On Saturday, November 9, 2013 the Chair of the Department of Art History and representatives from five student-run and student-staffed initiatives welcomed visitors to Concordia.
Dr Cynthia Hammond, Chair of the Department of Art History, teamed up with twelve undergraduate and graduate students in Art History to show visitors to Open House what they can expect in terms of teamwork and professional development if they choose to study art history at Concordia University.
Dr Janice Anderson, co-founder of the Canadian Artists History Initiative (CWAHI) co-presented the group's historic research, online activities, and public profile with the help of undergraduates Aditi Ohri, Braden Scott, and Zoe Wonfor, who have all played significant roles in this year's accomplishments.
Erika Couto, MA candidate in Art History, shared the mandate and activities of the Aboriginal Art Research Group (AARG), a new group dedicated to the better understanding and representation of First Nations' art and cultural production. Undergraduate Brittany Watson and MA candidate Adrienne Johnson presented the work of the Ethnocultural Art Histories Research Group, or EAHR, which began as a course project but now is a fully self-sustaining student-led project that mounts exhibitions, organizes conferences and events, and liaises with scholars and students across Canada.
Two EAHR-associated curators presented the current display in the Department of Art History exhibition space, the Vitrine, and spoke about its relation to the exhibition, Empathy, opening Monday November 11th in the VAV Gallery - also an EAHR event. Lianne Zannier welcomed visitors to the Fine Arts Reading Room (FARR) - an independent, student-run arts library, exhibition space, and community centre, with a remarkable print collection.
Undergraduate Katerina Korola, who is also Editor in Chief of the Canadian Undergraduate Journal of Art History (CUJAH) shared several copies of the current journal with visitors, and explained the value of peer-reviewed publishing, and the benefits of editing at the professional level. In all, the student presenters gave an inspired and inspiring collective display of their accomplishments, and extended a warm invitation to all visitors to share in these activities and be an active part of the discipline of art history.