Stories from the Creative Edge
Undergrad
Estate gift highlights All-Steinway anniversary
Minsoo Sohn giving a masterclass at the School of Music (Beth Bingham photo) Fifteen years ago, the School of Music was named Canada’s first All-Steinway School and, while there are now over 200 All-Steinway schools globally, UVic is still the only one in Canada — a...
Co-op brings learning to life
When it comes to mixing the theoretical with the practical, Fine Arts students have been participating in UVic’s vibrant Co-op program since 1986. In the past five years alone, we’ve had more than 300 students earn both academic credit and a monthly wage while getting...
“This funding is an absolute lifesaver“
100 Years of Broadway (Jaeden Walton photo)Carson SchmidtRoad vs Wade (Megan Farrell photo)While Theatre student Carson Schmidt never knew the late Fine Arts donor Jack Henshaw, his success as an undergraduate is exactly what Jack had in mind with his JTS Scholarship,...
Students & seniors work towards wellness
Over the past several decades, Applied Theatre artists have been developing activities that help communities access joy and connection with others. This spring, a group of third-year Applied Theatre students learned how to facilitate interactive, creative workshops...
Congratulation to the 2024 grad class!
Jude Wolff Ackroyd, BFA Honours 2024Congratulations 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...
“There’s always more to learn” says graduating professional musician Philip Manning
When it comes to career paths, most music students aspire to professional positions after graduation—playing with an orchestra, say, or becoming a chamber musician or band teacher. Not so with Philip Manning, who took a different approach to his own musical career:...
A passion for art history fuels Aashna Kulshreshtha’s international experience
Taking online classes during COVID at 3 a.m. India-time may not have been the ideal first-year experience, but it didn’t deter Aashna Kulshreshtha from enthusiastically pursuing her undergraduate degree in art history. Born and raised in New Dehli, Aashna finished...
Submission call for Student Impact Awards!
Are you a current (or graduating) Fine Arts undergraduate student who’s been involved with a community-engaged creative project in Greater Victoria between Jan 1/23 & May 31/24? If so, you could qualify for $1,000 via our annual Fine Arts Student Community Impact...
Annual BFA grad exhibit opens April 19
Our final public event of the 23/24 academic season is the annual Department of Visual Arts BFA graduation exhibition, this year titled Silver Bullets. After the public opening night gala on April 19, the free exhibit runs 10am-6pm daily through April 28. With pieces...
Portland student balances art & athletics
When it comes to making goals, Harry Ritter West is scoring two-for-two. A varsity athlete with UVic's men’s soccer team, West knows how to keep his eye on the ball—but as a fourth-year Visual Arts student, he also has the creative vision to shoot as a photographer....
$1500 student mural call
All current UVic Visual Arts students are invited to submit a proposal by March 26 for a new $1,500 mural project in the lobby of UVic’s Island Medical Program. This uplifting & welcoming mural should reflect any of the following themes: health & wellness,...
Equity Review results
During the 2022-2023 academic year, the Faculty of Fine Arts engaged in an Equity Review in order to provide an opportunity for faculty, staff, instructors and students to share their personal experiences with equity, diversity, inclusion and anti-oppression in Fine...
2023 Student Impact Award winners
For the third year in a row, Fine Arts honoured the winners of our annual Student Community Impact Awards as part of the Greater Victoria Regional Arts Awards. Held on November 24 at Victoria City Hall, Fine Arts Dean Allana Lindgren presented three separate awards of...
International exchange info fair
Did you know UVic offers academic exchanges with over 70 other universities worldwide? That means you can study and travel and not feel like you’re falling behind in your degree work! Learn more at our free international exchange information session specifically for...
Linda Catlin Smith named Honorary Degree recipient
Honorary degrees have been awarded at UVic since its inaugural convocation in 1964. An honorary degree is the highest honour the university can bestow for distinguished achievement in scholarship, research, teaching, the creative arts and public service. As part of...
Come to our pizza welcome party!
If you’re a Fine Arts student in Art History & Visual Studies, Theatre, Visual Arts, Writing or our School of Music, then you’re invited to our annual Welcome (Back) Pizza Party! Join us from 4-6pm Thursday, Sept 14, in the Fine Arts courtyard. Enjoy free pizza,...
Have you signed up for the Sept 5 New Student Orientation?
Wondering what it’s going to be like to be a UVic Fine Arts student? Get a snapshot of your upcoming year while meeting other students at our annual New Student Orientation event! RSVP now for this free session & get a jump on the semester! Date: Tuesday, Sept...
Staging an immigrant experience
2022 was a busy year for playwright Thembelihle Moyo, who came to Fine Arts from Zimbabwe as a Visiting Artist in 2021 and currently splits her time between our faculty and UVic’s Equity & Human Rights office. In addition to being named playwright-in-residence...
Join us for New Student Orientation on Sept 5
Wondering what it’s going to be like to be a UVic Fine Arts student? Get a snapshot of your upcoming year while meeting other students at our annual New Student Orientation event! RSVP now for this free session & get a jump on the semester! Date: Tuesday, Sept...
Climate Disaster Project a finalist in global journalism awards
CDP founder Sean Holman with student Sandra Ibrahim (UVic Photo Services) We're thrilled that the Climate Disaster Project (CDP) has been announced as a finalist in the global Covering Climate Now 2023 Journalism Awards, which honour the best coverage of the climate...
High-achieving twins both earn the Victoria Medal for their love of writing
Rachel (left) and Sarah LachmansignhWhen it comes to the academic arts experience, it’s easy for undergraduates to lose track of their initial passion as they get caught up in the drive for grades and goals. Yet despite Rachel and Sarah Lachmansingh’s many laudable...
Climate Disaster Project inspires students to help build community of survivors
A Climate Disaster Project participant visits Lytton BC after the town was devastated by wildfires in 2021 Fires rage, storms blow, floodwaters surge, temperatures climb: as headlines about the latest environmental catastrophes appear with alarming regularity, it’s...
Call for submissions: 3rd annual Student Impact Awards!
Are you a current or graduating Fine Arts student who’s been involved with some community-engaged creative activity in Greater Victoria between January 1/22 & May 31/23? If so, you could qualify for $1,000 via our annual Community Impact Award! The Fine Arts...
Annual BFA exhibition sees students developing their professional practice
While April sees most of campus focusing on final exams, graduating visual arts students are getting in one final taste of professional practice as they organize, curate, install and promote the annual BFA exhibit. Titled Don’t Need to Know to Feel It, this year’s...
The freelance life of Jenessa Joy Klukas
Given the 24-hour global news cycle, we’re living in a time of rapid media consumption, but freelance writer Jenessa Joy Klukas is finding success by keeping her focus tight and building relationships one story at a time. A recent Department of Writing graduate,...
Theatre grad Markus Spodzieja’s kosher journey
While Stephen Sondheim made the Baker a central character in his musical Into The Woods, theatre isn't exactly filled with plum roles for those who love to bake. But in the case of Department of Theatre grad Markus Spodzieja, he went from the stage to starting a...
Trans queer UVic alumna named Rhodes Scholar
There’s getting a great education, and then there’s what you do with it. Canada’s first trans woman Rhodes scholar has big plans for both. University of Victoria graduate Julia Levy is one of 11 young Canadians—the only one in BC—chosen for the prestigious...
Fine Arts active with 5 Days of Action
UVic's 5 Days of Action is back! Running Nov 14-18, Five Days of Action: 365 Days of Commitment is UVic’s annual free, week-long event aimed at amplifying the work groups, units and organizations are doing to create a more diverse, inclusive and equitable campus and...
A coding career composed of science and sound
When Calgary-based Logan Wood was looking for a leading post-secondary music and computer science degree program, he quickly realized that there was only real choice for him. “In comparing programs across the country, UVic stood out for me,” he says. Despite landing...
Fine Arts well-represented at 2022 GVRA Awards
For over 50 years, Fine Arts has been an incubator for young artists, technicians, arts administrators, volunteers and audience members. And while our alumni and faculty members continue to make a vital impact on Victoria’s arts community, it's also important to...
Faculty Equity Survey
UVic’s Faculty of Fine Arts is conducting an Equity Review in preparation for Strategic Planning. We want to hear from members of the Fine Arts community to understand what we are doing well and what else we need to do to become a place where everyone is...
Young Alumni Lunch & Learn sessions engage current students
While Fine Arts has no shortage of national and internationally renowned alumni at the peak of their careers, finding meaningful ways to engage our more recent graduates remains a priority for the faculty. With that in mind, this year we created a new “Young Alumni...