AGGV curator brings experience to the classroom

by | Jul 27, 2026 | Art History & Visual Studies, Faculty, Research, Undergraduate, Visual Arts

Heng Wu teaching her AHVS class

Art History & Visual Studies students once again had the unique opportunity this year to learn from professional art curator and adjunct assistant professor Dr. Heng Wu.

Currently the Curator of Asian Art at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria (AGGV), Wu oversees one of the premier Asian art collections in North America and the finest in Western Canada. Her teaching practice focuses on museum research, curation and Asian art. She places great importance on applying the experiences gained from museum work to her research and teaching, while simultaneously incorporating her research findings and thoughts back into her practical work.

 Wu’s course — AHVS 202: “Confronting the Object” — brings real-world curatorial insights and experience into the classroom, showing students the professional side of museum work. “The course title may be ‘Confronting the Object’ but ‘confronting’ doesn’t mean to argue,” she explains. “I just want students to understand that objects are not neutral at all.”

AHVS students go behind the scenes at the Royal BC Museum (above) & the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria (below), contributing to a greater understanding of object handling, acquisitional practices & display techniques

Objects are the focus

Objects are central to this course since Wu believes that they are at the centre of museums and curatorial practice. “Behind any museum object is a series of decisions, and every decision is made with thoughtful, professional thinking,” she says. “This is why I put objects as the centre of this course . . . looking at objects, describing objects, cataloging objects, handling objects: everything in this course is about objects.”

Wu explains how she structured the course to reflect real curatorial work, since she thinks it’s the best way for students to learn. “I want them to at least have a better understanding of museum work,” she says. To accomplish this, Wu frequently brings actual museum pieces and objects from UVic’s own 18,000+ art collection into the classroom and gives students real cataloging sheets to fill out, replicating the process of a professional curator.

“Every time I bring real objects from museum collections to the classroom and let students work with them, I can see their excitement,” she says. “I think it’s great.”

 

Real-world learning

Engaging with museums itself is also key to this course. Wu took her students out of the classroom three times over the semester to visit local art galleries and museums — including the AGGV and the Royal BC Museum — letting them get firsthand experience in a these settings and ask questions of working professionals.

“It’s great experience for them. If you’re only studying by reading textbooks, you don’t really have a sense of the real world.”

 

Handling objects from UVic’s art collection

Throughout the semester, Wu found her two positions — curator and professor — to be the perfect mix. She explains how she’d bring current museum decisions from the AGGV into the classroom for discussion. “[They] let me know what they like or don’t like, or what changes they want to see. I learn a lot from students, so I think this is perfect. I like the combination.” This also gives students the chance to understand what challenges curators face and let them join the conversation.

“I feel really fortunate to have the chance to step into two fields,” Wu continues. “I have felt inspired by the students and their responses to the objects many times. I enjoy teaching a lot!”

—Claudia Phillips, with photos by Shay Ball

UVic Workstudy students Claudia Phillips (Writing) and Shay Ball (Visual Arts) are just two of nearly 75 Fine Arts students hired annually to learn professional skills outside of their classes. Their work will now appear in various Fine Arts publications, on this blog and on our social media feeds.

International field school inspires Theatre students

by | Jul 21, 2026 | Theatre, Undergraduate

Thanks to its well-deserved reputation as an arts destination, Victoria has a big city’s amount of culture tucked into a small town’s space. But it’s always good for students to get a more big-picture perspective, which is where international field schools come in. In March, Theatre professor Kirsten Sadeghi-Yekta took a group of students to the Netherlands to attend the 10th International Community Arts Festival (ICAF) in Rotterdam.

ICAF brought together artists from around the world who are using theatre as a tool for community building, education and social change; hundreds of participating students were then able to take part in workshops and panel talks, watch performances, build international connections and deepen their understanding of how community arts (or “applied theatre,” as we describe it) is created in different cultural contexts.

“For me, it was about getting a new cultural perspective on the arts,” says Anton Matsigura, one of 10 Theatre students who participated. “I was also excited to meet as many people as I possibly could to get perspective on theatre in their home countries.”

Fellow participant Savannah O’Heaney agrees. “I was attracted by both the idea of international travel and experiencing how different art can be in other places . . . I really wanted to see what else was out there,” she explains. “This year’s theme was ‘space for imagination’, so a lot of the workshops were about creating spaces for theatre and art to take place.”

Phoenix students at the event

Matsigura describes ICAF as being “kind of a no-boundaries festival . . . a lot of the work really pushed artistic and political boundaries. We were there for less than 10 days, and every single moment was just packed — there’s beauty and also challenges in that, but it was a great experience.” Describing it as “a bit of artistic whiplash,” Matsigura says that by day four, he was “consuming so much vastly different art that it was kind of hard to let it all sink in.”

As a self-funded field school, the students had to offset costs in a variety of ways, including mounting an online auction which raised about $3,500. (“We reached out to over a hundred companies for items that we could put up for bids, and that ended up covering our entire housing accommodation,” notes Matsigura.)

O’Heaney felt the experience offered her a radically different view on the practice of theatre. “Usually people get consumed with the idea of fame and celebrity, but this was more about how having an impact with your art was enough . . . it took away that toxic industry aspect of it and made it more about what the practice of art should be like.”

“This trip definitely inspired me to continue seeking a different perspective in everything that I see,” says Matsigura. “It may sound bizarre, but I really appreciated the Dutch directness towards their art: they didn’t always make it easy for us to understand . . . it was okay to spend time figuring it all out.”

Sadeghi-Yekta in the audience

 Both students clearly appreciated the horizon-expanding opportunity of the field school. “It was inspiring to hear people’s artistic success stories, which I honestly don’t think we hear enough,” says Matsigura. “Almost everyone there was practicing art as a profession in some capacity, making their life work around it. It was just nice to hear how this can all be made into a career.”

Writing students mark fatal heat dome anniversary

by | Jun 29, 2026 | climate, donor, Faculty, health, Undergraduate, Writing

To mark the fifth anniversary of BC’s fatal heat dome in 2021, a group of UVic Writing students trained to take climate-survivor testimonials are now seeing their work run in the online news outlet The Tyee in a new five-part series with created in partnership with the Climate Disaster Project. 
“Some of what they share can be difficult to read. But the survivors want you to know what happened to them for a reason,” says CDP founder and Writing professor Sean Holman. “So we can be closer together. So we can feel less alone. So you know what to do when one of the worst days of your life happens, without warning.”

The human cost of BC’s heat dome was catastrophic: over 600 people died between June 25 and July 1 2021, making it the deadliest weather disaster in Canadian history. Over 100 all-time heat records were shattered as temperatures across the province soared 20° above typical summertime averages in a brutal reminder of how warm our world is becoming.

The Tyee series offers the stories of five heat-dome survivors, as told in their own words:

  • a Surrey mother whose newborn was struggling, and so was her ailing cat
  • a Vancouver homeowner who had to find a new home when her condo turned into a greenhouse
  • a Lower Mainland firefighter who answered emergency calls as extreme heat buckled the province’s health-care system
  • a retired school principal who was forced to evacuate when that heat turned to flame in Lytton
  • and a Kamloops councillor who could do little but watch as fire scorched one of the city’s outer neighbourhoods.
“These stories aren’t just an account of the harm caused by an environment we have harmed and are still harming,” says Holman, explaining how the CDP’s climate-survivor testimonies differ from traditional news stories. “They are early warning systems and emergency preparedness plans. Because the survivors of past climate disasters carry with them knowledge and wisdom needed to help us confront the extreme events that have now become seasonal. Reading their testimonies now isn’t just about memorialization. It’s about preparation. An opportunity to change what will happen today and tomorrow.”
The Climate Disaster Project was established in 2022 by Sean Holman — UVic’s donor-funded Wayne Crookes Professor of Environmental & Climate Journalism — and has since grown into an award-winning international teaching newsroom with partners in multiple countries around the world, tackling projects ranging from journalism and documentaries to a theatrical play, museum exhibit and a pending literary anthology. It also gives our students the chance to see their work appear in professional media like The Guardian UK & The Tyee, among many others.

Music grad finds confidence and success through voice study

by | Jun 9, 2026 | Alumni, School of Music, Undergraduate

Nadia Lurie points to a sticker of Snoopy on one in a row of bright yellow lockers.
“The infamous yellow lockers in the Music building,” she explains. “I will miss you, Snoopy!”

During the five years of her Bachelor of Music study in the School of Music, award-winning performance major Nadia Lurie was busy both on-stage and off — locally, nationally and internationally. In addition to her required classes, recitals and performances, Lurie took private voice lessons, participated in local mentorship programs, taught children’s musical theatre downtown and was accepted into a series of summer opera intensives in Salzburg, Sicily, Quebec and Edmonton.

Now, as she graduates at the Fine Arts convocation ceremony on June 10, we caught up with Nadia to reflect on her time at UVic. Nadia was chosen as one of just a handful of graduating students to be officially profiled by UVic.

Nadia Lurie with the UVic Chamber Singers in Noto, Sicily.

What moment or memory stands out most from your time at UVic?
It’s hard to pick just one, but in the summer of 2025, the UVic Chamber Singers had the opportunity to perform at the Sicily International Voice Festival. It was a beautiful week of singing in gorgeous Baroque churches, delicious food and bonding over the experience of living in a working convent with no air conditioning.

Where did you spend most of your time studying, hanging out or unwinding on campus?
Most of my downtime between classes was spent in what we music majors lovingly refer to as “the basement” of the MacLaurin Building’s B-Wing. I’ve always thought the orange floors and bright yellow lockers felt like the set of a children’s TV show. I will miss all the shenanigans we got up to down there!

“Performing opera in the round!” Nadia doing Mansfield Park at Edmonton’s Nuova Vocal Arts. (Photo credit: Nanc Price)

Which course or instructor had a positive impact on your academic or personal growth?
It has been very special to have been mentored by my voice teacher, Anne Grimm. Singing can feel so vulnerable. For all her students, Anne creates an environment that inspires confidence on and off stage. She is not only an amazing teacher but also so kind. She has supported me through all aspects of my degree.

What activity or experience outside the classroom meant the most to you?
In my second year, my “large ensemble” credit was fulfilled by participating in Pacific Opera Victoria’s Chorus during their 2022/23 season. To be able to immerse myself in the professional world of opera and apply what I was studying at school to the work I was doing on stage was so inspiring to me! I am also grateful to have been a recipient of POV’s Annamaria Bamji Award for Emerging Opera Singers.

 

“My last day at the Mozarteum International Summer Academy in Salzburg,” explains Nadia.
This trip was supported by UVic Music and the Johann Strauss Scholarship for advanced study of music in Austria. 

What are your plans for after graduation and is it the path you envisioned for yourself growing up?
I’m headed to Manchester’s Royal Northern College of Music this fall to start my master’s of music in vocal performance. Having grown up in Victoria, I always dreamed of having the chance to leave the Island to pursue performance abroad.

What would you tell someone who is considering choosing UVic for their degree?
UVic is a friendly community! Your lifestyle outside of classes is as important as your studies themselves. It’s hard to beat studying on such a beautiful campus that is also within walking distance of the ocean. A beach picnic with your friends can fix a world of hurt!

Based on your experiences and training, how do you feel the arts can best benefit society?
The arts are essential! We need empathetic, curious and creative citizens, and arts education provides this. I know this from my own experience as an artist and performer, but I also see it in the children that I teach. Arts education is the way to a better future.

A perfect GPA means Writing student Caitlin Pierce wins the Victoria Medal

by | Jun 8, 2026 | Award, Undergraduate, Writing

Each year, Fine Arts presents the Victoria Medal to the student who earns the highest grades. This year, we are pleased to honour Caitlin Pierce, who not only graduates with a BFA in Writing but has also achieved a 9.0 grade-point average: in other words, a perfect GPA.

“This medal is a much deserved and wonderful validation of all that Caitlin accomplished as an undergrad,” says Lee Henderson, Writing professor and current department Chair. “She has a wild imagination, a storytelling talent that is truly remarkable and her writing is unmistakable for its originality and depth. I’m so happy for her to receive this accolade!”

Describing her as both a heartfelt, caring writer and a supportive, highly regarded member of UVic’s writing community, Henderson notes that Pierce has consistently been a strong and passionate advocate for her peers: she always seeks to uplift, in both her writing and her community relations.

While Pierce excelled in her Writing courses, she also diversified her academic portfolio by taking electives in health, philosophy, art history and visual arts, reflecting her rich and thoughtful approach to life. In fact, this is her second UVic degree, having already earned a Bachelor of Science in Biopsychology back in 2017.

A working phlebotomist with Island Health since 2019, she decided to return to UVic in 2022 after taking the memoir-writing course “Chronicling the Stories of Your Life” through UVic’s Continuing Studies. “I remember thinking, ‘Yeah, I really do actually like this: I’m going to apply!’,” she says.

Caitlin Pierce in the Writing office

“I started in the Sciences because it was the expected thing by my parents, to maybe be a doctor — because there’s this universal idea that you’re never going to get paid as a writer — but after COVID happened I started wondering why I was doing it,” she admits. “I mean, it’s a useful job, but I don’t really enjoy it. So I figured now that I have a career to fall back on, maybe it’s time to chase my dreams instead.”

When asked how she achieved such a notable GPA, Pierce said it came down to “just showing up and really enjoying the work I was doing. I think that’s the difference between this and my first degree: I’ve really, really enjoyed this one and it felt like what I was supposed to be doing.” She pauses and laughs. “Okay, maybe a bit of perfectionism helped too.”

When asked for particularly influential faculty members during her degree, she quickly singles out the likes of creative nonfiction authors Deborah Campbell and David Leach, poet Marita Dachsel, fiction writer Yasuko Thanh and art instructor Cliff Haman. Pierce also gives a big shout-out to her parents (“they’ve been so supportive!”) and her partner Eliza Musselwhite, who is also a Writing alumna. “I don’t think I could have done any of this without them,” she says.

Professor Henderson recalls being particularly struck by Pierce’s latest work this past spring while she was participating in a field school on relational aesthetics and fiction at the Jeffrey Rubinoff Sculpture Park on Hornby Island, with whom Fine Arts has a dynamic partnership.

“Her writing project was one of the most innovative and unexpected stories I’ve come across: a historical novel that is also science fiction, yet also a story about trauma, survival and loss,” he says. “Her novel-in-progress is a perfect example of the richness and thoughtfulness of her writing. Caitlin is a novelist to watch for, an important emerging voice in contemporary literature and someone I’ll be forever grateful I had a chance to work with.”

New Phoenix season of plays announced

by | Apr 30, 2026 | Graduate, Theatre, Undergraduate

Exciting news: our Phoenix Theatre has announced their new season for the 2026/27 season, and it features a mix of a Tony-winning musical, a beloved classic and a bold new play. But did you know Phoenix productions also serve an integral academic part for students enrolled in the Department of Theatre’s Bachelor of Fine Arts and Master of Fine Arts degrees?

When you attend the Phoenix, you experience some of this city’s most exciting and eclectic theatre while participating in the education of our students. Our students learn by doing, so they’re involved in every aspect of these productions: from acting to the design, creation and management of sets, costumes, props, sound and lighting. Discover the difference that the youth, talent and energy of our students can make and get a preview of Canada’s next generation of theatre artists!

Exciting news: our Phoenix Theatre has announced their new season for the 2026/27 season, and it features a mix of a Tony-winning musical, a beloved classic and a bold new play. But did you know Phoenix productions also serve an integral academic part for students enrolled in the Department of Theatre’s Bachelor of Fine Arts and Master of Fine Arts degrees?

When you attend the Phoenix, you experience some of this city’s most exciting and eclectic theatre while participating in the education of our students. Our students learn by doing, so they’re involved in every aspect of these productions: from acting to the design, creation and management of sets, costumes, props, sound and lighting. Discover the difference that the youth, talent and energy of our students can make and get a preview of Canada’s next generation of theatre artists!

The Cherry Orchard

November 5-14, 2026 • 
Guest director: Carmen Aguirre

Chekhov’s final masterpiece — a portrait of changing fortunes in a world on the brink of transformation. Returning from Paris to her family’s estate and beloved cherry orchard, Madame Ranevskaya discovers the property is deeply in debt and at risk of being lost. With the orchard facing a possible auction to cover what is owed, the family clings to memory and tradition, reluctant to face what lies ahead. Infused with Chekhov’s sharp wit, the play is set against a rapidly changing social landscape. As the auction nears, the future of the orchard and the life they have always known hangs in the balance.

Michael Frayn’s (Noises Off) translation is praised for capturing Chekhov’s delicate balance of comedy and tragedy. His lively, modern language highlights the play’s humour and irony while maintaining its emotional depth, making this classic accessible for today’s audiences. Chekhov himself insisted that The Cherry Orchard was a comedy and even described parts of it as farce. He was famously frustrated when Konstantin Stanislavski, the co-founder of the Moscow Art Theatre and director of the play’s 1904 premiere, staged it as a tragedy. That tension between laughter and loss remains at the heart of the play.

The Wolves

February 4-13, 2027 • MFA Director: Amanda Lisman

Jump. Shuffle. Lunge. Repeat! A girls’ indoor soccer team moves through their pre-game warm-ups over a season, capturing a raw, energetic snapshot of adolescence. As they stretch and train, their conversations move from school and relationships to bigger questions about the world and what lies ahead. The familiar rhythm of teenage banter blends humour and gossip with moments of unexpected depth, gradually revealing the group’s personalities and social dynamics. Rather than centring on a single main character, the story unfolds through the collective voice of the team. Funny, vulnerable, and deeply human, it’s a candid portrait of teenage girls coming into their own.

“I wanted to see a portrait of teenage girls as human beings — as complicated, nuanced, very idiosyncratic people who weren’t just girlfriends or sex objects or manic pixie dream girls but who were athletes and daughters and students and scholars and people who were trying actively to figure out who they were in this changing world around them.” — Wolves playwright Sarah DeLappe

Curtains

March 4-20, 2027 • Director: Jacques Lemay

Golden Age Broadway sparkle meets the intrigue of a classic detective mystery in this Tony- and Drama Desk Award-winning musical with book by Rupert Holmes (“Escape: The Pina Colada Song”), music by John Kander & lyrics by Fred Ebb (Chicago, Cabaret).

When the supremely untalented leading lady of a Broadway-bound show drops dead during her final bow, the entire cast and crew become suspects. Enter Lieutenant Frank Cioffi, a detective—and devoted musical theatre fan—determined to solve the case. This large-scale production delivers big laughs, dazzling numbers, and plenty of twists. By the final curtain, the biggest question isn’t just whodunit, but whether the show can go on.
Featuring music by legendary songwriting duo John Kander and Fred Ebb, Curtains is directed and choreographed by Jacques Lemay, whose previous Phoenix Theatre shows include audience-favourite musicals The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (2024) and The Drowsy Chaperone (2018).

Find individual or season ticket information at the Phoenix Theatre website.

Exciting news: our Phoenix Theatre has announced their new season for the 2026/27 season, and it features a mix of a Tony-winning musical, a beloved classic and a bold new play. But did you know Phoenix productions also serve an integral academic part for students enrolled in the Department of Theatre’s Bachelor of Fine Arts and Master of Fine Arts degrees?

When you attend the Phoenix, you experience some of this city’s most exciting and eclectic theatre while participating in the education of our students. Our students learn by doing, so they’re involved in every aspect of these productions: from acting to the design, creation and management of sets, costumes, props, sound and lighting. Discover the difference that the youth, talent and energy of our students can make and get a preview of Canada’s next generation of theatre artists!

The Cherry Orchard

November 5-14, 2026 • 
Guest director: Carmen Aguirre

Chekhov’s final masterpiece — a portrait of changing fortunes in a world on the brink of transformation. Returning from Paris to her family’s estate and beloved cherry orchard, Madame Ranevskaya discovers the property is deeply in debt and at risk of being lost. With the orchard facing a possible auction to cover what is owed, the family clings to memory and tradition, reluctant to face what lies ahead. Infused with Chekhov’s sharp wit, the play is set against a rapidly changing social landscape. As the auction nears, the future of the orchard and the life they have always known hangs in the balance.

Michael Frayn’s (Noises Off) translation is praised for capturing Chekhov’s delicate balance of comedy and tragedy. His lively, modern language highlights the play’s humour and irony while maintaining its emotional depth, making this classic accessible for today’s audiences. Chekhov himself insisted that The Cherry Orchard was a comedy and even described parts of it as farce. He was famously frustrated when Konstantin Stanislavski, the co-founder of the Moscow Art Theatre and director of the play’s 1904 premiere, staged it as a tragedy. That tension between laughter and loss remains at the heart of the play.

The Wolves

February 4-13, 2027 • MFA Director: Amanda Lisman

Jump. Shuffle. Lunge. Repeat! A girls’ indoor soccer team moves through their pre-game warm-ups over a season, capturing a raw, energetic snapshot of adolescence. As they stretch and train, their conversations move from school and relationships to bigger questions about the world and what lies ahead. The familiar rhythm of teenage banter blends humour and gossip with moments of unexpected depth, gradually revealing the group’s personalities and social dynamics. Rather than centring on a single main character, the story unfolds through the collective voice of the team. Funny, vulnerable, and deeply human, it’s a candid portrait of teenage girls coming into their own.

“I wanted to see a portrait of teenage girls as human beings — as complicated, nuanced, very idiosyncratic people who weren’t just girlfriends or sex objects or manic pixie dream girls but who were athletes and daughters and students and scholars and people who were trying actively to figure out who they were in this changing world around them.” — Wolves playwright Sarah DeLappe

Curtains

March 4-20, 2027 • Director: Jacques Lemay

Golden Age Broadway sparkle meets the intrigue of a classic detective mystery in this Tony- and Drama Desk Award-winning musical with book by Rupert Holmes (“Escape: The Pina Colada Song”), music by John Kander & lyrics by Fred Ebb (Chicago, Cabaret).

When the supremely untalented leading lady of a Broadway-bound show drops dead during her final bow, the entire cast and crew become suspects. Enter Lieutenant Frank Cioffi, a detective—and devoted musical theatre fan—determined to solve the case. This large-scale production delivers big laughs, dazzling numbers, and plenty of twists. By the final curtain, the biggest question isn’t just whodunit, but whether the show can go on.
Featuring music by legendary songwriting duo John Kander and Fred Ebb, Curtains is directed and choreographed by Jacques Lemay, whose previous Phoenix Theatre shows include audience-favourite musicals The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (2024) and The Drowsy Chaperone (2018).

Find individual or season ticket information at the Phoenix Theatre website.

Curtains

March 4-20, 2027 • Director: Jacques Lemay

Golden Age Broadway sparkle meets the intrigue of a classic detective mystery in this Tony- and Drama Desk Award-winning musical with book by Rupert Holmes (“Escape: The Pina Colada Song”), music by John Kander & lyrics by Fred Ebb (Chicago, Cabaret).

When the supremely untalented leading lady of a Broadway-bound show drops dead during her final bow, the entire cast and crew become suspects. Enter Lieutenant Frank Cioffi, a detective—and devoted musical theatre fan—determined to solve the case. This large-scale production delivers big laughs, dazzling numbers, and plenty of twists. By the final curtain, the biggest question isn’t just whodunit, but whether the show can go on.
Featuring music by legendary songwriting duo John Kander and Fred Ebb, Curtains is directed and choreographed by Jacques Lemay, whose previous Phoenix Theatre shows include audience-favourite musicals The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (2024) and The Drowsy Chaperone (2018).

Find individual or season ticket information at the Phoenix Theatre website or call the box office at 250-721-8000.