UBC has appointed accomplished artist and curator Tania Willard as the first-ever Director of the UBC Okanagan Gallery.

The gallery was formed as an umbrella institution to manage the FINA Gallery, UBCO’s Public Art Collection and the planned downtown gallery space.

Under Willard’s direction, the UBCO art gallery will become the region’s first university gallery with a specific focus on decolonial and inclusive practices, says Dr. Bryce Traister, Dean of the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies, following the existing mandate to support new acquisitions and commissions of Indigenous art.

“With our commitment to engaging with and being a leader for our local arts community, we are excited about the addition of this position to the gallery,” Dr. Traister says. “With Tania’s background as an artist and curator, we are confident she will move the gallery forward positively.”

Willard is an Assistant Professor and Director of UBCO’s Indigenous Art Intensive. The intensive is an annual program that gathers students, artists, curators, writers and scholars to discuss contemporary ideas and discourse rooted in Indigenous art-making.

Part of her work at the gallery will include growing financial support and programming for the gallery while maintaining the vision of an experimental space that embraces decolonial and inclusive practices for diverse publics.

Dr. Traister adds that Willard brings her specific practice in Indigenous contemporary art as well as a broad scope of practice and networks to the position.

Reflected in the gallery mandate is a commitment to increase the representation of Syilx artists in the permanent collection, and following UBC Okanagan Gallery curator Dr. Stacey Koosel’s curatorial leadership, Willard will contribute to that vision and help shepherd the gallery into the future, including the development of the new gallery in the UBCO building in downtown Kelowna.

Willard, who has worked with every scale of an art institution across the country and internationally, says she looks forward to joining the gallery team. Together, they envision inclusive approaches grounded in Syilx territories that can encompass a broad area of interest, both in the local communities and online and digitally.

She notes she is firmly committed to increasing the representation of Black, Indigenous and People of Colour artists in UBCO’s permanent art collection as reflected in the gallery mandate.

“My goal is to manage the collection across campus and outdoors and also provide fresh programming and unique opportunities for UBC Okanagan students and regional communities to learn directly from the gallery, its exhibitions and programming,” says Willard.

“I see a growing future for the influence of a new university gallery as part of the region’s exciting network for arts and culture in the city.”

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UBC Okanagan has created a new pathway for students pursuing Indigenous studies, announcing that applications are now open for the Interdisciplinary Graduate Studies Indigenous Knowledges post-graduate degrees.

The program—iʔ sqilxʷ aʔ cmiy̓ t scmypnwíłnsəlx in Nsyilxcn—marks a significant stride in embedding Indigenous perspectives and wisdom within higher education. UBC Okanagan is the first in Canada to offer Indigenous Knowledges master’s and doctorate degrees.

UBC Okanagan’s approach to Indigenous academic programming is deeply rooted in partnership and leadership by Indigenous faculty and communities. These programs are designed to be respectful and reflective of Indigenous perspectives and knowledge systems, and are driven by those that represent their communities both on and off campus.

“Inspired by Indigenous philosophy, our program encourages students to consider ‘all our relations’ and live in harmony with the land,” says Dr. Shawn Wilson, an Associate Professor in Indigenous Studies and Program Director. “Indigenous Knowledges and languages are not just academic subjects; they are life practices emerging from deep relationships between our peoples and the land.”

The Indigenous Knowledges theme is designed to revitalize traditional Indigenous knowledge systems and languages, inspire actions to address contemporary challenges, and co-create new Indigenous knowledge. Faculty and students in the program draw on Indigenous pedagogy and methodologies, working closely with the Land, Elders and communities.

“We aim to support our students and their communities to enable Indigenous governance systems, promote health and wellbeing, and contribute to ecological restoration, among other critical areas,” stated Dr. Mike Evans, an Associate Dean in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.

“Our faculty’s expertise and Indigenous methodologies form the foundation for a rich, interdisciplinary approach to contemporary issues.”

Courses blend Indigenous ways of knowing with traditional academic disciplines, offering research opportunities in language recovery, cultural revitalization and environmental stewardship.

The program draws from years of experience applying Indigenous Knowledges in a real-world context, led by nationally and internationally recognized researchers such as Dr. Jeannette Armstrong.

“Our Indigenous languages are informed by countless generations of specific knowledges arising from the lands which now require the best Indigenous science interventions,” Dr. Armstrong says.

The program emphasizes hands-on community engagement, encouraging students to apply their learning within local Indigenous communities and maintain connections to their cultural roots.

Research spans community development, Indigenous physical sciences, health and wellbeing, grounded in Indigenous theory, methodologies and philosophies.

UBC Okanagan’s Indigenous Knowledges theme reflects the university’s commitment to reconciliation and inclusive education.

“Our program is not just about acquiring knowledge; it’s about fostering holistic wellbeing, as well as nurturing academic and research excellence,” Dr. Wilson adds. “We care deeply about our students’ experiential learning and their connections within and beyond the program.”

To find out more, visit: gradstudies.ok.ubc.ca/igs/indigenous-knowledges.

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The newly formed Master of Design degree at UBC Okanagan is a first for professional master’s degrees in Canada, and it’s now accepting applications.

UBCO’s Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies, School of Engineering and Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences created the interdisciplinary program to help answer vital questions affecting the planet.

“We are excited that we can work on designing solutions to wicked problems in British Columbia and beyond,” Program Director Megan Smith says. “The program blends critical engineering, art and design disciplines to get hands-on and dig deep into resolving issues while training in entrepreneurship.”

The Master of Design degree is a full-time, 12-month professional graduate-level program intended to help students build design solutions for global challenges. The program blends critical design thinking, creative practice and engineering principles within a culture of innovation, creativity and social and sustainable entrepreneurship.

Courses focus on community-based creative approaches to project design as well as the conceptualization and preparation for prototyping and presentation of projects. The program is experiential by design, and students will learn through workshops, seminars, lectures, hands-on experiences, studio time and ongoing mentorship.

“There is a growing trend that challenges are becoming more complicated, and the solutions for these challenges need to be more creative and innovative,” explains Assistant Professor of Engineering Alon Eisenstein, who teaches in the program.

“It allows professionals from the arts, communications, engineering and tech communities to collaborate as a cohort in an interdisciplinary project-focused program that creates solutions for society, both local and global.”

Smith notes that the research tackles big questions and problems. “I design immersive experiences that allow the public to experience satellite data and infrastructure in new ways. I have worked on exposing human elements within large computational infrastructures and have designed virtual reality hardware for public safety training,” she says.

“I believe that by working across art, engineering and computer science, we can discover new solutions to major problems affecting the world. In particular, we need to rapidly develop solutions to mitigate the impact of climate change. We have to play a role in that effort.”

During the program, students will develop a project by onboarding an extensive resource of applicable skills, learning from experts and receiving first-hand experience and feedback on their work as they progress through production cycles.

The need for human-centred design and having the user at the centre of the process using design principles is becoming more in demand. Eisenstein adds that collaboratively solving problems in a team and finding solutions through working with other disciplines expands understanding and fuels growth.

“This concept of working together across disciplines is the real value and the core benefit of this program,” he says.

The first cohort is to begin study in May 2024. Interested applicants can email masterdesign.ok@ubc.ca to receive updates on the program.

For more information about the MDEs program, visit masterdesign.ok.ubc.ca.

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What: The Floating Man film screening
When: Wednesday, November 22, 7 to 10 pm
Where: Mary Irwin Theatre, Rotary Centre for the Arts, 421 Cawston Ave., Kelowna
Cost: Sliding scale $10 to $25

In his intimate self-portrait, Michael V. Smith’s feature documentary The Floating Man explores his gender journey with his signature vision of iconic imagery.

During the documentary Smith, who is Professor of Creative Writing in UBC Okanagan’s Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies, sources his art practice to examine a lifetime of untrue stories about his body. Beginning with interviews in his hometown, and moving forward through mentors—such as queer filmmaker John Greyson— and then students of his own in Kelowna, Smith explores the kaleidoscope of a body’s relationship with gender.

Running parallel in a second storyline is footage from a disastrous art project Smith attempted in 2005. Dressed as Peanut the Dancing Clown, Smith hitchhiked from Vancouver to the Sunshine Coast over the Canada Day long weekend in search of celebrated artist Joni Mitchell. However, he felt too awkward to perform as Peanut and never did meet the iconic Canadian singer.

Smith says this new movie is a conversation starter.

“It’s a love letter to my young self, to tell him what beauty is available if he listens to his own joy. And to let other people know that nuance and being in between are exquisite tools for self-actualization and social change, to help others find themselves too.”

The Floating Man premiered at Chicago’s Reeling Film Festival, and is now scheduled in other festivals across North America. The sold-out Canadian premiere took place October 22, in Vancouver, in partnership with UBC Connects at Robson Square and Out On Screen.

“Queers invent ourselves in such communal and compassionate and inquisitive ways, gender being a particularly joyful example of that embodiment, which gets negotiated against social pressures and ignorant lies,” Smith says, noting that he is excited to share this work with the local community in Kelowna. “I’m so glad that people are seeing the movie for what I’d hoped. It’s wonderful to be so witnessed. And to receive that sharing of themselves in return.”

He does warn there is some harmless nudity towards the end of the film, similar to what might be seen in an art gallery. Viewer discretion is advised.

A bar and concession will be available before and during the show. The venue is wheelchair accessible and has gendered, stalled washrooms, with a gender-neutral, accessible washroom available by request.

Doors open at 7 pm, with opening remarks at 7:30 pm. The film is 77 minutes long, with a time for questions afterwards. Tickets for the screening are available on a sliding scale between $10-$25 and can be purchased at: www.eventbrite.ca/e/the-floating-man-kelowna-film-premiere-tickets-731354028587

This event is made possible with the support of UBC Okanagan, the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies and the Rotary Centre for the Arts.

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What: Annual Sharon Thesen Lecture: When We Both Were Clothed Alike: Conversation Poetics
Who: UBCO Creative Writing Program, Associate Professor Nancy Holmes
When: Wednesday, September 27 at 7 pm.
Where: Online via Zoom

UBC Okanagan’s Creative Writing Program is hosting its fourth annual Sharon Thesen Lecture with Creative Writing professor and author Nancy Holmes.

Holmes will give a virtual lecture titled “When We Both Were Clothed Alike: Conversation Poetics.” The audience will watch the live broadcast of Holmes’ address from the Corbishley Family Reading Room at UBC Okanagan Special Collections and Archives, located in the Commons building.

Holmes will explore the quality of Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poetry and remind us that poems do complex work around division, balance and incorporating difference—a kind of thinking and communication that is key to contemporary problems.

“The Sharon Thesen lecture is a unique opportunity to explore important ideas through poetics, in the spirit of Thesen herself,” says Holmes. “She has been a champion of the cultural value of poetry and the necessity of the artistic imagination.”

An Associate Professor of Creative Writing, Holmes has published six collections of poetry, most recently Arborophobia. Her last publication, The Flicker Tree: Okanagan Poems, is a collection of poems about the place, people, plants and animals of the Okanagan Valley.

Thesen, a renowned Canadian poet and editor, was the first full Professor in UBCO’s Department of Creative Studies and is now a UBC professor emerita. Both Holmes and Thesen can be considered artists and scholars who are essential to the story of UBC’s Okanagan campus. Many of their works can be found within the Okanagan Special Collections (OSC), including their joint editorial venture in Lake: A journal of arts and environment, published by the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies from 2007 to 2012.

Some 60 items relating to Thesen, Holmes and past lecture hosts have been selected from OSC’s holdings for display as a backdrop to this year’s lecture in the Corbishley Family Reading Room. The public is invited to view the exhibition starting October 3. The OSC is open for walk-ins Monday to Thursday, from 11 am to 3 pm, or by appointment. Please contact osc-contact@lists.ubc.ca for more information about access to the exhibition.

For more information about the Sharon Thesen Lecture series or to register for the event, visit fccs.ok.ubc.ca/authors.

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Next week, after an extraordinary few days in August, classes will resume for the fall at UBC Okanagan.

Students, faculty and staff are gearing up for a busy back-to-school period. More than 12,035 students are registered for classes this September and almost 3,200 are new to UBCO. Move-in day will continue as planned on Sunday, September 3 with more than 1,400 students arriving to move into their on-campus residences.

Create, the new-to-UBCO student orientation, takes place Monday, September 4 and all classes will begin as scheduled and in-person on Tuesday, September 5.

“This summer, more than ever, we have seen the strength, professionalism and values of the UBC Okanagan community on full display,” says Dr. Lesley Cormack, UBCO Principal and Deputy Vice-Chancellor. “When our campus was placed on evacuation order just two weeks ago, the campus rallied together to ensure everyone was able to leave the area quickly and safely. Through this adversity, we saw UBCO’s values as a compassionate community shine through once again—it’s something our incoming students can take pride and comfort in.”

As UBCO looks toward the beginning of a new term, Dr. Cormack also recognizes it has been a trying time for many people. The health and safety of all students, faculty and staff is paramount and UBCO’s Campus Operations and Risk Management team continues to communicate directly with the Central Okanagan Emergency Operations team.

“While classes will begin as planned and it’s clear that campus is safe to welcome students from across Canada and the world, we also acknowledge there are many people within our community still not able to return home. And we’ve all seen the devasting images of homes and properties lost to the wildfire,” she adds. “The arrival of our students to the region has always brought a renewed sense of vibrancy and of the limitless possibilities created by education. I know this will be true this year perhaps more than ever.”

She notes, that the UBCO community bonded as never before with many people reaching out to offer help and support for those who were placed on an evacuation order or alert.

“I continue to be impressed by the calibre and character of the people on this campus,” she adds. “When faced with adversity, we reached out and supported each other in ways that have truly amazed me.”

As the campus begins to get busy as students move in and classes begin, Dale Mullings, Associate Vice-President, Students says the university has many resources for students and help is available for those who may need it.

“We continue to prioritize the wellbeing of our students, whether they live on or off campus,” adds Mullings. “For example, we have a number of initiatives specific to our students and this year, due to the wildfire emergency, we initiated the student emergency fund to help those immediately affected by the wildfires, and an airport welcome booth with a complimentary shuttle Friday, September 1 through Monday, September 4.”

Wellness and Accessibility Services has expanded to provide a health clinic, counselling services, wellness education, disability services and a new multifaith Chaplaincy. Many other services that support the wellbeing of our students such as our on-campus and in-community recreation programs, safe walk program, security phones across campus, a student-led Emergency First Response Team and the 24-hour campus security patrols are also gearing up for the year ahead.

While classes begin next week, Dr. Cormack notes there will be accommodations for those who remain under evacuation orders and alerts and cancelled travel plans.

“We will continue to work closely with those affected by the Kelowna-area wildfires to ensure they have the flexibility they require to start the school year successfully.”

A valuable resource for people returning to the community is the UBCO Campus Alerts page and FAQ which can be found at: ok.ubc.ca/wildfire-response

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A unique collaboration is providing a research exchange for UBC Okanagan digital humanities students currently visiting England’s University of Exeter. The four students, accompanied by supervising professors Dr. Karis Shearer and Myron Campbell, are to host their augmented reality artwork, Press Play, at Exeter’s Streatham campus. Press Play is a collaborative effort between the University of British Columbia, Concordia University in Montreal and Exeter University, explains Dr. Shearer. The pilot internship exchange program allows undergraduate students to pitch and pursue a self-directed project in research-creation, digital design and media production. First-year Bachelor of Fine Arts students Ains Reid and Austyn Bourget-White and third-year Bachelor of Media Studies students Kai Hagen and Matthew Kenney will visit Exeter, where their highly anticipated Press Play augmented reality artwork will be displayed in the Digital Humanities Lab. “With mentorship from faculty at partner universities, the initiative offers undergraduate students experiential learning opportunities in visual art and design, as well as podcast production,” says Dr. Shearer. After a three-year delay owing to COVID-19, the research exchange is finally being brought to fruition. With Exeter’s digital projects Poetry of the Lancashire Cotton Famine and Famine and Dearth in India and Britain, 1550-1800, the UBCO students will bridge the histories of famine to contemporary audiences in rural and urban, creative and academic, industries and communities in India, Britain, and right here in Kelowna. “Collaborating with our colleagues from Exeter has truly enriched our students’ experiences producing art,” says Campbell, a Creative Studies professor. “Through this project, they learned new technologies and created modern interpretations and reflections on poems over a century in the past. Witnessing our students unleash their creative potential and bring forth innovative works inspired by these poems has been a very rewarding experience for all involved.” When they return and in partnership with the City of Kelowna, the UBCO students will display their work at the Rotary Centre for the Arts on Cawston Avenue starting June 9. As part of the research exchange, two English literature students, Emily Chircop and Sofie Drew, and their supervisors from Exeter will travel to Kelowna in early June to spend time in UBCO’s AMP Lab. The lab houses projects that engage in the humanities by adding value to cultural artifacts through interpretation and analysis. The Exeter students will participate in cultural and research activities around the Okanagan during their stay. They will also attend the UBCO students’ exhibition, hear from Syilx elders at the FEELed Lab’s Water & Fire event, and visit the SoundBox Collection, which houses hundreds of digitized literary recordings by poets from the west coast and BC interior. Following the Digital Humanities showcase opening on June 9 at Kelowna’s Okanagan Regional Library, the Exeter students will host a public listening party to celebrate the launch of their SoundBox Signals Podcast episode. The episode features a 43-year-old archival recording of local Okanagan-based author Sharon Thesen reading from her first book Artemis Hates Romance. The multifaceted nature of the Press Play project grants students the opportunities to network and collaborate with other academic, digital, and literary institutions, mentors, and peers while developing employable interdisciplinary skills attuned to their interests and emerging expertise, explains Dr. Shearer. UBCO and Exeter students will showcase their craft and research through exhibitions open to the university community and the broader public. Although the projects have distinct focuses, both will actively bridge literary archives to digital mediums, local history to international audiences, and the past to the present. The projects will demonstrate the interconnectedness of contemporary conversations with those of the past. “By engaging talented student artists and creative producers whose public-facing digital art and digital storytelling animates local archival materials, the Press Play initiative aims to connect wider international audiences with digitized cultural heritage projects,” says Dr. Shearer. Those projects include the SpokenWeb, Famine Tales from India and Britain, and Poetry of the Lancashire Cotton Famine. The post UBCO students travel abroad to explore digital mediums appeared first on UBC Okanagan News.

Spring rain may have dampened wildfires burning in BC and Alberta, but the dangers of dry forests and swollen rivers remain.

Wildfires are abundant in Alberta, while many areas in BC are on flood watch. It seems the changing climate is becoming less predictable and more volatile as each year passes. UBC Okanagan has several professors available to comment on heat, wildfires and associated issues.

Phil Ainsley, Professor of Environmental Physiology, Co-Director of Centre For Heart, Lung and Vascular Health, School of Health and Exercise Sciences

Areas of expertise:

• Heat and pollution and their isolated and combined influence on physiology and human health
• Effect of temperature and oxygen availability on physiology, pathology and performance
• Acclimatization, adaptation and maladaptation to environmental stress

Email: philip.ainslie@ubc.ca

Call: 250-878-6171

 

Mathieu Bourbonnais, Assistant Professor, Earth, Environmental and Geographic Sciences

Areas of expertise:

• Wildfire risk, suppression and mitigation
• Firefighting and use of satellites for wildfire detection and monitoring

Email: Mathieu.Bourbonnais@ubc.ca

Call: 778-583-0272

 

Greg Garrard, Professor of Environmental Humanities, Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies

Areas of expertise:

• Environmental literature
• Culture and climate change (including skepticism)
• The cultural ecology of wildfire
• Political polarization

Email: greg.garrard@ubc.ca

Call: 250-863-2822

 

Kevin Hanna, Associate Professor, Earth, Environmental and Geographic Sciences

Areas of expertise:

• Vulnerable infrastructure
• Risk and disaster assessment wildfire management and policy
• Climate change and risk events

Email: kevin.hanna@ubc.ca

Call: 250-807-9265

 

Mary-Ann Murphy, Associate Professor, Social Work Sociology

Areas of expertise:

• Dealing with the emotional trauma of wildfires
• Lessons from evacuees
• What to pack when evacuating
• Caring for seniors in extreme heat

Email: mary-ann.murphy@ubc.ca

Call: 250-807-8705

 

David Scott, Associate Professor, Earth, Environmental and Geographic Sciences

Areas of expertise:

• Effects of wildfire on hydrology and erosion
• Evaluation of fire site rehabilitation methods in terms of controlling erosion and sedimentation

Email: david.scott@ubc.ca

Note: Dr. Scott is only available for interviews via email.

 

Dwayne Tannnat, Professor, School of Engineering

Areas of expertise:

• Landslides, rockfalls
• Below debris field flood mitigation
• Post-wildfire debris flow mitigation

Email: dwayne.tannant@ubc.ca

Call: 604-801-4301

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What: Art on the Line gala and fundraiser
Who: Local artists, Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies professors and fine arts students
When: Saturday, March 18 from 5:30 to 10 pm
Where: Engineering, Management and Education building, UBC’s Okanagan Campus, 1137 Alumni Avenue, Kelowna
Cost: $200 per ticket, which admits two people and guarantees one piece of artwork. Day of entry admission $10 at the door

UBC Okanagan’s annual Art on the Line fundraiser brings the community together for an active evening of chance, good luck and local art.

The event is organized by Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) students in the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies (FCCS). And this year organizers have moved the gala to a new on-campus location inside the Engineering, Management and Education building (EME).

FCCS Visual Arts Instructor David Doody, evening host and emcee, says every guest will go home with a vibrant piece of art that has been donated by local artists, UBCO faculty and fine arts students.

“I am so excited for this year’s gala. Art on the Line is one of my favourite art events in the Okanagan,” says Doody. “It’s a wonderful night of art, music, wine and cheese—and of course—just a pinch of excitement. This is the night when we all come together to celebrate the health and growth of our local art scene.”

Doody describes Art on the Line as a lively Hollywood-themed evening where original works of art are raffled to guests. As a fundraiser for UBCO students, it has supported local visual arts students for the past 20 years.

“We are excited about hosting this year’s gala in the EME building, a bigger space with even more artwork to show,” he adds. “There are only 100 tickets sold for the chance to choose from the 150 works available in this one-of-a-kind juried art exhibition.”

Nayaab Masters, a fourth-year BFA student and one of the event organizers, says as the evening proceeds, guests select a piece of donated work. But they don’t know until their ticket is pulled which piece of art they will be taking home.

“Art on the line is an immersive experience,” she says. “It helps connect artists and art enthusiasts. It allows for us all to enjoy an event that supports Okanagan artists and is a fun evening where you’re able to mingle and look at art.”

The event is co-sponsored by the FCCS, in association with the Visual Arts Course Union. Proceeds from the evening will help support the Visual Arts Course Union, the 2023 BFA graduate exhibition, UBCO’s visiting artist program and travel grants for fine arts students.

Each year, a portion of the earnings is given to a local charity. This year, 10 per cent of the proceeds will be contributed to Mamas for Mamas.

“We are very proud to be supporting Mamas for Mamas,” says Masters. “It is a grassroots, local charity focused on supporting mothers and caregivers in crisis. Mamas for Mamas envisions a future where no mama or child is left behind.”

Tickets to Art on the Line cost $200 for two people to enter. That ticket guarantees one piece of artwork and evening snacks. There are also $10 day-of-event tickets available for people who would like to view the exhibition.

For more information or to purchase tickets visit artontheline2023.com.

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