School for the Contemporary Arts

Identity area

Type of entity

Corporate body

Authorized form of name

School for the Contemporary Arts

Parallel form(s) of name

    Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules

      Other form(s) of name

      • Centre for the Arts (1977 - 1990)
      • Centre for Communications and the Arts (1966 - 1977)
      • Communications Centre (1965 - 1966)

      Identifiers for corporate bodies

      Description area

      Dates of existence

      1965 -

      History

      The School for the Contemporary Arts is a department within the university's Faculty of Arts committed to the study, production and promotion of contemporary art. The School offers a graduate Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree, and undergraduate programs in art and culture, dance, film, music, theatre and visual art. Exhibit and performance are integral to the curriculum. The School also includes the Praxis Centre for Screenwriters; located in downtown Vancouver, Praxis is a non-profit organization devoted to the professional development of Canadian screenwriters and filmmakers.

      The School's history can be divided into three broad periods: its origins as a Centre within the Faculty of Education in the university's early years (1965-1969); its years as an independent Centre emphasizing public-events programming (1970-1976); and its formation as an academic unit offering credit courses and degree programs (1976-).

      In the university's first year of operation (1965), the Faculty of Education was organized into several Centres, including the Communications Centre (renamed the Centre for Communications and the Arts in 1966). The Centre's mandate included instructional programming (credit and non-credit courses in communications, media studies and the fine and performing arts) and public programming (theatre productions, films, art exhibits, lectures and demonstrations). In the fine and performing arts, artists were engaged as faculty and university residents, accessible to students and the university community through performances, exhibits, workshops, seminars and special events.

      Over 1969 and 1970 the Faculty of Education reorganized; the Centre transferred out of the Faculty and reported instead first to the Director of General Studies, then to the Director of University Services (1971). The Centre retained its functions of public-events programming and provision of non-credit, non-degree instruction in the arts, while academic credit programming was transferred to the newly formed Department of Communication Studies in the Faculty of Education. During this period, the Centre focussed its energies on organizing the cultural life of the university, with an extensive series of public programs, including a full-scale production of Henry Purcell's 17th-century opera, "Dido and Aeneas" in 1973. The Purcell String Quartet became the SFU's Quartet-in-Residence in 1972, an association that continued until 1982.

      In 1976 the Centre was reorganized as the Centre for the Arts, a department within the Faculty of Interdisciplinary Studies. Its mandate was to develop credit programs in the fine and performing arts, while inheriting its predecessor's public-programming functions, including management of both the university Theatre and Art Gallery. In 1984 the Centre sustained a large funding cut, approximately a third of its budget. Its home faculty -- the Faculty of Interdisciplinary Studies -- was disbanded in 1985 and the Centre moved to the Faculty of Arts. Despite these circumstances, the Centre continued to develop its academic programs, and in addition established strong professional development programs with the the annual Summer Institute series of intensive programs (1986-1994) and the Praxis Centre for Screenwriting (1986-).

      In 1990 the Centre changed its name to the present form, the School for the Contemporary Arts. In the same year, the School created a graduate Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree.

      Places

      Legal status

      Functions, occupations and activities

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      Internal structures/genealogy

      General context

      Relationships area

      Related entity

      Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (1965 - )

      Identifier of related entity

      Category of relationship

      hierarchical

      Dates of relationship

      1985 -

      Description of relationship

      School for the Contemporary Arts reports to Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

      Related entity

      Faculty of Interdisciplinary Studies (1972 - 1985)

      Identifier of related entity

      Category of relationship

      hierarchical

      Dates of relationship

      1977 - 1985

      Description of relationship

      School for the Contemporary Arts reports to Faculty of Interdisciplinary Studies

      Related entity

      Office of the Vice-President, University Services (1971 - 1977)

      Identifier of related entity

      Category of relationship

      hierarchical

      Dates of relationship

      1971 - 1976

      Description of relationship

      School for the Contemporary Arts reports to Office of the Vice-President, University Services

      Related entity

      Division of General Studies ([ca 1970] - [ca 1973])

      Identifier of related entity

      Category of relationship

      hierarchical

      Dates of relationship

      1970 - 1971

      Description of relationship

      School for the Contemporary Arts reports to Division of General Studies

      Related entity

      Centre for the Arts. Policy Committee

      Identifier of related entity

      Category of relationship

      hierarchical

      Dates of relationship

      1966 - 1980

      Description of relationship

      Centre for the Arts. Policy Committee reports to Centre for the Arts

      Related entity

      Centre for Communications and the Arts. Management Committee

      Identifier of related entity

      Category of relationship

      hierarchical

      Dates of relationship

      1966 - 1980

      Description of relationship

      Centre for the Arts. Management Committee reports to Centre for the Arts

      Related entity

      Centre for Communications and the Arts. Events Committee

      Identifier of related entity

      Category of relationship

      hierarchical

      Dates of relationship

      1966 - 1980

      Description of relationship

      Centre for Communications and the Arts. Events Committee reports to Centre for Communications and the Arts

      Related entity

      School for the Contemporary Arts. Curriculum Committee

      Identifier of related entity

      Category of relationship

      hierarchical

      Dates of relationship

      1966 - 1980

      Description of relationship

      School for the Contemporary Arts. Curriculum Committee reports to School for the Contemporary Arts

      Related entity

      Centre for the Arts. Budget Committee

      Identifier of related entity

      Category of relationship

      hierarchical

      Dates of relationship

      1966 - 1980

      Description of relationship

      Centre for the Arts. Budget Committee reports to Centre for the Arts

      Related entity

      Centre for the Arts. Awards Committee

      Identifier of related entity

      Category of relationship

      hierarchical

      Dates of relationship

      1966 - 1980

      Description of relationship

      Centre for the Arts. Awards Committee reports to Centre for the Arts

      Related entity

      Centre for the Arts. Arts Programme Steering Committee

      Identifier of related entity

      Category of relationship

      hierarchical

      Dates of relationship

      1966 - 1980

      Description of relationship

      Centre for the Arts. Arts Programme Steering Committee reports to Centre for the Arts

      Related entity

      Faculty of Education (1965 - )

      Identifier of related entity

      Category of relationship

      hierarchical

      Dates of relationship

      1965 - 1970

      Description of relationship

      School for the Contemporary Arts reports to Faculty of Education

      Related entity

      School of Communication (1965 - )

      Identifier of related entity

      Category of relationship

      hierarchical

      Dates of relationship

      1965 - 1970

      Description of relationship

      School of Communication reports to Centre for Communications and the Arts

      Related entity

      Gruben, P.

      Identifier of related entity

      Category of relationship

      associative

      Dates of relationship

      1 September 1997 - 31 August 1998

      Description of relationship

      P. Gruben officer of School for the Contemporary Arts: Interim Director

      Related entity

      Gotfrit, Martin S.

      Identifier of related entity

      Category of relationship

      associative

      Dates of relationship

      2001 -

      Description of relationship

      Martin S. Gotfrit officer of School for the Contemporary Arts: Director

      Related entity

      Underhill, Owen

      Identifier of related entity

      Category of relationship

      associative

      Dates of relationship

      1 January 1986 - 31 August 1986

      Description of relationship

      Owen Underhill officer of School for the Contemporary Arts: Acting Director

      Related entity

      Underhill, Owen

      Identifier of related entity

      Category of relationship

      associative

      Dates of relationship

      1994 - 1997

      Description of relationship

      Owen Underhill officer of School for the Contemporary Arts: Director

      Related entity

      Underhill, Owen

      Identifier of related entity

      Category of relationship

      associative

      Dates of relationship

      1 September 1998 - 31 August 2001

      Description of relationship

      Owen Underhill officer of School for the Contemporary Arts: Director

      Related entity

      Komorous, Rudolf

      Identifier of related entity

      Category of relationship

      associative

      Dates of relationship

      1989 - 1994

      Description of relationship

      Rudolf Komorous officer of School for the Contemporary Arts: Director

      Related entity

      Strate, Grant

      Identifier of related entity

      Category of relationship

      associative

      Dates of relationship

      1981 - 1989

      Description of relationship

      Grant Strate officer of School for the Contemporary Arts: Director

      Related entity

      Alderson, Evan W.

      Identifier of related entity

      Category of relationship

      associative

      Dates of relationship

      1975 - 1981

      Description of relationship

      Evan W. Alderson officer of School for the Contemporary Arts: Director

      Related entity

      Baird, Nini

      Identifier of related entity

      Category of relationship

      associative

      Dates of relationship

      1971 - 1975

      Description of relationship

      Nini Baird officer of School for the Contemporary Arts: Director

      Related entity

      Lyndon, P.

      Identifier of related entity

      Category of relationship

      associative

      Dates of relationship

      1969 - 1971

      Description of relationship

      P. Lyndon officer of School for the Contemporary Arts: Chair

      Related entity

      Lyndon, P.

      Identifier of related entity

      Category of relationship

      associative

      Dates of relationship

      1969 - 1971

      Description of relationship

      Patrick Lyndon officer of School for the Contemporary Arts: Chair

      Related entity

      Lyndon, P.

      Identifier of related entity

      Category of relationship

      associative

      Dates of relationship

      1969 - 1971

      Description of relationship

      P. Lyndon officer of School for the Contemporary Arts: Chair

      Related entity

      Mallinson, Thomas J. ([191-] - 1999)

      Identifier of related entity

      Category of relationship

      associative

      Dates of relationship

      1967 - 1969

      Description of relationship

      Thomas J. Mallinson officer of School for the Contemporary Arts: Chair

      Related entity

      Attridge, B. F.

      Identifier of related entity

      Category of relationship

      associative

      Dates of relationship

      1965 - 1967

      Description of relationship

      B. F. Attridge officer of School for the Contemporary Arts: Chair

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      Institution identifier

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          Maintenance notes