arts faculty, staff and resources.
After a short introduction and overview of the Faculty, you’ll hear from our Indigenous Resurgence Coordinator, Academic Advising, Co-op + Careers and UVic Libraries. Students will then break into departmental groups for short, peer-led orientation sessions and facility tours, plus a brief orientation in our computer labs and a lobby info fair. You’ll come away from this session with a good understanding of your department, your student association, the facilities/equipment available to you, and who to talk to if you need assistance in the year ahead.
This event is open to all new and transferring students in Art History & Visual Studies, Theatre, Visual Arts, Writing and the School of Music.

Arts & Culture keep Canada strong

by | Aug 10, 2026 | Alumni, Events, indigenous, Writing

If you’re looking for a quick indicator of the global, social and economic impact of Canadian arts & culture, look no further than Heated Rivalry.

A Canadian TV series developed by Canadian creators, starring Canadian actors, filmed in Canada, soundtracked by Canadian bands and based on books by a Canadian author, Heated Rivalry hit the zeitgeist in a way rarely seen. With just six episodes, the first season generated over a billion dollars via the combined sales of books, music, tourism, fashion, streaming services and actual hockey tickets, which saw a whopping 40% surge in demand.

That it also managed to marry the seemingly disparate worlds of professional hockey and queer culture is as remarkable as the fact that Canadian arts & culture is still seen as expendable in times of economic hardship.

At the risk of repeating ourselves, the arts make a vital contribution to our economy: a 2025 report by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce found arts & culture contributed $131 billion to Canada’s GDP in 2024 and supported over a million jobs nation-wide. And, since 2011, arts-sector spending growth has outpaced all other sectors — including oil and gas, construction, agriculture, manufacturing and both wholesale and retail trade — generating $17 billion in federal and provincial taxes.

As the popularity of shows like Heated Rivalry, Schitt’s Creek and the Disney+ series Washington Black (co-
produced and based on the award-winning bestseller by Fine Arts alum Esi Edugyen) continue to prove, it’s our cultural icons who keep Canada strong internationally, with Canadian exports of cultural goods and services hitting an all-time high of $27.1 billion in 2023 — twice that since 2011.

Yet, as former MP and Deputy Prime Minister Sheila Copps noted in her April 2026 Hill Times opinion piece, the Federal government’s economic conversation still
primarily focuses on boosting Canada’s fossil-fuel, auto
and construction sectors. Ironically, this ensures jobs for primarily male-dominated industries, while government spending on arts & culture strongly benefits women, youth and IBPOC / 2SLGBTQIA+ communities. Numerous studies have also proven how participation in arts & culture boosts democracy and civic engagement, increases the academic performance of students, and improves the overall health and wellbeing of Canadians.

UVic remains an essential part of that story: home to BC’s only stand-alone fine arts faculty, we’ve been training generations of arts practitioners, cultural leaders and creative researchers for nearly 60 years, equipping them with the skills and knowledge to succeed in our fast-changing world.

With political uncertainty south of the border, we do need to keep our elbows up . . . but it’s also essential to drive home the impact and relevance of Canada’s diverse and vibrant arts industry. UVic’s Faculty of Fine Arts continues to bring over 20,000 people a year to campus thanks to our 300+ cultural and scholarly offerings — making us UVic’s largest and most consistent academic unit for public engagement.

Keep up on our events throughout the year by subscribing to our monthly e-news via finecomm@uvic.ca

Conference marks Canadian Association for Theatre Research’s 50th anniversary

by | May 29, 2026 | Alumni, Events, Faculty, indigenous, Research, Theatre

Keynote speaker Nininsky Lee Aquino

Our Department of Theatre was proud to support the 50th annual Canadian Association for Theatre Research conference, which took place at UVic from May 26-29 and welcomed an exciting mix of theatre artists, scholars and researchers from across Canada plus Phoenix students, faculty & alumni.

Co-chaired by Theatre professor Sasha Kovacs & University of Toronto’s Sarah Robbins, CATR50 brought together over 200 people to investigate questions of inheritance, transition, transformation and change. The conference was highlighted by passionate conversations — kicked off by keynote speaker Nininsky Lee Aquino — and performances by Git Hayetsk dancers, Theatre SKAM’s Aster Brae plus drag performances at The Vicious Poodle. Other highlights included the conference exhibition, panel, roundtable, praxis workshop, seminar and working group contributions.

The Canadian Association for Theatre Research was originally created in 1976 under the name “The Association for Canadian Theatre History.” Since its inception it has been the principal catalyst for expansion of theatre research in Canada, as evidenced by the change in name in 1990. It aims to shape Canada’s theatrical present and future by preserving and interpreting our theatrical past and investigating areas of contemporary theory and performance. Specifically, the Association works to promote research and publication of the results of this research into Canadian theatre and drama, to encourage the collection and analysis of Canadian theatre materials, and to maintain a communications network for the exchange of information and research in progress.

Sasha Kovacs & Sarah Robbins

This event wouldn’t have been possible without the support of the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada Connections grant program, the Gatherings: Archival and Oral Histories Partnership, Canada’s Theatre Museum, Playwright’s Guild of Canada, Playwright’s Canada Press, Professional Association of Canadian Theatres, Talon Books, Belfry Theatre, the Centre for Socially Engaged Theatre plus numerous other departmental and community sponsors.

Special appreciation to Kurt Archer and previous co-chair Kara Flanagan for facilitating community artist engagement in this year’s event, Jenn Boulay for supporting accessibility plus all members of the incredible programming and local arrangements team for contributing to this memorable gathering!

Act 2 continues online June 11-12. See the CATR website for more info to join the digital act of the event.

Students & volunteers participating in Git Hayetsk performance

Music sponsors national choral conference

by | May 13, 2026 | Alumni, Events, Faculty, Research, School of Music

The School of Music is excited to be sponsoring PODIUM 2026, Canada’s national bilingual choral Conference and Festival! Co-chaired by Music professor Adam Con and presented by Choral Canada and the BC Choral Federation, this multi-day celebration runs from May 14-17 at both UVic and downtown Victoria, bringing together 400 delegates from across the country and 3,000 performing singers from dozens of choirs.

“It’s a celebration of the best of the best of what we do in Canada,” says Con in this Times Colonist interview. “We like to think that Victoria has more choirs, disproportionate to the population, than any other city . . . there’s a choir for every taste or flavour. That’s a good thing.”

But our involvement goes beyond organizing and hosting, as we’ve got Music students in the mix too: Sadie Karlsson is Podium’s volunteer coordinator, Dominic and Bree Ann Bartle-Clar are performing with the National Youth Choir of Canada, our Vocal Jazz Ensemble is doing a pop-up concert in the MacLaurin building’s A-wing (12:30pm Sunday, May 17), and we have two music education students assisting with the event’s technology. Also, 2024 Distinguished Alumna Carrie Tennant is directing a performance of the Vancouver Youth Choir, and a number of alumni are performing in the various featured ensembles.

Adam Con

Held every two years since 1982, PODIUM 2026 aims to ignite meaningful dialogue within the global choral community. Through offerings both on-site and online, we will showcase new music, bold ideas and exciting opportunities for collective singing, through participatory workshops and massed singing events. Key themes will look at the role of the choral arts in topics such as social justice, climate change action, health and wellness, diversity and inclusion.

“PODIUM 2026 is more than a national gathering — it is a moment of reflection, connection and renewal for Canada’s collective singing community,” says Con in this Victoria News article. At a time when connection and collective expression matter more than ever, PODIUM 2026 invites us all to raise our voices, not only in harmony, but in hope. In song, we find strength. In community, we find courage. And together, we shape what’s next.

Find out more

Visual Art MFAs exhibit featured at downtown gallery

by | Apr 20, 2026 | Art History & Visual Studies, Events, Faculty, Graduate, indigenous, Visual Arts

Art by Visual Arts MFA Moozhan Ahmadzadegan at the Hourglass (photo: Shay Ball)

Back in February, we announced that Visual Arts is now a partner with the new Hourglass studio developed by Vancouver Island Visual Arts Society, who also run downtown’s ambitious 80-artist Rockslide Studio & Gallery.

Now, we’re hosting an exclusive exhibition of work by 11 current and graduating Visual Arts MFA students at the Hourglass. The MFA exhibit Passage will run April 18  through May 16 and features diverse work across multiple mediums including sound, painting, sculpture, installation and fibre.

Created with support from the City of Victoria’s Storefront Activation Program, Hourglass is an 8,500-square-foot space housed in the former Volvo dealership at Yates and Cook. Repurposed to house 18 art studios plus exhibition space, Visual Arts professors Heather Igloliorte and Joel Ong, plus three graduate students, now have dedicated studios in the Hourglass.

“Having studio and presentation space at the Hourglass studios gives us a place to create and a place to connect,” says Visual Arts chair Megan Dickie. “We’re excited to build stronger ties with the Victoria arts community and to see MFA students working alongside our new faculty.”

Just as directors need a stage and scientists need a lab, professional artists need a dedicated studio to support their work. “Access to studio space is essential to a successful artistic practice, whether you’re an established artist-researcher or an emerging one,” says Dickie. “That’s true for new faculty members like Heather and Joel, and it’s just as true for our MFA cohort.”

Like so many arts spaces in Victoria — including the bustling Rockslide itself — the Hourglass location is destined to be short-lived, as the property is slated for redevelopment into a 21-storey mixed-use tower over the next few years. But until then, it will serve as the city’s latest innovative arts space.

Work by Kylie Fineday on view in Passage  (photo: Shay Ball)

Naming A Crisis uses art to address overdose deaths

by | Apr 14, 2026 | Alumni, Events, Faculty, Graduate, health, Visual Arts

Organizers Stephanie Harrington (left) & Amanda Farrell-Low in front of Laura Dutton’s installation

Tuesday April 14 marked 10 years since BC declared the overdose crisis a public health emergency, and more than 18,000 people have died from toxic drugs: a decade on, nearly five people a day are dying. While that scale of loss is hard to comprehend, the new multimedia arts installation Naming A Crisis has been created to show the magnitude of this crisis . . . one name at a time.
Conceived of by Writing MFA alum Stephanie Harrington, Visual Arts instructor and alumna Laura Dutton and Amanda Farrell-Low (communications officer for UVic’s Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research), Naming A Crisis honours lives lost to toxic drugs. “We wanted to honour these individuals but also convey the scale of loss at the same time, because it’s astronomical,” Farrell-Low said in this Victoria News article.
Presented by the Victoria Arts Council and running through April 26 on the lower floor of downtown’s Bay Centre, one of the most powerful visual highlights of Naming A Crisis is Dutton’s three-channel audio/video installation, which features the names and photos of people lost to drug-related harms — including family members for both Harrington and Farrell-Low. There will also be a series of community events throughout the exhibit, including art, photography, spoken word, participatory works, speaking events, workshops and more.
 
“I want people to walk away with a better understanding of the toll of this crisis and the human cost of it,” Harrington told Victoria News. “I want them to understand that there’s a lot of people doing work to change what’s happening and that there are solutions out there. There just isn’t the political will or courage to implement those solutions.”
 
You can also hear Stephanie and Amanda speak on CBC Radio’s On The Island.
 
See the full events list here.