Arts meets Athletics at the Tour de Nipissing
This past Saturday, the Tour de Nipissing OUA Nordic Skiing Championships in downtown North Bay featured three ambitious art installations courtesy Nipissing’s Fine and Performing Arts department.
The S.T.A.G (student temporary art gallery) - a mobile exhibition of students’ artwork mounted in an old ice fishing shack was on site in front of the Discovery North Museum. Students from every level of study, working in a range of disciplines were represented in this display. Dr. Susan Cahill, Assistant Professor from the Department of Fine and Performing Arts and Stephanie McKnight, a 4th-year BFA student, organized and curated the project. The S.T.A.G. has been temporarily relocated next to Monastery Hall and is open to everyone. It will be there until the end of March, so if you didn't get a chance to see it at the Tour de Nipissing, please come by and check it out.
Amanda Burk, Associate Professor in the Department of Fine and Performing Arts also worked with two groups of drawing students to produce site-specific artworks. The first was a Campfire Project, motivated by this year's Tour de Nipissing's theme of home and community. The idea of a campfire surfaced quickly as a place where people come together. This artwork featured the drawings of 15 students. Each student produced a drawing on a flame shaped board that represented their ideas about community and what brings community together. This piece was installed in front of Discovery North and encouraged people to gather.
The second project was titled the Finding Place Project. This project was also motivated by the theme of home, as well as the theme of water. For this piece, six students contributed a drawing that represented their personal interpretation of the theme of water. Each produced their drawing on a flag. The same students also contributed a drawing on a wooden sign contemplating the idea of home which became part of a larger signpost. The flags and signpost were installed along the edge of the ski track. The visual presence of these projects were intended to align themselves with the experiences connected to Nordic Skiing and also contribute to the experience of visitors and participants attending the Tour de Nipissing.
"As an artist, it is always exciting and meaningful to be able to connect your work to the community,” said Burk. “I know that my students were motivated by the idea of making work that was site-specific and engaged with this event. Site-specific and collaborative artwork presents a significant challenge, but my students rose to the occasion and the results were exceptional."
The Department of Fine and Performing Arts would like to extend a sincere thank you to Lieann Koivukoski who organized the Tour de Nipissing and who offered the opportunity to participate.