www.sfu.ca/sca
Location
Admission
“It is the coupling of its stunning natural setting with a unique blend of
cultures from around the world that makes Vancouver one of the most
vibrant cities in North America.”
— Graduate, Nicholas Bell
Program entry for dance, film, music and visual art is by either an
audition, interview or portfolio process with spring deadlines each
year for fall entry. Contact us about student performances and
exhibitions, to find out more information on entry into any of the
programs, or arrange an in-person tour or meeting via phone/
skype at www.sfu.ca/sca
Vancouver, situated on Canada’s west coast is its third largest city with
an area population of just under 3 million. It’s mild climate and access to
nature makes is a highly desirable location in North American, only three
hours north of Seattle.
Faculty
Faculty are internationally recognized for research excellence. The
majority of the faculty are established working artists, artist-scholars,
and scholars. In general, the artists are creators—choreographers,
composers, filmmakers, lighting designers, visual artists—as well as
performers, directors, and dramaturges. Scholarly research centres on
cinema and media theory, art history and visual culture.
SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY
Contact
www.sfu.ca/sca
Phone: 778-782-3363
Fax: 778-782-5907
Email: ca@sfu.ca
Twitter: @SFUContmpryArts
Facebook: SFUContemporaryArts
SFU’s School for the Contemporary Arts is based in Vancouver, Canada. The
school offers an innovative interdisciplinary program within a multi-campus
university. It is situated in an ultramodern facility in the downtown core of the city.
Specialized in providing a dynamic learning environment. the studio classes in
dance, film, music, theatre and visual art are taught by practicing artists. Critical
courses in art, culture and film are taught by scholars who engage students with
the historical, philosophical and political contexts of the arts. SCA’s goal is to equip
students with the skills, discipline, flexibility, creativity, understanding and acumen
to excel in the arts on a global stage.
Top left photo courtesy of: Elizabeth Padilla
“I was able to find peers and professors who are excited about the same projects as
I was. I was amazed by the continuous energy to create and collaborate, from groups
who spend endless hours in rehearsals, to professors who extend their interest and
support beyond the class material–everyone is building something new.”
—RECENT GRADUATE, Charlotte Newman
ALUMNI STORIES
THINK ART
LIVE ART
CHARLOTTE NEWMAN
DANCE
ORIGINALLY FROM SEATTLE
RYDER THOMAS WHITE
FILM
ORIGINALLY FROM ALBUQUERQUE
MATTHEW WELCH
MUSIC COMPOSING
BASED IN NEW YORK
MALLORY CATLETT
THEATRE
BASED IN NEW YORK
YI XIN TONG
VISUAL ART
BASED IN NEW YORK
NICHOLAS BELL
VISUAL CULTURE AND
PERFORMING STUDIES
FROM VANCOUVER
BASED IN WASHINGTON, DC
CLINT SLEEPER
MASTER OF FINE ARTS
ORIGINALLY FROM RENO
CURRENTLY IN RENO
A contemporary dancer and choreographer,
Originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico,
Matthew Welch is a composer of opera,
Mallory Catlett (MFA 2000) is an Obie
Yi Xin Tong is a visual artist, musician, and poet
Nicholas Bell graduated with a BA in Political
Currently researching public space, art
Charlotte Newman, studied at SCA from 2010
Ryder Thomas White is a filmmaker,
orchestral, chamber, world, and electronic
award-winning director and dramaturg of
based in New York. His work tells poetic and
Science and Art and Culture Studies at
history and new technology, Clint Sleeper
to 2014 and received a BFA. Over those four
multimedia artist, and writer, currently living in
music. In addition to his BFA (1999) from
interdisciplinary work. Credits include: Beowulf
fantastical narratives through books, Internet-
Simon Fraser University in 2005. In 2008,
is an artist and educator. Expanding on his
years, Charlotte contributed to countless
Vancouver, BC. Since graduating from SCA in
Simon Fraser University, Matthew also holds
(Banana Bag & Bodice’s touring musical bar
based projects, and multimedia installations.
Nicholas received his MA from the Winterthur
MFA (2014) work that began at SFU, this
creative projects from presenting her own
2012 with a BFA, Ryder has been launched his
a degree from Wesleyan University, and is
room brawl), Brother, Brother (Experiments in
After completing his BFA at SCA in 2012, He
Program in American Material Culture from
practice reimagines the artist manifesto,
choreography, producing shows, working
own projects: an expanded cinema installation,
completing his doctorate at Yale University’s
Opera), City Council Meeting (an experiment
received his MFA from New York University in
the University of Delaware. From there, he
the performance of everyday life, and the
on diverse interdisciplinary projects, and
music videos, and short films as well as an
School of Music. He is the founder of the
in participatory democracy), Dread Scott:
2014. His work has been shown at MOCCA; the
began work at the Smithsonian Institution in
application of original software to create
presenting at academic conferences. Currently,
ongoing community film workshop series.
eclectic New York-based ensemble, Blarvuster,
Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art and
Washington, DC. Currently, Nicholas is The
temporary installations and objects. He is
she is the co-artistic director of Con 8
His personal practice tends to focus on the
and is a co-founder of Experiments in Opera.
Gallery 44 in Toronto, the Centre for Art Tapes
Fleur and Charles Bresler Senior Curator of
currently teaching at the University of Nevada,
Collective and active in the Vancouver artistic
meaning and importance of community.
He has collaborated with Anthony Braxton,
Decision (BAM’s Next Wave Festival), This
Was The End (a classical remix of Chekhov’s
Uncle Vanya), and The Scarlet Ibis (HERE/Beth
Morrison Prototype). She lives in New York,
and her work has toured regionally in the
US and internationally to Australia, Canada,
France, Ireland, The Netherlands, and the UK.
in Halifax, VIVO Media Arts Centre in Vancouver,
American Craft and Decorative Art, in
Reno, and preparing works for international
the Embassy of Canada in Berlin, and the 80
charge of the mission and program of the
exhibitions.
WSE Gallery in New York. He has received the
Renwick Gallery, the Smithsonian’s National
British Columbia Arts Council Scholarship,
Craft Museum.
Alvin Lucier, Julia Wolfe, John Zorn, and many
community.
“One of the greatest parts of the film program
others. His unique style of composition stems
“At SCA, students enjoy the benefit of a small
at SCA was that it seemed to balance hands-
from being a Highland bagpipe virtuoso, a
school and a close-knit community, with the
on work with discussions and seminars
veteran Gamelan musician, conductor and
resources of a giant university. If the School
really well. Our small size made for a really
improviser. His compositions are featured on
doesn’t have a clear-cut avenue for your most
productive environment. The students I worked
Tzadik Records, and have been performed in
recent vision the faculty embrace students to
with closely became my best friends and
blaze new trails. I was able to find peers and
closest collaborators. I doubt I could do the
professors who are excited about the same
things I do now if I had not established the
projects. I was amazed by the continuous
working relationships that I did. The project-
“What stands out from my experience at SCA
energy to create and collaborate–from groups
based nature of the program is structured
was the interdisciplinary framework. The
who spend endless hours in rehearsals, to
enough to keep things on track, but also fluid
courses on collaboration and critical theory
professors who extend their interest and
enough that everyone gets a chance to learn.
have had a profound influence on my current
support beyond the class material–everyone is
After a while, the hierarchy seems to dissolve
direction as an opera composer. Developing
building something new. I think in a nutshell,
and it felt like the professors and students
a collaborative vocabulary as an axis for
that is why I chose SFU. In all areas of the
alike are all just working towards the common
creativity helps sparks the dialogue and aids
School, students are given a technical base,
goal of making art better. It is tempting to
the congealing of the overall message of
then supported and pushed to create their own
focus on the productions and long editing stints
multi-media work. Having the intellectual
work. I found countless opportunities to try,
and camaraderie, but I also got so much out
freedom to immediately work on finding my
fail, and try again at choreographing dance.
of the theoretical side of the courses. We were
musical voice was crucial. The primacy of
I am now the co-founder of a young dance
never short on ideas for discussion, and I felt
artistic vision over technique or convention
collective and excited to be presenting my own
that it was very fruitful for my art practice. So
allows the creative mind to simultaneously
work around Vancouver. There are really a
you might have an idea, but it’s hard to express
pursue a personal expression while finding
million projects you can fit within your time at
that idea in a meaningful, fresh way if you’re
the necessary technique to execute it. At the
SCA, and you’ll never know what they are until
not adequately equipped to parse the world
School, our individual compositional styles
you get started.”
around you. Doing both, in equal measure,
and discourses were all seen as valid, and the
is precisely the fine balance being struck at
attention was put on mentoring, anywhere
the School daily. Besides, after a while, it just
from helping to unlock some crucial steps
feels like family. Who doesn’t want that?”
within a particular composition towards
Joan Mitchell Foundation Scholarship, Orange
“SCA provided me with a space to experiment
and a group of professors who took those
Corporation Annual Award in Visual Arts and
“It is the coupling of its stunning natural
experiments seriously. My peers pushed my
“I recently won an Obie and three Bessie
Takao Tanabe Award in Visual Arts. In 2012, his
setting with a unique blend of cultures from
work even further and our conversations led
Bali, Canada, Europe, South America, Europe
nominations in New York for This Was The End.
graduation work at SCA won the BMO 1st Art!
around the world that makes Vancouver one
not only to lifelong friendships, but also to
and the US.
In 1997, I arrived at SCA and the first project
Invitational Student Art Competition.
of the most vibrant cities in North America.
an art practice that leaves me sometimes
No organization is better positioned to take
perplexed and often proud. I chose the School
I made was called Scenes from a Waking
coherent completion, to the practicalities of
Dream. This piece would become 1so many
years later. I am a completely different person
now, and the process was utterly different, but
the School was a place I went to first figure
things out. The research I did for this piece
would inform almost everything I made up to
now. Some of my fellow graduate students and
my undergraduate collaborators have become
life long friends and artists that I still work
with, I was recently back in Vancouver with a
piece in a festival that I created with writer,
performer and SFU grad Tanya Marquardt.
I am currently working on an opera with
fellow grads; composer James Maxwell and
choreographer Claire French called Little
“I left the studio on a drizzling Saturday
advantage of these extraordinary resources
as I was looking for a place where I could ask
afternoon to search for the perfect rock for
than SFU’s School for the Contemporary Arts.
the types of questions that are meant to go
a piece I had in mind. What followed was
From its central campus downtown, students
unanswered. I found a supportive network of
two hours of repeatedly dropping the one in
are able to tap into the city’s creative vein while
faculty and students with a similar ambition
my arms and picking up another that was
they pursue studies in dance, film, music,
and wildly different approaches. I currently
definitely superior. Finally in Crab Park near
theatre, visual arts and visual culture and
teach higher-level undergraduate courses,
the water I spotted it, a rock of supreme
performance studies. As a Vancouver native,
which draw heavily on collectivity and the
qualities. I switched it with another one and
Simon Fraser University was a presence in my
conversations that arise from interdisciplinary
lifted it with my full strength. A normally 10
city and my life long before I was old enough
peer groups. Our explorations result in
minute walk became an hour trek–I dragged
to attend. One of my proudest moments
interventionist style exhibitions, experimental
it back to the studio. After it was nicely
was learning that I had been accepted in
video installations and digital games,
incorporated into the work and had its time
the university. The upper level courses were
developed entirely by students where I provide
being exhibited in the Audain Gallery, I had to
particularly memorable in which seminars
art historical references, critical feedback
decide whether to discard or take it back. At
were defined by a level of dialogue and critical
and academic resources. My role as a
the critical moment, my professor said to me,
rigor that were central to who I was to become.
facilitator in the classroom is inspired by
Apples. This is the second short opera in an
evening length work called Little Crimes. The
first in the pair, Sleepyhead, I made at SCA in
2001.The relationships I made at school have
continued to play out in very unexpected ways
in my life and work.”
“I understand. Finding a good rock is not easy,”
When I decided to apply for graduate school in
several figures at SCA, and I have been
and she offered my rock a ride. It was brought
the US, I was well positioned by my training at
gratified time and again by the work that
back again and kept around as my studio pet.
SCA. Thanks to my experiences in the art and
students develop inside of this model.”
The program’s encouragement for the spirit
culture program, I was accepted into the top
of experimentation is unparalleled. It means
American graduate program in my field.”
working in an open environment with freedom
producing and documenting the final art object
and dignity. History and theory classes make
in a public context. I came to SFU as a piper,
the students informed and intellectually
and left as a composer!”
nourished. If you want an undergraduate
education of the graduate level, come to the
Visual Art program at SFU.”
Photo courtesy of: Robert Severi Photography