Taiwo O. Afolabi, a UVic international PhD student from Nigeria, had travelled extensively beyond Africa before deciding to pursue his graduate studies in applied theatre with UVic theatre prof Warwick Dobson.
A new play by 番茄社区 theatre professor Jennifer Wise celebrates a little-known event in Victoria's gay history. "A Queer Trial" tells the real-life story of John Butt, an openly gay man who in 1860 was acquitted of sodomy charges by two successive juries鈥攖he first jury preferring to spend a night in jail rather than convict him.
In celebration of its 50th anniversary, the Department of Theatre gave each of its students a special gift this March: a chance to work with five internationally renowned theatre experts through a weeklong series of innovative workshops.
From Borneo textiles to the world鈥檚 largest button blanket, from a 15th-century alabaster religious carving to a 19th-century lady鈥檚 pocket revolver, from anarchist manifestos to a Jim Carrey movie, the objects studied by art historians continue to change with the times. So too does the study of art history itself, as evidenced by the current Legacy Maltwood exhibit Learning Through Looking, celebrating the 50th anniversary of UVic鈥檚 Department of Art History and Visual Studies.
The newest exhibit at UVic's Legacy Art Gallery Downtown seeks to correct gendered colonial myths with works by Ellen Neel, a woman carver of the Northwest Coast. Ellen Newman Neel (Kwagiulth, Kwickwasutaineuk and 'Namgis) is often described as the first Northwest Coast woman carver. A prolific artist, she was only 49 years old when she passed away in the 1960s. But her defiance of gender barriers and federal law carries deep resonance for all Canadians to this day鈥攁nd her artistic legacy lives on in the work of her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
From one generation to the next, teachers pass along the skills and techniques instilled in them by their mentors. Now, the School of Music鈥檚 internationally acclaimed Lafayette String Quartet will honour their own mentor with a rare performance cycle of all 15 string quartets by 20th century Soviet composer, Dmitri Shostakovich.
For 50 years, the theatre department and Phoenix Theatre鈥攊ts public performance wing鈥攈ave helped shape the development of local and national theatre by producing celebrated alumni and innovative productions. Growing from a volunteer-built, 80-seat theatre into Canada鈥檚 leading comprehensive theatre program, the Phoenix is now one of the best educational theatre facilities in the country.
At Legacy Art Galleries, Academic and Community Programmer Gillian Booth works on development and facilitation of programs related to gallery exhibitions and the UVic art collection and she also helps grow and enhance links with community. She's "always been a maker and a writer" 鈥� with an eye on art.
Premiering Oct. 8 at Legacy Downtown, IN DEFIANCE by Iroquois Mohawk artist Lindsay Kat Katsitsakatste Delaronde showcases individual portraits that deliberately dismantle negative stereotypes of First Nations women. The new exhibition will also feature a moderated discussion on Oct. 22.
鈥淧oles tell the story of who we are,鈥� said Chief Rande Cook (K'alapa), a contemporary multi-disciplinary artist and visiting Audain Professor of Contemporary Art Practice of the Pacific Northwest, during the HIWEST panel on honouring Indigenous poles, on Sept. 30 at UVic鈥檚 downtown art gallery.
Art History and Visual Studies is now home to the largest donor-funded endowed award on campus, thanks to a major gift from BC sculptor Jeffrey Rubinoff and the Jeffrey Rubinoff Foundation. The Jeffrey Rubinoff Scholar in Art as a Source of Knowledge Endowment establishes a recurring four-year PhD fellowship in the area of modern and contemporary art history, allowing doctoral students exceptional opportunities to study the complexities and richness of modern and contemporary art history.
A major gift from BC sculptor Jeffrey Rubinoff and the Jeffrey Rubinoff Foundation will allow doctoral students at UVic exceptional opportunities to study the complexities and richness of the history of modern and contemporary art and why it matters to Canadians and the world.
One of the best things about an annual guest teaching position is the diversity it offers students. Now in its sixth year in the visual arts department, the Audain Professorship of Contemporary Art Practice of the Pacific Northwest has benefited from a variety of approaches and practices by previous professors鈥攊ncluding the likes of Governor General鈥檚 Award-winner Rebecca Belmore. But Rande Cook has one unique aspect not shared by his forerunners: he is the first Audain professor to represent a Vancouver Island nation.
Theatre MFA student Graham McMonagle dresses for theatrical success While the majority of Department of Theatre graduate students are working professionals looking to further their academic credentials, Graham McMonagle is truly exceptional. A professional dancer for 20 years and the co-founder of Victoria鈥檚 Canadian Pacific Ballet company, which operated locally from 2007 to 2014, McMonagle lacked any pre-existing bachelor鈥檚 degree鈥攚hich means he had to be granted 鈥渆xceptional entry鈥� status by both Graduate Studies and Senate.
Protecting and learning from Middle Eastern antiquities When news broke in August that Syrian archaeologist Khaleed al-Asaad had been killed by ISIS for trying to protect his country鈥檚 cultural legacy from destruction and looting, it sent a chill through the heart of Art History and Visual Studies professor Marcus Milwright. An archaeologist and professor of Islamic art and architecture, Milwright has worked extensively in Syria鈥攊ncluding the ancient city of Palmyra, the UNESCO World Heritage Site for which Khaleed al-Asaad was the head of antiquities.
Longtime residents of Victoria will remember the Maltwood Art Museum on the UVic campus, but may not know much about its namesake, English sculptor Katharine Maltwood and her husband John. In 1964 they left their Tudor-style home in Royal Oak (now the Fireside Grill restaurant) to the university鈥攁long with a collection of English furniture, Chinese paintings, Middle Eastern textiles and artifacts collected on their world travels, and an endowment. In the 1970s, the Maltwood museum was unique in North America in its initial Arts and Crafts collecting mandate, with nearly all of the 200 works acquired in the following decade contributing to this focus of the permanent collection.
