The fine art of research

More than 40 Concordia professors, graduate students and alumni will present their research at this year’s Universities Art Association of Canada (UAAC) conference and its affiliated exhibition at the FOFA Gallery, Contested Site: Archives and the City.

The UAAC conference, which Concordia will host from November 1 to 3, is a prestigious annual event that attracts hundreds of delegates from across Canada and beyond.

Its primary role is to get a picture of contemporary Canadian scholarship in visual and material art, says Anne Whitelaw, a Concordia art history professor and UAAC’s vice-president. That means there will be a great variety of topics, which have been grouped by theme into 56 panels.

Anne Whitelaw stands beside one of the works from the Contested Site: Archives and the City exhibition at the Faculty of Fine Arts (FOFA) Gallery. | Photo by ARHPhoto

“From medieval art to contemporary indigenous performance art, from the connection between art and neuroscience to sustainable design education, there will be a wide array of research presented,” Whitelaw says.

Beyond presentations, the conference serves as an opportunity to network, to promote graduate programs and for the UAAC to show its advocacy role in the visual arts in Canada, an example of which is the association’s 2008 denouncement of the Conservative government for cancelling the development of a home for the National Portrait Gallery.

“The conference is also showcasing the research strength of Concordia’s faculty,” says Whitelaw. “My colleagues produce an insane amount of research.”

As well as papers, the conference will also celebrate the diverse artistic outcomes of scholarly inquiry: the FOFA Gallery will present a peer-reviewed exhibition that highlights the emerging phenomenon of research/creation. Through printmaking, video, photography, storytelling, performance and more, Contested Site: Archives and the City will showcase the work of Concordia’s fine arts community.

While the exhibition will run from October 22 to November 16, the vernissage will be held on November 1 to officially kick off the UAAC conference.

Related links:
•    More details 
•    Contested Site: Archives and the City
•    Department of Art History