Skin Hunger exhibition installation shot, showing the work of Pip Dryden and Jorden Doody

The Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies is excited to announce a new exhibit, “Skin Hunger”, opening at the FINA Gallery on March 4, 2021 that will provide the community with an opportunity to explore the international issue of the COVID-19 pandemic and the effects of physical distancing through a student-organized art exhibition.

The exhibit will run until March 26, 2021 and will feature works from UBCO’s Bachelor of Fine Arts students, Masters students, and faculty members, displaying works focusing on the theme of our need for touch and the impact that social distancing is having on our “Skin Hunger”. This exhibition is a project for a curating course by Stacey Koosel, instructor at the University of British Columbia Okanagan. It allows students to hone their skills into curating their very own exhibition and an opportunity to broadcast their talents.

“It’s an honour to teach the first curatorial course in the Okanagan. The students have done an amazing job at producing a dynamic, socially engaged contemporary art exhibition that explores the impacts of the Covid-19. The ten artworks selected for “Skin Hunger” play with the paradox of social distancing and the need for touch and connection. It’s a great exhibition that will have lots of online public programming to help us engage with the community.” says Dr. Stacey Koosel, Curator of UBC Okanagan Art Gallery and art history instructor.

This exhibition also socially engages with the greater community in the Okanagan amidst difficult times. Dr. Koosel is providing all students with this opportunity, and ensuring they are working safely to prepare this exhibition.

The term “Skin Hunger” refers to our universal and neurological need for touch. Touch is a vital part of both physical and mental health. It releases oxytocin, reduces stress, and calms our nervous system and currently many of us are starving for touch. Our increasingly digital existence is leaving many people alienated from the physical world. In response to this, “Skin Hunger” places art in direct response to our physical estrangement. These works will evoke a desire to “feel” the materials in the audience, while also allowing for a safe, COVID-friendly way to do so. In order to mitigate this desire, we are providing informational brochures that contain a material reminiscent of that of one of the artworks. The shift to online learning has kept many students from engaging with the artwork made by their peers, in addition to reducing the opportunities for student artists to show their works.

“Skin Hunger” features works by Jordan Doody, Briar Craig, Brittany Reizel, Avery Ullyot-Comrie, Hana Hamaguchi, Pip Dryden, Ashley Desjarlais, Bethany Hiebert, Arianna Tooke, and Jordan MacDonald. All the artists are members of the UBCO artistic community, with students from UBCO’s Bachelor and Master of Fine Arts, as well as faculty members.

“Inspiration from the pandemic has resulted with an online option for the exhibition,” explains Amber Barker, one of the students from the class. “People will have the option to view the exhibition from the comfort of their own home with an online 3D tour of Skin Hunger, as well as Zoom talks with some of the featured artists.”

The artistic director for the project, fine arts student Pip Dryden, is working closely with the gallery and other team members to ensure that this exhibition showcases the artists. They are ensuring these pieces bring a sense of connection during these isolated times, while also ensuring the exhibition a safe experience for visitors.

We encourage you all to check out the exhibition and artworks as an opportunity to feel a connection and bring a positive experience to light during this pandemic. Visitors to the gallery must follow social distancing measures which include a maximum of 6 people in the gallery at one time.

As part of the “Skin Hunger” exhibition, a panel of artists will discuss materiality in their artworks along with how the pandemic has changed or challenged their practice. Registration is now open for the panel on March 16th at 6:00 pm.

“Skin Hunger” opens to the public on March 4, 2021 and runs until March 26, 2021, in the FINA Art Gallery, 1148 Research Rd, Kelowna, BC.

Celestial Bodies projection at the Rotary Centre for the Arts

On display every evening from 5:30-10 p.m. outside the Rotary Centre for the Arts (421 Cawston Ave.), Celestial Bodies is a multicultural creation of animated media that depicts ancient astrological stories, exploring the belief systems that make up Canadian and Indigenous society’s diverse fabric. The multimedia projection shows animated images of star stories— alongside world-class cross-cultural music. 

Celestial Bodies is the second projection series to be showcased in downtown Kelowna this year thanks to Light Up Kelowna — a new partnership between the Arts Council of the Central Okanagan (ARTSCO) and UBC Okanagan’s Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies. In addition, there are a diverse range of artists involved in the production of Celestial Bodies, including UBC Okanagan faculty members Aleksandra Dulic and Miles Thorogood who directed and co-created the show. Discover more about the research team behind Celestial Bodies HERE.

For Celestial Bodies, the artists have re-interpreted the cosmological stories and oral histories from their own cultural heritages — the Indigenous Haudenosaunee, Greek, Chinese and African culture — exploring the meeting of cultures in their collaborative process with community members, where unique stars signifying individuals’ heritage were made. Each story is connected to a season, and characters from the heavenly world travel through time and space as the night unfolds, highlighting diverse cultural beliefs. 

Those viewing Celestial Bodies will see the Big Dipper story from the Haudenosaunee Nation, the Chinese story of Weaver Woman, a Greek story highlighting the mythology of human desires and emotions through heroes and Gods and a suspenseful African story called ‘Why the Sun, the Moon, and the Stars live in the Sky?’

Kirsteen McCulloch, Executive Director at ARTSCO, can’t wait to see the show come to life:

“I’m confident that Celestial Bodies is going to be a massive hit! With rich storytelling, talented artists and a unique urban canvas in downtown Kelowna, this is the night sky as you’ve never seen it before. Ditch the couch and Netflix for an evening and join us safely and from a distance to enjoy Celestial Bodies while standing beneath celestial bodies. I’m grateful to all the skilled artists who have contributed to this project and I hope you’ll come to see the projections from Feb 5-28!”

Celestial Bodies is presented by ARTSCO in partnership with UBC Okanagan’s Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies. It runs from February 5 to 28, 2021, from 5:30-10 p.m. every evening at downtown Kelowna’s Rotary Centre for the Arts (421 Cawston Ave.) The showing is free and open to the public. Projections are shown on the exterior of the Rotary Centre for the Arts. Please abide by COVID-19 safety protocols while participating in Celestial Bodies.

Learn more about the Arts Council of the Central Okanagan HERE. Find out more about Celestial Bodies HERE

We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the following organizations in the creation of Celestial Bodies: The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), University of British Columbia Okanagan’s Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies and the Work-Study program , Canada Council for the Arts, and the Central Okanagan Foundation.

The Phoenix News has been the student newspaper since 1989, originally started by students at Okanagan College. The paper transitioned to Okanagan University College in 1993, and finally to UBC Okanagan in 2006. The Phoenix News offers a terrific opportunity for students to support the public culture of our campus by participating in and sharing with the student body relevant news and information.

The paper is currently made up of a team of ten people including staff editors, the coordinating editor, the photo editor, a marketing strategist, web editor, and the editor in chief. The paper is also supported by a faculty advisor each year.

Student newspapers offer opportunities to learn about journalism, digital publishing, communication, coding, social media management, design, marketing, project management, and other career-oriented skills, explains George Grinnell, this year’s faculty advisor.

“The most important opportunity the paper offers is the capacity to address pressing matters and to ask questions of the university on behalf of its students. Speaking truth to power is the hallmark of media, and student newspapers are at their very best when they do so.”

We spoke to two of our students in the English program to get their perspective on being part of the Phoenix team and the impact that will have on them for their futures.

Carolina Leyton

Carolina Leyton is a fourth year English Honours student, and is currently the Editor in Chief for the paper.

How did you get involved with the Phoenix?

I got involved with the Phoenix in 2019. I saw the poster that they were looking for writers and editors, so I applied to the email that was provided. I was really aiming to just be a contributor, even if it meant not getting paid because I just wanted to have my writing out somewhere and I wanted to get involved. Little did I know that I would become the Life Editor for that year and later on, Editor in Chief.

What has this opportunity done for you as a student and as a writer?

This is going to be valuable experience to put in my CV. I think that it is important for any sort of job that people see that you are able to clearly communicate an opinion, so the experience is invaluable. Personally, I want to be a writer and you really just need to write to do that. The Phoenix gave me the chance to hone in on my skill weekly, and has given me exposure with my writing.  Finally, and I think the most important thing, the Phoenix gave me a team in which I trust and who always have my back. I really wanted to cement the idea that, even though each person writes their own article, we always have to openly communicate and be able to ask for help and ideas when we need it. It has been great so far and I really love this year’s team.

What are your thoughts on the future for the paper?

I want to sketch out a growth plan for the EICs to come and a sort of manual that contains all the information necessary to run the Phoenix. I don’t want the excellent content and our incredible outreach to stop once I am gone. Bearing in mind the resources we have available, I am hoping that we can become a reputable news source for the wider Okanagan area and, most importantly, an opportunity for all UBCO students to openly share all their thoughts and ideas.

Jayme Miller

Arts Editor Jayme Miller, an English Major graduating this year, is looking towards a career as a freelance writer.

How did you get involved with the Phoenix?

I was friends with the previous Arts Editor at The Phoenix, so when he graduated he encouraged me to apply for the role as he had really enjoyed doing it. I’m very glad that I took on the role, despite being hesitant as I had a full course load and already an overwhelming amount of reading and writing to do.

How do you come up with ideas for stories?

Coming up with the pitches is a mixture of pursuing my own interests, keeping up with what’s going on artistically and culturally at UBCO/Kelowna/worldwide, and making sure that other students/alumni voices are heard and amplified. I never want the Arts section to simply be my own perspective on arts and culture, I hope it can showcase a diverse perspective on things.

What has this opportunity done for you as a student and as a writer?

I’m so glad I took on this role because it is an amazing thing to have on my resume and I’ve learned a lot. For example, I had never really interviewed people before, but since joining the Phoenix team I have interviewed many different people and become quite comfortable with asking questions and chatting with total strangers. As a very recent graduate, I have been applying for different writing jobs, and so being able to say I’ve worked as an editor and have examples of published work is an excellent asset for me.

The Phoenix welcomes submission ideas from UBCO students in any discipline with a passion for writing and for their university. Carolina notes that these are low commitment positions, the contributor can write an article once a month, or whenever fits their schedule.

Any student wishing to get involved with the Phoenix News is asked to contact eic@thephoenixnews.com.

Oliver Lovesey is a full professor, teaching English in the Department of English and Cultural Studies. Dr. Lovesey offers first year introductory courses on genre and upper level courses on Oscar Wilde and also on the Victorian novel. He is the author of five books, and has four other edited works.

Oliver shared some insights on his teaching and research practices here at UBC Okanagan.

Tell us about your research interests.

My work within English Studies allows me to research in different but related areas, keeping in mind that English has traditionally had a close relationship to the study of vernacular music and folklore/folklife. I am now working on a study of popular music autobiography, a monograph project for which I have a contract from Bloomsbury Academic Publishing. It relates to my previous work on music and autobiography and on Ngugi wa Thiong’o, the African theorist and novelist who is best known for his provocative ideas about language, culture, and oral literature or “lit-orature.”

My present research also relates to my previous work on “postcolonial” George Eliot, the great Victorian novelist and intellectual whose writing career reflected the Victorian expansion of the British empire. The special issue of the academic journal Popular Music and Society I guest edited, entitled “Woodstock University” with the introduction (“The Idea of Woodstock”) and an essay (“Pop Art at Woodstock: Sha Na Na”) and eight other articles, one from a performer at the festival who became a professor of German studies, appeared in 2020 (PMS 43.2 2020).

How did you know you wanted to be a professor?

After teaching in Nigeria and then P. R. China, I began to realize that university teaching would be my future. Preparing courses on literary theory and the history of the novel for grad students in China, a number of whom had been caught up in different ways in the chaos of the Cultural Revolution, really opened my eyes, and this initiated my pursuit of a PhD and then teaching and research. Being a professor means being a student forever.

I try to introduce the broad range of these subjects, to connect the material to our chaotic world, to focus on essay writing, and to engage with what students find useful, interesting, and relatable.

What do you think makes UBC Okanagan unique?

UBC Okanagan has many unique opportunities and challenges. It’s located in a famously beautiful part of Canada, but it is also located on unceeded territory. It has a lovely, uniquely hot and very dry climate, but there’s ever increasing fire danger with global warming. It is a smaller campus but it is linked to a much larger campus in Vancouver with all of its research resources. From its inception, UBC Okanagan has been open to adaptation and change, and that will no doubt continue in the years ahead.

Artistic Director Neil Cadger viewing one of the projections. Photo credit: Chloe Chang

A new art installation called The Collective Body is catching the eye and setting tongues wagging in downtown Kelowna’s Cultural District.

Created by Neil Cadger, Miles Thorogood, Aleksandra Dulic, Lin Snelling and Andrew Stauffer with support from UBC Okanagan students Chloe Chang and Ryan Broadbent, The Collective Body is a unique nightly outdoor projection series showcasing dancers, body parts and musicians from across North America at downtown Kelowna’s Rotary Centre for the Arts (421 Cawston Ave.)

Light Up Kelowna — a new initiative that will see ongoing projections in downtown Kelowna and the fifth annual Living Things Festival present The Collective Body. Every night from 5-9 p.m., now through January 30, The Collective Body presents an evocative collage of diverse bodies projected onto the Rotary Centre for the Arts windows, as a cascade of sensual sound washes over visitors. The project explores the constraints and unique possibilities of digital connection while reminding us of the profound importance and irreplaceability of shared physical space.

Using communications technologies as a central metaphor, artists from across North America connect through The Collective Body. Dancers film choreography for discrete body parts and musicians create sound elements in response to the imagery. The cycle is repeated, forming a woven pattern that simultaneously acknowledges human differences and fundamental connections.

The visual media is automatically recomposed using state-of-the-art software programmed by the artists and combined with arranged audio material into an ever-changing collective body composition. The artwork displays nine independent screens projection-mapped across the building windows with sound and image enveloping visitors inside and outside.

Going forward, Light Up Kelowna will deliver a groundbreaking art-dedicated urban screen experience to Kelowna, and it all starts with The Collective Body and its shimmering projections in the dark winter night.

In partnership with UBC Okanagan’s Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies, the Arts Council of the Central Okanagan (ARTSCO) is developing the permanent digital exhibition infrastructure, and Kirsteen McCulloch, Executive Director at ARTSCO, is excited about the possibilities:

“We’re so thrilled about this initiative! Light Up Kelowna will enable the presentation of new and innovative performance experiences to the Okanagan. This urban screen will feature various local and international media artists who use technology to push art in different and thought-provoking directions. It creates opportunities for our artists to weave storytelling into their work through imagery, and to engage visitors in a multi-dimensional and multisensory way.”

Starting with The Collective Body, Light Up Kelowna enables audiences to experience a personal journey of exploration and interaction, allowing passers-by to observe and connect to an intimate collective body from a distance.

The Collective Body is on display now through January 30 from 5-9 p.m. at downtown Kelowna’s Rotary Centre for the Arts (421 Cawston Ave.) It is free to attend. For those who are unable to attend in person, January 27’s viewing of The Collective Body will be shown on Kelowna’s Unicorns.LIVE streaming platform. Final details are still being worked out, so those interested in this showing are encouraged to register for the Unicorns.LIVE newsletter to stay in the loop.

The live stream will be accompanied by a ZOOM gathering for the duration of the show providing the artists involved with The Collective Body with the opportunity to finally ‘meet’ each other. Up to this point, the only contact they’ve had is through sound or imagery.

Learn more about The Collective Body, and the artists behind the project, here. Find out more about the fifth annual Living Things Festival here.

Photo Caption: The Collective Body on display at downtown Kelowna’s Rotary Centre for the Arts (photo credit: Chloe Chang).

About the Living Things Festival

Founded in 2017, Living Things is a carefully curated festival that brings award-winning performances to Kelowna. With accolades from critics and audiences alike, a Living Things show is certain to have people talking, thinking, and connecting long after the lights have dimmed and the curtain has dropped.

Due to COVID-19, the 5th annual Living Things Festival looks a little different, but it still promises a small but extraordinary lineup of shows, performances and experiences that inspire, entertain and provoke thought and conversation, including The Collective Body.

In short, this is Kelowna’s International Arts Festival. It’s groundbreaking theatre, art, and performances that will leave you feeling exhilarated.

Living Things is organized by Neil Cadger—a professor at UBC Okanagan’s Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies—and Inner Fish Performance Company. The festival is financially supported by the City of Kelowna, the BC Arts Council, UBC Okanagan’s Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies, Public Humanities Hub Impact Award, Heritage Canada and local businesses and individuals.

The Collective Body installation was created by: Neil Cadger, Miles Thorogood, Aleksandra Dulic, Lin Snelling, Andrew Stauffer with support from UBC Okanagan students Chloe Chang and Ryan Broadbent.

The fifth annual Living Things Festival is set to launch in Kelowna on Sunday, January 10, 2021. The festival which has a growing cult following in Kelowna’s art and culture scene is renowned for bringing boundary-pushing contemporary theatre, dance, music, animation, art, and more to the darkest days of winter.

The festival, which is dubbed Kelowna’s international arts festival, is organized by Neil Cadger—a professor at UBC Okanagan’s Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies—and Inner Fish Performance Company. This year’s festival will run through to January 30, 2021.

2021’s festival is set to deliver a small but extraordinary lineup of shows, performances and experiences that inspire, entertain and provoke thought and conversation.

“I believe art is to mental health as sport is to physical health. In this COVID-19 era of isolation and digital connection, the need for safe gatherings and in-person interaction is crucial. I hope Living Things 2021 can brighten this challenging winter at least a little”, explains Cadger.

Living Things 2021 will feature The Collective Body—a unique outdoor projection showcasing dancers, body parts and musicians from across North America at downtown Kelowna’s Rotary Centre for the Arts (421 Cawston Ave.) The Collective Body will run from 5-9 p.m. every evening during the festival. It is free to attend.

Artistic Director Neil Cadger viewing one of the projections

In addition, the ever-popular Objects in Motion—a selection of animated films that push narrative boundaries returns on January 19 and January 26. Tickets start at $15 and films will be shown on Kelowna’s Unicorns.LIVE streaming platform.

And last but not least, the festival intends to wrap with The Book of My Shames presented with Opera Kelowna—an original solo chamber opera that’s thoughtful, raw and honest, with achingly funny turns. Due to public health advisories, the final details around The Book of My Shames are still being worked out. Those interested in this event are encouraged to keep an eye on the Living Things website/Facebook and Instagram channels and to sign up for the festival’s newsletter to stay in the loop. All Living Things 2021 events will follow appropriate public health guidance.

Despite the challenges presented by organizing a festival during the COVID-19 pandemic, Neil Cadger is thrilled to see Living Things return:

“For 4 years we have been bringing live, groundbreaking, exhilarating theatre, art, and music to Kelowna in the darkest days of winter. Of course, running this year’s festival has presented many new challenges, but we were determined to keep Living Things going. We’ve worked hard to create some unusually unusual experiences in a way that is COVID-safe and respects public health orders. We hope you’ll join us either in-person or online for the strangest Living Things yet!”

Living Things is financially supported by the City of Kelowna, the BC Arts Council, UBC Okanagan’s Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies, ARTSCO, Public Humanities Hub Impact Award, Heritage Canada and local businesses and individuals. You can learn more about the festival by visiting the Living Things website.

Andreas Rutkauskas, Valhalla Provincial Park summer 2020. Photo credit: Lianne Caron

Andreas Rutkauskas began teaching photography in the Department of Creative Studies in 2016, and has been a full time Lecturer since 2018. As an artist whose practice is rooted in direct experience within the landscape, he was attracted by the potential of the Okanagan as a location for fieldwork, as well as the diverse yet intimate nature of the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies.

Andreas shared some insights on his teaching and research practices here at UBC Okanagan.

Tell us about your research interests and work as a photographer and artist.

I am passionate about the environment. As a photographer, I focus my attention on revealing alternative points of view regarding sites and events that are often represented in the media, including petroleum extraction, international borders, and climate change. I believe in the power of contemporary art to open up dialogue across various communities, and I strive to leave space for interpretation in my work, rather than adhering to a persuasive agenda. I have been fortunate to have my independent projects supported through provincial and federal arts funding, and have been undertaking collaborative research at UBCO through a New Frontiers in Research Fund grant called Living with Wildfire, alongside colleagues in the Departments of Earth, Environmental and Geographic Sciences, Sustainability, and Geography. We are collectively examining wildfire risk in the Okanagan and cultural perceptions of wildfire within one of Canada’s most fire-prone ecosystems.

How did you know you wanted to be a professor?

Teaching did not come to me naturally. I knew that I wanted to be an artist since I was eighteen, however it was when I arrived in Montréal and began my first year of graduate studies that I was offered a role as a teaching assistant. I was admittedly hesitant, however my professor provided me with a great deal of freedom, included me in curriculum development, and allowed me to direct certain classes by myself. I was immediately hooked, and enjoyed the energy that I received from discussing art with a group of like-minded individuals. I continue to obtain a great amount of energy from teaching, and our recent lack of face-to-face contact with students in light of the pandemic has been a challenge in this regard. On the other hand, this opportunity has allowed me to make valuable adjustments to existing courses. Even at this stage, I am always learning!

What kind of learning experiences do offer your students?

Photography, unlike other forms of contemporary art, requires that a subject be physically present for the artist to capture, therefore the ideal environment for most photographic learning is outside of the classroom. I bring my personal bias towards fieldwork into my pedagogy, generally encouraging images made on location rather than in a studio environment. My thematic assignments support this approach, but I am also interested in developing course content that relies on field trips and collectively experiencing the landscape as a means of generating content. During the summer of 2019 I led a field course that combined artistic and scientific approaches and increased student understanding of certain processes occurring in the land on which we currently reside. We can learn a great deal through direct observation of the world around us; I hope to inspire students to pay close attention to the minutiae of their surroundings.

Tell us about your artwork.

My primary medium of expression is photography, but I also employ other media such as video, and more recently immersive video to investigate landscapes that have been shaped by an array of human interventions. From 2012-2015 I created a photographic survey of the entire Canada/U.S. border, which is often referred to as the longest undefended land boundary in the world. Between 2009-2015 I worked on a project titled Virtually There, which examined our increased reliance on terrestrial imaging and geolocation technologies in experiencing the natural world. Currently, I am involved in a multi-year research project looking at the aftermath and regeneration following wildfires in the Central Interior of British Columbia and Rocky Mountain Region. You can learn more about my work by visiting my website: www.andreasrutkauskas.com

“I enjoy the ease of collaborative research outside of my home department at UBCO, especially when compared to larger institutions that I have worked with in the past.”

Field class lead by Andreas Rutkauskas, 2019

Andreas at work with his large format camera

For bonus marks, near the end of term students in a first year Art History and Visual Cultures course were invited to submit a Getty Challenge according to Getty rules: pick a favourite museum artwork, and find three things lying around the house and use them to recreate the artwork.

Submissions were shared via Canvas, Discussion Board – students could both see and comment on each other’s submissions, and at the beginning of each online class they looked at the latest additions.

“I was not hard on students who bent the rules with more than three “things,” strayed outside of the temporal frame of the course, or even added a bit of Photoshop. What mattered was that they took up the challenge to look closely at art, and had fun interacting with each other in the midst of an online term in which many students can only virtually meet.” Says course instructor, Nathalie Hager.

She adds, “For me, too, this was a real treat: ARTH 101 is a large class and I have been able to get to know only a few dozen of students via one-on-one Zoom, this is the first time I am ‘seeing’ my more shy students as they take a risk having fun and being creative with art from around the world.”

Courtney Kneale was the first to submit – a close recreation of Frida Kahlo’s Self Portrait with Monkey. She wrote: “Attached is my Getty challenge! I know you were going to discuss it on Wednesday, however, I just thought it was so fun I got right on it. My fiancé and I have been howling laughing all day doing this, it was such a nice creative mental break. Shoutout to my little kitty Apollo for playing the role of Frida’s monkey friend.”

Courtney Kneale’s recreation of Frida Kahlo’s Self Portrait with Monkey (1938)

Another student, Lily Robinson, wrote of her recreation of Queen Nefertari Playing Senet: “I hope you like it because my dad came home early when I was doing this, looked at me, looked at our kitchenware stuck to the wall and just let out the biggest sigh- haha oh well.”

Lily Robinson’s recreation of Queen Nefertari Playing Senet (ca. 1279-1213 BCE)

For her inspiration, Olivia Heczko picked Seated Buddha from Gandhara: “I put my own twist on it though relating to myself as a student. My Dharmachakra is a Starbucks logo because coffee gives me energy so I can work and “enlighten” myself through my courses. I hold my phone close to me because with online learning it is an escape. The Buddha has a bhindi but mine is a pimple representing stress acne.”

Olivia Heczko’s recreation of Seated Buddha from Gandhara

ARTH 101 is a first-year, introductory survey to the history of art. But rather than tackle this history by culture, one chronological period after another in a straight line, students learn about art from prehistory to the early modern period in a World Art Historical way: by focusing on the development, diversity, and interaction of art and cultural traditions, and by emphasising comparisons across various world regions as a reflection of differing cultural perspectives. Organized by era – beginning with Global Prehistory, and tracing networks of connection and exchange as art and visual culture becomes increasingly interconnected via trade and encounter across cities, states, and giant empires and major religions – the course allows students to practice and hone the essential skills of visual, contextual, and comparative analysis using specialized art historical vocabulary, terminology, and concepts. Upon completion of the course students are able to identify key visual works from across the world’s diverse cultures, histories, and heritages, and demonstrate an in-depth understanding of their links and connections across major world regions and across time.

This new approach to the learning art history has been picked up by students in their submissions where they can take their Getty Challenge to any part of the world that interests them: Robin Rajmoolie recreated Kali dancing on Shiva from India. This is not an easy work to set up and photograph, especially considering all the “extra” limbs.

Robin Rajmoolie’s Kali dancing on Shiva, from India (mid 20th century)

Other students enlisted the help of family (Nikkala Niro’s niece in her recreation of Berlinghiero’s Madonna and Child) and even pets (Loran Evans’ Pomeranian “Leo” in Raphael, Small Cowper Madonna) to create their challenges. Kaitlyn Roth enjoyed a good “howl” with her mom in recreating her version of Portrait of Barbara Van Beck: “we laughed so hard at this.. enjoy haha…feat: toilet paper, Christmas balls and ponytails, haha.”

“I can’t tell you how delighted I was to receive these messages from quarantining students – to know that the Challenge allowed them to blow off some steam, and laugh at themselves while looking and thinking about art in a global context.” Says Hager.

Hager will repeat this challenge to her students next term in part two of the course, ARTH 102, where they will study Era 5: The Emergence of the First Global Age.

Nikkala Norio’s recreation of Berlinghiero, Madonna and Child (1230’s)

Loran Evans’ recreation of Raphael, Small Cowper Madonna

Kaitlyn Roth’s Portrait of Barbara Van Beck (1640s)

Suda Guan’s recreation of Johannes Vermeer, Girl with a Pearl Earring (ca. 1665)r

Carly Beckner’s The Lascaux Cave (16000-14000 BCE) meets the Chauvet Pont-d_Arc Cave (30000-28000 BCE)

Jas Linton’s Heracles and Cerberus, Caeretan black-figure hydria (6th century BCE)

Wanling He’s Hugo Ball, Hugo Ball Reading Karawane (1916)

BFA student Arianne Tubman picking up her care package.

With the challenges of this year, the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies wanted to do something special to support their students and show them that everyone in FCCS is thinking of them.

Denise Kenney

Denise Kenney, Head of Creative Studies, came up with the idea to make this connection with our students so they know that we care, and staff and faculty worked to put together the care packages.

“For me, the teaching relationship is not one of teacher and learner, but rather one of all of us learning together as we navigate our way through each experience—even a global pandemic!” she says.

In a time where we know many may be struggling with isolation and students are working hard to complete their courses in a completely new format to stay on track for their degrees, there is no better time to reach out to help students.

“With so much uncertainty around big picture questions—when will a vaccine be available? How will I make it through all my exams? What will next term be like?—I am proud to be part of a community that has paused to make this small gesture,” says Bryce Traister, Dean of the faculty. “To turn toward our students and offer them acknowledgement and kindness. That is not a small thing. It is mighty.”

For those students who live in the local area, they were able to pick up their packages on campus, or at the Kelowna Art Gallery, and for those who live out of town, a special card and gift was mailed to them.

Kenney adds: “When we are once again able to return to our classrooms to learn side-by-side, maybe we’ll care for each other with offhand smiles or an offer to buy someone coffee. Until then, we hope these care packages communicate to our students just how much they matter to us. We really wanted them to have something to actually “touch” besides their keyboards!”

We are grateful to all those faculty and staff who helped put the packages together, provided artwork and baking, and to the local business that supported this initiative by donating or offering discounts to fill the packages, including the UBC Okanagan Bookstore, Cherry Hill Coffee, Chai Baba Tea, The Kelowna Candle Factory, and Opus Framing and Art Supplies. Special thanks to the Kelowna Art Gallery for helping disseminate the packages in Kelowna.

If you are a student in the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies and were not aware of this initiative, please reach out, as we want to support you! Contact us at fccs.ubco@ubc.ca

Denise Kenney and Shauna Oddleifson handing out the FCCS Care packs to students

Care package contents

Interested in the arts, visual arts or digital media? Join us for virtual info sessions to learn more about our Bachelor of Fine Arts and Bachelor of Media Studies undergraduate degrees.

Our program coordinators will share information about the portfolio requirements for the application for the BFA and BMS, course options and pathways throughout the degree and give examples of student work to give a better idea what happens in the programs. One of our Student Advisors will also be on hand to answer any questions about degree requirements and program progression.

Prospective students, parents and teachers are invited to attend one or both of the sessions below and will have a chance to ask questions about the programs and the application process.

BACHELOR OF FINE ARTS INFO SESSION

Date: Tuesday, Nov. 24
Time: 5:00 to 6:00 p.m.
Location: Zoom.

REGISTER NOW 

The BFA is a four-year direct entry program that combines a strong practice-based studio approach with critical reflection for a fully rounded educational experience. Art history courses, visiting artists’ presentations, and participation in art exhibitions locally, nationally and internationally, as well as in the department-run FINA Gallery, also form integral parts of the curriculum.

The Visual Arts  program provides students the opportunity to study in a variety of traditional media (painting, drawing, sculpture, analogue photography, and printmaking) and digital media production courses (video, digital photography, sound art, visual communication, 2D animation, and virtual worlds). Students are encouraged to work in media that best suits their artistic practice after building a solid foundation in studio practice.

BACHELOR OF MEDIA STUDIES INFO SESSION

Date: Wednesday, Dec. 2
Time: 5:00 to 6:00 p.m.
Location: Zoom.

REGISTER NOW 

The BMS is a four-year, direct-entry program that prepares students for careers in digital media creation. It is a computational arts program that combines digital arts, visual arts, media studies, social science and humanities. The program begins with designated “core” courses that provide a strong foundation in Creative Writing, Cultural Studies, Digital Humanities, Media Studies, and Visual Arts.

The foundation of the program is the opportunity for students to experiment with ideas and the newest technologies in a team-based environment, with a focus on innovation in digital-media design. The program is designed for students looking towards a future in creative and cultural industries, and to continue their education in design, art, and academics as postgraduates.