Woodhaven Eco Culture Centre

Who: Award-winning novelist, Fred Stenson
What: Woodshed Reading Series
When: Friday, June 12, 7pm
Where: Woodhaven Eco Culture Centre, 969 Raymer road

On Friday June 12th at 7pm, UBC’s Woodhaven Eco Culture Centre is honoured to welcome Fred Stenson, award-winning novelist, non-fiction and film writer. Stenson is the author of The Trade (Giller Prize finalist and winner of the Grant MacEwan’s Author’s Prize) and Who By Fire (Doubleday Canada, 2014). Stenson will be reading from his works and hosting a public Q&A. There will also be live music courtesy of the talented Nils Loewen. This is a free event and all are welcome. Woodhaven Eco Culture Centre is located at 969 Raymer Road, in the Mission area of Kelowna.

Stenson spent his formative years in Alberta ranching country. Stenson’s latest novel, Who by Fire, is the story of an Albertan farm family faced with the arrival of a dangerous gas plant. This is a not a simple story about industry versus community. The son of the family works for a gas company. The picture is nuanced, complicated, and the characters, conflicted. The Globe and Mail writes that Who by Fire is a “well-researched and compelling narrative about the price paid in our complex relationship with an industry on which we are now dependent.” Come join us at Woodhaven for this timely discussion.

The Woodshed Reading Series is sponsored by the Canada Council for the Arts, The Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies at UBC, The Association of Literature, Environment and Culture in Canada, and the Regional District of the Central Okanagan.

The Woodshed Reading Series is in its second year and will host readings throughout May to August. Follow us on our Facebook page ‘The Woodshed Readings’ or on our blog: blogs.ubc.ca/woodhavencentre for more great events all summer long.

Nicole Ensing

Nicole Ensing graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Bachelor of Arts in Art History and Visual Culture. Nicole was initially drawn to UBCO because she grew up in the Okanagan and was a fan of the lifestyle available to those who live in Kelowna. In an interview, she noted: “The presence of ski hills during the winter and hiking and beaches during the summer made Kelowna an ideal place to study.”

Nicole, as mentioned above, also decided to complete two degrees in both Fine Arts and Arts. “After completing my BFA, I completed a second degree at UBCO in Art History and Visual Culture. Having conducted the practical aspect of art creation, I wanted to learn more about studying, writing, and researching art. I chose to pursue my second degree at UBCO because I had had a favourable experience with the faculty at UBCO. Furthermore, I had developed strong and productive relationships with my student colleagues; I was keen to maintain these contacts and to continue my study in this positive and productive environment.” UBCO’s intimately sized campus allows students to form lasting collegial bonds with their fellow students and faculty, along with providing a wealth of opportunities for students willing to get involved both on and off campus.

Nicole made ample use of these resources during her studies: “UBCO provided access to volunteer opportunities and relevant summer employment and encouraged me to pursue contact with local community organizations in and around Kelowna. During my two degrees I volunteered or worked for the Arts Council of the Central Okanagan, Lake Country Art Gallery, Kelowna Art Gallery, and the Alternator Centre for Contemporary Art.”

Once Nicole had completed her two degrees, she was initially skeptical about going any further with her studies. “I had not considered pursuing graduate school until completing original research in my BA in art history. The support and encouragement of Art History faculty helped me believe that graduate school was an option, and something that I would excel in.” Eventually, Nicole’s experiences at UBCO would ultimately lead her to pursuing a graduate degree in Kingston, Ontario: “UBCO Art History faculty member Carolyn MacHardy encouraged me to pursue original research during my undergraduate degree with historical societies in the Okanagan, like O’Keefe Ranch and with the Friends of Fintry. This opportunity fuelled my interest in researching art and lead to my pursuit of an art history MA program at Queen’s University.”

Nicole represents one of many success stories for students of UBC Okanagan’s FCCS. In closing, Nicole stated: “I had a positive and successful experience in FCCS for both my BFA and BA degrees at UBCO. FCCS prepared me well for graduate school and gave me practical experience with local art organizations and historical societies. This, combined with the opportunity to live and study in such a beautiful location, makes UBCO an ideal place to pursue studies in Art History and Visual Culture.”

This story was written by Brandon Taylor, English major in FCCS. Brandon is a Research Assistant in FCCS, contacting alumni to find out about their experiences here at UBCO.

Woodhaven Eco Culture Centre

FCCS is offering two intensive courses this summer – Writing in Place, a 12-day program of writing, master classes, workshops, and exploration, and A Pedagogy of Place, a 10-day course that will engage the interconnectedness of Indigenous art to land/place. The host site of both programs is the Woodhaven Eco Culture Centre, located in Kelowna, British Columbia, in a 3.5 hectare nature conservancy.

Writing in Place will be held from July 5 to 17, at the Woodhaven Eco Culture Centre, and is to be a dynamic site for idea exchange about habitation, place, and landscape. Participants will experiment with writing practice as inquiry into the ideas of place and the geographic self. In this immersive learning environment, they will meet with professional writers with national reputations, who will read and comment on students work in one-on-one consultations. Participants will become part of the Okanagan community of writers for two weeks as you meet and learn from well-known local writers.

Visiting writers include: Joan Crate (poetry, fiction); David Chariany (fiction); Warren Cariou 9creative non-fiction, fiction, film); and Alison Calder (poetry). The program will be run by FCCS faculty members Ashok Mathur (poetry, fiction, activism), and Mark Giles (fiction, poetry).

Writing in Place is appropriate for writers of fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, and new media. The program is open to writers at any stage of their career.

A Pedagogy of Place will be held from July 20 to 31, at the Woodhaven Eco Culture Centre as well as UBC Okanagan Campus. Over the duration of this ten day intensive, students will explore this concept through their engagement in an Indigenous pedagogical practice that utilizes the traditional teaching modalities of visual arts, performance, and oral storytelling.

Class discussions will be structured around a variety of formats including visiting artist/scholar presentations, as well as the teachings/oral histories shared by Okanagan Elders and other local cultural educators. Class activities will take place both inside and outside of the classroom, as there is a need to engage with the land in learning. Precedence of Place has been given towards the recognition of our current location upon syilx territory by ensuring that number of our invited speakers and artists are members of the Okanagan Nation.

Visiting artists include: Amanda Strong, Dion Kaszas, Jason Lewis, Skawanatti, and James Luna. The program will be run by FCCS faculty members Tannis Nielson and Stephen Foster.

Participants will include undergraduate and graduate students, visiting students and community members. Non-credit participants are welcome to enroll in this master class. Registration for Writing in Place includes one-on-one manuscript consultations and all other programming, registration for A Pedagogy of Place includes consultations with the artist and all other programming.

For more information on the programs, writers, artists and registration, visit: fccs.ok.ubc.ca/programs/graduate/summer.html

The Woodshed at the Woodhaven Eco Culture Cetnre

Who: Canadian Poet, Russell Thornton
What: Woodshed Reading Series
When: Friday, May 15, 7pm
Where: Woodhaven Eco Culture Centre, 969 Raymer road

This May 15th, Woodhaven Eco Culture Centre is honoured to welcome Russell Thornton, celebrated poet, author, and one of this year’s Griffin-prize nominees. This public event will open The Woodshed Reading Series in grand style. Poetry of this depth and quality on an evening in May—we could hardly ask for a better way to usher in the summer! The reading will be on Friday, May 15th at 7 PM at UBC’s Woodhaven Eco Culture Centre, 969 Raymer Road, Kelowna.

Russell Thornton

Thornton is the author of such works as The Fifth Window, A House Built of Rain (BC Book Prize finalist), Stones and Rain (Governor General’s Award finalist) and The Hundred Lives (2015 Griffin-prize shortlist). His poems work the interplay of the human, the material, and nature as sacristy, a “beautifully articulated realm of the awkward dance between spirit and matter” (Coast Reporter). The Griffin-prize judges note Thornton’s skill in the transmutation of matter and spirit: “Thornton’s lyric narratives …dramatically enact Robert Frost’s notion that the greatest of all attempts is ‘to say matter in terms of spirit, or spirit in terms of matter, to make the final unity’”.

Come join us this May 15th for an evening of poetry with Russell Thornton, one of Canada’s most celebrated voices—the first of many wonderful events taking place at Woodhaven Eco Culture Centre over the span of the summer. This event is free; all are welcome. Joane Arnott will be our second visiting author, reading on June 5th, , another event not to be missed by linguaphiles and art enthusiasts.

The Woodshed Reading Series is sponsored by the Canada Council for the Arts, The Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies at UBC, The Association of Literature Environment and Culture in Canada, and the Regional District of the Central Okanagan. The Woodshed Reading Series is in its second year and will hold readings throughout May to August.

For more information on the reading series and Woodhaven, visit : blogs.ubc.ca/woodhavencentre/summer-2014-event-calendar/

Peter Morin in his thesis exhibition, 2010

Peter Morin graduated with an MFA in Visual Arts. In an interview, Peter admits that he was initially drawn to UBCO as part of a bigger mission. Peter was employed as a Youth Worker at a local library when he noticed one of the younger students, while playing Monopoly, was struggling with very basic reading skills: “He was a kid that should have had no problem reading the basic writing on Monopoly cards. I think about this moment a lot because here was a kid that the system overlooked. My idea to get a Master’s Degree at UBCO was to address this moment, or moments like this. If I could get into the institutions and teach the teachers, for example, then we would start helping kids with similar issues.”

While at UBCO, Peter made ample use of the facilities located on campus, which include a darkroom, greenroom, painting studio, printmaking studio, wood shop, 3D studio, and more.  However, for Peter, “the real gift was the instruction. I took several classes in support of my degree and benefited greatly from being in contact with these professors.” Furthermore, “the program overall was great. It suited my needs as a working professional who wanted to move beyond my Bachelor’s degree. I had the privilege of working with Stephen Foster. Stephen was a great support to my work. The research component of the degree really helped me to develop the performance skills that I use now. The research skills that I developed for my degree continue to help me to develop my projects and, these days, the same research methodology that I used to develop my Master’s Thesis exhibition is what I teach to my students at Brandon University.”

Peter Morin

Peter’s experience at UBCO and the FCCS were vital to his professional development. However, additionally, Tahltan.org notes that Peter “uses his training in painting, printmaking and drawing to tell visual stories of his Tahltan culture and who draws on art to help first nations youth reconnect with their culture and traditional practices.” Therefore, the skills that Peter refined at UBCO were invaluable to both his career and the greater community, which is something that the FCCS takes great pride in fostering.

In closing, Peter noted: “I found the program to be flexible and supportive. I also found that the faculty’s knowledge was very rich and diverse. This knowledge supported my research and my drive to complete my best work. I was working within a supportive environment, one that was responsive to my needs as a working professional, and this helped. It helped me finish my degree. It helped me to push past my own limitations. And, finally, it helped me continue to make the work that I do today.”

This story was written by Brandon Taylor, English major in FCCS. Brandon is a Research Assistant in FCCS, contacting alumni to find out about their experiences here at UBCO.

Lee Hannigan

Lee Hannigan graduated with a double major in Creative Writing and English. In an interview, when asked about what drew him to UBCO initially, he stated: “I think that what brought me there is less important than what kept me there, and what keeps me coming back: the faculty. I think the most successful students are the ones who seize opportunities, who make themselves part of the academic community by offering their voice to any number of conversations taking place inside and outside the classroom.”

UBCO’s FCCS faculty is comprised of a wide array of scholars from all manner of backgrounds, providing a world-class education to their students. As Lee mentions, “UBCO’s FCCS is a loud department, and the voices sounding inside and outside of its classrooms are creating waves in faraway places. I have contributed to a few of these conversations, but only because I was given the opportunity as an undergraduate to have a voice in exchanges that are more often than not reserved for graduate students and faculty members.”

While on campus, Lee made ample use of the resources found at UBCO, which included a Research Assistant position: “In the final year of my undergrad, Dr. Karis Shearer invited me to be a part of a conversation having to do with poetry sound recording. That conversation led to an RAship, and I spent the summer of 2013 in an air-conditioned university sound studio, digitizing and transcribing a diverse collection of reel-to-reel tapes—a serious upgrade from stocking shelves in a paint store.”

Additionally, Lee worked with Dr. Shearer on a project that included an opportunity for academic publication. “A few months later I co-authored a paper with Dr. Shearer for the ‘Louisville Conference on Literature and Culture since 1900,’ where I met Dr. Jason Camlot, a professor at Concordia University and my current MA supervisor.”

Lee’s time at UBCO ultimately provided him with a wealth of opportunities, including a trip across Canada: “I traveled to Montréal to give a conference paper at the “Approaching the Poetry Series” conference at Concordia University (another opportunity that wouldn’t have been possible without Dr. Shearer’s mentorship and FCCS support). However, in order to do so, I needed money. Lucky for me, UBCO’s Tuum Est Student Initiative Fund supports undergraduate students interested in attending conferences.”

The wide array of personal, academic, and professional experiences equipped Lee for the reality of the world around him. “My double major from UBCO helped prepare me for the world by giving me an opportunity to speak and to listen, to imagine and create.” Lee notes, “All of this is to say that the mentorship I received at UBCO—the conversations I was asked to be a part of—have everything to do with my development both as a scholar and, more importantly, as someone trying to make sense of being in the world.”

This story was written by Brandon Taylor, English major in FCCS. Brandon is a Research Assistant in FCCS, contacting alumni to find out about their experiences here at UBCO.

Conference organizing committee:
(back) Mike Kennefick, Fabian Cid Yañez, David Kadish, Matt Husain, Juawana Grant, Ozgul Akinci, Nishat Tasnim. (front) Jeanette Angel, Kacie Auffret, Meghan Harper, Mathieu Aubin, Catherine Kyle

The 6th Annual Interdisciplinary Graduate Student Conference Science, Culture and Society: Experiencing Engagement, Engaging Experiments will be held on May 1 & 2. The conference is a place for grad students to share their research and conceptual ideas across disciplines rather than in disciplinary boundaries; students have the opportunity to hear about methods that may be similar or different from their own, applied in a variety of ways, and to hear about ideas and insights that can provide links to their own research that may not have been thought about in a singular context.

The organization of this year’s conference is being coordinated by interdisciplinary graduate students at UBC Okanagan, who are quite diverse in terms of their research areas, and includes students from the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies, Community Culture and Global Studies, Earth and Environmental Sciences and Health and Exercise Sciences.

“The way we have organized sessions and presenters sets this year apart, as it is truly pushing the boundaries on what it means to be interdisciplinary,” explains committee chair, PhD Candidate Jeannette Angel. “We have people from extremely different disciplines presenting their research together.”

For instance the session Community and Place presents topics that address how we come to understand collective and individual identity through place and how that changes depending on what is going on in that place. One presenter will discuss her research on women who are commuting to Ft. McMurray, another will talk about historical market gardening in Kelowna using GIS records and the other presenter will share his research on poetry readings and 1960s community protests in Vancouver.

The conference committee has receive assistance and support from a number of faculties and associations on campus, including a new committee that was formed through the UBCSUO, called the Graduate Student Committee who will be hosting the student banquet and organizing a panel, entitled Transitions, Where do We Go from Here?

Margo Tamez, Assistant Professor in Indigenous Studies at UBO Okanagan, is this year’s Keynote speaker. Her talk, “Methodologies for transitioning societies, beyond borders….” will consider how metaphors and stories sustain passion, creativity, innovation, and traction on the research journey. Professor Tamez (Nde konitsaaii, Big Water People, Lipan Apache Band of Texas) is an historian, poet, essayist, traditional knowledge keeper, Indigenous rights defender, and interdisciplinary researcher.

This year’s conference focuses on the ways in which we do research through both experimentation and experience, and will offer traditional panel discussions, walking tours, performance and art installations.

Turning, curated by Jeannette Angel, is an interactive exhibition with scheduled performances that features work by undergraduate and graduate students from Fine Arts and Computer Science programs. It will be held in the FINA Gallery during the conference and the interactive installations will continue to be exhibited until May 28.

For more information about the conference, the program, and the committee, visit igsconference2015.wordpress.com/

Photo credit: Michele Johnson

What: Alternowledge discussion series – Nsyilxcn Language Revitalization in the Okanagan
When: Friday, April 17, 7pm.
Where: Alternator Centre for Contemporary Art, 421 Cawston Ave., Kelowna
Cost: Free 

This month’s Alterknowledge discussion will focus on the Nsyilxcn Language in the Okanagan.

Nsyilxcn is the language of the Syilx (Okanagan) people and, like all languages, it is inextricably interconnected and interwoven with the landscape, stories, community health, and the way of being of its speakers. Since the intrusion of non-Indigenous settlers in the Okanagan, Nsyilxcn has become an ‘endangered’ language. However, language teachers and activists are now working to create new speakers.

Join Nsyilxcn language teachers Michele Johnson and Hailey Causton for a discussion about language learning, revitalization, and activism in the Okanagan and beyond.

Recognizing knowledge as a form of power, and acknowledging how structures of power shape what constitutes knowledge, AlterKnowledge provides a venue for so-called “alternative” knowledge to be shared and valued and for dominant systems of “knowledge” to be altered.

The AlterKnowledge Discussion Series is organized by FCCS faculty members, Allison Hargreaves and David Jefferess.

Information about future discussions can be found on our web page, www.ubc.ca/okanagan/fccs/news-events/ongoing/alterknowledge.html

Students holding up their projects for the DYN Mission package

Who: Creative Writing and Visual Arts students
What: Dig Your Neighbourhood (DYN) Mission
When: Saturday, April 18th from 3 – 5 PM.
Where: Marmalade Cat Café, 2903 Pandosy St.

Dig Your Neighbourhood: Mission will be holding its launch and showcase at the Marmalade Cat Café, 2903 Pandosy St, in Kelowna on Saturday, April 18th from 3 – 5 PM.

UBCO students in Creative Writing and Visual Arts will be launching FIFTEEN (15) fabulous new works about and for the Mission neighbourhood of Kelowna. Dig Your Neighbourhood (DYN) is a project in the Department of Creative Studies where students in the program create a package of art for a Kelowna neighbourhood which is then distributed by the Welcome Wagon Ltd.

The students will be launching the new package created especially for the Mission and it is spectacular. It includes two children’s books, a “fitness guide” to the Mission, a package of meditation cards, a winery calendar featuring Mission wineries, placemats, greeting cards, illustrated books and much more!

The package will be unveiled on Saturday April 18, 3 – 5PM at the iconic Marmalade Cat Café, a Mission landmark. The event is free of charge. All are welcome. There will be a draw for packages and selected items will be on sale. Meet the student artists and be there for the “handover” of several packages to the Welcome Wagon.

This project was directed by Creative Writing professor Nancy Holmes and Visual Arts professor Aleksandra Dulic, with financial support from the Eco Art Incubator and Lake Publishing Society.

Ashleigh Green graduated with a BFA in Visual Arts. She was drawn to UBCO’s FCCS due to the encouragement of one of her high school teachers in Kelowna. Her experience on the Kelowna campus was both creatively diverse and productive within the local community:

explorations in scale, pen drawing in handmade book

“In the final year of my undergrad I was very fortunate to work as a visual artist/research assistant for Nancy Holmes’ Dig Your Neighbourhood Rutland community project . I got to collaborate with a class of writers to create and publish a range of printed books and other creative materials. It was unlike any visual arts course offered in the Fine Arts department; it provided such an insight into the publishing world, and had this wonderful collaboration between different types of creative work. I also worked on campus for Aboriginal Programs & Services, creating a variety of promotional materials for the Aboriginal centre, in media ranging from print to video. These two positions enriched my education with professional skills I would not have learned from only taking classes.”

Ashleigh was also a participant in UBC Okanagan’s Go Global program, which enables students to study abroad. “I took advantage of UBC’s Go Global program to study Illustration at the Edinburgh College of Art in Scotland. I fondly reflect on my time there as the most memorable, influential, and formative year of my degree. Being exposed to new outlooks on art, different approaches to creative work, and an entirely new environment changed the way I viewed my own work and challenged me to find my voice. I highly encourage everyone to make the most of their degree by spending a year (or at least a semester or summer) abroad. It’s a wonderfully unique opportunity to travel and obtain a broader education while paying the same UBC tuition.”

Ashleigh synthesized these various experiences and applied them to work after she graduated, taking part in residencies

a shift in perspective ii, pen drawing + digital photo collage

around the world. “After a presentation Professor Renay Egami gave one morning, I knew that taking part in residencies would be the best way to continue making art after university, to meet other artists, work in engaging environments, and travel – all at the same time. Equipped with the knowledge of various types of residencies and how to apply for them from Renay’s talk, I have since been accepted to and attended residencies at SVA in NYC and HEIMA in Iceland.”

In closing, Ashleigh added: “I would highlight the small studio and classroom sizes as a great way to engage with professors and to get to know the majority of your classmates in a personal way. I would recommend any prospective BFA students at UBCO to take advantage of the 24/7 access to facilities to experiment, explore personal projects, and collaborate with whomever is willing. There is so much available to you here.”

This story was written by Brandon Taylor, English major in FCCS. Brandon is a Research Assistant in FCCS, contacting alumni to find out about their experiences here at UBCO.