Arts events not to miss this Summer



In August, join a walking tour of artworks by Indigenous artists on UBC’s Vancouver campus, attend a book launch, and enjoy a presentation of Luvale Makishi theatre. Check back in as we will update this story with new and upcoming events throughout Summer 2023.


AUGUST

Hock E Aye Vi Edgar Heap of Birds, Native Hosts, 1991 to 2007

Outdoor Art Collection: Decolonization Tour

Thursday, August 10 | 11:30am and
Wednesday, August 30 | 11:0am
Starting at Belkin Art Gallery

Tickets: Free; RSVP required 

This walking tour highlights site-specific artworks by Indigenous artists and raises questions around issues of place, space, and identity. Considering how these works address urgent social and political concerns, discussions include ideas of settler colonialism, decolonization, reconciliation, and the history of UBC’s Vancouver campus.


To Speak in Community: A Gathering of Philippine Languages

Saturday, August 19 | 11:00am | UBC Robson Square
Tickets: Free; RSVP required 

To Speak in Community is an interactive half-day gathering about Philippine heritage languages and cultural sharing. An offshoot of hua foundation’s Language Access Project, this event will feature presentations from community experts who will share different perspectives that shed light on the vastness of the Philippines’ roughly 180 different native languages.

This event is a culmination of the work done by UBC alumna, Kathleen Zaragosa, whose undergraduate research project was an exploration of Philippine heritage languages in younger immigrant generations. Conducting that work found an expressed desire to build and create more spaces by, with, and for communities to hold conversations around this topic.


Book Launch: Anders als die Andern with Dr. Ervin Malakaj

Wednesday, August 23 | 9:00am | Online
Tickets: Free; RSVP required

Central, Eastern, and Northern European Studies professor Dr. Ervin Malakaj is launching his first book, Anders als die Andern, on the aesthetics of mourning at the core of Richard Oswald’s infamous early queer melodrama. The book is part of broader research on pre-1933 queer German cultural practice. Join the event to find out more!


Mwana Pwevo by Kasangili Clifford, 2022

Luvale Music and Spirit Manifestation in Zambia

Saturday, August 26 | 2:00pm | Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden
Tickets: Free; RSVP required

Amongst Luvale and related communities in present day Zambia, Angola, and Democratic Republic of the Congo, ancestral spirits manifest as Makishi. Through music, dance, masquerade, ritual action, and audience participation, this presentation introduces the sonic world of Luvale Makishi theatre.

This event is part of the World Music Lecture Series and presented by PhD candidate Jason Winikoff, who will discuss the percussion ensemble music and Makishi voices that dominate this ancestral soundscape.


JULY

The Water Carrier 運水者 (1969) by Luis Chan 陳福善

Experimental Painting and Painting Theories in Colonial Hong Kong (1940-1980)

Monday, July 5 | 10:30am | Room 604, Asian Centre, 1871 West Mall
Tickets: Free; RSVP required 

Professor Eva Kit Wah Man from Hong Kong Metropolitan University will speak on the history of painting and painting theories in the rapidly developing Hong Kong by highlighting the work of several local Chinese painters. This history explores the influence of Western ideas and capitalism on art identity from 1940-1980, as well as art theories in contemporary, post-colonial discourse as they apply to Hong Kong.


TwoSet Violin World Tour

Wednesday, July 5 & Thursday, July 6 | 7:30pm | Chan Shun Concert Hall
Tickets: $64.73-$137.97

Brett Yang and Eddy Chen are TwoSet: a musical comedy duo with a one-of-a-kind show. See their performance at the Chan Shun Concert Hall in July – but don’t wait, tickets are limited.


Museum of Anthropology Unmasked: Behind-the-Scenes Tours

Thursday, July 13 | 7:00pm and
Saturday, July 15 | 11:00am
Museum of Anthropology

Tickets: $12-$20

Join the Museum of Anthropology for an opportunity to visit during its temporary closure. These special guided tours provide an intimate look at the Museum’s behind-the-scenes work. Capacity is limited, so don’t miss out!


Rhythm Infinitum: Shabazz Palaces & Sarathy Korwar in Concert

Thursday, July 13 | 7:00pm | Chan Shun Concert Hall
Tickets: $30-$60

Co-produced by the Chan Centre and Indian Summer Festival, this event brings together Afrofuturist hip-hop artist Shabazz Palaces (Seattle) and Indofuturist percussionist Sarathy Korwar (UK) for one exciting evening!


JUNE

Hearing Indigenous Voices During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Thursday, June 8 | 9:00am-3:00pm | Robert H. Lee Alumni Centre & Online
Tickets: Free; RSVP required

Join Sociology Professor Dr. Kimberly Huyser for a dialogue session that will highlight the experiences and triumphs of Indigenous peoples around the world. The session will be an opportunity to discuss lessons learned about conducting research and Indigenous resilience during the pandemic with researchers based in Canada, the United States and New Zealand.



Tania Willard, Affirmations for Wildflowers: an Ethnobotany of Desire, 2020. Photo: Rachel Topham Photography

What Is Welcome?

Friday, June 23-Sunday, August 13 | Belkin Art Gallery
Tickets: Free

As galleries and museums strive to make space for new practices and ways of knowing, artists are critical agents in the institution’s evolution. This exhibition includes works from the Belkin’s collection and long-term residency that question its language, boundaries and potential for change. The opening reception is on Thursday, June 22, and the Belkin are offering guided tours on select Fridays.


Artists Within the Anthropocene: Listening to Lhq’a:lets / Vancouver

Friday, June 23 | 5:00pm | Belkin Art Gallery
Tickets: Free; RSVP required

This is the final event in a three-part series addressing artistic practices and pedagogies in times of ongoing social and ecological collapse. This project is, in part, a critical response to R. Murray Schafer’s book The Vancouver Soundscape (1973), one iteration of a wider project that sought to document the soundscape of Vancouver. After spending time in different locations in Lhq’a:lets, this evening program invites participating artists to share writing and thoughts about their time listening.


Hock E Eye Vi Edgar Heap of Birds, Native Hosts, 1991 to 2007

Outdoor Art Collection: Decolonization tour

Wednesday, June 28 | 11:00am | Starting at Belkin Art Gallery
Tickets: Free; RSVP required

This walking tour highlights site-specific artworks by Indigenous artists and raises questions around issues of place, space and identity. Considering how these works address urgent social and political concerns, discussions include ideas of settler colonialism, decolonization, reconciliation, and the history of UBC’s Vancouver campus.


2023 UBC Pride Connect: 2SLGBTQIA+ faculty & staff reception

Wednesday, June 28 | 3:00pm | Robert H. Lee Alumni Centre
Tickets: Free; RSVP required

The UBC Pride Connect reception for 2SLGBTQIA+ faculty, staff and postdoctoral fellows is back for 2023! The reception is an annual event for building and sustaining 2SLGBTQIA+ networks, while championing a more inclusive campus community. Among the speakers will be Dr. Janice Stewart (Associate Dean, Faculty, Faculty of Arts) and Dr. Arig al Shaibah (Associate Vice-President, Equity and Inclusion).


UBC Farmers’ Markets

June-October | UBC Farm + UBC Bookstore
Tickets: Free

Get fresh produce, fruits, herbs and seeds, as well as produce from UBC Farm and a variety of other local vendors! For the 2023 growing season, UBC Farm is offering three markets each week: Tuesday and Saturday markets are located at the UBC Farm, and Wednesday markets will take place in front of the UBC Bookstore.


MAY

Celebrate Learning Week

Tuesday, May 2-Tuesday, May 9 | In person & online
Tickets: Free; registration required

Join in the 14th annual Celebrate Learning Week! This year’s event theme is “The Power of Place in Teaching and Learning.” Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to take part.


Things that do not come by the road: UBC Master of Fine Arts Graduate Exhibition

Thursday, May 4-Sunday, June 4 | Belkin Art Gallery
Tickets: Free

The Belkin presents an exhibition of work by 2023 MFA graduates Reggie Harrold, Sarv Iraji, Ramneet Jaur, Alejandra Morales and Kitt Peacock. The opening reception starts at 6:00pm on May 4, and guided tours are available for the duration of the exhibition.


The Journeyed Compass

Friday, May 5 | 8:00pm | Chan Shun Concert Hall
Tickets: $22.50-$101.00 (Students get 50% off!)

Layale Chaker, a Lebanese violinist and composer; Kinan Azmeh, a Syrian clarinetist and composer; and Dinuk Wijeratne, a Sri Lankan composer, conductor and pianist, are each known for their inventive and genre-defying work. For this transporting concert, Middle Eastern and South Asian music mix for a soulful program inspired by the idea of what ‘home’ means to us all.


Symphony 21 presents Star Wars in Concert: Revenge of the Sixth

Saturday, May 6 | 8:00pm | Chan Shun Concert Hall
Tickets: $29-$49

Hear your favourite music from a galaxy far, far away, performed live! Jaelem Bhate will lead the orchestra through “Imperial March,” “Across the Stars,” “Battle of the Heroes,” and much more. Attendees are encouraged to come in costume!


Chor Leoni VanMan Summit Concert

Saturday, May 13 | 7:30pm | Chan Shun Concert Hall
Tickets: $24.70-$57.10

Chor Leoni, The Leonids, MYVoice youth choirs, Emerging Choral Artists, and VanMan Festival singers will each perform their own sets and then come together to form Canada’s largest male choir for one night only!


Communications Strategy for Policy

Tuesday, May 16 | 11:00am | xʷθəθiqətəm (Place of Many Trees), Liu Institute & online
Tickets: Free; RSVP required

Join Associate Professor Heidi Tworek and Kshitij (KJ) Sharan from the Centre for the Study of Democratic Institutions to learn how communications strategies can make the difference between policies that reach a receptive audience and those that sink without a trace. The workshop is open to students, faculty and staff.


Making Space: Asian Heritage Month

Thursday, May 18 | 6:00pm | Museum of Vancouver
Tickets: $10-$30

The Museum of Vancouver’s recent exhibition A Seat at the Table celebrated Chinese Canadian Heritage identities and experiences through the lens of food and restaurant culture. For this event, speakers (including Sociology Assistant Professor Dr. Amanda R. Cheong) will explore what was learned from the exhibition, including how cultural institutions can intentionally make space for the responsibilities and reciprocities of representation.


Water4Seasons

Wednesday, May 24 | 7:30pm | UBC Robson Square
Tickets: Free; RSVP required

Water4Seasons is hosted by UBC’s Research-based Theatre Lab and will introduce the audience to Research-based Theatre (RbT), a unique methodology that uses live performance to bring data to life. The event will feature a reading of Treading Water, an RbT play that explores water equity for Indigenous and rural communities. Rounding out the evening will be keynote speaker Dr. Stephanie Woodson, a specialist in community cultural development and community-engaged practices.


Fedorova & Takser Piano Duo presents: “Dé vu”

Sunday, May 28 | 3:00pm | Roy Barnett Hall
Tickets: $25-$37.50

This recital by the creative and innovative Fedorova & Takser Piano Duo celebrates their upcoming debut album, recently recorded at the Teldex Studio in Berlin, Germany.