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

Mandates/sources of authority

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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