Call for Expressions of Interest – ASTeRIX Director/Co-Directors 

ASTeRIX invites expressions of interest for a three-year appointment beginning July 1, 2022 as the Director or Co-Directors of ASTeRIX, a Faculty of Fine Arts Research Centre. ASTeRIX supports the research and creation of objects, narratives, and experiences that investigate intersections in the arts. Through transdisciplinary conversations and collaborations, we aim to generate dialogues around pressing concerns of our time and rethink what is possible.

Responsibilities of the Director/Co-Directors include the day-to-day management and operations of the research centre, coordinating the ASTeRIX Steering Committee and Graduate Assistants, and liaising with the ASTeRIX Membership. The Director(s) may also represent the centre at national and international events (conferences, exhibitions, workshops, performances, maker conventions). A formal report on centre activities and development is provided by the Director/Co-Directors to the ASTeRIX Steering Committee, the Dean of Fine Arts, the Vice-President Research, and to the four departmental Chairs of the Faculty of Fine Arts annually. Duties in the areas of Research and Administrative Leadership are described briefly as follows:

1)  Contributing to ASTeRIX’s performance as a vibrant  hub of exploration, including spearheading and supporting programming initiatives, managing centre assets, identifying the potential for infrastructure growth;

2)  Supporting and advising ASTeRIX Membership;

3)  Building ASTeRIX’s reputation as a significant contributor to the academic and artistic landscapes through collaborations with both university partners and external communities, industries, and organisations; and

4)  Pursuing funding sources in support of ASTeRIX’s activities in accordance with the University of Lethbridge Centres and Institutes Policy.


The following qualities are required. Prior experience with the ASTeRIX Steering Committee is considered an asset.

●  Exhibiting a history of, or demonstrable interest in, expanding artistic practices in the Fine Arts through the lens of transdisciplinary research-creation

●  Holding a tenured, tenure-track, or Instructor III position in the Faculty of Fine Arts

●  Demonstrating an ability to articulate the centre’s on-going research-creation directions, objectives, and outcomes for the duration of the appointment

Interested individuals should submit a CV and a one-page expression of interest that addresses a vision for both the development of ASTeRIX and a plan for Research or Administrative Leadership (see Centres and Institutes Policy, Appendix C).[1] For individuals considering co-directorship, submit an expression of interest independently or conjointly. Expressions submitted conjointly should come from two individuals who intend to work together as co-directors.

Submit to the ASTeRIX Steering Committee at Asterix2423@uleth.onmicrosoft.com


[1] Reviewing the University of Lethbridge Centres and Institutes Policy regarding the role and responsibilities of the Director position is recommended, including specific expectations for Research and Administrative Leadership as described in Appendix C.

ASTeRIX Presents: Behind the Art with Jackson 2bears

Do you love art? Are you curious what happens behind the scenes in an artist’s studio?!

Jackson 2bears, Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Arts and research and Associate Professor in Arts Studio, will take you Behind the Art to reveal his multifaceted creative practice. Discover how Jackson explores the aesthetics of contemporary Indigenous identity and in what ways his work considers his own identity through an engaging conversation with our host.

Jackson has exhibited his work across Canada in public galleries, museums, and artist-run centres, as well as internationally in festivals and group exhibitions. He has much to share with you, so please join us and our host, Dr. Arlan Schultz, composer, professor, and ASTeRIX steering committee member, for this online event through Zoom on Thursday, February 3 from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Event link: https://uleth.zoom.us/j/91838741017

Behind the Art: Dr. Monique Giroux

Enjoy music? Appreciate art?
Dying to know what happens behind the scenes?!

Featured artist Dr. Monique Giroux is ready to share it all!

Listen and converse with Dr. Giroux, Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Music, Culture, and Politics and Assistant Professor in the Music Department at the University of Lethbridge, about how she got into the field of indigenous music research, addressing Métis cultural revival and resurgence, and working with archives and community. Throughout a lively discussion with our host, see images and hear recordings as Dr. Giroux shares with us the path that led to and background of her work, critically exploring how music is used to negotiate relationships between Indigenous nations and settler populations.

Please join us and our host, Arlan Schultz, artist, professor, and ASTeRIX steering committee member, for this online event through Zoom on:
Tuesday, November 23 from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. 

Click here to register for the event

Centre statements

Mission

ASTERIX supports the research and creation of objects, narratives, and experiences that investigate the intersections of the arts and technology.

ASTERIX provides the infrastructure (space, equipment, training, collaborative opportunities, residencies, exhibitions, performances, workshops) to make ULethbridge an internationally recognized destination for those (academics, artists, industry, general public) interested in critically and creatively exploring, through a transdisciplinary research-creation lens, the ramifications of emergent technologies.

ASTERIX brings together educators, researchers, students, artists, and the community at large to work across disciplines, fostering training/mentorship and collaborative research opportunities which will be transformational for Southern Alberta.

Vision

Generating necessary dialogues around pressing concerns of our time, ASTERIX will invite communities to participate in rethinking what is possible. ASTERIX’s speculative approach is not about a rigid methodology with expected outcomes. Rather, we are interested in what emerges in the process of thinking through, of constructing “critical fabulations” of what might be. The collaborations, conversations, as well as the construction of the “results,” can lead to real social change.