le
décembre– 2004 – December
Published
by the Canadian Association of Fine Arts Deans
Publié par l’association canadienne des doyens des
arts
le
décembre– 2004 – December
Published
by the Canadian Association of Fine Arts Deans
Publié par l’association canadienne des doyens des
arts
Chair’s
Message
As
the year closes, I hope everyone has plans for a break from the pressures and
demands of academic life. I want to thank Tom Gordon, once
again, for hosting the brilliant St. John's conference, and successfully getting
us all onto The Rock for a short spell. It was a marvelous opportunity for
re-connecting and learning, and we are very grateful.
Concordia
Fine Arts
Awards
of Distinction
In
October Christopher Jackson, Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts hosted the
second Fine Arts Awards of Distinction Reception. This year’s recipients were
M. René Blouin, Director of
Galerie René Blouin, and Mr. E. Noël Spinelli, C.M., Chairman of the Board of the
Spinelli Group. They were honoured for their outstanding contributions to
Montreal’s arts and cultural milieux. The Awards of Distinction are designed to
pay tribute to individuals who have distinguished themselves by becoming patrons
of the arts and whose substantial philanthropic contributions have furthered the
development of the arts in either the educational or cultural milieux.
Grey
Nuns’ Mother House Acquired for Fine Arts
Dr.
Frederick H. Lowy,
Rector and Vice-Chancellor of Concordia University, and Sister Aurore Larkin,
Superior General of the Sisters of Charity of Montreal (The Grey Nuns), were
pleased to announce that the University has acquired the Grey Nuns’ Mother
House, situated on the land bordered by Guy St., René Lévesque Blvd., St.
Mathieu and St. Catherine Streets. The acquisition will take place in 4 phases
over a 15-year period, with complete transfer of property no later than the year
2022.
Dr.
Lowy has unveiled the 6000 sq.ft. glass mural conceived by Nicolas Baier/Cabinet
Braun-Braën on the façade of the Integrated Engineering, Computer Science and
Visual Arts Complex to be inaugurated next year in the Quartier Concordia.
Baier, artist-photographer, and former student in Concordia’s Faculty of Fine
Arts, led the team which was selected from a shortlist in September
2003.
New
Canada Research Chairs
Christopher
Jackson, Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts, announced the appointment of
Professor Lynn Hughes as Concordia University Research Chair in
the Department of Studio Arts.
During her five year term, which runs until May 31, 2009, Hughes will
pursue her research on the development of collaborative methodology and the
production and dissemination of electronic environments and will present her
findings to the academic community and interested members of the public.
Professor
Hughes was instrumental in the creation of Hexagram, the Montreal Institute for
Research / Creation in Media Arts and Technologies and also served on the
committee that lobbied for and planned the new pilot program to fund Research /
Creation through the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
In 2001, she co-edited Creative Con-fusions / Penser
l'indiscipline, a bilingual book that examines interdisciplinary
practices in contemporary art.
Dean Jackson has also
appointed Dr. Kristina Huneault as Concordia University Research Chair in
the Department of Art History. During her five year term, which will run until
May 31, 2009, Dr. Huneault will complete her monograph on women’s art in Canada
during the 19th century and will pursue her research on feminist methodology
within art history. Dr. Huneault will also build a network of Canadian scholars
whose work centers on issues of representation and gender in the 19th and early
20th centuries, establish a visual database of art by historical Canadian women,
and create an archive of primary sources on historical Canadian women
artists.
Ryerson
Writes
New
Works By Faculty
Clot
Busters
is a documentary produced and directed by David Tucker, Chair, School of
Radio & Television Arts which aired on The Nature Of Things With David Suzuki
in October on CBC Television. Clot Busters examines the advances, both
medical and technological, in the treatment of stroke. Clot Busters chronicles weeks of the
intense, miraculous lifesaving work performed at the Foothills Hospital Stroke
Unit in Calgary. Given extraordinary behind-the-scenes access, the Professor
Tucker compiled a rare and fascinating glimpse into how an advanced team of
neurologists, surgeons and nurses balanced the desire to further scientific
research with the commitment to achieve the best possible outcome for their
patients.
Shards
of America
by
photography Professor Phil Bergerson was released in late September,
2004. A shard is a fragment of
broken pottery, often used by archaeologists to reconstruct objects from past
civilizations. In Shards of
America, Bergerson has gathered richly detailed images from
neglected corners of America’s towns and small cities, and created a fascinating
mosaic. Patriotism, consumerism,
censorship, nostalgia for a simpler past coupled with a desire for a less
complicated present, the book touches on all these themes. Bergerson’s quietly
ironic but empathetic tone encourages the reader to imagine how our own ordinary
world might appear to viewers in years to come. An exhibition of images from
Shards of
America, organized by the Canadian Museum of Contemporary
Photography, has been touring North America since September 2004.
In
Sync: Environmental Behavior Research and the Design of Learning
Spaces
by
Interior Design Professor, Dr. Lennie Scott-Webber, was published this
fall. Clearly, space affects learning behavior. Yet even in this new Knowledge
Age, designers/planners go back constantly to familiar Agrarian and Industrial
Age learning space models. Dr. Lennie Scott-Webber has worked assiduously to
comb through the latest behavioral and sociological research relating to how
people interact with the built environment. Her work establishes five different
archetypal environments that support knowledge sharing and clearly sends the
message that there's more to classroom design than simply considering what
technology to put into the classroom.
CAFAD
List Serve
Members
are encouraged to use this service… Post messages, questions or announcements
any time to cafad@ml.islandnet.com
Notes from Lethbridge
New Sculpture on Campus
Milk River a steel and concrete sculpture by Edmonton artist Ken Macklin is the newest addition to Papokan Sculpture Park on the University campus. The 2,000 lb. abstract piece is on extended loan to the U of L from the permanent collection of the Alberta Foundation for Milk River a steel and concrete sculpture by Edmonton artist Ken Macklin is the newest addition to Papokan Sculpture Park on the University campus. The 2,000 lb. abstract piece is on extended loan to the U of L from the permanent collection of the Alberta Foundation for the Arts. This is the second sculpture on extended loan to the U of L from the AFA collection. The other work is “Inside a Dissonant Society” by Royden Mills.
Alumni’s
artwork going to Nova Scotia
Art
Gallery of Nova Scotia has received the Canada Council for the Arts 2004 York
Wilson Endowment Award and is using the $20,000 award towards the acquisition of
Scenes from The House Dream, Phase Two: 65 Footers by U of L alumni
David Hoffos, who lives and works in Lethbridge. Hoffos earned his BFA
(Art) with Great Distinction in 1994.
Publication
launched
U
of L Art Gallery recently launched Cul-de-sac, a publication by
Andrew Hunter produced in association with the national tour of Sea to
Sky: Historical Canadian Landscapes from the University of Lethbridge Art
Collection. Cul-de-sac features a major essay and images by Andrew
Hunter along with reproductions of works from the exhibition. It was produced
with the support of the Department of Canadian Heritage Museums Assistance
Program.
Record
Enrolment
The
fall of 2004 saw a record
enrollment in the Faculty of Fine Arts, with more than 770 students. That number
is expected rise next fall.
Fine
Arts and Music
The
University of Guelph Print Portfolio was officially launched Dec. 3rd, 04, featuring the
work of faculty member Monica Tap, alumnus David Urban, and
long-time friend Tony Scherman.
Proceeds of this portfolio will be directed to Student Travel Bursaries
and new exhibition opportunities.
New
University of Guelph Research Chair Robert Enright will begin his tenure
in January at The School of Fine Arts and Music as professor of Art
Criticism. The school is also in
the midst of two new tenure-track faculty hires, one in painting and the other
in 18th and 19th century Art
History.
The
Music Faculty recently presented a major Faculty recital at the River Run
Center. Proceeds of the concert
have gone to the development of a new Faculty Scholarship in
Music.
English
and Theatre
Studies
This
fall the School of English and Theatre Studies at University of Guelph welcomed
the Governor-General Award winning playwright D'janet Sears as writer in
residence. Sears' work on the Guelph campus and in the community was
funded in part by a grant from Canada Council. While at Guelph Sears
offered a public reading of her work-in-progress, participated in special
sessions devoted to her plays in undergraduate and graduate courses, and
consulted with students, faculty, and community members regarding their own
creative writing. In winter 2005,
the playwright Guillermo
Verdecchia will be writer in residence at Guelph, again funded by the
College of Arts and a grant from the Canada Council.http://www.uoguelph.ca/englit/
Alberta
College of Art & Design
In
June, the ACAD Board of Governors announced the appointment of Lance Carlson
as its new President. Mr. Carlson, who officially took up duties at the
College in August, comes to ACAD from a position of (Founding) Executive Dean of
the Riverside School for the Arts Project in Riverside, California. Previously,
he served as Vice-President for Academic Affairs at the Kansas City Art
Institute, and he has held administrative and teaching positions at the Art
Institute of Chicago, CalArts, the Art Centre College of Design and other
institutions. In addition to a master’s degree in American Culture, specializing
in Sociology, Lance Carlson holds a master’s degree in design. His work has been
exhibited internationally and collected by the San Francisco Museum of Modern
Art, The Houston Museum of Fine Arts and the Smithsonian, among others. He has
published over 90 critical articles and reviews.
In
October, President Carlson announced the appointment of David Aldrich as
Vice-President Academic, one of the most senior administrative portfolios at
ACAD. Mr. Aldrich will take up his duties by January, 2005 or sooner and will
provide overall academic leadership to the College. Chairs of the five academic
departments as well as other academic support areas will report to
him.
David
Aldrich is currently Dean of Design at Cleveland Institute of Art, where he was
instrumental in implementing a graduate program. He is past Chair of the Board
of Governors of the Association of Medical Illustrators, and his own career as a
medical illustrator is acclaimed internationally. Aldrich, who was born in
Calgary, holds a Master’s of Education from the University of
Toronto.
First
Chancellor for OCAD
At
a special fall Convocation ceremony on Nov. 9, 2004, the Ontario College of Art
& Design (OCAD) installed alumna Rosalie Sharp as its first-ever
Chancellor.
Never
before in OCAD’s 128-year history has the College had a chancellor. Although
most visible when presiding at Convocation, the Chancellor will function in the
broader community as the living symbol of OCAD’s values. During her three-year
term, Sharp will attend award ceremonies and College events and will represent
students, faculty and staff on significant occasions.
Following
the installation of the Chancellor, a fall Convocation ceremony—another first
for OCAD—was held to award degrees and diplomas to a group of graduating
students.
A
long-time supporter of OCAD, Sharp has organized gala benefits, enabled the
acquisition of the Rosalie Sharp Pavilion, and is a special patron of the IDEAS
NEED SPACE campaign. She and her husband, Isadore, contributed the $5-million
lead gift for the Sharp Centre for Design.
The creation of the role of
Chancellor at OCAD is the result of the College’s new strategic direction which
began in June 2002, when the Ontario government passed new legislation that gave
OCAD the authority to offer bachelor’s degrees in Fine Arts and Design.
Its new university status has led to a number of significant changes, in
addition to creating the role of Chancellor, such as a renewed curriculum, a new
professorial structure for faculty, a research mandate, a new system of
governance, and the preliminary groundwork for future graduate
programs.
Dalhousie
University Department of Music welcomed their newly appointed Professor of
Composition, Dr. Jerome Blais in September. Dr. Blais recently
completed doctoral studies in composition at the University of Montreal. His
research dealt with the integration of improvisation into the compositional
process. In February 2005, he will be Composer in Residence for the Newfound
Music festival, at Memorial University of Newfoundland.
Jennifer
Bain
has had an article entitled “Hildegard on 34th Street: Chant in the
Marketplace” published in the most recent issue of
Echo: A Music-Centered Journal (www.echo.ucla.edu)
Professor
Dennis Farrell
(Music, Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences), Dalhousie University, and Chair of
Department, Professor Lynn Stodola,
executive producer, presented
Composition Students Moe Touizrar and Tim Cyr in a graduation recital of their
works, March 14, 2004, at the "Music Room", Halifax. These juried concerts form
the basis for application to further study, and are underwritten by the
Dalhousie Department of Music to ensure that the finest artists are engaged to
show compositional talent to its best advantage.
Canadian
Music Centre (CMC)
The
Atlantic Regional Chapter of the CMC, under the directorship of flautist Karen Aurell, recently
sponsored a concert of Contemporary
Piano Works at Memorial University, Newfoundland. Featured composers included Dalhousie composers Dennis Farrell and the
newly-appointed Professor of
Composition, Dalhousie Professor Jerome
Blais.
Learning-Unit
Project Designed:
MUSIC
& SKILFUL NUMBERS
Dennis
Farrell
has been the recipient of grants from the Dalhousie University Teaching and Learning Centre.
Together with Dalhousie alumnus
Dennis DeBay (Mathematics
and Music) and with Lecturer Douglas
Reach
(Guitar),
also a certified Microsoft Software Instructor, Dr. Farrell is completing "MUSIC &
SKILFUL NUMBERS", a supra-course,
resource (learning) unit, servicing several course offerings at Dalhousie,
but too large a project for any one class.
The idea is to provide a
less mythologised relationship between Mathematics and Music, in effect, to empower musically curious
students facing seemingly obtuse
activities associated with harmonic ratios, tuning and temperament, i.e., a kind of
"meta-rudiments" of Music, but without
compromising necessary rigour and accuracy of
detail.
Member
Services
There’s
been a great deal of activity in recent months with the CAFAD Employment
Referral program, with nearly 30 jobs being posted since the end of
September. Over the course of
2004, the number of jobs circulated
totaled, down slightly from 58
positions advertised in 2003.
Members are urged to inform their colleagues and graduate students about
this free service, available at www.cafad.com. This is not a password
protected site.
On
Sunday, November 14, in Toronto, the WLU Choir sang in University Voices,
a concert that brought choirs from six Canadian universities together under the
baton of Sweden’s Robert Sund. Works by Mahler, Brahms, and contemporary
composers including Craig Galbraith of Canada and Giles Swayne of the United
Kingdom, were featured. Laurier’s was the largest choir present and seven
students also performed solos. The concert was recorded for broadcast on CBC
Radio 2.
Dr.
Lee Willingham,
Laurier’s Choral Conductor and Co-ordinator of Music Education, was given an
Honorary Life Membership at the annual meeting of the Canadian Music Educators’
Association in November.
Late
in November, three modern, one-act operas were presented to a sold-out house.
The production included a mixed chamber ensemble and was staged in a multi-media
format.