What: Art on the Line Gala and Fundraiser
When: Saturday, February 7, 6 p.m.
Where: Fipke Centre, UBC Okanagan, 3333 University Way, Kelowna, BC
Cost: $190.00 per auction ticket (admits 2 people) $10.00 per entrance ticket (admits 1 person)

UBC Okanagan’s Department of Creative Studies, and the Visual Arts Course Union is excited to present its 13th annual “Art on the Line” Fundraiser & Gala this coming Saturday, February 7th, 2015. This popular annual event brings together the local arts community to celebrate the work of our students, faculty, alumni, as well as artists practicing in the community in the spirit of raising funds.

The event is limited to 100 auction tickets to be sold at $190.00 each. One ticket admits two people and entitles the holder to an exciting evening of live entertainment, good food, and of course, great art. Auction ticket holders are guaranteed one piece of artwork! Auction tickets are drawn based on a random lottery system to which ticket holders then make their selection based on the art that is remaining. This always makes for an exciting and suspenseful evening! Tickets may be reserved through event coordinator Connor Charlesworth via email at AOTL2015@hotmail.com or phone at 250-718-8761.

In addition to the regular draw, there will also be a raffle for select items that are sure to impress; $5 buys you a chance to win an original piece of art! As well, look for exciting mini-art sales throughout the night, delivered in vintage style…!

Sheri-D Wilson, an acclaimed spoken word poet and performer, will be our special guest MC propelling, prompting and piggy-backing you through the draw (metaphorically speaking), which will begin at 7:30 sharp in the Fipke lecture theatre.

Doors will open at 6:00pm for ticket holders to view the artwork, make their wishlist, and enjoy live music, refreshments and h’ordeuvres. Complimentary tissues will be provided to those that don’t get their first picks.

The funds raised from this event are distributed amongst the Visual Arts Course Union to financially aid with events such as the 4th year graduate exhibition, visiting artists, and trips. 10% of the proceeds raised from Art on the Line will go to the Cool Arts Society which is dedicated to providing fine arts opportunities for adults with developmental disabilities living in the Central Okanagan.

For more information, please contact Art on the Line coordinator Connor Charlesworth at AOTL2015@hotmail.com.

Jane Ash Poitras. Mixed Media, “Potato Peeling 101 to Ethnobotany 101”

What: Alternowledge discussion series
When: Friday, December 5, 7 p.m.
Where: Alternator Centre for Contemporary Art, 421 Cawston Ave., Kelowna
Cost: Free 

The last Alterknowledge event for this term, entitled Indigenous Pedagogies and Knowledges in the Public School System, will be held on Friday, Dec. 5th at the Alternator Centre for Contemporary Art.

Public schools in BC are increasingly offering students the opportunity to explore Indigenous knowledges and perspectives. This is reflected in recent developments such as the English First Peoples curriculum, which explores Indigenous worldviews through literature. More than the integration of Indigenous content, these education initiatives are also about valuing Indigenous approaches to teaching and learning. What is Indigenous pedagogy, and how is it incorporated into the public school classroom?

Diane Campeau will initiate this discussion about the relevance of Indigenous pedagogy for the education of all children and youth, bringing to the discussion her experience working with schools in BC and in communities of the Algonquin Nation in Quebec.

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

A small group of invited participants from both the UBC Vancouver and Okanagan campuses along with the  University of Seville, Spain will get together on Monday, November 24th for an international dialogue.

This transcultural dialogue on engaging diversity across cultures, disciplines, and professions, will include a small number of university students, researchers, student development specialists, and community members from diverse fields. In addition to exchanging ideas amongst participants at each site and between the two sites, we want to share insights between our Canadian and Spanish campuses about what we imagine we are doing when we collaborate with people across cultural and disciplinary boundaries, diverse models for describing and conceptualizing these encounters past and present, and implications for other kinds of diverse communities, such as rapidly diversifying global cities.

This roundtable will bring together three diverse groups of invitees at two leading public, research-intensive universities: UBC (Vancouver and Okanagan campuses) and the University of Seville, Spain and will engage students, staff, researchers, and community members in a transcultural, interdisciplinary, international dialogue between three campus roundtables on two continents.

This extraordinary dialogue will consist of three segments during the morning: a facilitated dialogue (in English) at UBC; an interactive videoconference dialogue between the Canadian and Spanish roundtables (with simultaneous translation, as needed); and a concluding segment (in English), which will include brainstorming for next steps in sustaining the conversation. An agenda and brief background reading (1-2 pages) will be provided to all registered participants ahead of time.

There is no charge for participating, however space is limited, and you must register in advance.

Okanagan Campus: 9:00-11:00 am
CCS 322 (FCCS Boardroom)
To register: francisco.pena@ubc.ca 

Vancouver Campus: 8:30-11:00 am
Pharmaceutical Sciences Building, Room 3340, 2405 Wesbrook Mall
To register: community.learning@ubc.ca

This research-grounded, transcultural diversity and innovation dialogue is being coordinated by several UBC units and units at University of Seville in Spain.

WHAT: Eco Cultures Research Talk: Shakespeare’s Queer Pastoral Ecology
WHEN: Wednesday, November 19, 3-4:30pm
WHERE: ADM 112, UBC Okanagan Campus
ADMISSION: Free

Vin Nardizzi, Associate Professor in English, UBC Vancouver

As part of the FCCS Research Series: Eco Cultures,  Vin Nardizzi will discuss Shakespeare’s Queer Pastoral Ecology.

The Eco Cultures Research Series focusses on the complex intersection of culture, imagination, and ecological issues.  This series connects UBC Okanagan researchers with colleagues and students engaged in diverse explorations of  today’s most timely forms of artistic and critical innovation.

Vin Nardizzi is an Associate Professor in English at UBC’s Vancouver campus where he teaches Renaissance literature, ecotheory, and queer and disability studies. His most recent publication is the book, Wooden Os: Shakespeare’s Theatres and England’s Trees (University of Toronto Press, 2013). For more information about Vin Nardizzi, visit his web site vinnardizzi.com/

The Eco Cultures Research Series is sponsored by the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies, UBC Okanagan and Oecologies: Inhabiting Premodern Worlds, a research cluster at UBC Vancouver.

What: AlterKnowledge discussion series
Who: Faculty and students from UBC’s Cultural Studies Program
When: Friday, November 14, 7 to 8:30 p.m.
Where: Alternator Centre for Contemporary Art, 421 Cawston Ave., Kelowna      

The next Alterknowledge event, entitled The Land is our Culture, Sylix Culture on Bernard Avenue, will be held on Friday, Nov. 14th at the Alternator Centre for Contemporary Art.

The new gateway to the redesigned Bernard Avenue provides an important addition to Kelowna’s public history, including banners produced by Westbank First Nation artists Janine Lott and Jordan Coble, the welcome in both English and Nsyilxceən, and the inlaid images and names of indigenous flora and fauna. Jordan Coble, who is the Curatorial and Heritage Researcher for the Sncəwips Heritage Museum, and Pat McCormick, who is an Urban Design Planner for the City of Kelowna, will initiate a discussion on these aspects of the Bernard Avenue revitalization, the collaboration between the City and Westbank First Nation, and how the relationship between Syilx people and people who have arrived more recently is represented in Kelowna’s public history.

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 DiscussionSeries is organized by FCCS faculty members, Allison Hargreaves and David Jefferess.

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

Through literature, this program focuses on questions of genre and gender, issues of voice, identity and radical uncertainty. Students examine how literature imparts meaning in multiple contexts, throughout history and in the contemporary globalized world. Courses range from composition to Renaissance Studies, Contemporary Poetics to Canadian, Indigenous and Postcolonial literatures, to studies in the emerging field of digital humanities.

This program gives students opportunities to study literature and literary criticism and bring lessons learned from that study into their own writing. Creative Writing hosts many visiting author readings each year in order to expose students to a variety of contemporary writing. In this intimate learning community, students are encouraged to hone their skills by exploring a variety of genres, including fiction, poetry, drama and non-fiction.

This program is distinct in Canada for how it approaches questions of identity, power and justice from an intercultural and global perspective. Cultural Studies combines courses from a variety of Humanities and Social Science disciplines, including pop culture, anthropology, literature and gender studies. The program is organized into three related streams: Media and Popular Cultures; Global Cultural Studies; and Critical and Cultural Theory.

Whether you’re new to the language or have advanced language skills, French Studies can lead to excellent opportunities in Canada and the Francophone world. Program courses provide a basis in French language skills and opportunities to explore French literature and culture in Canadian, global, contemporary and historical contexts. Options in the French Studies program include study abroad and student exchanges with France.

This program offers artists a unique combination of courses in performance practice, visual arts, and creative writing. Interdisciplinary Performance provides training in movement and voice, ensemble work, improvisation, collaborative and solo performance creation. Course offerings include a wide range of artistic media such as video art, film, photography, painting, sculpture and installation.