New.

UNBC Opens Archives

Colleen O’Grady
On November 23, 2000
UNBC officially opened the

Northern BC Archives with a °

ribbon cutting with President
Jago, Archivist, Michael Taft
and numerous corporate
sponsors. Many corporate
sponsors contributed to the
endowment fund including
the Royal Bank, who donated
one hundred thousand dol-
lars and Canadian National
Railway (CNR), who donated
twenty five thousand dollars.
The University hopes to raise
1.5 million dollars in the
future for the endowment
fund.

The Archives contain her-
itage items such as an early
1900's ledger from a Cariboo
gold mine, the entire histori-
cal record of the Cassiar min-
ing community, genealogical
history of Carrier-Sekani fam-
ilies, historical slides, and
northern British Columbia
plant descriptions. The
endowment fund will imple-
ment outreach programs to
First Nations communities,
create traveling exhibits of
northern BC artifacts, and an
interactive website.

Daryl CN
Superintendent was quoted

Barnett,

in saying, “Maintaining this
legacy of northern BC is a
tremendous project that will
benefit us and future genera-
tions”

ibrary or Art Gallery?

By: Colleen O'Grady

On Friday 24, The UNBC Art

Exhibition opened on the sec-
ond floor of the library. The
event was attended by artists
who were students, profes-
sors and community mem-
bers. They came to show-
case their works at this gala
event. There was even a
roped off area where snacks
were provided.

The opening was followed by
some controversy regarding
the exhibition’s content.
Archivist Michael Taft has
reported that a certain paint-
ings have been going missing
off the wall. He reported that
the Painting entitled “Just
breath” by C. Nicholson which

features a woman giving
birth, “On Monday we came
in and the picture was hidden
behind the Inuit sculptures
and the painting of the
woman breast feeding [enti-
tled “Ma Le” also painted by
C. Nicholson] was taken
down and turned against the
wall.” Taft said, “Librarians [in
general] value free expres-
sion in books and all forms”
Protest has taken other
forms, such as letters and a
petition.

The | Women’s Centre
responded with a letter rebut-
ting, the objection to the
paintings, stating, “We feel

‘that art is an exceptional

medium for expressing poten-
tially controversial and pro-

gressive ideas while inspiring
debate”

When asked for her response
to the painting Jessica
Derksen, a student at UNBC
responded, “It’s an artistic
work showing freedom of
expression and libraries can
be repositories of that
expression.”

The UNBC Arts council is
running this exhibition until
January 31, 2000. Chair of
the UNBC Arts council,
Annette Schroeter hopes that
this will become a yearly
event for students, staff and
community members to
showcase their works and
provide an opportunity for
expression and debate.

UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN BRITISH COLUMBIA

UNBC Art Exhi

November 19, 2000 -

in the library

Arts
Council
of UNBC

tbition

- January 31,

2001