Patty Wellborn

Email: patty.wellborn@ubc.ca


 

A couple look at art work being auctioned at a university fundraising event.

Art on the Line, an annual fundraising event for UBCO’s fine arts and media studies students, takes place March 15.

What: Art on the Line gala and fundraiser
Who: Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies students, faculty, local artists
When: Saturday, March 15, from 6 to 10 pm
Where: Engineering, Management and Education building, UBC Okanagan, 1137 Alumni Avenue, Kelowna
Cost: $200 per ticket, which admits two people and guarantees one piece of artwork. General admission, $10 at the door

It’s that time of year for art lovers to head to UBC’s Okanagan campus for the annual Art on the Line fundraiser.

Art on the Line is organized by Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies (FCCS) students and faculty as a fundraiser for fine arts and media studies students. The annual event is organized by FCCS students in a fourth-year practicum class, and led by Visual Arts Instructor David Doody.

“The night consists of a fantastic display of artwork, where guests are invited to choose from approximately 160 pieces of art that speak to them,” explains Doody. “Guests are also welcome to beverages and food during the night as they browse the exhibition and chat with artists. The artwork is then chosen by guests in the lottery portion of the event as the night progresses—an exciting way to claim art.”

Every guest will go home with a piece of art, each donated by fine arts and media studies students, visual arts faculty and staff as well as local artists. Each guest selects a piece of donated work they would like to take home. However, no one knows until their ticket is pulled which piece they will have the opportunity of actually claiming as theirs, explains Doody.

Laura McCarthy, a fourth-year Bachelor of Media Studies student and one of the organizers, says having the opportunity to help organize one of the biggest events on campus has been a great learning opportunity.

“I’m extremely thankful to have been a part of the practicum class. Helping plan Art on the Line was also a fantastic way to learn how to run, curate and prepare an event, and I can feel confident in using these skills in the future,” she says. “This class helped me make connections in the Kelowna artistic community and take my first steps into the professional world as an artist.”

Proceeds from the event support UBCO visual arts student exhibitions, including the fourth-year show, the visiting artist program, opportunities for travel grants and exhibitions, as well as the KGH Foundation—an organization dedicated to providing mental health services and counselling to young people in the Okanagan.

“We are thrilled with the number of artworks donated by our students, faculty, staff and alumni,” adds Doody. “There are some great pieces of art for people to take home.”

Art on the Line takes place on Saturday, March 15, at 6 pm in the Engineering, Management and Education building on the UBC Okanagan campus. Tickets are $200 for two people and this ticket guarantees one piece of art. People who would like to attend and view the exhibition but not take anything home can purchase a ticket at the door for $10.

“We are so excited to host this event again,” says Doody. “Each year, the students work so hard on it. To see everthing come together for this fun night with art lovers in the community is such a great experience for me as an instructor and artist.”

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit: fccs.ok.ubc.ca/artontheline

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A young woman sits at a desk concentrating on her art work.

UBCO’s Creative and Portfolio Day provides an opportunity for prospective students to have their portfolio reviewed by visual arts and media studies faculty members.

What: Creative and Portfolio Day at UBC Okanagan
Who: Prospective visual arts and media studies students, faculty members
When: Saturday, January 18, 10 am to 3 pm
Where: Creative and Critical Studies Building, 1148 Research Road, UBC Okanagan, Kelowna

Local artists who want to learn more about visual arts courses or media studies options at UBC Okanagan are being encouraged to prepare their portfolios and make plans to attend Creative and Portfolio Day in January.

Throughout the day, UBCO faculty members in visual arts and media studies host free workshops and portfolio reviews for prospective applicants. The day provides an opportunity for people to learn more about a variety of subjects and media such as painting, animation, drawing and printmaking.

The annual open house is a great chance for prospective students to speak with faculty and staff about program choices, meet with current students, explore the campus and facilities as well as learn more about the application process and portfolio requirements, explains Associate Professor of Visual Arts and Creative Studies Department Head Shawn Serfas.

“In our programs, students are encouraged to work in media that best suits their artistic practice, and these open-house events give us the perfect opportunity to showcase what it is like at university,” says Serfas. “We are excited to unite current students with emerging artists and guide them on their creative journey toward future success.”

Creative and Portfolio Day options include a drawing workshop, printmaking sessions, a tour of the FINA gallery and an information session about the media studies program where participants can learn about projects underway by current students.

Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies professors will be on hand to review portfolios from prospective applicants and provide advice on how to assemble an entrance portfolio that must be submitted for approval before the January 31 deadline. If prospective students have already completed a portfolio, they can receive advice or approval on the spot.

“The portfolio review is a great opportunity for anyone interested in the program to come to campus and get pointers—in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere—on how to put together a good portfolio,” says Visual Arts Instructor Andreas Rutkauskas. “They will also receive feedback about their work and advice about how to take their talent further.”

The portfolio requirement is an important part of the application process and gives the reviewers a chance to learn more about each applicant and get a sense of what kinds of art making these students are working on, he explains.

Creative and Portfolio Day takes place at UBC Okanagan on January 18. Due to limited seating for workshops and portfolio reviews, pre-registration is encouraged. To find out more and register visit: fccs.ok.ubc.ca/creative-portfolio-days

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A large mural of Romanesque artwork is on display.

UBCO is offering a new continuing and professional education series for the public that is designed to help people decipher the rich history behind Western Europe’s art in the Romanesque Era. Creative Commons image, courtesy Cascoly (via Canva).

Art has prominently been in the news lately, from a banana taped to a wall to a newly discovered Emily Carr painting purchased for $50 US and then sold at auction for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

For many, the art world might seem obscure. Imagine, thanks to UBC Okanagan, being able to look at any piece of art, especially in museums across Europe, and have a better understanding of what’s truly being portrayed in those images.

UBCO’s Faculty of Critical and Creative Studies is offering a new continuing and professional education series titled “Through a Glass Darkly: Early Medieval Christian Art and Architecture.” The first course in this series—Western Europe Transformed: Art in the Romanesque Era—will delve into how the art and architecture of the Romanesque period reflected the sweeping cultural and religious transformations of the time.

Dr. Hussein Keshani, Art History and Visual Culture Program Coordinator, says the course will help people decipher the rich history, and sometimes hidden meanings, behind Western Europe’s deep roots of Christianity and visual art culture.

“We are excited to bring our love and knowledge of art history to the community through this inclusive program designed for all to enjoy,” says Dr. Keshani. “The arts not only connect us to our shared histories but also enrich our lives, deepening our understanding of the world and each other.”

Instructor Elizabeth Loeffler is excited to share that the new series offers personal enrichment courses exploring the rich artistic and cultural history of the early Middle Ages.

Learners will explore the mystical themes of Christianity and how the visual arts express the dynamic cultural exchanges of this period. Art, architecture and other forms of visual culture serve to communicate information about the period in which they were created, explains Loeffler.

With medieval art history, there are still many mysteries to unlock, she adds.

“One thing that I am quite certain about is that even the strangest images in illuminated manuscripts, or marginal figures in architectural decorations carry meaning. It’s just that the meaning is no longer clear to a modern audience,” Loeffler says.

Loeffler is an accomplished art historian with more than 20 years of teaching experience at universities across Canada. She is particularly known for her expertise in medieval art following the Norman Conquest of England and the cult of St. Thomas Becket.

“This course is about going back to my roots—medieval art and architecture. I’ve been teaching courses from different periods for many years now, but I haven’t had the opportunity to do a deeper dive into medieval art history since 2013,” Loeffler says. “When I was given the opportunity to teach a subject that was of my own choosing, I immediately wanted to do a medieval course.”

People who have never taken art history and visual culture classes before will have their eyes opened to a new way of looking at the world. The skill of reading art will particularly enhance any travel abroad or visits to galleries and museums.

“Learning to read art is learning a new language,” says Loeffler. “Learners will be able to read complex messages in images, objects and spaces that they may not have realized existed.”

The six-week course is available through UBC Okanagan Continuing and Professional Education and costs $195. Classes will take place on campus Saturdays from 1 to 3 pm starting on January 25, 2025.

For more information and to register, visit: cpe.ok.ubc.ca/courses/western-europe-transformed-art-in-the-romanesque-era

The series continues in April with a subsequent course focusing on Gothic art and architecture, offering participants a deeper look at the artistic and cultural innovations of the medieval period.

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A young woman starts to write a story on a blank page of a notebook.

Deadline to submit an entry to the Okanagan Short Story Contest is February 7, with the final winners announced in March. Photo by Timothy L Brock on Unsplash.

It’s time for local emerging writers to put their thinking caps on as the annual Okanagan Short Story Contest is open for submissions.

Now running for 27 years—the Short Story Contest was initiated in 1997 by UBC Okanagan Creative Writing Instructor Nancy Holmes along with local author John Lent—applications are open until early February.

“The annual short story contest has a long tradition of introducing emerging writers to the Okanagan community,” says UBCO Creative Writing Lecturer and UBCO alumnus Umar Turaki.

Winners in previous years have gone on to publish with Penguin Random House, Arsenal Pulp Press and NeWest Press, as well as numerous national and international magazines and journals.

“The history of the Okanagan Short Story Contest is long and its influence is significant,” says Turaki. “What a privilege to play a small part in its unfolding story as the annual contest continues to discover and celebrate local voices across BC’s interior.”

Emerging writers are invited to submit their work for the chance to win several prizes, including $1,000 for the winner, while second and third prizes are $400 and $200 respectively. This is the sixth year in a row the contest has been open to high school students and the top prize for that category is $200.

This year, the contest comes full circle as submitted entries will be adjudicated by faculty from UBCO’s creative writing program including Holmes who is now an Emeritus Professor.

“Being the judge for a creative contest I’ve helped organize for so many years is very special to me,” she says. “John Lent and I started the contest to showcase Okanagan and interior BC talent—we knew it was out there and history has proven us right.”

Holmes has published six collections of poetry, most recently Arborophobia.  She is the editor of Open Wide a Wilderness: Canadian Nature Poems. With fellow UBCO instructor Denise Kenney, she established the Eco Art Incubator, an initiative which supports ecological art in the Okanagan Valley. Holmes also established, with Dr. Cameron Cartiere, the award-winning community-based art project about native pollinators called Border Free Bees.

She retired from teaching this past spring. She is the recipient of the 2015 Robert Kroetsch National Teaching Award in Creative Writing for her innovative student project, Dig Your Neighbourhood, and The Malahat Review’s Constance Rooke Creative Non-Fiction award in 2017.

Entries for the Okanagan Short Story Contest are open to fiction writers in the southern interior of British Columbia—east of Hope, west of the Alberta border, north of the border to the United States and south of Williams Lake. All original entries must be between 1,000 and 4,000 words and writers are welcome to submit as many entries as they choose. There is a $20 entry fee for each story, but no charge for students in the high school category. Entries must be received by 11:59 pm on February 7, 2025.

“The remarkable stories that have won this contest have wowed me for years,” adds Dr. Holmes. “It will be a treat to be on the other end of the team—getting to read the cream of the crop and agonizing over who should win the big prize. I look forward to reading them all and I must admit, I feel a bit daunted. There are so many great writers and fabulous stories out there.”

All proceeds from the competition go towards Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies creative writing scholarships at UBC Okanagan, and towards supporting Indspire, an Indigenous organization that invests in the education of First Nations, Inuit and Métis people.

Winners of the short story contest will be announced in March at a public event where the finalists will be invited to read from their work. For a full list of contest details and rules, visit: fccs.ok.ubc.ca/short-story.

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Two women smile happily at the camera while one holds a book she has written.

Anne Fleming (right) holds her Giller nominated book Curiosities while chatting with local author Shelley Wood at a recent UBCO Creative Writing Gala.

UBC Okanagan’s Professor of Creative Writing Anne Fleming is one of a dozen Canadian writers who have made the longlist for the 2024 Giller Prize.

Fleming’s book Curiosities is a fictional account of a historian who finds an obscure memoir and then digs deep into the stories hidden between the pages of the people portrayed in the words penned centuries earlier.

“I was drawn to write about 17th-century England because its beliefs and practices and people are so deliciously weird. They were wrong about so many things, sometimes charmingly, sometimes disastrously,” says Fleming. “But people are people in any age. They love and fear, escape and return, suffer and endure, accuse and forgive.”

Fleming, who began teaching creative writing at UBCO in the fall of 2005, has published six books of fiction and poetry. Her writing has won significant recognition and she has previously been shortlisted for the Governor General’s Award, the Journey Prize, the Danuta Gleed Award, the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize, the Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize and Italy’s Premio Strega children’s prize.

The 12 titles chosen for the longlist were selected from more than 100 books that were submitted by publishers across Canada.

The Giller Prize, established in 1994, seeks out the best novel, graphic novel or short story collection published in English written by a Canadian author. The top prize is $100,000, while each runner up will be awarded $10,000. Previous winners include authors such as Margaret Atwood, Mordecai Richler, Michael Ondaatje, Esi Edugyan, Suzette Mayr and Lynn Coady.

Dr. Bryce Traister, Dean of the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies, says Fleming’s nomination is well deserved and her colleagues are extremely proud of her.

“With the longlist nod from the Giller Prize committee, more of the world is aware of what we in the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies have long had the privilege of knowing. Anne Fleming is a rare talent, her work an inviting mix of clear observation, relentless curiosity and deft rendering,” he adds. “Neither her students nor her colleagues here at UBC’s Okanagan campus are a bit surprised with the news—and we are all delighted for her.”

Dr. Traister also notes this is the second year in a row a UBCO creative writing instructor has been longlisted for the Giller Prize. Associate Professor Kevin Chong’s novel The Double Life of Benson Yu was longlisted and also made the final five finalists for the Giller in 2023. Chong is also one of five judges for this year’s award and a shortlist will be announced on October 9.

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A woman wearing a striped sweater poses for a photo and laughs

UBCO’s Creative Writing Professor Anne Fleming is hosting this year’s Sharon Thesen lecture via Zoom on September 25.

What: Annual Sharon Thesen Lecture: “truth beauty”
Who: UBCO Creative Writing Program, Professor Anne Fleming
When: Wednesday, September 25 at 7 pm
Where: Online via Zoom

UBC Okanagan’s Creative Writing Program is hosting its fifth annual Sharon Thesen Lecture with local author and Creative Writing Professor Anne Fleming.

Fleming’s virtual lecture titled “truth beauty” will be broadcast live in the Corbishley Family Reading Room at UBC Okanagan’s Special Collections and Archives (OSC), located in the university’s Commons building. Fleming will be joined by Sharon Thesen, but as space is limited in the OSC, the public is invited to attend this event via Zoom.

Fleming says her own experiences hearing Thesen speak at previous events have guided her topic for this year’s lecture.

“When Sharon gives a talk or a reading, I always feel as if I could listen to her all day long. She has this deep knowledge of poetry and writing combined with her own deep thinking that is revelatory—plus she’s irreverent, funny and down to earth,” says Fleming.

Fleming explains that the Sharon Thesen Lecture is an opportunity to tackle the persistent big questions about writing: what’s it for, why do we do it and what do we love about it?

“The big questions preoccupying me right now are: How is fiction true? Why does beauty matter? Which also means asking, what is beauty?” says Fleming. “If I come close to emulating Sharon in this year’s lecture, I’ll be happy.”

A Professor of Creative Writing at UBCO, Fleming has published six books of fiction and poetry. Her latest publication, Curiosities is a literary-historical novel and is on the 2024 Giller Prize longlist.

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 Fleming and Thesen are considered artists and scholars who are core to the story of UBC’s Okanagan campus. Many of their works can be found within the OSC including their joint editorial venture Lake: A journal of arts and environment, published by the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies from 2007 to 2012.

Some 100 items relating to Thesen, Fleming and past lecture hosts have been selected from OSC’s holdings for a special exhibition and display as a backdrop to this year’s lecture in the Corbishley Family Reading Room. The public is invited to view the exhibition starting Tuesday, October 3. The OSC is open for walk-ins Monday to Thursday, from 11 am to 3 pm, or by appointment.

For more information and access to the exhibition, contact osc-contact@lists.ubc.ca.

To register for the September 25 event, or learn more about the Sharon Thesen Lecture Series, visit fccs.ok.ubc.ca/authors.

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Two women sit in front of a computer screen covered with AI-generated graphics.

UBCO’s Dr. Gao Yujie and Dr. Megan Smith discuss some of the learning strategies that will be used for UBCO’s newly-introduced Master of Design program.UBC Okanagan is introducing a one-year master’s program that combines hands-on learning, creativity, innovation and global thinking into one professional certificate.

The new graduate program at UBCO aims to inspire learners who are not afraid to employ forward-looking solutions to some of the most pressing problems facing the world today. The new professional Master of Design (MDes) will start at UBCO in May 2025.

“This is an entirely new program in the Okanagan, and we are excited because we see it as a way of empowering people to tackle big challenges,” says Dr. Megan Smith, Director of the Master of Design Program and an Associate Professor of Media Studies at UBCO. “Students will come to us with big problems they want to solve in their communities. We will gather faculty around them and equip them to tackle those challenges.”

In designing the program, UBCO’s Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies, School of Engineering and Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences sought examples from around the world of how creativity and design factored into some of the most important work being done by innovative organizations and individuals.

“From the outset, we asked ourselves how can we produce outsized effects, given the challenges we are facing as a society?” says Dr. Kenneth Chau, an Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering at UBCO, and one of the faculty members who helped bring MDes to fruition. “It’s about bringing people together who have a desire to make a difference and think differently.”

The interdisciplinary program will bring together community-minded students and faculty from diverse backgrounds including fine arts, media studies, humanities and social sciences, and engineering.

“It’s about asking yourself—how can I understand my community better? How can I understand what the needs are, and how to address them? The program is taking a new approach to driving change,” Dr. Chau explains.

To help inspire and set students up for success, they will learn in a cutting-edge, custom-built new media lab. The space is designed and outfitted to ensure students can make the biggest possible impression through the program and its pillars—design, innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship.

“One of the reasons why entrepreneurship is built into the program is that we are looking at the way people can change the world through new ways of doing business, new economies and new ways of working together,” notes Dr. Smith.

Working together across disciplines, borders and ways of thinking is increasingly important for community and business leaders, notes Dr. Alon Eisenstein, Assistant Professor of Teaching with the School of Engineering.

“This program was designed from the ground up to be interdisciplinary. When we speak about creativity and design, we may use the same words and mean different things. We are going to challenge our misconceptions and our preconceptions,” says Dr. Eisenstein, MDes instructor. “We are looking for people who have that internal passion to make a change to the world around them. The future leaders of our communities, across the social, environmental and economic sectors, will require these skills and this collaborative problem-solving mindset.”

Info sessions about the MDes will be held on September 10 and 12. More information and registration can be found at: events.ok.ubc.ca/series/master-of-design-information-sessions-2

Applications for the MDes program will be accepted until Oct. 1, 2024.

Learn more at masterdesign.ok.ubc.ca.

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an exterior of a building with a blue print on the window

UBCO’s latest artist in residence Karen Zalamea will host a community workshop to create a cyanotype. An example of Zalamea’s cyanotypes includes Ensemble which was installed at the City of New Westminster’s Anvil Centre this spring. Photo credit: Dennis Ha.

What: Collaborative cyanotype workshop Who: Visual artist Karen Zalamea When: Thursday, August 8 from 1 to 2:30 pm Where: Woodhaven Eco Culture Centre, 939 Raymer Ave., Kelowna UBC Okanagan’s latest Artist in Residence, will help create a community collaboration in an open workshop as part of her residency. Karen Zalamea is the third artist invited to the Woodhaven Eco Culture Centre for the summer residency, and the first to be able to use the purpose-built art studio on the property. She will spend three weeks at the centre where she will work on her art practice, engage with the community and offer the in-person workshop. The Woodhaven Artist in Residence Program is run by UBCO’s Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies (FCCS), and each year provides a paid residency opportunity for a diverse variety of visiting artists, including writers and visual, digital media or performance artists. The new 360 sq. foot studio is nestled in the trees on the property and offers a unique opportunity for artists to work creatively in the space, explains Jodey Castricano, FCCS Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Studies. “We are thrilled to be able to offer this visiting artist residence opportunity in Woodhaven where they have dedicated time to focus on their art practice,” says Castricano. “We are also excited to have Zalamea as the first artist to use the studio and for the community to be involved with the workshop.” Zalamea (she/her) is a Filipino-Canadian artist, educator and cultural worker whose photographic practice attends to issues of identity, culture and memory. Her recent projects have incorporated cyanotypes, a camera-less technique developed in the mid-19th century. A cyanotype is made when paper, coated with an iron salt solution, is exposed to ultraviolet light, then developed and fixed with water. The result is an image of Prussian blue and white tones. “During my residency, I plan to continue my investigations with cyanotypes to engage histories linked to plant life and water,” she explains. “I am thrilled to carry out this studio work in a nature conservancy supported by FCCS, which continues to advance interdisciplinary research and exchange in the environmental humanities.” Zalamea’s residency will include a free collaborative cyanotype workshop for the community on Thursday, August 8 from 1 to 2:30 pm at the Woodhaven Eco Culture Centre. Participants will work together on a large-scale cyanotype created with natural and human-made matter from the surrounding area. The items will be placed directly on a photographic surface that will be prepared to create the print. Zalamea explains that with the photograph’s exposure to available sunlight followed by its development with water, the cyanotype will be a site-specific visual document of the area’s ecosystem and the collective efforts of participants. “As a collaborative process, we will discuss how our image-making is evidenced on the photographic surface, and how the cyanotype may not only record place, but also time, memory and community,” she says. Space in the workshop is limited to 15 participants. For more information about the residency or to register for the workshop, visit: fccs.ok.ubc.ca/artist-in-residence The post Artist in Residence will share her passion for creating cyanotypes appeared first on UBC Okanagan News.
an exterior of a building with a blue print on the window

UBCO’s latest artist in residence Karen Zalamea will host a community workshop to create a cyanotype. An example of Zalamea’s cyanotypes includes Ensemble which was installed at the City of New Westminster’s Anvil Centre this spring. Photo credit: Dennis Ha.

What: Collaborative cyanotype workshop
Who: Visual artist Karen Zalamea
When: Thursday, August 8 from 1 to 2:30 pm
Where: Woodhaven Eco Culture Centre, 939 Raymer Ave., Kelowna

UBC Okanagan’s latest Artist in Residence, will help create a community collaboration in an open workshop as part of her residency.

Karen Zalamea is the third artist invited to the Woodhaven Eco Culture Centre for the summer residency, and the first to be able to use the purpose-built art studio on the property. She will spend three weeks at the centre where she will work on her art practice, engage with the community and offer the in-person workshop.

The Woodhaven Artist in Residence Program is run by UBCO’s Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies (FCCS), and each year provides a paid residency opportunity for a diverse variety of visiting artists, including writers and visual, digital media or performance artists.

The new 360 sq. foot studio is nestled in the trees on the property and offers a unique opportunity for artists to work creatively in the space, explains Jodey Castricano, FCCS Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Studies.

“We are thrilled to be able to offer this visiting artist residence opportunity in Woodhaven where they have dedicated time to focus on their art practice,” says Castricano. “We are also excited to have Zalamea as the first artist to use the studio and for the community to be involved with the workshop.”

Zalamea (she/her) is a Filipino-Canadian artist, educator and cultural worker whose photographic practice attends to issues of identity, culture and memory. Her recent projects have incorporated cyanotypes, a camera-less technique developed in the mid-19th century. A cyanotype is made when paper, coated with an iron salt solution, is exposed to ultraviolet light, then developed and fixed with water. The result is an image of Prussian blue and white tones.

“During my residency, I plan to continue my investigations with cyanotypes to engage histories linked to plant life and water,” she explains. “I am thrilled to carry out this studio work in a nature conservancy supported by FCCS, which continues to advance interdisciplinary research and exchange in the environmental humanities.”

Zalamea’s residency will include a free collaborative cyanotype workshop for the community on Thursday, August 8 from 1 to 2:30 pm at the Woodhaven Eco Culture Centre. Participants will work together on a large-scale cyanotype created with natural and human-made matter from the surrounding area. The items will be placed directly on a photographic surface that will be prepared to create the print.

Zalamea explains that with the photograph’s exposure to available sunlight followed by its development with water, the cyanotype will be a site-specific visual document of the area’s ecosystem and the collective efforts of participants.

“As a collaborative process, we will discuss how our image-making is evidenced on the photographic surface, and how the cyanotype may not only record place, but also time, memory and community,” she says.

Space in the workshop is limited to 15 participants. For more information about the residency or to register for the workshop, visit: fccs.ok.ubc.ca/artist-in-residence

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Students work on large blue mural in Landmark District of Kelowna.

UBC Okanagan visual arts students work on the newest Public Art Project mural that was inspired by the bright colours of spring in the orchards of the Okanagan. This year’s mural will be officially unveiled Friday afternoon.

What: Landmark mural unveiling
Who: UBCO visual arts students and faculty, local contributors and stakeholders
When: Friday, June 21, from 3 to 5 pm
Where: Landmark District parking lot, 1717 Harvey Ave., Kelowna

Embracing the sights and sounds of an Okanagan spring, the fifth mural painted by UBC Okanagan visual arts students will be celebrated this Friday. Twenty students enrolled in the course have been busy painting a new mural in the Landmark District, throughout May and June.

UBCO’s visual arts students collaborated with instructors David and Jorden Doody to paint another colourful, large-scale mural, adjacent to the Wild Horses mural that was painted last summer. This community-orientated program, first developed in 2019, gives students the experience of working with a diverse range of technologies including projectors and mechanical lifts, while also learning a variety of paint applications and techniques common to mural painting, explains David Doody.

The site of this year’s mural is the perfect location for the Public Art Project to continue to build and expand the urbanization of the Landmark District with vibrant street art, he adds.

“With the re-location of Kelowna’s Farmer Market to the Landmark District we have an opportunity to create an artistic intervention that will impact thousands of visitors each year. We have transformed this concrete laneway into an artistic masterpiece that visitors can walk right into.”

The inspiration for the 2024 mural is the great symphony of colour and sound that returns each spring to the orchards of the Okanagan—a symbol of renewal and rebirth, explains Jorden Doody.

“Looking up through a criss-cross lattice of branches, the bright blue spring sky carries a fragrant explosion of soft pink orchard blossoms, while a lively chorus of western tanager songs fill the air,” she says.

The public is invited to be on hand for the launch of the completed mural on Friday at the Landmark District Market parking lot from 3 to 5 pm.

The students and instructors will be on hand to answer questions.

David Doody is currently a Lecturer in the visual arts program in UBCO’s Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies and a 2008 alumnus. Jorden Doody recently completed her Master of Fine Arts and is also a graduate of UBCO’s Master of Fine Arts program. Together, they run Fresh West Official and coordinate the Uptown Mural Project in Rutland.

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