Art History

'More global, more inclusive': New art history book captures daily life in the Middle Ages

Christopher.Sorensen — Wed, 11 Jan 2023 16:06:15 +0000

'More global, more inclusive': New art history book captures daily life in the Middle Ages

Christopher.Sorensen Wed, 01/11/2023 - 11:06

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Adam S. Cohen and two co-authors spent six years working on the 400-page Art and Architecture of the Middle Ages textbook, which deals with the subject matter in a more modern, responsible way (all images courtesy of Adam S. Cohen)

Sean McNeely

Topic

Our Community

Art History

Faculty of Arts & Science

History

Humanities

U of T Mississauga

Most music lovers seek to go beyond their favourite band’s greatest hits – as that’s often where the hidden gems are found. The same can be said for art from the Middle Ages.

Adam S. Cohen, an associate professor in the ��Ƶ’s department of art history in the Faculty of Arts & Science, joined professors Jill Caskey of the department of visual studies at U of T Mississauga and Linda Safran of the Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies, to create the textbook Art and Architecture of the Middle Ages: Exploring a Connected World.

The book, released last month, shows students a broad diversity of places and peoples in the medieval world, as well as a greater variety of works – moving well beyond the usual cathedrals and castles.

Cohen says the idea for the textbook stemmed from a frustration with existing resources, which tended to present the art and architecture of the Middle Ages through a very traditional lens.

“We thought what was needed was to make this already exciting subject even more compelling to students today,” he says.

Antemihrab dome, Great Mosque, Córdoba, Spain ca. 961–76.

Spanning over 12 centuries of artistic creation from about 300 to 1400 CE, and covering Europe, western Asia and North Africa, the textbook includes more than 450 colour illustrations of sculptures, pottery, manuscripts, textiles, paintings and buildings. The artifacts are of both a religious and secular nature, covering several faiths, including Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian and Islamic traditions.

Adam S. Cohen and the Life of Saint Radegunde, ca. 1100.

“For myself, I thought I should be teaching Islamic art within the presentation of medieval art,” says Cohen. “So I wanted a textbook that I could use for my own classes that would be more global, more inclusive.”

Cohen, Caskey and Safran worked on the 400-page book for six years. It involved countless hours of research, collecting images, photographing artifacts, as well as commissioning architectural drawings and maps (made by U of T graduate students).

The result is a wide spectrum of objects and art that paints a more realistic picture of people’s daily lives and activities.

“Textbooks in any field tend to reproduce the traditional roster of great monuments and they get trotted out year after year,” says Cohen. “We wanted to respect that tradition in our discipline so that many of the greatest hits would still be there. But we also wanted to shake it up a little and put in new things – things people didn't traditionally look at that reflect the experience and the built environment of people in the Middle Ages.

“Depending on where you lived, you only saw great cathedrals once or twice in your life. That's not what most people experienced. So we wanted to broaden the field and show more of what was out there at the time – more everyday things.”

In addition to the images, the book’s introduction provides helpful context to better understand the artifacts’ relevance and meaning.

Mina’i bowl with couple in garden, ca. 1180–1220. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

“We tried to lay out some concepts about the different approaches we use in looking at any object in the history of art,” says Cohen. “What's represented? What's the style? Who was responsible for the thing looking the way it did? How was it received? [Who] was the audience? If it's on the altar in a French church, that's one audience, if it's a bath house in Jordan, that's a very different audience.”

As well, each chapter offers a more detailed description of two artifacts.

“For example, we look at a 13th-century French church and say, ‘This is what some of the images represent. This is what the patron was trying to get at in rebuilding his church. These are some of the stylistic changes that were introduced at this particular church that would go on to have great currency in medieval France. Here's some of the experiences that pilgrims would have had when they came to that church.’

“We hope that doing this twice per chapter will remind people that every object could be treated at this depth, because each object has so many layers.”

Mantle of Roger II: The precious mantle embroidered with gold, pearls and cloisonné-enamelled plaques was part of the coronation set of robes used at the coronations of the kings and emperors of the Holy Roman Empire. Kaiserliche Schatzkammer, Vienna.

To complement the book, Cohen and his co-authors also created a dynamic website that extends the book’s materials even further. It includes resources such as a glossary, maps, timelines, photo essays, and a podcast “Medieval Art Matters,” where medieval art and architecture experts share their insights and expertise.

“The website is a way to amplify what we show,” says Cohen. “We know that students still like a traditional textbook, but books have limitations – you can only have so many pages and so many pictures.

Belt buckle and shoulder clasps, Sutton Hoo, early seventh century. British Museum, London.

“And we could start doing additional things like text translations, things that couldn't be captured in a book effectively. It’s an opportunity to go bigger in different directions.”

Cohen says he can’t wait to use this book in his classes when he returns from sabbatical in 2024. But his co-editors will be cracking it open with their classes this month.

“Now we feel like we've got a textbook that introduces students to the material in a responsible way that reflects our concerns in the 21st century, not the concerns that were shaped in the 1950s and ‘60s.”

'I had to pave the path for myself': Iakoiehwáhtha Patton on being named a Rhodes Scholar

Christopher.Sorensen — Thu, 24 Nov 2022 14:16:04 +0000

'I had to pave the path for myself': Iakoiehwáhtha Patton on being named a Rhodes Scholar

Christopher.Sorensen Thu, 11/24/2022 - 09:16

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Iakoiehwáhtha Patton, a student at Victoria College, studies art history, anthropology and the Renaissance – and has a passion for Netherlandish art (photo courtesy of Iakoiehwáhtha Patton)

Topic

Faculty of Arts & Science

Indigenous

Rhodes Scholar

Undergraduate Students

Victoria College

Iakoiehwáhtha Patton, a fourth-year art history student at the ��Ƶ and member of the Kanien'kehá:ka First Nations community in Quebec, was caught off guard when she found out she was headed to the University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar.

“It’s completely unbelievable,” says Patton, who was notified of the scholarship via a phone call that was briefly disconnected as she walked through her apartment building.

The Victoria College student frantically ran through her hallway, waving her phone in an effort to find a signal.

“All I heard was, ‘You're on speakerphone … Congratulations, you've been awarded the Rhodes Scholarship.’ And the only words that I could say was, ‘Oh my God.’ Then I started crying.”

Patton – who is believed to be the first Indigenous, First Nations woman from Canada to receive the prestigious award – then called her mother in Kahnawake, the Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) community outside Montreal. “The first thing she asked was, ‘Are you kidding? This is a terrible joke.’”

Soon after, the well wishes and congratulations began pouring in from family, friends and from U of T’s Faculty of Arts & Science community.

“On behalf of the Faculty I want to congratulate Iakoiehwáhtha for this historic achievement in becoming the first female First Nations Rhodes Scholar,” says Melanie Woodin, dean of the Faculty of Arts & Science. “Driven by passion and her identity, she has blazed a trail of accomplishment inside and outside the classroom, worthy of one of the world’s most distinguished academic honours.”

Rhonda McEwen, president and vice-chancellor of Victoria University in the ��Ƶ – which includes Victoria College – also offered her warm wishes.

“On behalf of the entire Vic community, I offer heartfelt congratulations,” says McEwen. “[Iakoiehwáhtha] continues to exemplify outstanding leadership and passion for making the world a better place, an important shared value at Vic. We all join in a sense of pride when our students achieve their goals and pursue their dreams, and I know that Iako will continue to achieve her big ambitions.”

Studying art history, anthropology and Renaissance studies, Patton has a passion for Netherlandish art – art produced by Dutch artists during the 15th- and 16th-century Northern Renaissance period.

She’s exploring the intersections of gender, colonialism and its artistic representations. And she says she can’t wait to continue her studies at the University of Oxford, focusing on the imaging of North American Indigenous peoples in Netherlandish art. She hopes to shed light on the deeply rooted inequalities of colonial and gender relations embedded within these works.

“I began studying Netherlandish art because I loved Rembrandt – I loved the Dutch Golden Age,” says Patton, who is president of the History of Art Students’ Association and a member of multiple Indigenous advisory committees.

“I took all the classes taught by Professor Ethan Matt Kavaler,” says Patton. “He's phenomenal, and he really cultivated my passion.”

There’s also a very personal connection to this period for Patton.

“The Dutch had one of the biggest colonial empires at the time,” she says. “They had a colony in the United States called New Netherland that extended from Albany all the way to Delaware. And that was where my people were situated in the 17th century. So there's this overlap of my discipline that I love and my community's history.”

She says more research is needed on the North American context of Netherlandish art and how depictions of Indigenous Peoples, culture and materials impacted European artists.

“That's what I want to study at the graduate level,” she says. “Art communicates values, communicates belief systems – and it's situated within its cultural context. And it can never be devoid from its colonial context. You can’t separate it. Our art history is history.”

What makes being invited to Oxford so surreal for Patton is that she never envisioned becoming a Rhodes Scholar. She thought these scholarships were meant for scientists, engineers, budding political leaders and CEOs, not arts students.

“I had a very narrow idea of what a Rhodes scholar was, I didn't think I fit that mould,” she says. “I didn't even know they looked for people in the humanities. It always seemed so untouchable, especially coming from my background.”

But through the support of her college and professors, the idea of studying at Oxford became attainable.

“The support from everyone at the university and Victoria College has been incredible,” says Patton. “I want to specifically thank the department of art history for the past three years. I have grown into the scholar and leader I am because of their guidance and encouragement.”

She says she approached the life-changing opportunity presented by the scholarship like every other academic challenge she has faced – creating her own road.

“My parents didn't go to university and I didn't really have Indigenous academic role models, especially in my field,” she says. “So, I've always felt I had to pave the path for myself. But in doing that, I always felt like I had a responsibility to do that for other Indigenous scholars as well.

“I know that I'm the first in a lot of the things that I'm doing, though it was unintentionally. But I know the weight and responsibility that I have as an Indigenous woman. It's not just about me anymore.”

Patton has been to England once as part of a student exchange in Grade 11. So, the idea of living on her own overseas is a little daunting. But that’s overshadowed by the excitement of getting to know her fellow students and instructors.

“The Rhodes community is so diverse – they come from so many different areas of life, different countries, different disciplines,” says Patton. “I've heard that it's so tight knit and once I announced on social media that I got the scholarship, I had so many people who are still at Oxford, or have gone to Oxford through the Rhodes Scholarship, reach out to me.”

She’s already connected with her newfound network, learning about what to expect. “It was just so comforting,” says Patton. “They responded immediately and are answering any questions I have.”

What does she want to do after finishing her next degree?

She sees herself completing a PhD in art history but how, when and where will likely be determined by her time as an Oxford student.

Says Patton, “Every person I've talked to has said the Rhodes Scholarship opens doors to opportunities I can't even fathom, so I want to be open to any opportunity that comes from this.”

Sixth annual Honouring Our Students Pow Wow brings together Indigenous community

mattimar — Tue, 17 May 2022 15:44:35 +0000

Sixth annual Honouring Our Students Pow Wow brings together Indigenous community

mattimar Tue, 05/17/2022 - 11:44

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Lua Mondor, a second-year art history student, was one of 10 dancers who took part in the filming of the sixth annual Honouring Our Students Pow Wow (photo by Johnny Guatto)

Topic

Faculty of Arts & Science

Indigenous

Powwow

Undergraduate Students

On a recent sunny afternoon at the ��Ƶ’s back campus fields, Lua Mondor took her place in front of the cameras.

With music by Young Tribe blaring on the speakers, the metal cones on her jingle dress – made from the lids of chewing tobacco cans – chimed as she began her performance for the sixth annual Honouring Our Students Pow Wow.

In her second year of art history in U of T’s Faculty of Arts & Science, Mondor says she is the first in her immediate family to take part in powwow dancing – part of an effort to connect more deeply with her heritage.

“My mom grew up in the foster care system, so we don’t know where she came from – we still don’t know her exact reserve,” Mondor says.

She adds that she began dancing during the pandemic and has already inspired her younger sibling to follow in her footsteps.

“We jam out to powwow music in my room.”

Mondor is one of the 10 dancers who was filmed in-person for this year’s Honouring Our Students Pow Wow event, which is being presented in a hybrid format and is hosted by the Indigenous Studies Students’ Union (ISSU).

With the help of U of T’s Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education, the ISSU recently filmed dancers on the St. George campus. The video will launch on May 20 at 12 p.m. ET on the ISSU’s YouTube channel. The clips will be edited together with community submissions, an opening prayer and more.

ISSU president Teagan de Laronde, who is specializing in Indigenous studies and minoring in political science and religion, and ISSU co-ordinator Anna Feredounnia-Meawasige, were both excited to hold a portion of the powwow in-person.

“It’s nice to have that sense of community again and kind of feel like things are getting back to that,” says Feredounnia-Meawasige, who is specializing in Indigenous and environmental studies and minoring in environmental ethics at U of T.

Although the celebration will be presented virtually, Feredounnia-Meawasige wants to make sure the event embodies the “essence” of an in-person powwow.

“One big thing is that we usually try to have an opening prayer, which is standard protocol whether you’re in-person or online. We go through a list of protocols so that usually signifies that this is a special and cultural event,” she explains.

As for Mondor, she excitedly shares why her regalia – including a black jingle dress – holds so much meaning.

“Our dresses have spirits in them,” she says. “My dress is a healing dress, it came about in the Spanish flu. An Elder had a dream about this dress because there was a lot of sick people in their village.”

There are variations of the story but, as Mondor tells it, after the Elder’s dream, the women in the village sewed the jingle dress and it eventually healed a sick girl.

Mondor says that dancing in powwows has helped her reclaim her roots. To honour her ancestors, she introduced herself in Anishinaabemowin.

“It’s a way to not only introduce yourself to people, but the space around you and your ancestors because we weren’t allowed to speak the language for so many years.”

When the ISSU posted a callout for powwow dancers on social media, Sara Pitawanakwat immediately asked her nine-year-old daughter Emilee Ann if she wanted to participate.

“She hasn’t danced at a powwow since the pandemic,” says Pitawanakwat, who is originally from Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory on Manitoulin Island. “Being dressed in her regalia brings out her spirit as a child and it makes her happy.”

Pitawanakwat sewed her daughter’s regalia, noting she was just 15 months old when she danced her first powwow with her cousin. “She was so effortless and danced as if she knew how to dance already,” Pitawanakwat says. “It was so beautiful. It was in that moment; I knew I had to start making her regalia.”

Nine-year-old Emilee Ann Pitawanakwat wears regalia that was sewn by her mother (photo by David Lee)

Not only a talented dancer, Emilee Ann is also an award-winning co-director of a Canadian music video thanks to a chance encounter with Toronto recording artist Andrea Ramolo at an Every Child Matters march last year – a meeting that led to a close bond and an opportunity for collaboration.

“She approached us and asked if Emilee Ann would be willing to star in her music video,” says Pitawanakwat, adding that Ramolo and Emilee Ann then had several brainstorming sessions about what the artist’s song “Free” meant to her. She co-directed and starred in the music video.

In March, the music video won a Canadian Independent Music Video Award in the folk category.

“I’m so proud of her accomplishments and where dance has taken her,” said Pitawanakwat. “As long as she loves it… she’s performed at so many places, it’s opened a lot of doors for her.”

As for de Laronde, this year’s powwow holds special meaning since she is graduating this year. She says the ISSU events are her way of “saying goodbye to the university.”

Feredounnia-Meawasige, meanwhile, plans to do her master’s degree at U of T in ecology and evolutionary biology – and hopes that she can participate in the powwow planning next year and that it will return to a fully in-person event.

“I really enjoy having my community around me, it makes me feel better and it makes me happier,” she says.

‘There's so much you can do with it’: Academic internship course connects art history to careers

Christopher.Sorensen — Mon, 06 Dec 2021 15:56:56 +0000

‘There's so much you can do with it’: Academic internship course connects art history to careers

Christopher.Sorensen Mon, 12/06/2021 - 10:56

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401 Richmond, a Toronto-based arts hub, is one of several local arts organizations where U of T students taking a fourth-year art history course can participate in a semester- or session-long internship (photo by Vik Pahwa/401 Richmond)

Sean McNeely

Topic

City & Culture

Experiential Learning

Academics

Art History

Cities

Faculty of Arts & Science

Trinity College

Through internships with 401 Richmond, the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario (ACO) or the Toronto Society of Architects, art history students at the ��Ƶ are learning about the career opportunities that await them after graduation.

“When you think of art history, it's kind of an ivory tower that’s not seen as a really applicable subject to study for careers,” says Jessica Mace, a post-doctoral researcher who is working with the department of art history in the Faculty of Arts & Science and the Office of Experiential Learning & Outreach Support (ELOS) to redesign a fourth-year academic internship course.

“But it is. There's so much you can do with it.”

Mace is supporting the department’s Canada Constructed: Architecture, Landscape, History initiative. Funded through the provost’s Learning & Education Advancement Fund (LEAF) Impact Grant, the project aims to increase interest in the study of Canadian architecture at U of T and beyond through new undergraduate courses, internships, events and content on social media platforms, as well as a new website.

The internship course she is redesigning gives students the opportunity to work with local arts organizations for a semester or academic session.

Jessica Mace, a post-doctoral researcher, says art industry-related internships develop valuable professional skills.

“Prior to this initiative, students would seek their own opportunities,” says Mace. “They would approach an art gallery, try to get the host and the department on board, sort out the paperwork on their own, and still not be guaranteed a meaningful work or learning experience.

“My task was to find these opportunities and approach the partners. I walked them through expectations and responsibilities and got all the paperwork sorted in advance, so that we could just advertise the positions and students could apply.”

As a result, students have enjoyed internships at arts-based partner organizations such as 401 Richmond, the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario (ACO), the Society for the Study of Architecture in Canada, TO Built and the Toronto Society of Architects.

Mace has helped facilitate 12 internships since the spring – and the student responses have been overwhelmingly positive.

Olwen Alaminos, a member of Trinity College and a fourth-year student who is completing a double major in ethics, society and the law, as well as art history, chose the Society for the Study of Architecture in Canada (SSAC) for her internship. There, she helped prepare for and execute the society’s annual conference.

“I was intrigued by the rare opportunity to see the practical side of work in the world of art and architecture,” says Alaminos.

She attended regular meetings to discuss conference planning, created promotional materials for key conference events and communicated directly with conference presenters.

“It was fascinating to learn about up-and-coming architectural research in areas such as ecologically sustainable religious architecture, the significance of graffiti in the creation of urban cityscapes and Indigenous approaches to design,” she says.

“I truly enjoyed my time working with the SSAC and the valuable connections I gained. Every society member I met was welcoming and encouraging, and I received the added bonus of membership in the society for a year.”

Mace says ensuring that students played a meaningful role with the partners was part of the program’s mandate.

“The students shouldn't just be doing grunt work,” she says. “They should actually be contributing to the organization and getting something back from them as well.”

Mace also added an experiential learning component when she helped redesign the fourth-year Studies in Canadian Architecture course, which she taught under the theme of “Hidden Canada.”

“The course had been offered before, but I was given free rein on it,” she says. “Again, I worked with the ELOS office on how to make this an experiential learning opportunity.”

That opportunity involved students working with the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario’s NextGen program to produce a series of articles on innovative architectural topics for the ACO’s new blog.

“I broke it down into a number of different steps,” says Mace. “Students were introduced to some ACO reps at the start who helped frame the project and give them ideas on topics that would be of interest and later offered one-on-one research support. They also met with the editor of Canadian Architect to talk about how to write a public piece.”

The result was a series of well-received articles that covered topics such as protecting Indigenous spaces, celebrating a spiritual centre of the Taoist community and incorporating green spaces when designing Canadian suburbs.

Mace says she is thrilled with the students’ contributions for both articles and internships.

“It's been great,” she says. “I really like having students do something that's not just a paper that sits on my desktop. They're developing writing skills, research skills and communication skills that can be applied in so many different areas.

“It's a bonus that we can get students interested in the built environment and heritage around them, because this is the place where they live and work. So, why not take an interest in those topics and learn more about them?”

For her work in this course and for creating beneficial learning opportunities for students, Mace was nominated for the ACO’s NextGen Award that recognizes an individual early in their career for outstanding contributions to the field of heritage.

Mace says she is humbled by the nomination, but that the real reward has been “seeing the students discover Canadian architecture and heritage in a new way, or thinking about art history in a new way, or just making those kinds of connections with the arts community.”

“Even the students who just signed up for an elective, I see them getting really into their research projects and thinking them through, and asking me for more opportunities – even after a course ends.

“That’s so rewarding.”

U of T unveils Indigenous public art installation at Hart House: Windspeaker

geoff.vendeville — Fri, 17 Sep 2021 19:05:08 +0000

U of T unveils Indigenous public art installation at Hart House: Windspeaker

geoff.vendeville Fri, 09/17/2021 - 15:05

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(Photo courtesy of Hart House)

Topic

City & Culture

Indigenous Initiatives

Art History

Faculty of Arts & Science

Eight Indigenous artists are behind a specially commissioned temporary art installation outside the ��Ƶ's Hart House, Windspeaker reports.

Called Tree Protection Zone, the installation features mural-sized works by Indigenous artists and their collaborators on tree-protection hoardings in the Hart House Commons. The works will focus on the preservation of life, water and kin – and how each is linked to the protection of trees.

The project is curated by Maria Hupfield, an assistant professor of Indigenous digital arts and performance at U of T Mississauga and member of the Wasauksing First Nation, and Mikinaak Migwans, an assistant professor in the department of art history in the Faculty of Arts & Science and a member of Wikwemikong Unceded First Nation. In addition to Hart House, presenting partners include: the Art Museum at the ��Ƶ, Office of the Vice-President, Operations and Real Estate Partnerships, Indigenous Student Services and the Office of Indigenous Initiatives.

The temporary public art project is designed to set the stage for the Indigenous Landscape project, which is being created alongside the Landmark project on the St. George campus and is set to begin construction next year.

U of T prof hosts ‘McLuhanesque’ marathon talk with Margaret Atwood, Mayor John Tory and others

Christopher.Sorensen — Tue, 20 Jul 2021 13:53:21 +0000

U of T prof hosts ‘McLuhanesque’ marathon talk with Margaret Atwood, Mayor John Tory and others

Christopher.Sorensen Tue, 07/20/2021 - 09:53

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Clockwise from top left; John Tory, Riley Yesno, Margaret Atwood, Paolo Granata, Mark Kingwell, Joe Wong, Derrick de Kerckhove and the late U of T professor, philosopher and renowned media theorist Marshall McLuhan.

Yanan Wang

Topic

Global Lens

French

Toronto Rehabilitation Institute

Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy

Faculty of Arts & Science

Indigenous

Marshall McLuhan

Philosophy

St. Michael's College

University Health Network

Victoria College

In the 1970s, the late ��Ƶ professor, philosopher and renowned media theorist Marshall McLuhan regularly hosted gatherings at his home on Monday nights, when an eclectic group of students, fellow faculty and others came together to answer his open-ended question: “What’s on your mind?”

A lengthy discussion would ensue, with no specific agenda or subject. The purpose of the dialogue was not to draw conclusions, but rather to keep the conversation going.

Paolo Granata
(photo by Martyn Jones)

In the same spirit of free-flowing inquiry, Paolo Granata will host the second-annual Global Village Day today – a 12-hour online streaming marathon that runs noon until midnight and features speakers from a range of cultures and disciplines.

“Global Village Day is a way to gather an international community of scholars, thinkers and artists to not only celebrate one of the most iconic Canadian philosophers, but also to conceive of Toronto as a global village,” says Granata, an assistant professor of book and media studies at St. Michael’s College, referencing the term famously coined by McLuhan.

In partnership with the McLuhan Institute and the Marshall McLuhan Estate, the event aims to tackle questions surrounding place, public art and global governance that have arisen from the pandemic. Much like McLuhan’s own gatherings, the discussion aims to be free-flowing and open-ended. The speakers have been placed into groups of three to five, with each group occupying an hour of the marathon. They will address three core questions on lessons from the pandemic and how the global village can be reimagined for a sustainable future.

The event will be highly interactive and participatory, Granata says. The marathon will be streamed live on Facebook and YouTube, and audience members are invited to submit comments and questions, which Granata will in turn pose to the guest speakers.

Hailing from 12 different countries, guests will include: world-renowned author Margaret Atwood, a graduate of U of T’s Victoria College; Joe Wong, U of T’s vice-president, international; Mark Kingwell, a writer and professor of philosophy in the Faculty of Arts & Science, Riley Yesno, an Anishinaabe writer who graduated from Victoria College this year; Derrick de Kerckhove, former director of the McLuhan Program in Culture & Technology and a professor emeritus in the department of French; and Roda Muse, secretary-general of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO.

Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Ontario’s lieutenant governor, and Toronto Mayor John Tory, a graduate of U of T’s Trinity College, will kick off the marathon with remarks. In his greeting, Tory will also introduce ArtworxTO: Toronto’s Year of Public Art 2021-2022, a slate of public artworks and related programming set to officially launch this September.

Professor Marshall McLuhan with students and other faculty during one of his famous evening seminars (photo by Robert Lansdale Photography via U of T Archives)

“I’m sure McLuhan would be struck by the vibrant media arts landscape that Toronto has created,” Tory says in a pre-recorded greeting. “And, of course, we can continue to thank him for teaching us that in a diverse city like this, a global village in a big city, communication is vital to understanding and to mutual support.”

U of T has worked with the city and other partners on a number of projects for ArtworxTO, including upcoming exhibitions and programming at the U of T Art Museum on the St. George campus and at U of T Scarborough, collaborating with the city on the annual Nuit Blanche event, student-led research through U of T’s School of Cities to evaluate the Year of Public Art and a future mural honouring Terry Fox at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, part of the University Health Network.

The initiatives emphasize how U of T and the city of Toronto are connected, says Barbara Fischer, executive director of the U of T Art Museum.

“The university is at the heart of the city and vice versa,” Fischer says. “The projects will highlight how much art informs our sense of place and how intertwined the city is with the U of T campus.”

Screenshots from last year’s Global Village Day event, which was held online due to the pandemic.

One project is already underway at Hart House Green, where an Indigenous Landscape will ultimately be formed on the site. In the meantime, Assistant Professors Maria Hupfield and Mikinaak Migwans are working with Indigenous artists to develop murals celebrating Indigenous relations to the land that will adorn the hoarding currently used to protect existing trees.

Moreover, U of T Scarborough is working with the city to develop an app that will allow users to take self-guided tours of public art around Toronto. Graduate students are working with the U of T Art Museum to develop the script for the audio tour, which will introduce perspectives and ideas surrounding public art that can be found in various neighbourhoods, parks and streets.

ArtworxTO is part of a years-long effort connected to Toronto’s designation as a UNESCO Creative City of Media Arts, for which Granata was the principal driver in 2017.

“U of T has played an instrumental role in fostering media arts, technology and creativity in the city of Toronto,” Granata says.

While the first Global Village Day took place during the early days of the pandemic last summer, this year’s event will highlight the lessons gleaned from a year and a half of upheaval.

“Now is the time to reflect on a fundamental question: what did we learn during this pandemic?” Granata says. “It is time to take account of all the valuable lessons in terms of cultural participation, higher education and all other fields. What really matters to us in a post-pandemic world? If we don’t address these questions, we may go back to the old normal without really growing as a society.

He added that COVID-19 underscored the need for global governance.

“We need the flexibility of different countries working together and making decisions for the common good.”

While this year’s Global Village Day will once again be entirely virtual, participants will show themselves passing around the marathon’s “torch” on their screens: an object of their choosing that they believe represents the idea of the global village in the 21^st century. At the close of the event at midnight, there will be a toast to McLuhan to mark the 110^th anniversary of his birth on July 21.

“As McLuhan said, ‘I don’t explain, I explore,’” Granata says. “So, we will be explorers celebrating his legacy.”

U of T student draws on art history, English classes to reach finals of video game design competition

Christopher.Sorensen — Tue, 23 Jun 2020 13:39:09 +0000

U of T student draws on art history, English classes to reach finals of video game design competition

Christopher.Sorensen Tue, 06/23/2020 - 09:39

Cutline

Reynold Tsui, a fourth-year student at U of T Mississauga, was named a finalist in a recent video game design competition – the first one he has ever entered (photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

Topic

Undergraduate Students

Video Games

Reynold Tsui, a student at the ��Ƶ Mississauga, recently won top honours in an international video game design competition, despite having little actual experience in the field – and he credits his English and art history classes for providing the necessary inspiration.

The fourth-year student was named a finalist in the inaugural Intergalactic Murder Gardening Contest, a video game design competition from Toronto-based interactive media company Stitch Media. Tsui, who studies art, art history and English, was inspired to enter the competition after spotting a YouTube ad about designing a level for Terrorarium, a 3D video game developed by Stitch. Contestants were asked to build upon the basic foundation of the game, adding unique landscape features and devising challenges for players to solve.

It was Tsui’s first-ever foray into competitive video game design.

“I really wanted to accomplish something before I graduate and take that next step,” he says. “When I saw the advertisement, I thought, ‘Why don’t I give it a shot?’”

The competition for students and new graduates drew more than 260 entries from across Canada, the U.S. and the United Kingdom. Top prizes included a cash scholarship, Nintendo game gear, as well as design credit and inclusion of the winning levels in the final version of the game, which is set to launch later this summer.

Tsui says he took inspiration for his entry, “Abandoned Castle,” from the ruins of Italian and French castles that he studied in his art history classes at U of T Mississauga (image courtesy of Reynold Tsui)

Taking the form of a grandmotherly humanoid bug accompanied by an army of tiny, blobby creatures, players of Terrorarium must navigate different levels to solve puzzles and ultimately win “the blue ribbon from the Intergalactic Horrorcultural Society.”

Tsui’s entry, “Abandoned Castle,” challenges players to navigate through a stacked maze of crumbling buildings and overgrown garden paths peppered with carnivorous plants, terrifying insects, fire-breathing monsters and other traps. The budding designer says he took inspiration for the game’s landscape design from ruins of Italian and French castles that he studied in his art history classes at U of T Mississauga.

Tsui also drew upon his experience with an English course on video game design, taught by Siobahn O’Flynn in the department of English and drama. In the course, students learn about plot development and critical game theory and create a story-based digital word game.

“That class established a fundamental understanding of games for me,” Tsui says, noting that the game he created for the course was designed to trick and confuse players.

His Terrorarium entry takes a similar tactic. As players move through Tsui’s maze of ruins, they are faced with choices that may lead them down the wrong path – sometimes to their doom if they fall for the tricks Tsui included to keep players on their toes. “It might seem straightforward, but the player might get a reward or they might be sent back to the beginning,” Tsui says.

“Games are supposed to be fun,” Tsui adds, noting that he played the entire level five times to ensure players could solve it. “It’s a tricky course, but I didn’t want to make it unbeatable. When I play it, I walk into every trap to see what will happen. I really put myself in the player’s shoes.”

In a recent online showcase of the winning entries, Stitch’s designers lauded Tsui for his maze design, noting that his entry helped them better understand the possibilities and challenges of creating a multi-level maze within the game. “It shows a lot of patience and dexterity,” said one of the panellists. “We referenced your level a lot when we were trying to improve visibility of the Gardener.”

Encouraged by his competition result, Tsui plans to spend more time learning about programming and working on game design. “I would like to make contributions in authentic reality and virtual reality,” he says. “Games really inspire me. I want to learn more and apply my knowledge.”

Tsui says his personal credo, both in the virtual worlds and real life, is all about stepping into the unknown: “It’s about having the courage to make that step forward and take a risk.”

Going all-digital, U of T Mississauga art gallery addresses COVID-19 crisis, supports arts and culture

Christopher.Sorensen — Mon, 27 Apr 2020 15:38:07 +0000

Going all-digital, U of T Mississauga art gallery addresses COVID-19 crisis, supports arts and culture

Christopher.Sorensen Mon, 04/27/2020 - 11:38

Cutline

Adam Bierling, How to Swim in a Living Room, 2020. Photo: Marcus Marriott (image courtesy the artist)

Topic

Faculty of Arts & Science

Humanities

U of T Mississauga

Visual Studies

Learn to swim in your living room. Make music from tweets. Explore the folk remedies of pandemics past. The Blackwood Gallery at the ��Ƶ Mississauga has launched an ambitious new initiative to support artists and capture the creative energy of the current moment.

Earlier this month, the Blackwood Gallery published TILTING (1), a special two-part digital publication that marks several firsts for the on-campus art centre as it adapts to the new realities imposed by a global health crisis.

The Blackwood Gallery was among the countless galleries forced to close their doors in March, leaving gallery staff to find new ways to work with established artists from around the globe and support educational programming for curatorial students enrolled in U of T Mississauga’s art and art history program, as well as a joint visual studies program with Sheridan College. Programming is supported by U of T, the Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario Arts Council.

“The closure of almost all public institutions across the country meant the simultaneous cancellation of contracts for the unprotected labour force, which [includes] the art and culture industry,” says Christine Shaw, Blackwood Gallery director and curator and assistant professor, teaching stream, in U of T Mississauga’s department of visual studies.

“An entire community of makers was left without income, without support systems and without resources. That became an immediate concern for us.”

Alison Bremner, Distancing, 2020. Acrylic on paper. (image courtesy the artist)

Shaw says her team was well-positioned for the challenge and saw an opportunity to re-imagine the gallery’s printed broadsheet series, The Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge (SDUK). The series launched in 2017 with the Blackwood’s The Work of Wind: Air, Land, Sea exhibition to connect artistic production and research with interdisciplinary debates.

The Blackwood team moved the SDUK series online, issuing the first-ever open call for submissions and launching the first-ever all-digital version of the series on a revamped gallery website.

“This is a way that we might be able to support artists who are working – both in reaction to the unique social conditions created by this crisis and their own realities as freelancers who are adapting to this situation,” says Blackwood assistant curator Alison Cooley.

Aisha Ali, Atanas Bozdarov, Craig Rodmore, Florence Yee, Alternate Forms of Delivery, 2020. Laptop, framed photograph, signage (image courtesy the artists)

The project asks artists to consider how the pandemic has shifted our ideas about the world as it was, as well as the world that could be.

“We intimately connect the COVID crisis as one of a long-term pre-existing condition of oppression and injustice,” says Shaw. “The community of thinkers and makers that we collaborate with and support have fairly critical perspectives on this current moment and propositions for how to think, work and do otherwise.”

Sydney Shen, Four Thieves Vinegar (installation view), Springsteen, Baltimore, MD, 2017 (image courtesy the artist)

The first of the two-part issue launched on April 20. TILTING (1) features works by 20 artists and researchers responding to the pandemic, including original images, poems and performance projects from artists who were paid for their contributions. Among the submissions are: How to Swim in a Living Room, a performance piece from Toronto artist Adam Bierling; Four Thieves Vinegar, an installation project about folk cures for plagues by Sydney Shen; W.E.I.R.D. Uncertainty, a real-time sound performance generated by Twitter posts by Venice-based musician and digital artist Nicola Privato; and Distancing, an acrylic on paper work by Tlingit artist Alison Bremner.

Nicola Privato, W.E.I.R.D: Uncertainty (video still), 2020 (image courtesy the artist)

U of T researchers have also contributed to the project, with concept pieces by John Paul Ricco, a visual studies professor who writes about resistance and reality; Andrea Muehlebach, an associate professor of anthropology who considers the virus and the commons; and Distinguished Professor Eric Cazdyn of the department of East Asian studies who ponders the relationship between critique and crisis. Blackwood post-doctoral researcher D.T. Cochrane responds to issues of employment with a proposal for job guarantees.

“There’s a sense in which this situation might allow some people to ‘tilt’ what’s happening in order to support decisions that might shape the world more justly and more equitably,” says Cooley.

There is more to come. The Blackwood team will launch a second instalment of the project, TILTING (2), on May 1, and are re-imagining how the gallery will proceed and continue to support artists in the coming months through publications, digital workshops and more.

“We might not be able to make physical exhibitions for a while, but we are committed to research and knowledge production, and have the tools that enable us to virtually convene, gather and exchange knowledge,” says Shaw.

“The Blackwood has what it needs to go forward.”

Cover of The Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge 07: TILTING (1) featuring Sara Graham’s Conjecture Diagram no. 05, 2014.

Indigenous designer in the spotlight after her dress turns heads at Golden Globes

Christopher.Sorensen — Fri, 24 Jan 2020 20:29:27 +0000

Indigenous designer in the spotlight after her dress turns heads at Golden Globes

Christopher.Sorensen Fri, 01/24/2020 - 15:29

Cutline

Lesley Hampton, an alumna of U of T Mississauga, says the sold-out gown worn by etalk host Lainey Lui at this year's Golden Globes helped her show the world "what 2020 Indigenous fashion can be" (photo by Red Works Photography)

Topic

Truth and Reconciliation

U of T Mississauga

A gown designed by a U of T Mississauga alumna that turned heads at the Golden Globes earlier this month is so popular it’s now sold out.

“I’ve never seen that type of large response translate into sales,” says First Nations designer Lesley Hampton, who started operating the Toronto-based business that bears her name in 2016 while she was still in school. “This is super for a brand that’s new and developing.”

The celebrated dress was worn by etalk host Lainey Lui and was featured on publications’ various best dressed lists, including Buzzfeed, The Hollywood Reporter, and The Telegraph.

Hampton, who is trying to get more material for the sold-out gown, has designed a number of dresses for red carpet events before, but this is the first time one of her creations was showcased at an event as large as the Golden Globes.

Hampton recalls watching the coverage of the event and seeing celebrities compliment Lui on her dress while being interviewed and, Lui, “being the great person she is, told them my name.”

To hear the celebrity feedback, that took it to the next level,” Hampton says.

The dress is part of Hampton’s most recent collection, entitled Preface, after the preface of Reclaiming Power and Place: The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. Hampton says she was inspired by a quote found in the report by Commissioner Michèle Audette: “We must know our past, understand it and accept it, if the future is to have meaning.”

Using the theme of healing, Hampton created a collection with bright, romantic colours and romantic cuts. The dress Lui wore is a rosé/ombré pleated dress with a cape and peek-a-boo side cutouts. The piece is a conceptualization of a warrior woman, Hampton explains. The original dress is knee-length, but Hampton created a full-length version for the Golden Globes.

Hampton says she’s since had celebrities reach out, with the most recent requesting a piece for the premiere of a NBC show.

The attention-grabbing dress is also making a broader impact, Hampton continues. “It’s exciting to show the world what 2020 Indigenous fashion can be, and to show and inspire Indigenous youth,” she says. “It’s not a stereotype. It’s not regalia or beadwork.”

Hampton, who studied art and art history at U of T Mississauga before completing the fashion techniques and design program at George Brown College, takes a body-positive and inclusive approach to fashion, with visible representation on the runway. “I always want to represent what I see on the street and translate that onto the runway,” she says, adding she wants to push boundaries.

She is currently working on an upcoming collection for Indigenous Fashion Week in Toronto, which takes place May 28 to 31. The concept, Hampton says, is rising up against cyberbullying, online harassment and lateral violence in the Indigenous community to break free and offer recovery and healing.

(photo of Lainey Lui by George Pimentel)

U of T alumna uses therapeutic qualities of horses to build entrepreneurs' confidence

Christopher.Sorensen — Tue, 17 Dec 2019 20:49:00 +0000

U of T alumna uses therapeutic qualities of horses to build entrepreneurs' confidence

Christopher.Sorensen Tue, 12/17/2019 - 15:49

Cutline

Carolyn Creed helps “big-hearted, sensitive entrepreneurs” overcome their business-related fears through meditation and self-reflection in the presence of horses, a form of animal-assisted therapy (photo courtesy of Carolyn Creed)

Topic

Faculty of Arts & Science

Mental Health

Woodsworth College

It all started with what Carolyn Creed, an alumna of the ��Ƶ, refers to as her “shakening.”

“Life taps you on the shoulder, and when you're not listening, it just shakes you,” says Creed, a former Woodsworth College student who studied fine art in the department of art history in the Faculty of Arts & Science.

At 21 weeks pregnant with her second child, Creed’s water broke. Doctors predicted her baby had a 20 per cent chance of survival.

“I was stopped in my tracks,” Creed explains. “I had been struggling for most of my adult life with bipolar II disorder, and then this happened.”

As weeks passed and specialists were unable to provide answers, Creed discovered equine-assisted learning (EAL) – the practice of working with horses to promote personal growth. A lifelong horse lover, Creed signed up.

“For the first time, I tuned out all this noise coming at me and listened to that quiet inner voice,” says Creed. “I just heard, ‘You’re going to be OK.’”

After giving birth to a healthy son 12 weeks later, she felt compelled to pursue a career in EAL.

Today, Creed is a mindset and leadership coach and an equine-guided facilitator. She works with “big-hearted, sensitive entrepreneurs” to help them overcome their business-related fears through online courses and in-person sessions. There’s no riding involved during the on-location group retreats or one-on-one sessions, but clients practice meditation and self-reflection in the presence of horses.

Creed believes that when it comes to overcoming professional and personal obstacles, horses have a lot to teach us. “I call them ‘gentle warriors,’” she says. “They’re peaceful and non-violent. They’re actually prey animals. Their sensitivity is their superpower. That’s how they stay alive.”

The concept of horse therapy dates back to ancient Greece. Some contemporary forms of EAL – including Creed’s – take place on the ground and focus on emotional benefits, while others involve riding horses as a form of physical therapy. EAL is used for a variety of conditions, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), autism and cerebral palsy.

The benefits of animal-assisted therapy (AAT) have been widely studied, commonly through programs where therapy dogs visit universities during exam periods, hospitals and retirement homes. The interactions between humans and animals have been shown to decrease loneliness and anxiety, while improving mood and cognitive function.

Horses are unique therapy animals due to their size and hypersensitivity, says Creed, adding that they encourage self-discovery in the participant.

Creed formerly ran her own photography and professional photo album businesses, working seven days a week with her husband. “That’s the old way of thinking,” she says. “You sacrifice everything, and then maybe later you can enjoy a little bit when you're older. It doesn’t work – we need community, collaboration and connection.”

To grow her business beyond its rural roots, Creed has created a website that includes a free guide called “The Sensitive Soul’s Guide to Impact” – and various social media accounts to showcase her photography and videography. A podcast is also in the works.

Creed set a goal earlier this year to have 100 meaningful conversations by the end of 2019. “We’re online so much and we're connected, but we're not really,” she says. So she began reaching out to family, friends and acquaintances, inviting them to a video chat. She then asks them to have a meaningful conversation with someone else and connect her with someone new who might be interested in participating.

“It’s been so amazing and profound.”

Creed says her arts degree helped her develop the flexibility and creativity to be successful as an entrepreneur. “It prepared me for the beauty of the unknown. To be an entrepreneur, you have to embrace the unknown,” she says, adding that her degree encouraged her to ask questions and think critically. “What do I want? What's this calling? And then how do I create that? Let me ask questions and really pave my own path.”

Creed describes herself as intuitive, empathetic and emotional – traits she believes are often viewed as negative. Creed, however, sees them as unique assets in the business world.

“I thought that to be an entrepreneur, I’d have to be loud and aggressive,” she says. “What I've learned is that gentle power is the superpower for people who are more introverted and sensitive. Gentle is in fact quite powerful. We can achieve amazing success.”

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Going all-digital, U of T Mississauga art gallery addresses COVID-19 crisis, supports arts and culture

Indigenous designer in the spotlight after her dress turns heads at Golden Globes

U of T alumna uses therapeutic qualities of horses to build entrepreneurs' confidence