UNews - Desmond Rochfort

Jurkowski named Dean of Faculty of Fine Arts

trevor.kenney — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 15:37:48 +0000

The Faculty of Fine Arts will be under the stewardship of a new Dean after the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge appointed Dr. Ed Jurkowski to the role, succeeding Dr. Desmond Rochfort.

"It is always exciting to announce the appointment of a new Dean, and it is especially gratifying to be able to promote someone from within the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge community," says Dr. Andrew Hakin, provost and vice-president (academic). "Dr. Jurkowski has been with the U of L for 17 years now and brings with him a wealth of knowledge, experience and a unique understanding of the challenges and opportunities that face the Faculty of Fine Arts."

Jurkowski has been at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge since 1996 when he began a term appointment as an assistant professor of music in the Faculty of Fine Arts. During his tenure here at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, he has continually progressed, earning tenure as an associate professor of music in 2001 and then full professor of music in 2007.

He most recently served as the Chair of the Department of Music (2003-2009) and has been in the role of Associate Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts since 2011.Jurkowski earned his bachelor's degree in music (composition) from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Manitoba before completing his master's and PhD designations at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Rochester in Rochester, NY, where he was also a teaching assistant and instructor from 1989 through 1996.

A visiting exchange professor at Hokkai-Gakuen ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in Sapporo, Japan in 2006, Jurkowski has published four books, including his latest, The Collected Works of Eduard Tubin: Double Bass and Balalaika Concertos (Series II, Volume 3) in 2013.

"I want to thank Dr. Rochfort for his fine work within the Faculty of Fine Arts over the previous five years," adds Hakin.

Jurkowski's appointment is effective July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2018.

Combined degrees introduced

trevor.kenney — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 16:58:34 +0000

Three ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge faculties are collaborating on two new, innovative combined degree programs that will bring a management focus to Health Sciences (Public Health) and Fine Arts (New Media).

Open to all current or incoming students beginning in September, 2012 these first-in-Canada degrees are designed to bring the best of all three groups' academic and career-related processes together so students can earn a Bachelor of Management and either a Bachelor of Fine Arts, New Media or a Bachelor of Health Sciences in Public Health.

Graduates would be granted two degrees after meeting the requirements of both programs.

"This is a great example of our faculty members recognizing an opportunity, driven in part by requests from our students, to bring added value to three completely different degree programs," says Dr. Andy Hakin, the U of L's Vice-President, Academic and Provost.

"Cross-campus collaboration happens in many places at the U of L, formally and informally, and these new combined degrees show the type of creativity, innovation and co-operation that helps our students achieve their full potential. I commend the Management, Fine Arts and Health Sciences teams that put these programs together."

Co-operative and applied study opportunities are available in all three faculties so students can further enhance their skills and work experiences in Canada or internationally.

As well, merit-based and entrance scholarships are available in Management, Public Health and Fine Arts.

For Dr. Bob Ellis, the Dean of the Faculty of Management, the chance to work with his colleagues in two different degree streams was an opportunity that further reinforces his interest in collaboration.

"We have excellent programs in our respective Faculties, and graduates of these dual degree programs will possess exceptional knowledge and skills that employers will seek out," says Ellis.

FINE ARTS/MANAGEMENT

The dual Fine Arts/Management degrees combine new media, film and video production, art, drama, and music with marketing, information technology, and management practice.

"The B.F.A. (New Media)/B.Mgt. combined degrees makes graduates even more competitive in the marketplace, giving them skills in interactive technologies, marketing in digital media and social networking sites, as well as business and people management," says Dr. Desmond Rochfort, the Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts.

"This unique combination of business and new media expertise opens up more professional opportunities for our fine arts students, and also for those management students who are looking to add the creativity of new media to their degrees."

HEALTH SCIENCES/MANAGEMENT

The combined Public Health/Management degree will see students taking courses in ethics, psychology, ecology of health and disease, human geography and addictions, combined with finance, organizational behavior, global management and labour relations, among other courses.

"Given that policy and administration are key streams of Public Health, an option to combine the B.H.Sc. (Public Health) degree with a Management degree provides an excellent opportunity for students to gain knowledge in both areas," says Dr. Christopher Hosgood, the Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences.

"By focusing the skills of management in the field of public health, graduates will be able to seek opportunities in administrative positions in a variety of areas of public health practice. Our program is developing a good track record of placing students with employers upon graduation, in public, private, and not-for-profit sectors that require specialists in public health who know how to manage people and resources and understand strategic and policy issues."

Sculpture speaks to artistic culture on campus

trevor.kenney — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 22:01:58 +0000

An idea that started over a beer and was roughly drafted on a napkin has evolved into the latest addition to the City of Lethbridge Public Art Collection.

Aeolian Aviary, a collaborative installation by U of L alumni and art professor Denton Fredrickson and Art Studio facility manager Catherine Ross, was recently unveiled in its permanent location on the east side of the Southern Alberta Art Gallery (SAAG).

Fredrickson and Ross were awarded the public art commission following a competition that attracted 40 submissions from across Canada and beyond. The selection committee consisted of representatives from Allied Arts Council, SAAG, a community member, an artist and a technical expert.

"It is exactly these kinds of awards and achievements that reflect so well on the creative and research work of the members of the Faculty of Fine Arts," says Desmond Rochfort, Faculty of Fine Arts dean. "It also helps to highlight the excellence of our creative activities and research endeavours, and underscores why the U of L Faculty Fine Arts is increasingly the place of choice in Alberta for those wishing to study fine arts.

Aeolian Aviary combines the acoustic resonance of 16 wind and light-sensitive string instruments with the dynamic emergence of 67 bronze birds.

Denton Fredrickson and Catherine Ross beside their public art installation, Aeolian Aviary, at the Southern Alberta Art Gallery.

Frederickson, Ross sculpture at SAAG

trevor.kenney — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 17:35:49 +0000

An idea that started over a beer and was roughly drafted on a napkin has evolved into the latest addition to the City of Lethbridge Public Art Collection.

Aeolian Aviary, a collaborative installation by U of L alumni and art professor Denton Fredrickson and Art Studio facility manager Catherine Ross, was recently unveiled in its permanent location on the east side of the Southern Alberta Art Gallery (SAAG).

Fredrickson and Ross were awarded the public art commission following a competition that attracted 40 submissions from across Canada and beyond. The selection committee consisted of representatives from Allied Arts Council, SAAG, a community member, an artist and a technical expert.

"It is exactly these kinds of awards and achievements that reflect so well on the creative and research work of the members of the Faculty of Fine Arts," says Desmond Rochfort, Faculty of Fine Arts dean. "It also helps to highlight the excellence of our creative activities and research endeavours, and underscores why the U of L Faculty of Fine Arts is increasingly the place of choice in Alberta for those wishing to study fine arts."

Aeolian Aviary combines the acoustic resonance of 16 wind and light-sensitive string instruments with the dynamic emergence of 67 bronze birds.

Residency opportunities a part of international pact

trevor.kenney — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 20:33:23 +0000

The doors to international exchanges have been opened wide with the recent signing of agreements between the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Faculty of Fine Arts, the Centro Nacional de Las Artes (CENART) in Mexico and the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology's (RMIT) School of Art.

"These accords set in place an agreement and a process for faculty artists from across the Faculty of Fine Arts' disciplines – visual art, drama, new media and music – to participate in residency exchange programs with artists from Australia and Mexico," says Dr. Desmond Rochfort, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Faculty of Fine Arts dean. "Likewise, the accords provide opportunities for artists from Mexico and Australia to work and study in Lethbridge on a residency."

The agreement with Mexico's CENART, signed in November by Roberto Vázquez Díaz, Director General of CENART and Rochfort at a ceremony in Mexico City, provides opportunities for creative residencies in the National Centre's headquarters in Mexico City, as well as in its 15 satellite locations throughout the country. Three additional satellites are also in the process of being developed.

A major strategic investment in culture and the arts by the Mexican government has made these centres into major arts training and cultural facilities. They are designed to focus on creative arts education and research, as well as bring together artists from a variety of creative disciplines and different countries in an environment that combines tradition and the latest technologies.

The Australian residency exchange agreement has a more narrow focus.

"The agreement with the Artists International Residency program at RMIT provides residency opportunities for visual artists and new media artists from the U of L Faculty of Fine Arts," says Rochfort. "The accord also provides opportunities for artists from Australia to come to Lethbridge for a creative residency here."

"Both agreements are important strategic initiatives by the U of L Faculty of Fine Arts to broaden opportunities for international exchange in the field of the creative arts," he says. "Artist exchanges provide opportunities for both creative collaboration and interdisciplinary work as well as the opportunity to work in the context of a different culture."

According to Rochfort, another important component of both agreements is the development of exchanges among Aboriginal, Indigenous and First Nations artists in Australia, Canada and Mexico.

This story originally appeared in the Legend. For a look at the full issue of the December Legend in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Residency a part of recent international pact

trevor.kenney — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 17:54:09 +0000

The Australian residency exchange agreement has a more narrow focus.

According to Rochfort, another important component of both agreements is the development of exchanges among Aboriginal, Indigenous and First Nations artists in Australia, Canada and Mexico.

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

Fine Arts website garners accolades

trevor.kenney — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 17:53:17 +0000

The Faculty of Fine Arts recently took home first-place honours at Digital Alberta's mediaFresh Awards for its new video website, Experience Fine Arts:
www.lethbridgefinearts.ca

The mediaFresh awards are dedicated to recognizing Alberta digital media professionals and post-secondary students who have created outstanding projects and programs.

The U of L Fine Arts site won in the Non-Commercial Website category. Criteria the judges used in making their selection included: marketing goals and purpose; interactivity and user-friendliness; information design and navigation; visual design; and programming and technical aspects. The panel of judges consisted of recognized leaders and experts in the field of digital media.
Experience Fine Arts was developed with prospective art, music, drama and new media students in mind.

"We wanted to provide future students with a glimpse of what they can experience once they come to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge and join our creative community," explains Desmond Rochfort, Faculty of Fine Arts dean.

The site includes videos featuring excerpts from classes, students talking about their experiences, special projects, general information about degree options and a complete list of fine arts events throughout the year.

The website was designed by Jesse Johnstone (BFA '10) during his internship placement in consultation with an advisory committee made up of Desmond Rochfort, Emily Luce, Chris Morris, Venkat Mahadevan and Katherine Wasiak.

The initial group of videos were shot and edited by former new media student Matt Babinec, with the idea being to continue adding and expanding the library of videos. The plan is to refresh the video site on a regular basis by adding between two and four new videos each year.

"It is exciting to have this new and interesting method of reaching prospective students, and to further see it acknowledged with this provincial award," says Rochfort.

U of L duo wins SAAG commission

trevor.kenney — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 16:57:36 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge will play a major part in shaping the look of the new Southern Alberta Art Gallery.

Denton Fredrickson, a U of L alumni and current faculty member in the Department of Art, along with Catherine Ross, a U of L art technician, have been awarded the Public Art commission for the Southern Alberta Art Gallery (SAAG). The piece they create will be an integral part of the new exterior for the SAAG.

Ross and Fredrickson propose to create a giant stringed instrument responsive to the day-to-day wind and light levels in Lethbridge. Visually, the installation reflects a flock of birds both at rest and in flight, appearing to move seamlessly from exterior to interior. The work is expected to be installed by fall 2011.

"It is exactly these kinds of awards and achievements that reflect so well on the creative and research work of the members of the Faculty of Fine Arts," says dean Desmond Rochfort. "It also helps to highlight the excellence of our creative activities and research endeavors, and underscores why the U of L Faculty Fine Arts is increasingly the place of choice in Alberta for those wishing to study fine arts."

Applications for the Public Art commission were received from around the world. The selection committee consisted of representatives from the Allied Arts Council and the SAAG, a community member, an artist and a technical expert.

Campus Kudos

trevor.kenney — Fri, 07 May 2010 17:51:13 +0000

Shelley Scott (Theatre & Dramatic Arts) is presenting a paper called Asian Canadian Women Playwrights: The Ties that Bind at the GENesis Asian-Canadian Theatre Conference, May 3-9 in Toronto. The conference is the first of its kind in Canada.

Three U of L alumni have made the long list (Prairies and North region) for the 2010 Sobey Art Award. Daniel Wong (BFA '03) and Mary-Anne McTrowe (BFA '98), as The Cedar Tavern Singers AKA Les Phonorealistes, and Robyn Moody (BFA '00) are all in the running for this prestigious award.

Deric Olsen (New Media) has been invited to be an artist/filmmaker-in-residence at the New Media Studio Laboratory (NMSL) at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Regina, July 5-9. While there he will work on high definition post-production and delivery methods, and present New Format, New Challenges: Exploring Techniques in High Definition Disc Authoring and Design.

Alumnus Zoran Rajcic (BMgt '94) won the Western Hockey League's 2009-10 Marketing/Public Relations Award. Rajcic is the director of business operations for the Everett Silvertips.

The Faculty of Fine Arts video site (www.lethbridgefinearts.ca) is a finalist in the Best Non-Commercial Website category of Digital Alberta's Media Fresh awards. The web designer was New Media major Jesse Johnston and the advisory committee included:
Dr. Desmond Rochfort, Emily Luce, Chris Morris, Venkat Mahadevan and Katherine Wasiak.

Dr. Ed Jurkowski (Music) presented a paper entitled, How Formal Function Theory can inform Nineteenth-Century Deformed Sonata Designs: A Case Study using Bruckner's Symphonies, at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Arizona (Tucson, Ariz.) during the annual joint meeting of the Rocky Mountain Societies for Music Theory and Musicology.

Dr. Arlan Schultz (Music) had his composition Ikos-kun tu 'bar ba premiered by The Rubbing Stone Ensemble at a concert at the Rozsa Centre in Calgary.

Karen Mahar (dean's office) received a $3,000 scholarship from Alberta Advanced Education in recognition of her exceptional work in her first year as a graduate student. Mahar is now in her second year of an MA in English.

Deanna Oye (Music) and Peter Visentin (Music) presented recitals of solo and duo music at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Manitoba and Canadian Mennonite ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in Winnipeg last month. They also conducted master's classes and lessons in the areas of collaborative piano and violin. Visentin gave a lecture on his research into musicians' injuries to the Medical Rehabilitation Faculty of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Manitoba, and Oye also played a solo recital in Brandon, Man. following a week as senior piano adjudicator at the Brandon Festival of the Arts.

U of L Welcomes New Dean of Fine Arts and ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Librarian

trevor.kenney — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:09:20 +0000

U of L Welcomes New Dean of Fine Arts and ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Librarian Zimbabwe-born muralist Dr. Desmond Rochfort assumed the position of dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts in July, taking over for Dr. Ches Skinner, who had presided over the Faculty for the previous 10 years. Rochfort, who was president of the Alberta College of Art & Design in 1999, was most recently head of the School of Fine Arts at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand. One of Britain's leading public mural artists, Rochfort was trained initially as a painter at the Byam Shaw School of Art in London before graduating with a master's in fine arts from the Royal Academy of Arts in London. He earned his PhD in art history from the Royal College of Art in London.

Also this summer, Edmonton-native Alison Nussbaumer began her term as the new university librarian. This is the fourth educational stop for Nussbaumer, who previously worked at Edmonton's Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) campus, as well as the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Saskatchewan and most recently, Prince George's ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Northern British Columbia (UNBC). Nussbaumer is president of the Canadian Association of College and ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Libraries, as well as a past-president of both the Library Association of Alberta and the British Columbia Library Association. She achieved her undergraduate and library degrees from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta and her master of arts degree from Royal Roads ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in Victoria, B.C.

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