THE UNIVERSITY OF SASKATCHEWAN’S MAIN CAMPUS IS SITUATED ON TREATY 6 TERRITORY AND THE HOMELAND OF THE MÉTIS.
THE UNIVERSITY OF SASKATCHEWAN’S MAIN CAMPUS IS SITUATED ON TREATY 6 TERRITORY AND THE HOMELAND OF THE MÉTIS.
DARYL HOFMANN / TOMAS BORSA
News Writers
On the third floor of the Murray building — where senior studio-art majors spend most of their year — space is tight, lighting is dim and ventilation is poor. When the department originally moved in, the space was intended to be a temporary home.
That was 20 years ago. Without proper upkeep the building has become dated and in serious disrepair.
Worse, the department now finds itself stuck in the middle of the ongoing renovations to Place Riel commissioned to Quorex Construction.
Complications over the course of the project have resulted in a studio environment spotted with hoses, buckets and ply-wood, and have left students and faculty frustrated by the compromised facilities.
Due to limited capacity, some students have had to use personal studios in pairs. Others don’t even receive a workspace. Some students think they should receive a tuition refund or credit, while others suggest that the administration look into arranging private, off-campus studios.
In early December, a contract to put in new windows in order to keep the studios in line with fire-code was tacked on to the existing Place Riel project. Students were forced to move artwork from their studios into rooms that are normally used for lectures.
“Shit’s falling apart, and the lights are garbage,” summed up senior painting student Hugh Fisher.
Studio art majors are expected to put in roughly 10 hours of studio work per week for every class.
While Quorex workers try not to disrupt classes, Maia Stark, a fourth-year painting student, says “it doesn’t matter — in fine art, you’re in the studio all the time, so it’s constantly disruptive. And [the construction] is taking so long.”
Further, because of the mediums used in many studio classes — as well as the sheer size of much of the artwork — transporting pieces to another section of the university is often impossible.
“The nature of studio work just doesn’t allow for us to be mobile,” explained Stark. “I have an oil painting that is five by six feet. I couldn’t move it if I wanted to.”
Nevertheless, over the course of the year Quorex workers have indeed tried to move students’ artwork, occasionally resulting in damage. In one instance, red paint was smeared on to one of Stark’s paintings, destroying the piece. She estimates having put 30 hours of work into it. After complaining to faculty, Stark said that the only consolation she received was a Quorex worker’s offer to buy her a coffee.
“It feels infantilizing,” she confessed.
Last spring, construction began on replacing the existing roof of the art and art history building.
Unfortunately, a record-breaking rainfall followed shortly after the roof project got underway, and several rooms in the department were left soaked. The department was caught completely off-guard, and the audio-visual equipment and carpet in the department’s projection room had to be completely replaced.
Tim Nowlin, a professor of 20 years in the department, spoke of his own experiences over this period.
“This place was just a nightmare — it was like Hurricane Katrina. There was a point here last spring where you could actually see your breath because there was a hole in the roof. You’d have to come in and do your work with your coat on.” His room and the neighbouring classroom were hit hardest.
In another instance, students were forced to write a final exam in the main library because the smell of tar was too powerful in their building.
Vanya Hanson, a fourth-year painting student, said, “I had a class where I couldn’t even breathe properly because of all the particle dust.”
Shit’s falling apart, and the lights are garbage.
Hugh Fisher, Senior painting student
Students have been warned of the possibility of dizziness and nausea as a result of poor air quality, and were told to alert professors if this is the case. Mould experts have since been commissioned, and carbon dioxide meters have been installed in several rooms.
Only two entrances to the building currently exist due to construction, rendering it wheelchair inaccessible. Last year, a student named Jonathan Farrell held a portrait show called Giving Honour Where it is Due in the department’s Snelgrove Gallery. Most subjects were disabled and unable to attend the show because of the lack of wheelchair access.
Fortunately, the deterioration of the art and art history building has not gone completely unnoticed.
Instigated by arts and science dean Jo-Anne Dillon, the Clarion Project is a campaign to finance a building that would house the departments of music, drama, and art and art history.
According to Peter Stoicheff, associate-dean of humanities and fine arts, the most likely location for the new centre is at the corner of College Drive and Cumberland Avenue, near the stadium parkade. Estimates for the capital costs of the project range between $60 and $80 million.
However, the project is not slated to begin for at least another two years, with even the most optimistic estimates pegging its completion at five to six years from now. And while the Clarion Project promises to solve the long-term issue of infrastructure, current students are left with few solutions.
“It’s great that the Clarion Project is going to provide a new building down the road, but for the time being, our degrees are being compromised,” said Stark. “The quality of the facilities are bringing down the academic quality.”
“It hasn’t been convenient, and I know some students are more affected by [the construction] than others, but we’re hoping going forward it won’t happen again, because the senior shows are coming up,” said Susan Shantz, head of the department of art and art history.
She too has had to move offices due to construction.
“Among faculty, I don’t think there’s great morale. It’s been about a year — it’s been a long haul, and I think people are getting tired of it,” she added.
Most students are nevertheless empathetic toward the workers’ best attempts at accommodating studio time, and understand that they are only doing their job.
“It’s not Quorex’s fault. We don’t blame them,” said Stark. “Obviously it’s not malicious, it’s miscommunication. They’re just doing what they’re told to. It’s the university administration’s fault for not taking this issue seriously and for taking the attitude that we should just ”˜deal with it.’
“But because of this, I’m not going to stay for graduate studies at the University of Saskatchewan. For now, the University of Regina has far better facilities.”
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image: Pete Yee
