In a week-long workshop called Ignite: Your Future as an Artist, MFA students explored essential professional skills, including legal and bookkeeping basics, art pricing strategies, and effective approaches to communicating their artistic brand.

The first of its kind at UM, Ignite is an exciting partnership between IDEA START and The Centre for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning (The Centre), and participating schools or faculties.

“Ignite demonstrates the power of collaboration. IDEA START initially connected the School of Art with The Centre. The School of Art provided important direction on program nuance and introductions to appropriate artists who could serve as guest speakers. And, The Centre designed and delivered the workshop,” said Janine Carmichael, Faculty Specialist for Entrepreneurship at The Centre who facilitated the workshop together with Jackie Hope, Educational Developer at The Centre.

Hope, who makes adventure films with her husband Ray, recently appeared on the IDEA START Podcast to share about their filmmaking company Midlife Mountaineer. “Ignite was an exciting project to be a part of. How lucky am I to spend a week with these talented students in a program that combines my love of art, entrepreneurship and education?”

Key features of Ignite: Your Future as an Artist included:

• Panel discussion with alumni and staff from the School of Art who have had commercial success in their career
• Career planning and networking with the Career, Community and Experiential Learning Centre
• Focus on legal and accounting best practices, including a student presentation from the Manitoba Legal Clinic for the Arts in the Faculty of Law
• Art pricing strategies
• Meaningful reflection activities

“A highlight of the week was the day spent off campus. Shaun Mayberry, co-owner of Mayberry Fine Art, gave students an insider’s look at gallery operations and practical tips for approaching and working with galleries. The day continued with lunch at Creative Manitoba, where staff shared the programs and supports they offer to help Manitoba artists thrive. The day wrapped up with a tour of three UM faculty’s studio spaces, giving students a close look at professional practices,” Carmichael added.

Associate Director of Graduate Programs, Dr. Oliver Botar added: “Every second year our MFA students participate in a week-long workshop on curation. We are so pleased to now offer this workshop on the alternate years. It’s important for students to wrestle with the thorny issues of artistic integrity and commercial viability while they are in our program.”

As for Carmichael and Hope, they can’t wait to do it again.

“Students in the MFA program are incredibly creative and curious and we can’t wait to refine our next offering for them in 2027. We also can’t wait to partner with other schools and faculties who want to do something similar,” Carmichael added.

Because Ignite bridges curricular and co-curricular learning, it can be fully customized with program length, learning goals, delivery format and more.    

Interested? Please reach out to Janine Carmichael, Faculty Specialist, Entrepreneurship in The Centre for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning (CATL).

Opening Reception Details:

• Date: Friday, May 17, 2024
• Time: 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM
• Location: School of Art Gallery, 255 ARTlab, 180 Dafoe Road, University of Manitoba

Exhibition Overviews:

Agata Garbowska: hauntings
hauntings leverages personal archives to delve into the phenomena of hauntings in relation to print media, memory, and time. Through the iterative processes of collage, printing, and reassembling, Garbowska investigates how past and remembered experiences shape our present. This exhibition invites viewers to ponder the decay of nostalgia and the transformation of built worlds into ruins.

• Public Thesis Defence: Thursday, May 23, 1:00 PM CT

Takashi Iwasaki: In My Living Room
In this exhibition, Iwasaki captures a moment of joy through the creation of tangible objects designed for intimate spaces like a living room. Working with clay, his works range from maquettes to functional pieces doubling as furniture, reflecting ongoing explorations of form and utility. This installation reflects Iwasaki’s indulgence in creativity and the ephemeral nature of pleasure.

• Public Thesis Defence: Wednesday, June 12, 10:00 AM CT

Benjamin Perron: What If the Sun Didn’t Rise
Perron challenges the conventions of photography by embracing alternative and experimental processes. Using materials like expired photographic paper and natural elements, his works encourage a slower, more contemplative engagement with art, aiming to reestablish a more embodied relationship with the world.

• Public Thesis Defence: Tuesday, May 21, 9:00 AM CT

We invite all art enthusiasts, students, and members of the community to join us in celebrating the achievements of these artists. Experience the power of new art and ideas that push the boundaries of traditional media and conceptual art practices. Don’t miss this exciting opportunity to explore the latest in contemporary art at the University of Manitoba.

For more details about the artists and defence dates, visit https://umanitoba.ca/art/exhibitions-and-events#2024-mfa-thesis-exhibitions

The project’s next implementation prioritizes the system’s security. On April 3, 2024, the VIP Evolution project will enable Entra MFA (multi-factor authentication) for VIP/ESS. Multi-factor authentication is a crucial tool in safeguarding the university’s sensitive data.

Entra MFA’s successful integration into numerous UM systems makes its extension to VIP/ESS an instrumental stride in fortifying data security.

What will change?

The most noticeable change will be the login experience for all users. As with other MFA-protected university systems, you will now log in using your email address and password instead of your UMNetID. You will then receive a message requesting you verify your identity through Entra MFA.

To prepare our employees for this modification, the VIP Evolution project conducted several information sessions and ran a soft launch to gather feedback. The project team found that the new authentication experience does not drastically impact the overall user experience. However, you will have to log in to VIP/ESS every time you want to access it.

“Validating the logout function is an important security feature to keep private information safe,” explains project architect Lonnie Smetana. “We will have to log in to VIP/ESS even if we are already logged in to university systems in a browser. We must also re-authenticate if we close our browser or if our VIP session times out,” Smetana adds.

What does it mean to you?

Before the implementation on April 3, 2024, all staff should ensure they have set up Entra MFA and are using either the Microsoft Authenticator app or a hardware token to verify their identity. For those already using it, the transition will be seamless – begin using it for VIP/ESS when prompted.

Ensuring our data is protected is a shared responsibility, and we all have a role to play in safeguarding our university from data breaches.

We welcome your feedback and suggestions regarding this change and thank you for your cooperation during this transition.

Please feel free to contact the IST Service Desk with any questions or concerns.

How to add your second-factor device

Option 1

1. Open a browser (Google Chrome is recommended) and go to http://portal.office.com. 
2. Enter your UM username and password. 
3. Duo will prompt you to add your second-factor device. Follow the prompts to complete your setup. 

Option 2

Duo will prompt you to add your device the first time you log in to an MFA-protected service like UM email.

If you want to see what adding a device in Duo looks like before you proceed, please review our text-based instructions:

• How to enrol your second-factor device in Duo MFA (PDF) 
• How to enrol your second-factor device in Duo MFA (.doc) 

Did you know?

Duo MFA gives you the option to add more than one second-factor device. Add a back-up second-factor in case your first option is not available.

Visit https://umanitoba.ca/multi-factor-authentication for more information about using Duo MFA.  

If you are unable to use a mobile device with Duo MFA, please contact the IST Service Desk at 204-474-8600 to request an alternative option.  

Thank you for your support and cooperation!

Opening Reception: Thursday, May 19, 5:00 to 8:00 pm, School of Art, ARTlab, 180 Dafoe Road, University of Manitoba.

Performance: Jimmie Kilpatrick, May 18, 10:00 am, School of Art Gallery Lobby

 Oral Exam Schedule (registration required to attend)

• Christopher Reid Flock:  May 20, 10 am. Soundstage, 156 ARTlab + Zoom
• Tracy Fehr: May 20, 1 pm. School of Art Gallery
• PJ Anderson: May 24, 10 am. School of Art Gallery
• Jimmie Kilpatrick: May 24, 1 pm. Facilitated on Zoom
• Pani Bolbolabadi: May 25, 1 pm. School of Art Gallery

The Exhibitions:

PJ Anderson: the weapons we become

May 19 to June 24, 2022

PJ Anderson’s ceramic work references ancient techniques and, through their use, explores our relationship with new technologies. Her works aim to disrupt systems that continue to favour a Western colonial paradigm. She creates spaces that question what more we can be when we include other stories in our narrative.

PJ Anderson is a ceramic artist from Thompson, Manitoba, Canada.  She is currently serving as a director at large for the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) and is a Master of Fine Art candidate at the University of Manitoba. Her work explores the weaponization of culture, digital spaces and the role of reclaimed traditional culture in identity expressions.

Pani Bolbolabadi: EXO

May 19 to June 24, 2022

In recent years, Pani Bolbolabadi has been building a body of work that addresses the relationship between electronic objects and humans. She explores the overlapping spaces of nature and culture and the role of technology in society, using insect patterning and morphologies in combination with recycled computer packaging and electronic components.

Childhood memories have inspired Pani’s works—the city she was raised in as well as her father as an electrical engineer. Since electricity, cables, and electric components have a massive effect on modern life, people’s day-to-day lives are indebted to them. In today’s digital age, cables and electric components are tools that surround us, passing through mountains, roads, and streets to reach our homes, penetrating our walls to transmit electrical currents so we can live more comfortably. Fences of cables entangle us, forming a barrier between ourselves and the environment—as the skin is to living flesh.

Pani Bolbolabadi was born in Rasht, Iran in 1993. She received bachelor’s degree in Painting from Guilan University in Iran. She is now enrolled in the Master of Fine Art program at the University of Manitoba, Canada. Pani is a multidisciplinary artist who works in mixed media, painting, drawing, installation, sculpture, assemblage, and video. Her work has been featured in two solo exhibitions and in seven group exhibitions in Iran. In 2019, she won third place in the 4th Guilan biennial of painting.

Tracy Charette Fehr: MOTHERLAND

May 19 to June 24, 2022

Tracy Charette Fehr is an interdisciplinary artist from Manitoba who is descended from Red River Métis and Mennonite settlers. She is currently working in textiles, sculpture and clay. Her work in thread is inspired by the painstakingly executed needlework of her Métis foremothers who blended and balanced European and Indigenous influences in their work. She is intensely curious about Métis experience – especially that of the women, who are not always well-represented.

The mixed media works in her exhibit pay homage her Métis ancestors, grandmothers, mother, aunts and sisters. Her works in textile, photo collage embroidery, beadwork, print, and sculpture have emerged, in part, from the past two years of research in archives and museum collections. The foundation for the work, however, is derived from the lived experience and in-person conversations with the Métis women in her family. Their strength, resilience and creativity are the essence of her installation.

Tracy Charette Fehr is an interdisciplinary Métis artist who lives north of Winnipeg with her family. She is completing a Master of Fine Art degree at the University of Manitoba with special interest in Métis material culture: beading, quill work and embroidery. She is a recipient of Canada Council for the Arts and Manitoba Arts Council grants for both research and creation. In 2021-2022 she participated as Masters Student Scholar in the Manitoba Museum’s program to revitalize Indigenous Arts.

Christopher Reid Flock: Process as Vacuum

May 19 to June 2, 2022

Within Process as Vacuum, Christopher Reid Flock’s thought processes have materialized in a physical piece as a fist full of colourfully, chorally sharp shards linked to clay processes. Precariously in isolation, momentarily caught in a literal sense of materiality, this process as vacuum, this figurative gesture, leans into vulnerability. He has reached into “potentiality” and trusted his grip. From that reach he presents an inverted snapshot of holding the chaotic as form. Here, he emulates creative play and the agency of possibility.

Christopher Reid Flock is about to complete his Master of Fine Art in Ceramics. In 1997 he began a ceramic mentorship with Canadian Kayo O’Young, followed by ceramic studies at Sheridan College School of Ceramic Design. In 1999 he moved to Japan, beginning a ten-year, self-guided cultural and studio immersion. Four years after returning to Canada, Flock achieved a world first with Siemens Canada and Mohawk College by CT scanning a 6000BCE Jomon-yaki vessel.

He was short-listed for the permanent outdoor ceramic sculpture by the Gardiner Museum, recipient of the 2014 Winifred Shantz Award for Ceramics, the 2015 Founders Award at the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition, and has received three grants from Canada Council for the Arts.

As a clay educator Flock facilitates his practice through national workshops, guest artist presentations and has provided clay programming within the private, college, and university systems.

His work can be found in both national and international private collections: the Canadian Embassy in Paris, France, Yingge Ceramics Museum, the residence of the Prime Minister of Canada, Clay and Glass Gallery, and the Art Gallery of Burlington.

Jimmie Kilpatrick: SONGS FOR DAFOE ROAD

May 19 to June 2, 2022

Jimmie Kilpatrick says he wants to be a better listener. In his studio, he has been making kinetic sound sculptures which both hear and make sound. Some of them hear the sound that they make, others make the sound that they hear. Some of them do both. These sculptures foreground the reciprocal relationship between speaking and listening. Jimmie says, “Listening is giving. Listening is not easy. I want to be a better listener.”

Jimmie Kilpatrick is a musician and interdisciplinary artist based in Brandon, Manitoba. He’s been touring regularly and releasing records on Toronto’s You’ve Changed Records since 2009. He has appeared on recordings by John K. Samson, Christine Fellows, Joel Plaskett and By Divine Right. Kilpatrick holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Brandon University and is currently a Master of Fine Art candidate at the University of Manitoba. In 2018, he was the Manitoba winner of the BMO 1stART! competition. Presently, he is working with kinetic sound sculpture to explore overlap between visual art and music/sound.

Contact the Gallery:

255 ARTlab

180 Dafoe Road

University of Manitoba, Fort Garry Campus

Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2

Telephone: 204-474-9322

Email: gallery@umanitoba.ca

Visit the Gallery:

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, 9:30 am – 5:00 pm; Thursday, 9:30 am – 8:00 pm

Free parking on campus after 4:30 pm and on weekends.

https://umanitoba.ca/parking

Staff and faculty are required to regularly log in to the university network to maintain to the activation of software licenses and to receive security patches and software updates.

This October, you will be encouraged to add an additional security factor when signing in to the virtual private network (VPN).

What is MFA?

Multi-factor authentication or MFA adds an extra layer of security to your university accounts to protect you, your data and university systems from unauthorized access and phishing attacks. 

Verifying your identity using a second factor such as your phone or mobile device prevents others from accessing your accounts, even if they know your password.

“Traditional security methods like passwords are no longer enough,” says Patrick McCarthy, director of information security and compliance. 

“Bad actors have become skilled at exposing the weaknesses of password-based authentication. One effective method to successfully mitigate this vulnerability is adding an additional security layer with multi-factor authentication.”

How does it work?

Using multi-factor authentication is simple:

1. Self-enroll by registering your phone or mobile device in Duo. You only have to enrol once.
2. Use Pulse Secure to connect to the VPN and enter your username and password.
3. Use your phone or mobile device to verify your identity.
4. You’re securely logged in!

Note: If you are unable to use a mobile device for MFA, please contact the IST Service Desk at 204-474-8600 for more options. 

Why is it important?

With an increase in remote work, more staff are using the virtual private network (VPN) to connect to a variety of systems, using both university-managed and personal home computers. 

And, because VPN is accessible from anywhere on the Internet, cyber security advisers expect VPN attacks to increase. Non-profit cyber security agencies and government bodies like the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security strongly recommend that organizations enable multi-factor authentication to protect VPN accounts from unauthorized access.

The university will begin rolling out multi-factor authentication to all staff and faculty VPN users starting October 13, 2020.  You will receive an email notification and enrollment instructions when MFA is rolled out to your area.

Win a prize!

Enrol in Duo and use multi-factor authentication to connect to the VPN this October and November to qualify! Visit our Cyber Security Awareness Month website for contest details.  

If you have any questions or concerns about this new initiative, please contact the Service Desk at 204-474-8600.