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.

Art Apart installation shot

What: Art Apart
Who: Cool Arts
When: November 13 to 26, 2020; 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Friday
Where: FINA Gallery, CCS Building, UBC’s Okanagan Campus, Kelowna

Although many of us have had to be separated during this time — which had been especially hard on those of us with disabilities and health issues — we’ve still managed to come together to make art as a community!

Art Apart Virtual Tour

This exhibition is organized by Cool Arts Society and supported by the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies and the UBCO Partnership Recognition Grant.

Note: Visitors to the gallery must follow social distancing measures which include a maximum of 6 people in the gallery at one time. Please follow the signage and instructions when entering the CCS building.

Emily Murphy working in the AMP Lab at UBC Okanagan.

Study in the sciences, humanities or performance each has their own way of knowing and seeing. If you take those different ways of looking at things and put them together; you can create outcomes that are more than just the sum of its parts, you see both angles and something new at the same time.

Emily Murphy, an assistant professor in the Faculty of Creative and Critical studies is being supported by Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) to create the The ReMedia Infrastructure for Research and Creation is led by Dr. Emily Murphy. In this physical space, Murphy will continue her research that marries the study of cultural history and embodied methods in media. Murphy is interested in research that looks at cultural history through more than just stable media like text. She engages with ways that people have used their bodies in cultural production. Projects in ReMedia study comics, literature, performance, social media platforms, memes, and modernist robots.

“With this funding, I will be working to create a physical space that marries the study of cultural history and embodied methods in media,” she explains.

CFI gives infrastructure funding to create research centres and labs on campus, which can include renovating or building space, the purchase of equipment and software as well as operational funds to get spaces up and running.

Murphy is interested in research that looks at cultural history through more than just stable media like text. She engages with ways that people have used their bodies in cultural production. In studying the history of a dance form, for instance, she works to reproduce the choreography and reconstruct the shape.

“I am engaging with those historical records using more than just my eyes and brain. I am using my body as well.”

The The ReMedia Infrastructure for Research and Creation is housed in the Innovation Annex (IA1) at UBC Okanagan, in a dedicated research space.

“Being able to put together a successful CFI grant depends on the support of lots of different units at the university. Both exciting and a humbling vote of confidence, especially as these infrastructure grants are relatively rare in the humanities.”

Funding will be used to renovate the spaces to be used for the (Re)Media Lab, and purchase software and hardware to be used by Dr. Murphy and her collaborators on a number of projects. Some of the hardware includes micro controllers (small computers) and censors for creating wearables and embodied interfaces.

This infrastructure will allow Dr. Murphy to develop projects and win research grants, which in turn will allow her to support graduate researchers at UBCO.

Find out more about Emily Murphy and her research.

You can find out more about the projects that were supported by CFI at UBC, across both campuses.

The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council recently announced the recipients for the SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship in early November. We are proud to share that two of our doctoral students have received the SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships, which provides financial support for high-calibre students engaged in doctoral programs in the social sciences and humanities.

These prestigious awards support students through their Doctoral degrees allowing them to focus on their studies and research, explains Dr. Greg Garrard, Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Studies in FCCS.

“Congratulations to this year’s doctoral SSHRC awardees! Toby Lawrence’s research in the field of art curation and Indigenous engagement speaks to the importance of the fine arts in reconciliation, and Melissa Hart’s exploration of eco-narrative recognizes the vital role of storytelling in sustainability initiatives. We wish them the best of luck with their projects.” Says Garrard.

Below are the recipients from the IGS program in FCCS with a summary of their research.

Melissa Hart is a doctoral student in Digital Arts and Humanities in the second year of her program. Hart’s creative research explores art as eco-activism through meta-narrative. Her current research interests lie in creative eco-narrative, digital painting, regenerative-culture, and in-situ, practice-based methodology. She received a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Canada (SSHRC) Doctoral Fellowship Award, 2020-2024; a University of British Columbia Special Graduate Student Award, 2019; and a Province of British Columbia for the British Columbia Graduate Scholarship (BCGS), 2019.

The title of her research proposal is Judas-Kiss—Betrayal of our Primordial Comrade in the Rarest Rainforest on Earth: wolves and humans in British Columbia’s Southern Interior Rainforest, and she is co-supervised by Michael V. Smith & Dr. Bryce Traister.

Here is a summary of Melissa’s research proposal: Creative-research, in the digital humanities, in the form of eco-criticism, is a new and vital area of study. Building on my Master of Arts research, which examined the evolution of story through social media, and also my experience as a published novelist, and award-winning blogger, I will create a digitally illustrated novella as an agent for social change. Specifically, I look at the processes involved in a hybrid research that combines onsite auto-ethnography and experiential learning, with digital documentary tools. I examine how digital technology tools aid in the creation of art as an embodiment of forest life, and also, the ways in which digital tools act as a conduit—in the form of digital art—to reconnect humanity with nature. Through engaging in creative writing and digital art practice in an effort to bring about change, I give voice to the silenced in British Columbia’s Interior Temperate Rainforest.

Toby Katrine Lawrence is a doctoral student in the IGS individualized program, having reached candidacy in July 2019. She is currently conducting field and archival research that will focus on a selection of case studies and their active renegotiation of access, economic, gender, and racial inequality through their relationships to labour, land, and community. The title of her research proposal is Models of Reimagined Curatorial Practice: Land, Labour, and Community, and she is co-supervised by Ashok Mathur (OCADU) and Tania Willard (UBCO).

Toby is a settler-Canadian curator, writer, and researcher living and working between Snuneymuwx, Lekwungen, and W̱SÁNEĆ territories. Her work centres a collaborative and relational approach, and is focused on anti-racist, decolonial, and intersectional feminist methodologies.

Here is a summary of Toby’s research proposal: My doctoral study examines models of curatorial practice that depart from traditional western art gallery and museum frameworks. Centring the social responsibilities of curation, my research asks: How are curators reimagining their praxes? How are curators intentionally caring for their practices to better care for those invited to contribute and for those who constitute their communities? How do these strategies replace, intervene in, or work in conversation with settler-colonial models to establish accessible, ethical, equitable, and anti-racist spaces of art? Within colonial nations such as Canada, how are exhibitions and organizations acknowledging their position with reference to the land on which they are presented or operate? What are the frameworks for organizing found inside and outside of the arts, not limited to collaboration, community organization, hospitality, and relationality, that offer strategies addressing culturally nuanced expectations within the curatorial? Using intersectional feminist and decolonial methodologies, this research demonstrates the significance of these models in challenging access, racial, gender, and economic inequalities in the arts and analyses the labour involved and the relevance and impact in relation to location and community.