James Luna performing “Native Stories” during the 2017 Summer Indigenous Intensive

It is with great sadness and mourning that we acknowledge the passing of James Luna, a Payómkawichum/Ipai/Mexican-American Indian. James has produced professional work for over 40 years having an important international impact and influence on contemporary and Indigenous art world wide.

His performance works such as The Artifact Piece (1987/1990), Take a Picture With a Real Indian (1991–93), and his installation series and performance at the Venice Bienale 2005 entitled Emendatio, (to name only a few) have influenced Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists a like. His work has had a profound impact on performance art and contemporary art practice. His legacy will continue to transform us and will be a source of inspiration for future generations of artists to come.

We have been fortunate over the last few years to have James participate in our Summer Indigenous Intensive Residency program at UBC Okanagan. He presented us with some of his greatest performances creating some of the most memorable moments of our residency program. As always, he was incredibly generous with his time and energy as he worked closely with students and faculty challenging us to be better, more thoughtful and engaging.

Through the high standards, he set himself in performance, photography and installation we learned how to be better artists and educators.  Through his presence, we learned how to be better people and trust in ourselves. We are forever grateful for the support and mentorship he provided our students, faculty and our program. We will miss the light and warmth he brought to our world through his art and person.

Student Filmmakers invited to submit to the Student Okanagan Film Festival

What: Student Okanagan Film Festival
Deadline: Monday April 30th, 2018
Where: Mary Irwin Theatre, 421 Cawston Ave

As part of the 2018 Spring Festival, the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies is pleased to present the 3rd annual Student Okanagan Film Festival.

Each year Creative Studies at UBC Okanagan invites emerging student filmmakers enrolled in any school across the Okanagan to submit short films to the SOFF.

“This is a great chance for student filmmakers to see their films or videos on a big screen,” says Myron Campbell, UBCO visual arts professor and an organizer of the series. “It’s rare for students to get an opportunity to watch their movie in a full house, on a huge screen. They’re producing their work on computer monitors, so a movie screening—with their peers—is an awesome opportunity. Last year’s program was amazing. The quality of film is only getting better every year.”

This year’s festival will be held at the Rotary Centre for the Arts’ Mary Irwin Theatre, 421 Cawston Ave, Kelowna, BC V1Y 6Z1, on Monday April 30th, 2018 from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m.

Thank you to this year’s SOFF sponsor, The Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies.

The Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre (located in Bamfield, British Columbia and owned by the Universities of British Columbia, Victoria, Alberta, Calgary, and Simon Fraser University) is proud to offer its first English Literature field course.

This course, In Pursuit of the Whale, taught by Dr. Greg Garrard (UBCO) and  Dr. Nicholas Bradley (UVic), will involve close study of literature and films relating to whales and whaling, employing theoretical concepts from ecocriticism (environmentally-oriented cultural criticism) and critical animal studies.

Students will study historic and contemporary cetacean fiction, will be introduced to theory of ecocriticism and critical animal studies and will explore Indigenous perspectives on whales and whaling studies. This unique three-week course will include intensive writing tutorials and field trips to cetacean-related sites.

The BMSC is located in a pristine west coast natural environment with a diversity of coastal habitats. They provide  a dynamic, hands-on learning environment, where the field and lab are the classroom.

In Pursuit of the Whale will run from July 3 to 20, 2018, and can be taken as an upper level undergraduate or a graduate course. Interested students must first apply to the BMSC, and once accepted can then register in the course at UBCO.

For more information on the course and the application procedure, please visit www.bamfieldmsc.com.

Students from UBC Okanagan will have their collaborative work on display at the Kelowna Art gallery starting February 10th.

The project, Viral Objects is an interdisciplinary collaboration between first, second and third year students in Visual Arts, Creative Writing, Performance and Media Studies courses. The objects, or source of the virus, were created by students in two of professor Egami’s sculpture classes and were then explored, interpreted, translated and used as inspiration for students in performance, creative writing and media studies.

The objects “go viral”, propagating performance art, storytelling, poetry, sound art, drawings, installations and video.

For the students in creative writing, they were given one of the objects, and had to create an Instagram post that included a photo of at least one of the objects and written text, the content of which was influenced by the object. Students in the performance class explored the objects and texts in studio to create embodied interactions- some of which were photographed and videotaped. Students in Media Studies created audio and video works.

“This project has been a thrill from the get-go, because we’re seeing how students across disciplines inspire each other.” Says Creative Writing professor Smith, “There’s an element of intrigue too, with how they approach each other’s work, and re-imagine it. You can’t anticipate their changes. They’re wild and fresh and original. It’s the best feeling to see that making and re-making of ideas.”

Performance professor Kenney defines the process as one of translation. “It is through the difficult act of translation from one modality to another that a deeper understanding of “others” and of the world around us begins to take shape.”

The work and the process by which it was made will be on exhibition at the Kelowna Art Gallery in The Front Project Space from February 10 to April 8, 2018, with a reception on March 23rd.

For more information about the exhibition visit kelownaartgallery.com/viral-objects 

Dixon Terbasket (Left) and Sheldon Louis (Right) speak to Grade 12 Art students at KSS about the impact of colonialism on Syilx culture.

Kelowna Senior Secondary Grade 12 Honors Art Students have a unique opportunity to create a mural exploring the subject of Settler/Indigenous relations.

Last Friday the art class listened to Syilx artist Sheldon Louis and Syilx activist Dixon Terbasket speak about the impact of colonialism on Indigenous culture, and the resilience of Indigenous people. The discussion will help inform the students’ vision for the mural. The entire mural process will be led by Mr. Louis, who has been involved in the creation of murals in the past, and is enjoying the recent success of a sold-out exhibition of his paintings at the Rotary Centre for the Arts.

The mural project is a collaborative effort between KSS, UBCO, the Ki-Low-Na Friendship Society, and the Rethink150: Indigenous Truth Collective (which developed a series of events surrounding Canada’s sesquicentennial last year, to raise awareness of Indigenous perspectives regarding colonialism). The project is facilitated by local artist and MFA student Crystal Przybille, in her capacity as Academic Assistant at UBCO, working with professor Stephen Foster.

The mural project is supported by the UBC Community Engagement – Partnership Recognition Fund, and has received donations from individuals in the broader community through Rethink150: Indigenous Truth fundraising efforts. Paints and brushes were generously donated by Opus Art Supplies.

“Our hope,” said Dixon Terbasket “is that this project will help change the conversations around various tables. There has been a lot of prejudice towards Indigenous peoples in Canada, a lot of misunderstanding. The truth needs to be spoken, and with listening, this younger generation might be inspired to change things.”

“If I stood in the streets on a soapbox to speak the truth,” Sheldon Louis said, “People would pass by, closed off and offended. The power of art is that it gently opens people’s minds. They become curious, and initiate learning more about it.”

KSS art teacher, Timothy Mayer, welcomed the valuable and unique learning opportunity for his students to explore this important topic, while engaging directly in the creation of the intercultural mural with lead artist Sheldon Louis.

The mural will be exhibited in several venues this year, including the Fina Gallery at UBCO in May, and the Alternator Centre for Contemporary Art window space throughout the last week of June.

The Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies is now accepting applications from undergraduate students to pursue innovative and original research as part of their learning experience. There are 2 awards available for domestic students for $2500 each, and one award available for international students for $6,000. These awards provide undergraduate students support to engage in research and creation activities over the summer months.

In the past years students had received the award for a variety of projects including working with local heritage committees, producing short films, chapbooks, pieces of short fiction, interactive performances, digital media and app design.

Click HERE for detailed information on previous applicants and their projects.

The awards are meant to encourage undergraduate students who are enrolled in a major in FCCS B.A. or B.F.A. programs (English, Cultural Studies, Art History and Visual Culture, French, Spanish, Creative Writing, Visual Arts and Interdisciplinary Performance, or Combined Majors) to pursue innovative and original research under the supervision of one or more FCCS faculty members. The international undergraduate research award (IURA) is being offered in partnership with the International Student Initiative.

The deadline for both awards is January 30th at 4pm. For more information on these awards and the application process, visit fccs.ok.ubc.ca/students.html (under the Funding and Awards heading).