How to Build a Fire: A Performance by Kerri Flannigan

by | Jul 29, 2024 | Alumni, climate, Visual Arts

In the unique live performance is a performance accompanied by projections, sound, and live-narration. How To Build a Fire, Visual Arts MFA alum Kerri Flannigan explores connections to nature, changing climates and wildfire through the relationship with their father, Mike. As an adult, Kerri realizes that although their father is a fire expert, they don’t actually know that much about fire and they begin recording conversations with their dad.

This performance will feature excerpts of these interviews and conversations which eventually start to bring in additional fire experts as well as touching on memories of growing up on a fire research station, legacy of fire suppression and fire as “enemy” ushered in with settler-colonialism, shifting cultural views around wildfire, the state of the forest, and more. How To Build A Fire asks questions about what kind of relationships we should have with each other, with fire and with the land around us.

Runs 7:30-9pm Sat-Sun August 3 & 4 at Intrepid Studio, 1609 Blanshard. Tickets $5–$25 (sliding scale)

Co-presented by UVic’s Legacy Art Galleries and Impulse Theatre.

Snapshot of a year

by | Jul 19, 2024 | Alumni, Art History & Visual Studies, climate, donor, Faculty, Graduate, indigenous, News, Research, School of Music, Theatre, Visual Arts, Writing

We’re excited to share with you the latest edition of the Faculty of Fine Arts Annual Review. While it’s always difficult to encapsulate an entire year’s worth of activity into a single 36-page magazine, we do enjoy the creative challenge of sharing our top stories with you!

“This past year, colleagues continued to reconceptualize the contours of arts education, creative expression and scholarly knowledge,” writes Dr. Allana Lindgren in her introduction. “The arts continue to be essential for cultivating dexterity through creative thinking and fostering the empathy needed to navigate our increasingly complex world.”

Dean Lindgren also notes the ongoing inspiration Fine Arts students provide. “Their commitment to creativity continues to inspire me and gives me confidence that the next generation of arts leaders has the temerity to transform life’s challenges into opportunities for intellectual reflection and artistic innovation.”

Inside, you’ll find a variety of stories about the recent activity of our faculty, students, staff, donors and community partners.

Education equates with action here in Fine Arts: we are committed to helping our students cultivate the skills needed to become innovative artists and engaged leaders.

Our curriculum, artistic practices, research and creative activities are rooted in our belief in the power of creativity, experimentation and the efficacy of the arts to help us to understand and address today’s most urgent and vexing issues.

If you missed a previous Annual Review, issues dating back to 2017 are archived here.

New mural connects art & wellness

by | Jul 12, 2024 | Art History & Visual Studies, Award, Visual Arts

When the head of UVic’s Island Medical Program decided it was time to freshen up the lobby of the Medical Sciences building, he reached out to Fine Arts Dean Allana Lindgren for inspiration. Together, they came up with a plan that would result in the commissioning of a new mural by a Visual Arts student plus the curation of a new set of artworks from UVic’s 18,000-piece collection, with the participation of the Art History & Visual Studies department.

Selected by a jury to create an uplifting and welcoming mural reflecting themes of health, wellness and happiness, Visual Arts undergraduate student Claire Jorgensen created the large-scale painting “A Dream of Vitality”, which is now a permanent addition to the Medical Sciences building.

“I wanted to enliven our lobby with something happy and beautiful that would inspire a sense of wellness in our building’s community,” notes Dr. Bruce Wright, head of UVic’s Division of Medical Sciences and the Regional Associate Dean (Vancouver Island) of UBC’s Faculty of Medicine.

“Partnering with Fine Arts to install a mural was the perfect way to do this, and including a curated art collection was an amazing opportunity to spread that positive energy throughout the rest of the first floor,” says Wright. “The Island Medical Program is proud of the successful collaboration between our programs and, especially, to have supported student learning through this project.”

Jorgensen—whose work was recently seen in the 2024 BFA graduation exhibition Silver Bullets and who did the 2022 commission “Scenes of Knowledge” for UVic’s Equity & Human Rights office—feels her mural is a good fit with Wright’s vision. “It depicts native plants and landscapes as a demonstration of the resilience of the land and people in the face of oppression,” she explains. “I chose a nature scene because of the role the natural world plays in health and wellness: whether it be climate change, colonization or other factors, the continued pursuit of wellness and health shines through. It’s a hopeful piece, and works to instill optimism into those who view it.”

Together with Jorgensen’s mural, the newly curated art on display not only enlivens the building’s lobby but also offers Island Medical’s community of students, faculty and professional staff a new relationship with visual art when they gather in the building. 

This new collaboration is just one of the many ways Fine Arts contributes to health and wellness on campus, and in the community.  

Claire’s “Scenes of Knowledge”, now mounted in the AHVS student commons

Beth Stuart’s monumental Montreal art commission

by | Jul 2, 2024 | Art History & Visual Studies, Award, Faculty, Visual Arts

When it comes to her creative output, award-winning Visual Arts professor Beth Stuart works in an expanding range of media including writing, painting, ceramics, performance, textiles and sculptural installations. Picking up on overlooked historical moments, as well as characters and material techniques, she creates alternative plot points in the narrative of modernist abstraction in order to examine the physical and metaphysical implications of dissolving the figure-ground relationship. 

Her newest public art sculpture is Les Tendresses, commissioned by La Banque Nationale du Canada and installed in the lobby of their Montreal headquarters at a cost of nearly $1 million. “Les Tendresses represent a playful offshoot of a longer artistic passage through the history of the relationships between architecture, garment construction, modernist abstraction, queer embodiment and feminist practice,” says Stuart. 

Les Tendresses offers three monumental sculptures that animate the architectural forms of three adjacent columns through a lively transformation of stone into the suggestion of clothed figures.  Each “posture” and “costume” is distinct from the others: one upright and elegant, one soft and flowing, one ornate and whimsical. The molded sculptures are made using a centuries-old architectural plaster technique called scagliola, which authentically imitates marble, creating a double trompe l’oeil: architecture come to life, and cloth turned to stone. 

Les Tendresses is inspired by the delight emerging from unexpected transformations of the inanimate into the animate; the hard into the seemingly soft; the inorganic into the organic. The sculptures introduce a playful distortion of regular geometries, contrasting the calm, sober look of the surrounding grey stone and concrete against bright, lively columns made of the same materials. This juxtaposition suggests a bridge between the architecture of the space and the humans who move through it — recognizing the role of individuals within the community and the capacity of the imagination to draw connections.

Summer Arts Series now registering

by | Jun 20, 2024 | Alumni, Art History & Visual Studies, Graduate, Theatre, Visual Arts, Writing

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.

Congratulation to the 2024 grad class!

by | Jun 14, 2024 | Alumni, Art History & Visual Studies, Award, Events, Graduate, School of Music, Theatre, Undergraduate, Visual Arts, Writing

Jude Wolff Ackroyd, BFA Honours 2024

Congratulations to our 2024 grad class! Whether you’re graduating from our department of Art History & Visual Studies, Theatre, Visual Arts, Writing or the School of Music, you’re now part of an extended community of nearly 10,000 other Fine Arts grads!

“While many of you started your current academic journey back in 2020—arguably, the most trying of recent times—we’re hoping you’ll look back on your degree as a time of rewarding and inspiring creative and scholarly exploration,” says Dean Allana Lindgren. “While the weeks ahead will be a whirlwind of emotions ranging from excitement and uncertainty to relief and anticipation, never forget that you’re well-prepared for wherever life takes you. Be bold. Be creative. Believe in yourself. Know that you are ready to succeed.”

Watch the livestream of the Fine Arts convocation starting at 10am Friday, June 14.

We would also encourage you to pause and thank the people who have supported and mentored you during your studies— be they family, friends, faculty, staff, donors or anyone who helped along the way. No matter your career path or the distance you travel, let us know about your projects and events, so we can celebrate your accomplishments.

“The world urgently needs fresh ideas and fresh energy: I challenge you to use your critical thinking and creative skills to give back to society and make a difference as you become the voice of a new generation,” says Dean Lindgren. “Always know that we are very proud to call you a UVic Fine Arts grad!”

2024 Victoria Medal winner Stella McCaig 

Special congratulations also go out to Visual Arts student Stella McCaig, who is graduating with a truly remarkable grade-point average of 9.0. Her perfect GPA earns her the 2024 Victoria Medal, presented annually to the Fine Arts student with the highest grades. 

“Stella McCaig is a daring and sensitive artist,” says Visual Arts professor Beth Stuart. “She combines personal narrative and material investigation fearlessly and from a place of raw vulnerability — in a way that generates art that is singular and resonates deeply with those who have the privilege to experience it.”

Stuart well knows of which she speaks: in summer 2023, while completing and installing a mammoth public art commission in Montreal, she brought Stella along to help with the process as a directed study — which involved undertaking many processes and pathways with which she was not familiar.

“Stella took up this task with effervescent good humour, meeting each obstacle and new set of knowledge with tenacity and grace,” says Stuart. “The project unfolded at breakneck speed, and Stella was completely instrumental in its success . . . . There is no standard metric that can express what this person is capable of — she’s a gift to the field, and I count myself blessed to have been able to work with her. Someday I will say, ‘I knew her when’.”

About the artist

“My sculptural work considers the idiosyncratic material language and forms that are developed through diving into the material and process, responding to and solving the challenges that exist due to experimentation and play. The body dispersed; transformation from the organic to the synthetic — and back again; a growing positive embrace of female sexuality, and an ownership of the gaze. These threads of interest become the genesis of intense sculptural works and installations, and become contemplative rather than predictive.

“Through an entirely personal practice of sewing, I create mangled and uninterpretable objects, that which become sanctified, having an unmatched virility in their endlessness. Because I primarily work from banal found objects and materials, the work enshrines the objects asking the viewer to realize the beauty of that which exists in the world; artificial or once alive. In an attempt to realize this idea, I adorn, embellish, and prettify the forms and objects that emerge, in preserving the infatuation I have with the unaesthetic, the disingenuous, and the absurd.

“I present the installations and sculptural works that I create in a moment of transmutation, from what they once were, to how they stand in front of the viewer. Every choice is presently there for the viewer to see. Everything is something, even the tiniest morsel of material becomes a point of love and thoughtful consideration. Each of the works arrive to and for the moment, functioning as tools gently resting between what is real and what is imagined, acknowledging the beauty of artificiality.”

—Stella McCaig