UNBC Arts Council

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Today! Please join us at 5pm for the opening reception of ARTifact, in the Robert Frederick Gallery

Hello friends of the Arts Council. Please join us for ARTifacts-- a new exhibition. Opening reception: Wednesday, January 14th, at 5pm. Come and gaze upon and think about the connections between art and research. See you there!

Join us for a lunch-time reception to celebrate the opening of Oleg Chorny’s “Living During Wartime” at the Robert Frederick Gallery October 16th, 2025. Light snacks and refreshments will be provided, all are welcome.

Chorny will be video-conferencing in from Ukraine to discuss his exhibition and consider: What is the place of an artist in a country at war? What is art capable of in wartime? How can creativity exist in a society focused on waging an existential war?

The exhibition will run for one month and is free for all to visit. We hope to see you there!

For the dance loves out there, this FREE EVENT is tonight (May 27). Note from Cat Sivertsen, a local artist and teacher, who has exhibited in the Robert Frederick Gallery:

I've been collaborating with Method Dance on a new choreography created by Samantha Presley inspired by my visual work 'sensibilities of place' and performed by Shayla Dable and Angie Thwaites. Our project 'Imprint' breathes life @ 630 tonight in the Playhouse. Imprint is one of four new pieces being showcased as part of Method's Community Moves week. The performances run until 8pm.

The performances are new, exciting, and FREE !

Hope to see you there, Cat

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First Nations folks in the arts. Please see this request (I am forwarding an email I received):

Good Afternoon!

You may have heard from me earlier in the fall, and if you have responded or shared already, thank you so much! Our survey wraps up December 20th, and we’re hoping to reach some more BC First Nations folks that are involved in the arts. If you are willing to share (or share again!) within your circles, or if you qualify for the survey but haven’t yet had a chance to do it, we would *really* appreciate it!

I am writing in the hopes that you can help spread the word about an online survey by the First Peoples’ Cultural Council (FPCC). The survey is part of a larger research project to better understand the practices, relationships, and networks that make up the B.C. First Nations arts community. It is open to anyone involved in B.C. First Nations arts whose ancestry is directed connected to a B.C. First Nation. The survey is completely confidential, takes 15-20 minutes to complete, and eligible participants will receive a $10 gift card + an entry into a draw for 1 of 3 $500 Visa Prepaid Gift Cards.

I am very grateful to be part of this work, and I hope you will consider sharing the survey with your networks, and/or completing it yourself if you are eligible.

Please access the survey here: https://avr2024.survey.fpcc.ca/.

Participation in this survey will contribute to the vitality of First Nations arts in B.C. We value your role in the B.C. First Nations arts community, as well as the time, energy, and knowledge you choose to share with us.

Thanks so much!
Katie MacKenzie
Arts Vitality Survey Team

Link Instagram post: https://www.instagram.com/p/DA61KoiTx4R/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

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From now until Nov. 19th, you can enjoy art and science in the Robert Frederick Gallery at UNBC (Prince George campus).

Please stop by the Gallery, in Lab Building 4, located along the Student Success Hallway, between Athletics and the NBCGSS Office. Bring your friend, grab a coffee, and peruse and ponder art from G.R.O.W: Glyphosate Research on Forest Organisms and Wildlife Health.

The art you will see along one wall of the Gallery was produced by participants as part of this project led by Dr. Lisa Wood, with various collaborators and partners.

The UNBC Arts Council is a proud partner in bringing this event to UNBC and friends via Inspiring Women Among Us 2024. These are two environmentally-oriented artists in our midst who contribute a lot to caring for our community via art. We are honoured to bring you this double talk and workshop.

Also coming up soon:
An exhibition about participatory environmental research, by Dr. Lisa Wood and collaborators (going up the week of Oct 25th), and an exhibition on body piercing and modification, by Dr. Shauna LaTosky and students (starting on Nov 20th). Follow this space and UNBC Announce for more details soon.

Thanks to all of those who joined us for the Closing Reception for Marking Time this past Thursday.

We observed a minute in memoriam to honour the late Edie Frederick and her mother Josie Paul-- two generous and important Elders whose knowledge will continue to enrich the Prince George community and the Lheidli T'enneh for decades to come.

Please find the UNBC President's message sent out this afternoon below.

We look forward to finding out more about how Edie and Josie's legacy will be further honoured at UNBC and beyond.

MESSAGE:

Good afternoon,

It is with great sadness that the University of Northern British Columbia acknowledges the passing of Lheidli T’enneh Elder Edie Frederick.

Edie had a long-standing and highly impactful relationship with UNBC. She provided invaluable wisdom, expertise and commitment to many projects at UNBC over the years. She devoted significant time towards helping UNBC gain a deeper understanding of the Lheidli T’enneh dialect of the Dakelh (Carrier) language. Alongside her mother Josie Paul, who the University recently paid tribute to, and many other Lheidli T’enneh Elders, Edie played a crucial role in translating many place names at the UNBC Prince George campus, such as the front entrance sign, Nizdeh Nekeyoh Hohudel'eh Baiyoh, which translates to “House of Learning.” We are blessed to have photos of multiple pages of Edie’s handwritten notes, illustrating the care and attention to detail she invested. They are a powerful educational resource that will ensure Edie’s knowledge is visible for generations to come and is a lasting testament of Lheidli T’enneh language revitalization.

Edie was the University’s first Elder in Residence. She visited the campus many times once she took on the role in 2015, teaching students, faculty and staff about her Nation, the land, language, and more. She worked with her husband Robert on a groundbreaking course that saw UNBC students carve and launch a traditional Cottonwood dugout canoe. She helped deliver an experiential learning course that saw students construct a traditional Dakelh style Pit House. And she worked closely with Dr. Robert Budde in UNBC’s English department on developing a book called Hanuyeh: Dakelh Plants that details local plants, traditional uses, and Dakelh names.

Edie also had a strong connection with UNBC’s Timberwolves. She gifted the name Nats’ilnik to the team, which means coming together. The Timberwolves hold a Nats’ilnik Day each year at a set of basketball and soccer home games at which they wear their Indigenous jerseys and celebrate Indigenous culture.

Edie consistently made herself available to UNBC, whether it was offering a welcome to Lheidli T’enneh territory at special events to attending meetings at the First Nations Centre and Lhuhuhwhezdel (the Gathering Place). She actively participated in important events, such as when UNBC signed the official MOU with Lheidli T’enneh and raised the Nation’s flag permanently at the Prince George campus in 2016.

The family requested that public acknowledgments be minimal, but invited the University community to attend a celebration of life at the Prince George Civic Centre today from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Nenachailya (we thank you) Edie. We are grateful for your enduring presence and legacy at UNBC.

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Dear UNBC Arts Council Community,

You may have noticed the powerful and provocative exhibition in the Robert Frederick Gallery, along the Student Success hallway. We are honoured to host the MARKING TIME exhibition (art by and with incarcerated folks) along with Two Rivers Gallery, where the other half of the exhibition can be seen.

The dual exhibition runs on the PG campus and down at Two Rivers Gallery until OCTOBER 6th. Here are some “last chance” events to experience it in a group setting:

There is a virtual talk hosted by Two Rivers Gallery THIS THURSDAY, SEPT 12 at 7:30pm on Two Rivers Gallery’s page.
It will feature artists James Yaya Hough, Gary Harrell and Ashley Hunt featured in Two Rivers Gallery’s current exhibition Marking Time: Art in the Age of Mass Incarceration, to discuss their work.

There will also be a closing reception at UNBC with panel and informal tour, hosted by the UNBC Arts Council, on Thursday, October 3.
Location: Robert Frederick Gallery
Event: Reception/refreshments start from 5pm.
Artist & community expert panel @ 6pm
Q&A and exhibition enjoyment
Event end by 8pm

Please consider joining us for these community events about Marking Time.

Incarcerated folks have much to teach us.

Mussi cho,

Zoe Meletis,
UNBC Arts Council Chair

PS Special shout out to the UNBC Geoffrey R. Weller Library staff for creating a special book exhibit at the circulation desk for Marking Time, and to the CTLT Teaching and Learning Conference organizers for our accepted panel about this exhibition, creativity, resiliency, and education. Thanks as well to Two Rivers Gallery for contributing high quality exhibitions, programming, and connections in our Prince George community.

Long time UNBC Arts Council member and supporter Hart Banack is recommending the WALK PG festival. Sounds great to us! See details below and in the attached images which lists names of some of the different contributors and performers:

Hadih,

Come and join a celebration of being outdoors at Cottonwood Park (by the confluence of the two rivers) on Saturday June 1, 2024 for WALK PG (Wild About Lheidli Keyoh Prince George) Outdoor Festival.

Amazing activities shared by local knowledge holders, Elders, and experts. Fun for all ages. Free to attend. Free shuttle bus from UNBC to Parkland Place to Cottonwood. Demos and information booths from outdoor organizations and food trucks.

Mark your calendars: 10 AM to 3 PM Saturday June 1, 2024 Cottonwood Park (at confluence).

See attached poster and check out the webpage for details: https://www.wildabout.ca/wild-about-pg

Please help spread the word!

UPDATE: We are hosting the UNBC reception in September, to announce "one month left" to see the show. See it a few times here and at Two Rivers Gallery during the summer and then come and join us for the reception in September. Teachers-- remember that this offers many opportunities for interesting teaching and learning about incarceration, art, racism, colonialism, etc. This co-hosted exhibition opens on April 25th at Two Rivers Gallery. The University of Northern British Columbia reception will follow in late May. The exhibition opens in the Robert Frederick Gallery on April 26th. Come in and contemplate what art means and offers to incarcerated folks, and what it takes to get it out of prisons. Consider the pieces and the gross inequities and injustices that they address. See the related article in pgdailynews