CURRICULUM VITAE
EDUCATION
2003 Master of Fine Arts Degree (M.F.A.), Major in Studio Art, Painting Division
University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
University of Alberta Master of Fine Arts, Master of Design Scholarship
Awarded for academic, scholarly and creative achievements, April 2001 & 2002
2002 Bachelor of Arts Degree (B.A.), Major in Art History
Graduated with Great Distinction
University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
2000 Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree (B.F.A.), Major in Studio Art, Painting/Printmaking
Graduated with Great Distinction and Distinguished Thesis Exhibition
University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
Judy Poole Fine Arts Award
Awarded at convocation to the most distinguished Bachelor of Fine Arts Graduate as determined by the Department of Art and Art History, University of Saskatchewan, May 2000
Distinguished B.F.A. Exhibition Award
Awarded by the Department of Art & Art History to the artist whose final thesis exhibition is deemed exceptional, University of Saskatchewan, January 2000
PROFESSIONAL ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE
University of British Columbia
Associate Professor – Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies
Academic Years 2021-Current
148 Research Road, Discovery Ave, Kelowna, BC V1V 1V7
Brock University
Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts
Chair & Associate Professor – Visual Arts Department
Academic Years 2012-2021
15 Artists’ Common, St. Catharines, ON., L2R 3M2
University of British Columbia
Lecturer – Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies
Academic Years 2005-2012
3333 University Way, Kelowna, BC., V1V 1V7
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Contemporary painting, drawing and printmaking practices concerning relational abstraction, environmental aesthetics, religion, the landscape as well as issues bordering abstraction and representation using image construction with respect to environmental science and remote mapping processes
SCHOLARLY & CREATIVE ACTIVITIES
Selected Solo or Two-Person Exhibitions
2021 This Kind of Wilderness, (Catalogue) Vernon Art Gallery, Vernon, British Columbia
2020
Folding of Gesture, Darrell Bell Gallery, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Forge + Seam, SOPA Fine Arts Gallery, Kelowna, British Columbia
2018
Grid Terrain, Gallery MX, Montreal, Quebec
Alloyed Prairie, Bugera Matheson Gallery, Edmonton, Alberta
Portrait of a Mark, SOPA Fine Arts Gallery, Kelowna, British Columbia
2017
Pseudo-Fiction, (with Catherine Parayre), Alliance Francaise – Galerie Pierre Léon, Toronto, Ontario
2016
Inland, Rodman Hall Arts Centre, Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario
Cleave and Trench, Bugera Matheson Gallery, Edmonton, Alberta
2015
Dig, Machine Shop Gallery, Algoma University, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
2014
Out of Sorts, (with William Griffiths), SOPA Fine Arts, Kelowna, British Columbia
2014
Plaything, Congress: Borders Without Boundaries, Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario
2013
Shawn Serfas: Re-Picturing the Landscape, Penticton Art Gallery, Penticton, British Columbia (Catalogue Godfrey Dean Art Gallery)
2011
Borderlands – Imagining the Immaterial, (Catalogue Vernon Public Art Gallery), Art Gallery of Prince Albert, Prince Albert, Saskatchewan
2010
Borderlands – Imagining the Immaterial, (Catalogue Vernon Public Art Gallery), The Godfrey Dean Art Gallery, Yorkton, Saskatchewan
Field + Canal, Agnes Bugera Gallery, Edmonton, Alberta
2009
Radial Grey, SOPA Fine Art Gallery, Kelowna, British Columbia
2008
Borderlands – Imagining the Immaterial, (Catalogue), Vernon Public Art Gallery, Vernon, British Columbia
Tide + Recess, SOPA Fine Art Gallery, Kelowna, British Columbia
2007
Borderlands, (with Luc Bernard), Agnes Bugera Gallery, Edmonton, Alberta
2006
Basin and Range, SOPA Fine Art Gallery, Kelowna, British Columbia
2005
Telluric Currents, Agnes Bugera Gallery, Edmonton, Alberta
2003
Journey to the Surface of the Earth, Agnes Bugera Gallery, Edmonton, Alberta
Remote-Sensing, Master of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition, Fine Arts Building Gallery, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta
2000
Self-Similar, Gordon Snelgrove Gallery, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Selected Group Exhibitions
2020
Industrial Niagara, Rodman Hall Arts Centre, St. Catharines, Ontario
2019
New Work, Front Gallery, Edmonton, Alberta
Seeing Red, Darrell Bell Gallery, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
2018
Geographies of Process, Co-Curated with Catherine Parayre, Group Exhibition, Die Baeckerei, Innsbruck, Austria
2017
Alloyed: Post-Industrial Ephemera: Soundings, Gestures and Poetics, Silo-City, Buffalo, New York
Shawn Serfas: Recent Paintings, Darrell Bell Gallery, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
2016
Forever After: Painting and The Eye That Touches, Emily Davis Adams (USA), Dana James (USA), Daniel John (USA), Zachari Logan (Canada), Shawn Serfas (Canada), MIW Gallery, Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario
Art Is in the City, 6th International Painting Exhibition, Lessedra Gallery, Sofia, Bulgaria, (Catalogue)
Visual Appropriations And Rewritings, (Participated and Co-Curated with Catherine Parayre), University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
Visual Appropriations And Rewritings, Online Publication: ti< A Journal of Text-And-Image Criticism/Creation, Vol 5, No.1 (2016): http://brock.scholarsportal.info/journals/ti
2015
Brain Storms: UAlberta Creates, Enterprise Square Galleries, Edmonton, Alberta
ECAS 21st Anniversary Exhibition, Peter Robertson Gallery, Edmonton, Alberta
From Likeness to Fiction: The Portrait Inside Out, Curated by Janet Werner (Concordia)
Exhibition Hall, Department of Creative and Festival Arts, The University of The West Indies St. Augustine, Trinidad W.I, Rodman Hall, Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario
Chaussettes vertes et bonne nuit, les étoiles / Green Socks and Goodnight Stars, (Participated and Co-Curated with Catherine Parayre), Rodman Hall, Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario
Chaussettes vertes et bonne nuit, les étoiles / Green Socks and Goodnight Stars, Online Publication: ti< A Journal of Text-And-Image Criticism/Creation, Vol 4, No.1 (2015): http://brock.scholarsportal.info/journals/ti
34 Mini Print International De Cadaqués, (Catalogue), Gallery L’Etangd’Art, Bages, France
34 Mini Print International De Cadaqués, (Catalogue), Fundació Tharrats d’Art Gràfic, Pineda de Mar, Spain
34 Mini Print International De Cadaqués, (Catalogue), Taller Galeria Fort, Cadaqués, Girona, Spain
34 Mini Print International De Cadaqués, (Catalogue), Wingfield Barns, Church Rd, Wingfield, Diss, Norfolk, England
2014
Insomnia, Redhead Gallery, Toronto, Ontario
Convergence, 50th Annual Juried Exhibition, Tom Thomson Art Gallery, Owen Sound, Ontario
Academia: Judy Major-Girardin, Martin Pearce, Shawn Serfas, and Bruce Taylor, Earls Court Gallery, Hamilton, Ontario
Possible Object, (includes work by William Ronald, Ronald Bloore and Shawn Serfas) Rodman Hall, Studio Gallery, Brock University
Northern Notes, 4th International Painting Exhibition, Lessedra Gallery, Sofia, Bulgaria, (Catalogue)
In the Park, the Horses Didn’t Mind, (Participated and Co-Curated with Catherine Parayre) Niagara Artists Centre, St. Catharines, Ontario
Online Publication: ti< A Journal of Text-And-Image Criticism/Creation, Vol 3, No.1 (2014): http://brock.scholarsportal.info/journals/ti
2013
33 Mini Print International De Cadaqués, (Catalogue) Wingfield Barns, Church Rd, Wingfield, Diss, Norfolk, England
33 Mini Print International De Cadaqués, (Catalogue) Gallery L’Etangd’Art, Bages, France
33 Mini Print International De Cadaqués, (Catalogue) Fundació Tharrats d’Art Gràfic, Pineda de Mar, Spain
33 Mini Print International De Cadaqués, (Catalogue) Taller Galeria Fort, Cadaqués, Girona, Spain
12th Lessedra World Art Print Annual, Lessedra Gallery, Sofia, Bulgaria (Catalogue)
Off the Hook, SOPA Fine Arts, Kelowna, British Columbia
JNAAG Juried Art Show, Judith & Norman Alix Art Gallery, Sarnia, Ontario
Polyglot: Braille/Babble, Rodman Hall, Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario
Polyglot: Braille/Babble, Online Publication: ti< A Journal of Text-And-Image Criticism/Creation, Vol 2, No.1 (2014): http://brock.scholarsportal.info/journals/ti
ECAS 20th Anniversary Exhibition, Enterprise Square Galleries, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta
2012
3rd International Painting Exhibition – Competition, Lessedra Gallery, Sofia, Bulgaria
Side-Tracked, Sopa Fine Arts, Kelowna, British Columbia
2011
Insight – Artist as Educator, Penticton Art Gallery, Penticton, British Columbia
University of British Columbia Faculty Exhibition, Helen Belkin Art Gallery, Vancouver, British Columbia
2010
ECAS 18th Anniversary Exhibition, Edmonton Contemporary Artists’ Society, Common Sense Gallery, Edmonton, Alberta
Echo, SOPA Fine Arts, Kelowna, British Columbia
2009
ECAS 17th Anniversary Exhibition, Edmonton Contemporary Artists’ Society, Peter Robertson Gallery, Edmonton, Alberta
2008
Boundaries, Kelowna Art Gallery, Kelowna, British Columbia (Catalogue)
2007
Recent Paintings and Photographs, Agnes Bugera Gallery, Edmonton, Alberta
2006
The Hour Glass, The Long Galley, University of Wollongong, Wollongong NSW, Australia
Re-Tread, Alternator Gallery, Kelowna, British Columbia
ECAS 14th Anniversary Exhibition, Edmonton Contemporary Artists’ Society, Edmonton, Alberta
2005
Telluric, Alternator Gallery, Kelowna, British Columbia
2004
ECAS 12th Anniversary Exhibition, Edmonton Contemporary Artists’ Society, Edmonton, Alberta
FINA Faculty, Okanagan University College Fine Arts Faculty Exhibition, FINA Gallery, Kelowna, British Columbia
Recent Paintings, Agnes Bugera Gallery, Edmonton, Alberta
2003
Other Voices, Latitude 53 Gallery, Edmonton, Alberta
Connect Four, The Works Art and Design Festival, The Works International Visual Arts Society, Edmonton, Alberta
Fast Forward, FAB Gallery, Edmonton, Alberta
2002
Seven Sides, Agnes Bugera Gallery, Edmonton, Alberta
Flash Point, FAB Gallery, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta
HOAH – OSAC, Organizations of Saskatchewan Arts Councils, Traveling Exhibition, Saskatchewan
Canora Arts Centre, Canora, Saskatchewan
Melfort Arts Centre, Melfort, Saskatchewan
Watrous Area Arts Council, Watrous, Saskatchewan
2001
Think, Gordon Snelgrove Gallery, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Tractors Not Included, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
HOAH – OSAC, Organizations of Saskatchewan Arts Councils, Traveling Exhibition, Saskatchewan
Grand Coteau Centre, Shaunavon Arts Council, Shaunavon, Saskatchewan
Humboldt Museum, Humboldt, Saskatchewan
Estevan National Exhibition Centre, Estevan, Saskatchewan
Parkridge Centre, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Allie Grifin Art Gallery, Weyburn, Saskatchewan
Assiniboia Arts Council, Assiniboia, Saskatchewan
2000
Pressing Engagements, Gordon Snelgrove Gallery, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
HOAH – OSAC, Organizations of Saskatchewan Arts Councils, Traveling Exhibition, Saskatchewan
Biggar Museum, Biggar, Saskatchewan
University of Saskatchewan Arts Council, Kirk Hall, Saskatoon
Jasper Cultural Centre – Maple Creek Arts Council, Saskatchewan
Godfrey Dean Art Gallery, Yorkton Arts Council, Saskatchewan
Hudson Bay Allied Arts Council, Hudson Bay, Saskatchewan
Broadview Community Arts Council, Broadview, Saskatchewan
Outlook Arts Council, Outlook, Saskatchewan
CONTRIBUTIONS TO PANELS, CONFERENCES & PUBLIC LECTURES
2020
Shawn Serfas: Possible Object, Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies, University of British Columbia, Kelowna, British Columbia
2019
Guest Artist, STAC Walker Cultural Leader, Small Walker Press and Artist Talk, Ridley College, St. Catharines, Ontario
2018
Shawn Serfas: Possible Object, Audian Faculty of Art, Emily Carr University, Vancouver, British Columbia
2016
Shawn Serfas: Inland, Hot Talks, Rodman Hall, Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario
2015
Inland, Research Presentation, Algoma University, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, November
Inland, Research Presentation, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Ontario, November
2014
Re-Picturing the Landscape, Research Presentation, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario
Plaything, Congress 2014 – Borders without Boundaries, Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario
Possible Object – Melanie Authier, Hot Talks, Rodman Hall, Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario
2013
Re-Picturing the Landscape, Artist Talk, Penticton Public Art Gallery, Penticton, British Columbia
2012
Re-Picturing the Landscape, From Ports to Portals, Research Presentation, Brock University HRI Research Symposium, St. Catharines, Ontario
The Poetics of Space, Research Presentation, Brock University, St.Catharines, Ontario
2011
Field – Mapping Spaces, Research Presentation, Mount Allison University, Sackville, New Brunswick
The Poetics of Space, Research Presentation, Mann Art Gallery, Prince Albert,Saskatchewan
2008
Relational Abstraction, Research Presentation, Vernon Public Art Gallery, Vernon, British Columbia
2007
Basin and Range, Research Presentation, University of British Columbia, Kelowna, British Columbia
ACADEMIC DISTINCTIONS, AWARDS, GRANTS & COLLECTIONS
2020
Humanities Research Institute Grant, Brock University: This Kind of Wilderness
Experiential Education Stream, Teaching & Learning Innovation Grant, Brock University
2019
Humanities Research Institute Grant, Brock University: Landscapes and Relational Structures
2017
Canada Council for the Arts Project Grant, Possible Object
2016
VP Research Office, Brock University / SUNY Research Agreement (Co-Applicant), Silo City
Brock University Acquisition, Crown and Nimbus no.2
2015
Ontario Arts Council Exhibition Assistance Grant, Inland
Humanities Research Institute Grant, Brock University, Possible Object
Rodman Hall Arts Centre, Brock University Acquisition, Red Shift
2014
Tom Thomson Public Art Gallery Acquisition, Sisters
Vernon Public Art Gallery Acquisition, The Great Divide
2013
Humanities Research Institute Grant, Brock University, Tower and Line
Penticton Public Art Gallery Acquisition, Nimbus no.1
2012
University of British Columbia Acquisition, Mammatus
Humanities Research Institute Grant, Brock University, Tower and Line
Dean’s Conference Travel Grant, Brock University, Re-Picturing the Landscape Presentation, Penticton, British Columbia
2008
Vernon Public Art Gallery Acquisition, Decline
2006
Nomination and Acceptance into Membership, Edmonton Contemporary Artists’ Society (ECAS), Nominated by Dick Der, Edmonton, Alberta, (Current Member)
2005
Okanagan University College Research Grant, Basin and Range
2004
Edmonton Arts Council Grant, Lee Fund for the Arts, Telluric Currents Project, Agnes Bugera Gallery
Okanagan University College Research Grant, Radial Grey
2003
University of Alberta Museums and Collections Acquisition, Desert Armor no. 2
Nomination for Alberta Foundation for the Arts Graduate Scholarship in Art and Design Nominee: University of Alberta, Department of Art and Design
2002
University of Saskatchewan Acquisition, Self-Similar no. 2
University of Alberta Master of Fine Arts, Master of Design Scholarship
2001
University of Alberta Master of Fine Arts, Master of Design Scholarship
Saskatchewan Arts Board, Visual Arts Creative C Grant
2000
Judy Poole Fine Arts Award: awarded at convocation to the most distinguished Bachelor of Fine Arts Graduate as determined by the Department of Art and Art History, University of Saskatchewan
Distinguished B.F.A. Exhibition Award, awarded by the Department of Art & Art History to the artist whose final thesis exhibition is deemed exceptional, University of Saskatchewan
1999
Lorie Lee-Knight Memorial Award, awarded each fall to the senior Fine Arts student with the highest academic standing in studio art, University of Saskatchewan
PUBLICATIONS, CATALOGUES, MONOGRAPHS & ESSAYS
Culen, Lubos. Introduction and Interview in Borderlands – Imagining the Immaterial (Catalogue), Vernon Public Art Gallery, March 2008, pp. 4-5 and 14-24
Daniels, Lisa. Introduction to the Judith & Norman Alix Art Gallery Juried Art Show (Catalogue), Judith & Norman Alix Art Gallery, 2003
MacHardy, Carolyn. “Liminal Spaces” in Borderlands – Imagining the Immaterial
(Catalogue), Vernon Public Art Gallery, March 2008, pp. 6-11
_______________. “Encounters with the Sublime: The Art of Shawn Serfas” in Re-Picturing The Landscape (Catalogue), Godfrey Dean Art Gallery, 2011, pp. 8-11
Parayre, Catherine, ed. “Alloyed” Silo City, Buffalo, NY. Post-Industrial Ephemera: Soundings, Gestures and Poetics. Ed. Catherine Parayre and Reinhard Reitzenstein. St. Catharines, ON: Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, 2018. 18-20
Parayre, Catherine and Shawn Serfas. “De l’art, du francais, des histoires pour les enfants: une experience d’enseignement a l’universite.” Quo vadis, Romania? 49 (2017). 7-27
Serfas, Shawn. “Acrylique sur toile.” Voix plurielles 15.2 (2018). 240-247
Serfas, Shawn. Inland, with creative writing by Richard Fausset and an essay by Derek Knight. St. Catharines, ON and Vienna, Austria: Small Walker Press and Salon für Kunstbuch, 2019
Stein, Donald. “Introduction” in Re-Picturing The Landscape (Catalogue), Godfrey Dean Art Gallery, 2011, p.4
Wylie, Liz. Exhibition and Artist Introduction in Boundaries (Catalogue), Kelowna Art Gallery, University of British Columbia Okanagan Artists Exhibition, November 2008