SASAH: School for Advanced Studies in the Arts and Humanities

Installation from Cluttered Delicacy, a group exhibition curated by SASAH student Maya Allison. The exhibition is currently on view at SATELLiTE. Featured artists include Sarah Cowling, Jill Price, Jacqueline Venus, Stephanie Fehrenbach, SASAH student Olivia Matheuszik, and Chloe Serenko.

Not Quite the Season for Hibernation

It's already November, and even as the days get shorter we're finding opportunities to be inspired by what our students, Faculty, alumni and colleagues have brewing on the burner.

There are a few more days to visit Cluttered Delicacy at SATELLiTE Project Space. SATELLiTE is a partnership across Western University's SASAH program, Department of Visual Arts, and Faculty of Information and Media Studies, as well as Fanshawe College's Fine Art Program. As some of you may have heard, SATELLiTE's current tenure at 121 Dundas Street is coming to an end next month. SATELLiTE's steering committee is currently visiting potential new sites for 2025.

In the meantime, SASAH is currently hosting our last program at this SATELLiTE location: a marvelous group exhibition which is the passion project of first-year SASAH student Maya Allison. Here's Maya's introduction to the exhibition:

Cluttered Delicacy is an intricate collection of mixed-media pieces inspired by the nostalgic, maximalist décor of my grandmother, whom I affectionately call Elly. Her home evokes the feeling of wandering through an antique mall, with every room brimming with a treasure trove of collectibles carefully curated to enhance the space. I vividly recall her unique touches—like gemstones nestled between the cracks of her
wooden floors or pearl necklaces draped over light fixtures. There was no negative space, only an endless discovery of details in every corner.

This exhibition is an exaggerated homage to Elly’s style, celebrating the art of arranging “clutter” as an aesthetic choice. The theme draws heavily on Victorian interior design, an era that embraced the philosophy of “more is more,” favoring ornate patterns, floral motifs, and gilded frames, where beauty and practicality were intertwined. The pieces
showcased here aim to recreate that immersive experience, encouraging viewers to find beauty in the abundance of details, getting lost in the so-called chaos.

The artists featured in this collection were chosen for their ability to capture the essence of these themes. I have a deep appreciation for their keen eye for detail, which resonates with the spirit of this exhibit. I hope to inspire an appreciation for every layer, texture, and embellishment, inviting you to embrace the elegance of excess.

Featured artists in Cluttered Delicacy include Sarah Cowling, Jill Price, Jacqueline Venus, Stephanie Fehrenbach, SASAH student Olivia Matheuszik, and Chloe Serenko. We're absolutely astounded by how quickly and beautifully Maya's project came together. These exhibitions are valuable extracurricular and experiential learning opportunities for our students. To project manage an exhibition is to develop a theme and message, learn about your local arts community, network and connect with emerging and established artists, curate and install works, and ensure that your exhibition finds its audience.

You can find out more information about Maya's exhibition here. You can also watch a short video narrated by Maya as she completed installation of the show here.

Visit SATELLiTE on Friday, November 1 from 2-7 and on Saturday, November 2 from 12-5 for the last days of this exhibition.

Course Spotlight: ARTHUM 2240F, "Foundations of Theory in the Arts and Humanities"

My name is Jeremy Arnott, and I am an interdisciplinary scholar who specializes in critical theory and continental philosophy. In addition to SASAH, I have instructed at The Centre for the Study of Theory and Criticism (UWO), along with the departments of philosophy, engineering, and media studies at Concordia University. My research revolves around the constellation of Frankfurt School critical theory and German Idealism. Currently I am engaged in several projects which seek to potentiate the work of Benjamin and Adorno in speculative directions. I am also interested in contemporary questions of ecology and philosophies of nature.

SASAH’s Year Two course, “ARTHUM 2240F: Foundations of Theory in the Arts and Humanities,” charts the main contours of critical theory from both a contemporary and historical perspective. The core aim of this inquiry is to provide students with a rigorous theoretical lexicon for further humanities research, while presenting a substantive overview of fundamental debates within the tradition of social theory. This includes introducing students to the main currents of continental philosophy, Marxism, psychoanalysis, Frankfurt School critical theory, post-structuralism, deconstruction, feminist, gender, and queer theory, along with post-colonial, de-colonial, and indigenous theory.

The course proceeds by charting the emergence of critical theory from within the tradition of continental philosophy, then exploring the kaleidoscope of theories which reflect upon, or critique, the philosophical tradition. Given the centrality of self-reflection in the tradition of critical theory, students will be encouraged to read these texts critically, against the grain, and against each other in constellation. Broadly stated, this course traces the genesis of “critique” from its negative Kantian form, in which reason establishes the limits of cognition, through to contemporary theoretical movements whereby critique is seen in an expanded sense—as testing said limits.

An image of Nafiseh Shajani in front of Starry Night and the Shield of Achielles

Cabaret: The Musical

Nov 1, Nov 2, Nov 3

Mustang Lounge

Our beloved SASAH students are all-the-way-involved with Theatre Western's productions of Cabaret and, later in November, Little Women!

Enter the dazzling world of the Kit Kat Club and experience Theatre Western’s boldest production yet – Cabaret (1998 version)! Learn more and purchase your tickets for Cabaret here.

Public Talk: "Influencing Identities and Places in London, Ontario"

November 4, 4PM in FNB 2220

Ryan Craven is Manager, Core Area Programs at the City of London. His current work involves beautifying, animating and activating Dundas Place, a recently completed and currently complicated flex street in Downtown London. He's an advocate for local arts, history, complete streets, sustainability, and participatory decision making.

SASAH and Law! Alumni Panel

November 6 at 6:30PM EST via Zoom

Interested in pursuing law school after your degree? Four recent SASAH alum who are now specializing in law will speak with arts and humanities students about their undergraduate journeys and what came after. We’ll be joined by Mishal Apel, Meg Cormack, Lauren Cowell, and Celine Tsang. Moderated by SASAH student Samara Golger. Zoom link here!

SASAH Careers Alumni Panel

November 6 at 6:30PM EST via Zoom

We’ve invited four recent SASAH alum who are pursuing a range of exciting and diverse career paths in law, epidemiology/biostatistics, open data advocacy and communications: they'll speak about how their undergraduate journeys led them to where they are now. We’ll be joined by Julia Campbell, Amber Carroll, Andrew Fullerton, and Dessa Hayes. The panel with be moderated by Dr. Barbara Bruce. Zoom link here!

The School for Advanced Studies in the Arts and Humanities (SASAH) offers an enriched undergraduate learning experience that is unique in Canada. Students gain practical experience in many career fields in a range of sectors—including arts and culture, non-profit, for-profit, education, and information technology—and undertake opportunities in the London community and beyond. We are grateful for our community: our students and alumni, our teaching fellows, our valued Advisory Council, our community partners and our supporters.

SASAH acknowledge that Western University is located on the traditional lands of the Anishinaabek, Haudenosaunee, Lūnaapéewak and Chonnonton Nations, on lands connected with the London Township and Sombra Treaties of 1796 and the Dish with One Spoon Covenant Wampum. With this, we respect the longstanding relationships that Indigenous Nations have to this land, as they are the original caretakers. We acknowledge historical and ongoing injustices that Indigenous Peoples (First Nations, Métis and Inuit) endure in Canada, and we accept responsibility as a public institution to contribute toward revealing and correcting miseducation as well as renewing respectful relationships with Indigenous communities through our teaching, research and community service.

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School for Advanced Studies in the Arts & Humanities
Stevenson Hall Room 3122, 1151 Richmond Street
London, Ontario N6A 3K7
Canada
Tel: 519-661-2111 ext. 87996
sasah@uwo.ca

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