UNews - Antigonish

Lasting Images - Rita McKeough

trevor.kenney — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 21:29:36 +0000

Rita McKeough was born in 1951 in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. She received a BFA from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary and a MFA from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design before settling in Calgary, where she currently teaches at the Alberta College of Art and Design.

Rita McKeough, Two Urban Scroungers, 1984. From the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Art Collection; Gift of the artist, 1994.

McKeough has been a committed multi-disciplinary artist for over 30 years, and has exhibited extensively in group and solo exhibitions across Canada and internationally, including exhibitions at the Walter Phillips Gallery (Banff), Plug-In Gallery (Winnipeg), Nuit Blanche (Toronto) and the National Gallery of Canada. In 2009, McKeough was the recipient of the Governor General's Award in Visual and Media Arts, and the following year was selected for the Alberta Biennial of Contemporary Art at the Art Gallery of Alberta.

McKeough's practice is informed by her interest in social issues, idealism and a belief in art's ability to spur social change. Her performances and installations – often complex, collaborative efforts – touch on issues such as displacement, domestic abuse and ecological damage. Though her subject matter is often politically charged, McKeough opens a dialogue with the viewer through a disarming sense of humour and play.

Rita McKeough, Urban Uprising, 1984. From the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Art Collection; P.U.L.P. print gift, 1984.

McKeough's Urban Scroungers multi-media piece creates an interactive environment for the viewer through sound and sculptural objects, and points to McKeough's concern over urban sprawl and the voracity of corporate expansion.

McKeough's newest installation, The Lion's Share, is on view in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Main Gallery until Jan. 5, 2012.

This story first appeared in the December 2011 issue of the Legend. If you'd like to see the full issue in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Patzer, Langevin earn national awards

trevor.kenney — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:36:38 +0000

Fifth-year ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge fly-half/fullback Ashley Patzer was named player of the year in Canadian Interuniversity Sport women's rugby for the second time in her career, Thursday night.

The Lethbridge native, who was first honoured in 2006, became the third double MVP since women's rugby was added to the CIS program back in 1998. St. Francis Xavier's Ghislaine Landry earned back-to-back MVP nods in 2007 and 2008, while Alberta's Heather Denkhaus claimed the trophy in 1999 and was a co-recipient in 2000.

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Ashley Patzer, Lethbridge

Patzer is one of the most decorated players in the short history of CIS women's rugby. The five-foot-two Pronghorns captain was named CIS rookie of the year in 2005, was chosen MVP of last year's CIS championship when she guided the Pronghorns to their second straight national title, and is now a two-time CIS player of the year (2009, 2006) and four-time all-Canadian (2009, 2007, 2006, 2005).

In her fifth and final university campaign, Patzer tallied a Canada West-best 40 points in four outings – four tries, seven converts, two penalty goals – as the Pronghorns cruised through the regular season outscoring their rivals by a 217-7 margin over four wins. In the playoffs, the 22-year-old was named game MVP of the conference final after she scored 15 points on a try, two drop goals and a pair of converts to lead Lethbridge to a 30-0 win over Alberta and a fourth straight Canada West banner.

A third-year kinesiology student at Lethbridge, Patzer is a member of Canada's senior and sevens national teams. In 2006, she captained the Canadian U19 squad to a win over England.

"Ashley has reinforced her reputation as an all-round phenom," said Lethbridge head coach Neil Langevin. "To call her dynamic would be an understatement. She has continued to be an inspirational leader for her teammates and has developed to be one of the top players in the world."

StFX's Ghislaine Landry, Laval's Claudiane Renaud and McMaster's Nina Bui were the other nominees for CIS MVP honours.

Other CIS major award winners announced during the All-Canadian Gala include Concordia's Hughanna Gaw of Elgin, Que., who was named the nation's top freshman, Bishop's Frances Bajdik-Bova of Ottawa, who received the Student-Athlete Community Service award, and Lethbridge's Neil Langevin, who was named coach of the year, an award presented by Coaches of Canada.

COACH OF THE YEAR: presented by Coaches of Canada: Neil Langevin, Lethbridge

Langevin became the first coach from a Canada West program to be named CIS coach of the year.

In his 10th campaign at the helm, Langevin guided the Pronghorns to a 4-0 regular season record, a 2-0 playoff mark including a 30-0 win over five-time national champion Alberta in the gold-medal final, and a fourth straight conference banner. In six Canada West meetings, Lethbridge outscored its opponents 333-7. On Sept. 12, the 'Horns also travelled to Antigonish, N.S., where they scored a 17-12 exhibition victory over the 12-time AUS champion StFX X-Women in a rematch of last year's CIS final, won 29-15 by Lethbridge.

The only head coach in Pronghorns history and a two-time Canada West coach of the year (2009, 2002), Langevin led his troops to the podium in each of their four previous CIS championship appearances including a bronze medal in 2003, silver in 2006 and back-to-back Monilex trophy triumphs in 2007 and 2008. A schoolteacher in the Lethbridge School District, he served as head coach of Canada's senior national team from 2004 to 2007 – including a fourth-place finish at the Rugby World Cup in 2006 – and was at the helm of the Canadian U23 squad in 2003.

"Neil has done a wonderful job building a program that we are very proud of," said Lethbridge executive director of sport and recreation Sandy Slavin. "Neil and his staff have worked tirelessly over the years, building a championship calibre team from scratch."

Saint Mary's Dawn MacDonald, Bishop's Eryn Hessian and McMaster's Sandro Fiorino were named coach of the year in the AUS, QSSF and OUA, respectively, in 2009.

ALL-CANADIAN TEAM

The all-Canadian team was also announced on Thursday with both Ashley Patzer and teammate Ashley MacDonald being named from the Pronghorns. It is the second straight honour for MacDonald and fourth overall for Patzer.

Rizos recognized by Canada West

trevor.kenney — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 18:11:27 +0000

Mackenzie Rizos has become a well-known name around the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge campus by taking the term "student-athlete" to heart.

Rizos, the Pronghorns women's hockey team goaltender, earned a pair of honours this week and has been nominated for a national award thanks to her all-around ability. Named a second-team Canada West All-star for her on-ice performance this past season, the Calgary native is also the Canada West nominee for the Marion Hilliard student-athlete award.

"Mackenzie is a hard working student-athlete that strives to excel in her studies as well as in her sport," says Pronghorns head coach Chandy Kaip. "She is always asking questions and finding new ways to succeed on and off the ice. I look forward to her next three years, she will be a top contender each year for student-athlete as well as top goaltender in the Canada West."

Since her arrival at the U of L, Rizos, a second-year pre-management student, has been the consummate student-athlete. In three semesters she has a cumulative grade point average of 3.53 and was an Academic All-Canadian as a freshman. She was also the recipient of a Board of Governors Entrance Scholarship as well as a Jason Lang Scholarship Recipient, the post-secondary institute's nomination award for academic excellence.

She says her hard work in the classroom is matched by a willingness from ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ professors to be flexible with an athletes' unique needs.

"The profs here are really supportive. They find out you're a student-athlete and they try and make any accommodations for you that they can," she says. "Whether you are missing classes or tests, they've all been very helpful."

On the ice, Mackenzie has been a stalwart between the pipes and despite the Pronghorns missing the playoffs, earned Canada West Second Team All-Star status. She made 21 appearances for the Pronghorns this season and had a save percentage of .891.

Rizos also organized Mackenzie's Bike Across Canada for Cancer, in which she biked the equivalent distance from Victoria, B.C. to St. John's, Nfld., raising awareness and donations. Rizos helps out at numerous hockey camps and participates in the youth hockey day in Coaldale for youth recreational hockey.

Rizos is now a finalist for the national student-athlete award. Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) will hand out the award at the 2009 national women's hockey championship, hosted by St. Francis Xavier ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in Antigonish, N.S., Mar. 19-22.

UNews - Antigonish

Lasting Images - Rita McKeough

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Patzer, Langevin earn national awards

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Rizos recognized by Canada West

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