Wilson School of Design hosts 2nd annual art and design conference

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Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s Wilson School of Design is hosting its second “Big Pictures: Murals, Billboards and Urban Interventions Conference” on May 10 and 11 at the Richmond campus.

The conference gives designers, artists, and researchers an opportunity to share their work at a panel discussion that focuses on the role of imagery in the environment and gather for a walking and curatorial tour at Minoru Park and Richmond City Hall. 

The conference is a good opportunity to connect with the local community, including artists and designers who work in the Lower Mainland, says Erin Ashenhurst, a Wilson School of Design instructor and one of the event organizers. 

“Last year, we had more of an international focus. We had people coming from across the country, a couple of people from the United States. This year we’re keeping it local and diving into what’s going on in our immediate area,” Ashenhurst says, adding, this year, they will be partnering with the City of Richmond. 

The keynote presentation focuses on the ongoing public art displayed along No.3 Road and Translink’s Canada Line SkyTrain. Biliana Velkova, the public art planner for the City of Richmond, and Shaun Dacey, director of the Richmond Art Gallery, will lead the discussion about the art program. 

One of the differences compared to last year’s conference is a shift in focus to the local community, says Carley Hodgkinson, chair of the Wilson School of Design’s graphic design for marketing program. 

“Last year, I would say our connection was maybe more in Vancouver, and this year we’ve moved that locus to Richmond, which I think is a nice touch point for the Wilson School of Design and for the KPU Richmond campus,” Hodgkinson says.

The conference will also span over two days this year, unlike last year where all the content was delivered in one day, Ashenhurst says.

“[In 2023] we had a keynote speaker night, panels, and then a walking tour, and I think it was a little bit exhausting for people. So now we’re doing the one day with the panels and the keynote [speaker], and [having] socializing there,” she says.

“The second day, the curator from public art from the City of Richmond will be doing a walking tour and then ending up at the Richmond Art Gallery for a curatorial introduction to the show.”

Ashenhurst says accessibility of the topics is one of the things organizers looked at during the selection process.

“Some of these [topics] are slightly more academic than others, but they’re all intended to be accessible for anyone. You don’t need to be already part of this dialogue to find something interesting there.” 

Some of the speakers include Germaine Koh, a Vancouver-based artist and the winner of 2023 Governor General’s Awards in Visual and Media Arts, Monique Motut-Firth, an interdisciplinary performance artist specializing in queer video and sound production, and Amesh Narsing, an artist working in interactive media and video game development, among others.

Ashenhurst hopes the conference will inspire attendees in their own projects and make them feel excited about what’s going on in the city around them. 

“What I like about going to conferences is not only seeing what other people are working on, but also … having that kind of energy in the room where people are celebrating something that a lot of work has been put on into, and meeting other people who are also feeling that kind of inspiration,” Ashenhurst says. 

This year the tickets were sponsored by the Wilson School of Design’s dean’s office, Hodgkinson says, adding she is happy to welcome anyone from KPU to attend. 

“I think it’s a very meaningful experience. It’s interdisciplinary, so … it’s not just about one thing. It’s architecture, cultural planning, urban planning,” Hodgkinson says. 

“I think there’s a lot of themes that are quite interesting for a lot of different people across KPU. So, we don’t want it to seem like it’s only a Wilson School of Design event.”