UNews - Art Department

U of L faculty members help students save money on textbooks

caroline.zentner — Mon, 24 Sep 2018 19:57:38 +0000

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge faculty members saved students more than $250,000 in textbook costs last academic year by adopting Open Educational Resources (OERs).

OERs are freely accessible and openly licensed educational materials in text, media or other digital forms that are used in teaching, learning, assessment and research. OERs represent quite a savings for students, who may spend up to $1,500 on textbooks during one academic year.

Dr. Sean Fitzpatrick, a mathematics professor, has created OERs for seven courses being taught in the department. He customized open-source textbooks in a way that makes them fit closely with the course curriculum. Students can download the OER for free or print it at a low cost.

“I greatly appreciate the freedom for an instructor to create something that custom fits the course in question,” says Fitzpatrick.

Drs. Ken Vos, left, and Dan Furgason, professors in the Department of Physics & Astronomy, led the way for the department to adopt OER textbooks in introductory courses.

In the Department of Physics and Astronomy, Drs. Dan Furgason and Ken Vos, after a trial semester of using the Astronomy textbook on Openstax, convinced the department to move to OER textbooks for all introductory courses.

“As you craft lectures to emphasize what you believe is important, there are times when a traditional textbook gets in the way,” says Furgason.

Dr. Ying Zheng, an instructor in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, is passionate about her work and recommends OER to novices.

“If you think that Open Education is the right approach for your students, then do it!” she says. “Through my own experience, I know that, with the assistance from OER champions, access to openly licensed resources in your discipline, and funding opportunities for adoption, any OER project can become reality.”

Art History professors have also adopted open source educational resources in their two largest classes and they’ve saved students more than $45,000 in textbook costs.

The U of L supports OER and currently funds projects involving students. Keith Aiken was hired to assist Zheng in creating a unique course package.

“I get to add some bragging rights to my CV when I enter the job world; not many people can say they helped develop materials for a university course,” he says. “It also gives me a great way to involve my future students in a cross-curricular way by creating our own textbooks, allowing for deeper learning through a different form of engagement. It also allows us to be more up-to-date with content.”

The OER initiative came about after faculty, instructors, the Library, the Bookstore, the Students’ Union and The Teaching Centre joined forces to form the Campus Open Education Working Group. The group has done presentations, conducted workshops and helped secure funding for open access learning resources.

Students have responded favourably in surveys, commenting that they don’t have to spend money on a textbook that might not be useful, don’t have to carry a heavy book around and can save money.

The rich landscape art of R.F.M. McInnis

trevor.kenney — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 20:48:00 +0000

R.F.M. McInnis, Cows and Little Ones (detail), 1996. From the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Art Collection. Gift of Jim Coutts, 2010.

Robert Francis Michael McInnis was born in 1942 in Saint John, N.B., where he received a diploma in fine and applied arts in 1961. In his early career, McInnis worked as a newspaper reporter and photographer, and served as a Royal Canadian Air Force photographer from 1962 to 1966.

R.F.M. McInnis, Red Barn and Clouds, 1998. From the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Art Collection. Gift of Jim Coutts, 2010.

Before moving to Toronto to devote his life to painting at the age of 30, McInnis held the position of Art Department Head at the Prince George College in British Columbia. In the years since his decision to focus on painting, McInnis has roamed east and west, living in Canada's urban centres and homesteading on the Albertan prairies.

R.F.M. McInnis, The Hill, 1994. From the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Art Collection. Gift of Jim Coutts, 2010.

He is known for his landscape paintings depicting the rolling hills and grain elevators of rural Alberta, but has also completed a large body of work featuring the figure as his subject.

RFM McInnis continues to paint at his current home in Winnipeg.

Art Department student awards announced

trevor.kenney — Tue, 17 May 2011 21:33:04 +0000

As part of its annual Art Studio Open House in April, the Art Department handed out its annual student awards.

Students receiving awards were as follows.

Jennifer Vanderfluit – Excellence in Art History/Museum Studies Award
Chad Patterson & Tyler Stewart – Art History/Museum Studies Gallery Award
Corinne Thiessen-Hepher – SAAG Award
Chad Patterson – Trapdoor Artist Run Centre Award
Bonnie Patton – Art Society Award
Allison Crop-Eared Wolf – Students' Union Award
Shannon Derry – David Lanier Memorial Award
Arianna Richardson – Excellence in Digital Art Award
Brenna Crabtree – Excellence in Art Studio Award
Katie Bruce – Faculty of Fine Arts Award
Sherry Yu Di – The Studio Prize

For a look at the Legend in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Art Department Open House, Apr. 19-20

trevor.kenney — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 16:27:09 +0000

Once again, the U of L Art Department is opening its studios and workshops to the public.

On Apr. 19 and 20, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, everyone is welcome to tour the Art Department.

"We want people to experience the diversity and excellence of work by students in art courses," says Annie Martin, art faculty advisor to the project, which is largely organized by students. "Visitors will be able to experience works in a wide array of media, including painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, print, installation, multimedia and video, by undergraduate and Master of Fine Arts students. This is a great opportunity to see work by the next generation of artists."

The Art Student Open House also provides an opportunity for the public to talk with students about their art practices, and take a look at the excellent art facilities on campus. Students, faculty and technical staff can answer any questions and guided tours are available on a drop-in basis by stopping at the welcome table near the stairs on the 8th level of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Centre for the Arts. School tours can be arranged by contacting Erin Kennett (erin.kennett@uleth.ca).

In addition to the Open House, everyone is invited to celebrate the achievements of art students with the announcement of the recipients of awards for excellence in Art Studio and Art History/ Museum Studies. This takes place on Apr. 20, 4:30 p.m. in W817.

This story first appeared in the Legend. For a look at the Legend in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Open house invites public

trevor.kenney — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 19:14:37 +0000

Once again, the U of L Art Department is opening its studios and workshops to the public.

On Apr. 19 and 20, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, everyone is welcome to tour the Art Department.

For a look at the Legend in a flipbook format, follow this link.

SAAG exhibit truly collaborative

trevor.kenney — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 21:32:54 +0000

It is a rare opportunity for a graduate student and her supervisor to be able to exhibit their artwork, arrived at collaboratively, in the same exhibition in a nationally respected art gallery. Mandy Espezel, one of the first Master of Fine Arts (Art) students at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, and professor Dagmar Dahle, spent last summer working on a series of paintings that appeared at the Southern Alberta Art Gallery as part of On Your Marks.

"We both invest a lot in the process and the materials," says Espezel. "Over the summer we exchanged studio visits, talked a lot and shared our working process."

According to Dahle, "For us, doing is thinking. It is both an intuitive and analytical process. We think and communicate through the visual."

Dagmar Dahle and Mandy Espezel at the Southern Alberta Art Gallery.

She explains that their working relationship was very equal.

"Ours is not a traditional teacher/student relationship where information goes from the teacher to the student," says Dahle. "We work in a more collaborative manner, with open communication. That means I have to be more vulnerable, open to learning from my student. It's an exciting two-way street."

Espezel was not quite sure what to expect when she came to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ.

"I wanted to broaden my experiences," she says. "I did my undergraduate studies at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta, where the emphasis is more on the formal elements of painting. Here, the focus is much more conceptual."

Originally, Espezel was attracted to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge because of the Art Department's strong reputation, and the fact that the professors are nationally and internationally recognized.

"I found an open attitude where I'm encouraged to explore all sorts of media," she says. "I was given permission to experiment."

She was also exposed to a variety of approaches that helped her understand her craft from a variety of perspectives.

"Although the main approach here is based in the conceptual, I found that the faculty were all working and thinking in many different ways," says Espezel. "I've learned there is no one correct way; rather, there are lots of ways of understanding. Studying here is really helping me find my own language and voice. The program has exceeded my expectations."

Only in its second year, the MFA (Art) degree program accepts one to two students per year.

"The upside of our MFA program being small is that graduate students get lots of individual attention," says Dahle. "They are embraced and welcomed into a large creative community, both on campus and off."

For a look at the full issue of the November Legend in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Granzow dedication moved to June 24

trevor.kenney — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 20:19:59 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community is invited to a special event Thursday, June 24, when the Carl Granzow Sculpture Garden is dedicated in honour of the late artist and faculty member.

This event was originally scheduled for Tuesday, June 22 but was moved due to weather concerns.

Granzow taught at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge from 1975 through 2009. He served as Chair of the Art Department, president of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Faculty Association, associate dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts and director of Papokan Sculpture Park.

Granzow also introduced the idea of a sculpture park at the U of L and the planting of the 100-tree grove. Granzow is remembered as a dedicated leader, teacher, administrator, artist, mentor, man of commitment and friend.

The June 24 event begins at 11:30 a.m. with the park dedication ceremony, followed by a free barbecue from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Carl Granzow Sculpture Garden is located west of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ residences and north of Aperture Lake.

"Our planet needs more trees," Granzow said during the opening of the 100-tree grove. "I want to make the immediate space a better habitat for humans, birds and other animals, and provide an incremental increase in the organic matter absorbing greenhouse gases. Tree planting may become a part of what future generations will refer to as the "art of survival"."

For more on the Faculty of Fine Arts, visit this link.

Granzow Sculpture Garden to be dedicated June 22

trevor.kenney — Fri, 28 May 2010 20:56:36 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community is invited to a special event Thursday, June 24, when the Carl Granzow Sculpture Garden is dedicated in honour of the late artist and faculty member.

This event was originally scheduled for Tuesday, June 22 but has been moved to June 24 due to weather concerns.

Art Student Open House this week

trevor.kenney — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 17:34:55 +0000

Once again this spring, the U of L Art Department opens its studios and workshops to welcome the public, Apr. 20-21, daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

"We want people to experience the diversity and excellence of work by students in art courses," says Annie Martin, art faculty advisor to the project. "Featuring work in a wide array of media including painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, print, installation, multimedia and video by undergraduate and MFA students, this is a great opportunity to see new work by the next generation of artists."

The Art Student Open House also provides an opportunity for the public to talk with students about their art practices and see the excellent art facilities.

Students, faculty and technical staff will be present to answer questions. People can get guided tours on a drop-in basis by stopping at the welcome table near the stairs on the 8th level of the Centre for the Arts.

On Tuesday, Apr. 20 at 4:30 p.m. in W890 (senior studio area), everyone is invited to celebrate the achievements of art students with the announcement of the recipients of a number of awards for excellence in art studio and art history/ museum studies.

Open house

trevor.kenney — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 22:07:31 +0000

Once again this spring, the U of L Art Department opens its studios and workshops to welcome the public, Apr. 20-21, daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The Art Student Open House also provides an opportunity for the public to talk with students about their art practices and see the excellent art facilities.

UNews - Art Department

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