The Art Gallery of York University to present Jess Dobkin's 'Wetrospective' exhibition

The Art Gallery of York University (AGYU) will reopen its doors this next month with the first-ever retrospective exhibition of Toronto’s performance art matriarch Jess Dobkin, curated by former AGYU director/curator Emelie Chhangur (now at the Agnes Etherington Art Centre in Kingston, Ont.). The exhibition, titled Wetrospective, will run from Sept. 2 to 26, with an opening […]

The show must go on: How York theatre students helped adapt a local high-school musical for pandemic times

A year-end musical theatre production can be as important to the heart and soul of a high school as its season-opening football game or senior prom. So when the COVID-19 pandemic hit last year and began robbing students of some of their most formative experiences, drama educators scrambled to keep the curtains from closing. Karen […]

Rare artifacts find their way home to the Philippines thanks to a York professor

A museum in the northern Philippines has received a treasure trove of local artifacts, all thanks to a connection made during the Sustainable and Inclusive Internationalization Virtual Conference organized by York University and partners in January 2021. Patrick Alcedo, associate professor of dance in the School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design (AMPD), was one of […]

Like mother, like son: Introducing the first mother-son MFA screenwriting graduates in York history

As many York University graduates geared up for the final hurrah of their academic careers this month, one soon-to-be grad who won’t don her cap and gown until fall breathed a big sigh of relief, having just defended her four-years-in-the-making master’s thesis.  Nicole Alexander has now all but convocated with her master of fine arts (MFA) […]

The slippery editorial slope of the documentary into ‘reality’ TV

A filmmaker’s dissertation, on how the editing of documentary television is increasingly following reality tv’s dictate to entertain, is transformed into a timely book.

Professor Stephanie Martin to receive the AMPD Research Award

An important story of Canadian history and tragedy that was retold through an opera written by Stephanie Martin, associate professor of music at York University’s School of the Arts, Media, Performance and Design (AMPD), will be the subject of a special lecture on March 11 at York University. Stephanie Martin The presentation is the marquee […]

Empowering the powerless: Q&A with acclaimed filmmaker Patrick Alcedo

With two well-received documentaries under his belt, Professor Patrick Alcedo has proven his ability to tell an evocative and unforgettable story. He sits down with Brainstorm to talk about his documentaries, which showcase Filipino culture, empower the underprivileged and, in his own words, “grip the heart.” After choreographing a Filipino dance extravaganza at York University […]

Provocative new sculptures speak to the power and connectivity of public art

Sculptor Brandon Vickerd, AMPD professor, has created large public art pieces in three major cities across Canada, all completed by 2019. Community consultations, workshops and storytelling opportunities have informed his engaging and conceptually rigorous pieces.

'XL Outer Worlds' project gears up for the debut of five exceptional films

Five filmmakers are working feverishly this spring to contribute to an extravaganza debuting next month. Led by York’s Janine Marchessault, together with the grandson of the man who invented IMAX, the “XL Outer Worlds” project promises to be an unforgettable, larger-than-life experience.

Q&A with Michael Greyeyes on his dance-opera as a vehicle for healing Canada

York Theatre Prof talks about his deepest examination to date into the trauma of the residential school experience: Bearing, which premiered last spring. He hopes this highly collaborative production will help the nation move forward, together.