November 14, 2007

A new Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at UNBC and renewed interest inbuilding a performing arts centre in Prince George have bothcontributed to a growing local awareness of the link between the artsand community development. UNBC will be hosting a public forum on thetopic next week that will feature keynote presentations from tworesidents of Northern Finland.

The attendees from Finland will be Mauri Ylä-Kotola, President of theUniversity of Lapland, and Outi Snellman, a director of the Universityof the Arctic. Both are residents of Rovaniemi, a community near theArctic Circle that has much in common with Prince George. In fact, theUniversity of Lapland was UNBC’s first international partner.

“Rovaniemi used to be dependent on natural resource extraction, but theUniversity – especially its programs in Art and Design – has reallyhelped to diversify the region and attract new people and new ideas,”says Carolyn Russell, head of UNBC’s international programs. “Today,the Faculty of Art and Design is very popular with students and itssuccess is indicative of what’s possible here.”

President Ylä-Kotola is a former Dean of the Faculty of Art and Designand has first-hand experience of how programs related to arts andculture have shaped both the University of Lapland and the northernregion of Finland. Ms. Snellman is a 16-year resident of Rovaniemi whois an expert in how northern universities have shaped the cultures ofnorthern communities.

The forum will be held on Thursday, November 22, at 7pm in the BentleyCentre at UNBC. All are welcome. Other panelists will include local residents with akeen interest in the arts:
•    Cliff Dezell – Chair of the Prince George Regional Performing Arts Centre Society
•    Rob Budde – UNBC professor in the English and Bachelor of Fine Arts programs
•    Alex Michalos – UNBC Chancellor and Quality of Life expert

The new Bachelor of Fine Arts program has been jointly developed byUNBC and the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design. Among artsprograms in Canada, it uniquely combines creative writing and studioart.

The forum is being sponsored by the Central Interior Regional ArtsCouncil, the Two Rivers Gallery, the Prince George Regional PerformingArts Centre Society, the Prince George Winter Cities Committee, theUNBC Arts Council, the English program, and the Bachelor of Fine Artsprogram.

Contact:
Dr. Rob Budde, professor, English and Fine Arts, UNBC – 250.960.6693
Rob van Adrichem, Director of Media and Public Relations, UNBC – 250.960.5622