Mark your calendars for these exciting events in August! Engage in thought-provoking conversations, hands-on workshops, and vibrant performances that celebrate diverse cultures and histories. Check back often as we update this story with new and upcoming events.
Image courtesy of the Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery
Conversation: Marianne Nicolson and Jordan Wilson
Saturday, August 10 | 2 PM | Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery
Free admission
Attend a conversation between artist and activist Marianne Nicolson (Kwakwa̱ka̱’wakw, Musga̱maḵw Dzawada̱’enux̱w), and curator and writer Jordan Wilson (Musqueam) on the current exhibition This Is An Emergency Broadcast. Learn how it emerges from investigations into the history of political activism.
Stitching Resistance: Palestinian Tatreez Workshop with Rawan Hassan
Sunday, August 11, 2024 | 1-4 PM | Museum of Anthropology
Explore the values and identities embedded in this rich artistic tradition. Celebrating histories of resilience and the futurity of Palestinian culture and community, participants will visit historical examples of tatreez, practice embroidering traditional Palestinian motifs, and learn about Hassan’s artistic practice.
Tours: Outdoor Art Collection
Until August 14 | Self-guided and guided tours available | Morris and Helen Belkin Gallery
Tour selected artworks on the UBC campus and reflect on questions of home, territory, and relationships to the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam). Two tours are available:
- The Decolonization tour highlights site-specific artworks by Indigenous artists and raises questions about issues of place, space and identity.
- The Ecologies and Economies tour showcases artworks that engage with themes related to both social ecologies and the natural world, and people’s relationship with their surroundings on campus.
ResiStories: Living Archives of Pride
Thursday, August 22 | 5:30 PM | Museum of Vancouver
Emceed by Shay Dior, prepare to be wowed by drag performances from Continental Breakfast, Count Cupid, and Mx Bukuru—who are taking inspiration from queer historical moments and icons to create their sets. Plus, scholars of queer culture and archives—and drag of course—will share info on the lesser-known references in each performance. This event is created in partnership with the UBC Public Humanities Hub.
Culture Club at MOA: Imprints of the Land
Sunday, August 25 | 11 AM – 2 PM | Museum of Anthropology
This month, experiment with printmaking techniques to explore our connection to the land. Play with colourful nature-themed stamps, carve your own linocut print, or create a cyanotype image using gathered materials in the summer sun. Create visual stories about your favourite family memories in nature, or artfully reflect on your impact on the land.
ONGOING
Image credit: Sḵwx̱wú7mesh and Kwakwaka’wakw leaders and community members on their float in the Diamond Jubilee Parade, Vancouver, 1946. Photographer unrecorded. Photo courtesy of City of Vancouver archives [371-34]. Sourced from Museum Of Anthropology, UBC.
To Be Seen, To Be Heard: First Nations in Public Spaces, 1900–1965
Ongoing | 5 PM | Museum of Anthropology
This multimedia exhibition of large-scale archival photographs and film explores how, during the period of potlatch prohibition and other forms of erasure in Canada, First Nations people of British Columbia represented themselves as Indigenous in urban public spaces—at parades, protests, royal visits, tourist markets, civic jubilees, and intertribal gatherings. Looking back through a rich trove of archival material reveals the diverse ways that First Nations worked to be seen and heard, striving to have their rights recognized—rights to their lands, their laws, and their future.
Image credit: Image from In Pursuit of Venus [Infected], 2015-2017. Courtesy of Lisa Reihana, New Zealand at Venice, and Artprojects. Sourced from Museum of Anthropology, UBC.
In Pursuit Of Venus [Infected]
Ongoing | 5 PM | Museum of Anthropology
Experience the Western Canada premiere of Māori artist Lisa Reihana’s monumental installation, which vividly brings to life the relationships of Māori and Pacific Indigenous people with their cultural heritage. This exploration delves into issues of identity, gender, and colonial violence by reimagining the Neoclassical wallpaper Les sauvages de la mer Pacifique.
Image credit: Marianne Nicolson And Althea Thauberger, Hexsa’a̱m: To Be There Always, 2018.
This Is An Emergency Broadcast
Now – August 11 | Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery | Free admission
This Is An Emergency Broadcast connects Indigenous political advocacy with the forms of communication offered by community radio, countering power chronicles of state and corporate media and, in its self-determination, offering space for reignited narratives. A project with artist and activist Marianne Nicolson (Musgamakw Dzawada’enuxw), this exhibition occupies the Belkin space with audio recordings that clarify a history of Indigenous articulation, collective organization, and opposition to colonial forces.
JULY
An Evening with ALOK
Saturday, July 6 | 8 PM | Chan Shun Concert Hall
Tickets: $17-82
Catch a rare chance to experience an unforgettable live show and an in-depth conversation with Alok Vaid-Menon. ALOK blends poetry, comedy, lecture, and performance to challenge conformity, champion authenticity, and inspire a deeper understanding of identity and love.
J. Patrick Raftery presents: A Spanish Hour?
Saturday, July 27 | 2 PM and 5 PM | Telus Studio Theatre
Tickets: $15-25
Based on the Ravel original by the same name, this re-imagining features an all-out team from the queer community taking charge of their own passionate selves and sex lives.
Culture Club at MOA: Future Ancestor
Sunday, July 28 | 11 AM – 12 PM | Museum of Anthropology
Free with museum admission
Join the Museum of Anthropology this month for meaningful art-making and intergenerational learning. Inspired by MOA’s 1976 time capsule, create your own time capsules, letters to the future, and future ancestor journals to preserve memories and family values.
MAY
Image courtesy of the artists
Aqueous Nerve: UBC Master of Fine Arts Graduate Exhibition 2024
May 3 – June 2 | Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery
Free
The Belkin is pleased to present an exhibition of work by the 2024 graduates of UBC’s two-year Master of Fine Arts program. Through interdisciplinary group critiques, weekly seminars, artist talks, open studios and advisor discussions, students develop advanced techniques and expand critical concepts to emerge with a particular direction for their studio practice.
Dia Mundial da Língua Portuguesa (World Portuguese Language Day)
Tuesday, May 14 | 4 PM | Room 726, Buchanan Tower | Free
World Portuguese Language Day honours the rich linguistic and cultural legacy shared by Portuguese-speaking nations, uniting diverse countries and peoples worldwide—from Portugal to Brazil, East Timor to Mozambique. Enjoy typical food, snacks, and refreshments from Portugal and Brazil, while listening to remarks from Stefania Burk (Arts Associate Dean, Academic), the Consul Generals of Brazil and Portugal, and other guests.
Great Canadian Beach & Park Cleanup Party
May 16, June 7, July 18, August 15 | Various locations
Free
Join the UBC School of Information for four fun-filled afternoons of friendly competition while helping the environment. Cleanup sessions will be held monthly from May to August, and you can participate on any date of your choice. Each piece of trash collected contributes to cleaning up our communities, with prizes awarded to those who collect the most pieces across all sessions!
