Alumni

This part of the site highlights the activities of several of our alumni. For a more extensive list of our graduates and their accomplishments, visit the Alumni list on the Mentoring & Outreach area of our website.

The Association of Disaffiliated Artists (TADA) was formed in the dusk of 2003 in an attempt to preserve and strengthen ties between young artists. Its first goal was to establish a regular meeting time, which was quickly accomplished. TADA meets weekly to discuss current projects, breaking art news, and miscellaneous interesting topics. Members not in the immediate area keep in contact via e-mail and regular post. TADA's first show, This Cabinet Contains Wonders, was held at Eastern Edge's Rogue Gallery from May 29 - June 19, 2004. Its members include many recent graduates of the Grenfell Campus Visual Arts program. For more information about TADA, contact Jennifer Barrett (Class of 2003) at , or visit the TADA blog.

Alumni Audrey Feltham (Class of 1992) and Tina Dolter (Class of 2002) recently established The League of Artists of Western Newfoundland (LAWN), which held its first show, Dissemination, at Woody Point Heritage Theatre in conjunction with the Writers at Woody Point Festival, August 2004. Audrey writes:

"The formation of LAWN was a direct result of the Williams government's lack of support for the visual arts. While the organization will certainly serve as an advocacy voice for artists on the west coast, this is not its only purpose. LAWN hopes to disseminate information concerning the visual arts and to this end we intend to offer workshops, public exhibitions and forums concerning issues of the visual arts. We encourage anyone interested in the visual arts to become part of the organization; membership is not limited to professional visual artists. We hope to see patrons of the arts, gallery owners, and critics as part of our group."

For more information about LAWN, contact Audrey at .

In February 2004, alumni Craig Morrison, Mandy Powell, and Phil Robbins (Class of 2003), and student Janet Russell put together a travelling exhibition titled The Multiplicity of Voon, which showed in Corner Brook, Gander, and Grand Falls. Phil Robbins writes:

voon (vöön) A word that can be substituted for any other word to mean the exact meaning of the word replaced.

The Multiplicity of Voon is a tongue and cheek title for a body of work that has at its heart a serious intent. The title was created after we got together to consider a theme for our upcoming show. What we wanted to do was to show the diversity of our skills, styles, and mediums. The definition of what makes an art piece is so broad that it sits at the center of complicated discourse, thus, we felt that the best way to set our art in a firm foundation was to create our own niche and have some fun at the same time. Humor is an integral facet of who we are, and since we all believe that taking one’s self too seriously is ultimately self-defeating, we decided to incorporate it into our work.

The Multiplicity of Voon combines photography, painting, digital prints, internet-based movies, conceptual work, and an online supplement.

J. Corey Gorman (Class of 2002) was Interim Gallery Coordinator at Eastern Edge Gallery in St. John's from May 2003 to July 2004. A number of alumni have served on the board of directors of Eastern Edge including Undrea Norris, Jason Jenkins, Greg Bennett, Jamie Bennett, Jerry Ropson, Allyson Stuckless, and Karen Channing.

Several alumni have also served on the board of directors for St. Michael’s Printshop in St. John’s including Jennifer Armstrong, Lori Doody, Robert Norman, and Jennifer Barrett.

Darren Cranford and Clint Green were awarded Ontario's Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for 1999 for their digital animation company, Keyframe Digital Productions Inc. They have just recently relocated to Niagara Falls and their most recent projects include storyboard animation for X-Men. Darren visited Stephenville in March 2000, where he did a professional development session with the animation students at the College of the North Atlantic.

Beverley King, M.A., Art Therapist (B.F.A. class of 1993) writes the following about her profession:

"Art therapy is a growing profession as the focus of healthcare becomes more holistic. With just 300 art therapists in Canada, it is still relatively new. Anyone who is interested in becoming an art therapist will need to be equipped with a 'pioneer spirit.' Art therapy jobs will have to be created. I volunteered for a few months before the art therapist position at the Janeway [in St. John's] was established. Newfoundland is unchartered territory with numerous possibilities for growth in this profession. Despite my sense of isolation at being the only art therapist (to my knowledge) in this province, I have great personal satisfaction in my career. I whole-heartedly believe in art therapy and would like to encourage anyone interested in pursuing this career."