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Dinos outclass the herd

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Dinos outclass the herd

With a loss in the first game of the season, 2-1 against Calgary Dinos on Sept. 4, the Bisons played against the Dinos again on Saturday. The game ended with a complete show of domination by the Dinos, as they went on to win the game 5-0. Both games took place at the East Turf Field.

From the very start, it was clear the Dinos had one specific offensive play that they were attempting, which was to give a loft pass or through ball to the left winger, Erica Mysko, mostly a cross from the defence and ground pass or a chip from midfield. Mysko would then find space, take the ball to the edge of the penalty box and either go for a shot or, if there was space and time, look for a striker and then play a pass to the striker to shoot toward the goalpost.

When asked about this offensive strategy, Dinos head coach Diogo Raposo replied, “We knew that we can maybe catch them in transition. Erica is probably one of the fastest, if not the fastest player on this field today, so why not use it?” He added, “In the transition moments, using her athleticism was big for us.”

In the beginning of the game, the Bisons had a tough time keeping possession, so they could not play the ball forward or move it around, forcing the herd to clear the ball and give possession back to the Dinos. 

At about 15 minutes into the game, the Dinos had a corner kick. Brooke Batty took the corner kick and the Bisons goalie tried to grab the ball in the air but she could not. The ball was not cleared properly, and Dinos player Mykena Walker charged forward to shoot it hard. The ball deflected off Dinos striker Ella Djuranic, who then chipped the ball toward the net, and with the Bisons defender unable to stop it, the Dinos scored the first goal in the game.

At the 23-minute mark, Djuranic chased the ball and played a chip from behind the midfield line toward Mysko, with enough force to carry it toward her like a cross. Mysko ran after the ball, got it under control, and made a pass inside the box. Dinos’ Addi White rushed into the box, and on her first touch the ball bounced off her right foot. White composed herself and shot the ball before it touched the ground into the net.

With the game being led by the Dinos 2-0, the Dinos did not take their foot of the pedal. At the 25-minute mark, White charged at one of the Bisons defenders, seized the ball, then went past another Bisons defender and made a pass into the box, where Djuranic took a first touch shot that hit the crossbar and deflected off. 

In the stoppage time for the first half (45+2), Mysko received a through ball, which she took deep into the penalty box and shot the ball. The Bisons goalkeeper stopped the shot, but the ball deflected off the goalkeeper, and before the herd could clear the ball, White came in and shot the ball into the net.

The first half ended with the Dinos leading 3-0.

In the second half, around the 86-minute mark, Josie Holt scored another goal, putting the Dinos up 4-0. A couple of minutes later, Kaleigh Major scored another goal in 88-minute mark, making the score 5-0.

Throughout the first half, the Dinos did not give the Bisons any time to think. With the Dinos’ defensive line pushed high up the field, every time the Bisons would start from the back and reach the midfield line, two or three Dinos players would close down on the Bisons player, forcing them to make a rushed pass or pass backwards. On the other hand, the Bisons were pushed to play with a deep defensive line.

When the Bisons would try to win the ball back, most Dinos players with the ball would sprint through the gaps available, and once there was space for a clean pass, they would play it off, not losing possession.

With the Dinos playing the attack through the left wing, on the right side, Batty played almost like a wide playmaker, receiving the ball at the midfield line, as she would regularly fall back. She was great at holding off the Bisons players at times, who were charging at her, using her body and sway movements to find space to pass the ball back or forward. So, even with the Bisons double-teaming her, she did not lose possession.

Falling back was not limited to Batty. At times, White would play like a false nine, dropping deeper to help build up the attack.

Dinos head coach Raposo shared that he did not feel like they had won the game at half-time. “We also have a lot of respect for Manitoba. We knew if they got one goal, it could be shaky.”

Talking about White and Mysko’s performances, he said, “Addi got rewarded for making great runs in the box, and Erica did the hard work to get the ball there.”

He summed up the team’s performance, saying, “Doing the right things, being in the right spots, you’re going to get rewarded.”

The Bisons are scheduled to play Saskatchewan Huskies on Sept. 12 and 13 in Saskatoon, Sask.

UMGPS welcomes its community members

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UMGPS welcomes its community members

The faculty of graduate and postdoctoral studies held its fall orientation with the help of UMGPS on Wednesday, Sept. 2 at St. John’s College’s Robert B. Schultz Theatre, welcoming new graduate students to campus.

Emma Heath, UMGPS president, said “the orientation [was] to welcome students to campus, provide them with essential resources and to let them know where they can find further assistance.”

The orientation brought together university representatives and UMGPS leaders to introduce new graduate students to campus resources and support services. Students also took part in workshops covering topics such as working with advisors and navigating university resources.

For Heath, creating a sense of connection was an important part of the event.

The U of M’s large campus can initially feel “intimidating” or “overwhelming” for new students, making opportunities to meet other graduate students particularly valuable, she said.

Heath encouraged new students to take advantage of the resources available to them.

She identified students’ university email accounts as one of their most important resources, noting that much of the information about their programs and the university reaches students through their inboxes.

Abiodun Adejumo, UMGPS vice president, events and clubs, shared that UMGPS hosts many social, recreational and educational events that graduate students can get involved with.

“Attending one event can be the beginning of meeting people and becoming more comfortable within the graduate community,” he said.

Heath further urged new graduate students to embrace opportunities that could help them build connections, strengthen their resumes and gain new experiences.

Stephanie Sagoe, a new graduate student in the faculty of law, said positive experiences shared by relatives who attended U of M influenced her decision to study at the university.

Sagoe described her brief experience as “good,” adding that the willingness of people on campus to help has contributed to her transition.

“The colleagues I’ve encountered have made my time here beautiful,” Sagoe said.

Sagoe’s transition into U of M has already involved building connections beyond the classroom as she now serves as a member of the UMGPS board of directors.

“I’m not here just for the degree,” Sagoe said. “I want to build a community and a network.”

She expressed her support for prospective graduate students to consider U of M for its financial aid opportunities and resources that support personal and professional development.

UMGPS remains a point of contact for graduate students beyond orientation and offers students both practical resources and an avenue to seek assistance.

“If they ever need a quiet space to sit and work, a listening ear, or a microwave or fridge for their lunch, our office is open to them,” Heath said.

Adejumo revealed that graduate students should expect some future initiatives and are welcome to suggest what events they would want to be offered.

“We want our programming to reflect the needs and interests of graduate student,” Adejumo stated.

For updates on upcoming UMGPS events, services and opportunities, graduate students can visit the association’s website or follow UMGPS on Instagram at @uofm_gps.

 

‘There is not one way to be Métis’

Arts & Culture editor
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‘There is not one way to be Métis’

Métis beadwork might conjure images of moccasins, coats and mittens, but this animator has adapted the art form into stop motion film. 

Maxime Kornachuk is a Métis animator based in Winnipeg who focuses on stop motion and rotoscope, where the animator traces over live footage frame by frame. His latest film, Where Our Flowers Grow, uses stop motion beadwork to explore Métis identity and is set to premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on Sept. 16.

“There’s something really exciting about it, kind of terrifying just a little bit because it’s something that is quite big, but I would definitely say that [I feel] excitement over fear now that the film is done,” the animator said. 

The film follows three pairs of Métis people dear to Kornachuk – his grandmother and brother, his close friend Grace and her little brother and Michif speakers with hunters from St. Ambrose, who the filmmaker described as his heroes. They recount stories of grappling with Métis identity while looking white, navigating the bureaucracy of legally claiming Indigenous identity and the changing status of Michif.

Maxime Kornachuk. Supplied by NFB.

Kornachuk noted their stories and even physical appearances are different, but they all share the same cultural roots. 

“Métis people are a lot like flowers. Their petals may be different colors, and they may look different, but at the end of the day, their roots all connect them to the same thing,” he said.

“I wanted to demystify what it is to be Red River Métis specifically because I always find that that’s a bit of a question mark, and at the end of the day, this film is like what I wish I had when I discovered that I was Métis, and I really fought with what that identity was, internally.”

Where Our Flowers Grow is as communal as it is personal, with first-person narration in French by Kornachuk about his lived experience. 

“I really didn’t understand what Métis meant for a long time,” he stated. “I heard it for the first time when I was young, and my mom told me we were Métis, but it took probably a decade for me to really understand what that meant.”

He also explained his family went into hiding for their own survival due to the political landscape in Manitoba in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. 

“[Métis identity] just became a really important part of my life because I see it as making up for lost time, not just for myself, but also for what happened to my family,” he said. 

“I want to honour those people by continuing to talk about my culture and to reaffirm that culture within myself. It is pretty central to what I do artistically.” 

Kornachuk is one of the five filmmakers chosen to take part in REDEFINED, a project created by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) and TIFF where filmmakers under 30 teamed up with NFB producers to create non-fiction short films that showcase what it means to be Canadian or Indigenous.

“Working with the NFB has always been a dream,” said Kornachuk, who holds a diploma in multimedia communications from the University of Saint Boniface.

“I grew up watching NFB films. My dad is a cameraman. He was actually involved. He was my A camera operator when we were recording the interviews, and my mom worked in the media for many years, and she still does.”

Part of the production took place in Montreal, but the NFB also sent equipment to Kornachuk’s house and set up an animation studio in his brother’s old room. 

To make the animation, Kornachuk placed and moved glass beads on a plate using a dental hook. He then took a photo of the work and progressed to the next frame. 

“[It is] really hard to conceptualize how small [the beads] are, but they’re about the size of a crumb,” he expressed. “They were very small and kind of unruly.”

He said the flowers took, on average, an hour to make and would only result in half a second of footage. His favourite took six to seven hours. However, the beadwork was laborious but rewarding. 

“[In] the opening sequence of the film with the first initial tapestry, there is on average about 2,300 beads on screen in that one moment when the tapestry is fully formed,” he said.

“It definitely took a long time, but I think it worked out because I’m very happy watching it.”

All in all, the animator expressed there are many ways to be Métis, and the identity is multitudinous.

“There is not one way to be Métis. There’s not one way to be Indigenous, point-blank period,” he said. “I think we really have to decolonize the idea of identity […] We try to put Indigenous people into these boxes and fit them so that it can be better understood, but we were never meant to be put in a box in the first place.”

“We as individuals understand our identities, and that might not be the same as every other Métis person or every other Indigenous person, but that is still our identity.”

Where Our Flowers Grow will be free to stream along with other REDEFINED films on the NFB’s platforms on the evening of Sept. 16.

Sailing in Manitoba

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Sailing in Manitoba

While the U of M might not have a sailing club, unlike some other Canadian universities, Manitobans need not sink in despair. There happens to be at least a dozen sailing clubs in the province, and despite Manitoba’s short summer, there are plenty of activities for sailors and sailing enthusiasts. 

Sail Manitoba works with several clubs across the province, with organizations such as the Winnipeg Sailing Club providing city folks with the opportunity to try the sport. A bit further from the city, clubs are also present at Gimli, Falcon Lake and Victoria Beach.

Talking to Claire Holliday, a U of M alum, she described sailing as something that initially can be inscrutable, but it transforms into “the most wonderful sport” when one learns how to be aware of their surroundings.

Currently working as the technical director for Sail Manitoba, she expressed her interest in growing the community. “We may be a little smaller than some of the bigger sports communities, but we just love having new people.”

Holliday started sailing with her dad when she was just three years old. “He was steering, controlling the bigger of the two sails, and I was controlling the little one,” she said. “As I increased in confidence and skill, I would start steering the boat.”

The forms of sailing available in the province include keelboat racing, dinghy racing and optimist racing.

Holliday said that she used to work at Winnipeg Sailing Centre during the summers while she was in university. “If people are interested in learning how to sail, and eventually want to profit off it, there is an opportunity to become an instructor,” she added.

Addressing the expense of the sport, she revealed that she does not own a boat. She highlighted the importance of joining a club, as memberships give access to boats and remove the requirement of having to own a boat. Holliday shared that Manitoba held its first kiteboarding event at Victoria Beach on July 18 and 19. Calling it a huge success, she said, “It was an absolutely great event that people really enjoyed, and hopefully we’ll get even more people next year.”

One of the programs that Holliday shed light on was the Sailing with Pride Program, which offered free taster sessions for the members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. The free taster sessions were held on Fridays in June, followed by discounted CANSail lessons in July and August.

Holliday explained that a big part of the sport is to work with the environment. “It could be very frightening when you’re first involved in the sport, and you might not have an awareness of how the water is going to move, how the wind is going to react, or even where the wind is coming from.” 

However, based on her experience, it changes with time on the water. “When people spend the time on the water this is something you learn, and it becomes something that is very like a flow state for me.”

For anyone interested in sailing events, the 2026 Commodore’s Cup Dinghy Race will be held at the Gimli Yacht Club on Sept. 12.

From the herbarium to the gallery

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From the herbarium to the gallery

La Maison des artistes visuels francophones presented Dry Media VIII: Plant Fibres on Sept. 3, an art exhibition showing works by Textile and Fibre Artists of Manitoba (TFAM) created in response to botanical specimens from the U of M’s herbarium.

Leona Herzog, a participating artist and member of TFAM, explained the group connected with the herbarium earlier this year.

“In January, [TFAM] spent two days at the herbarium studying wonderful dried specimens,” she stated.

“Then they went their merry way for about six months or so and created works of art. The works of art were then matched with the herbarium specimens in many cases, and the herbarium specimens inspired what you’re seeing on the wall.”

According to the U of M herbarium’s website, a herbarium is a collection of dried plants used for scientific study, and it documents the anatomy, molecular information and distribution of plant species. Over centuries, the collection can serve as chronological data about the environment.

The U of M herbarium was founded in 1907 and houses 85,000 specimens, making it the most comprehensive collection of vascular plants of Manitoba. It is located on the fourth floor of Buller building and is open to visitors by appointment.

The exhibit features works by twelve artists. One of the artists is Carla Zelmer, an instructor in biological sciences at U of M. Her piece, “Messages 4: Resilience,” is made of braided fibres of plants that are undesirable but hardy, such as dandelion, stinging nettle and milkweed.

“They contain very strong fibres, and so my piece represents those moments when supports for something have broken,” she commented.

“It’s showing the resilience of the plant world, and especially these particular plants, to start again, come up from the roots […] It’s spreading out, and it will survive.”

Herzog’s “August Companions,” on the other hand, is a contemporary embroidery piece about plants that grow together in an area around Marathon, Ontario.

For Zelmer, one highlight is finding a plant specimen in the herbarium that was collected in the same year of her birth, while Herzog discovered the moss genus Herzogiella, likely named after someone who shared her last name.

“Herbaria worldwide are under threat. They hold our history of what was there. A lot of plants that are in our collections are now a parking lot. They don’t even exist anymore. Their DNA is still there, and we have evidence that they were there,” said Zelmer.

“With climate change, some of our plants are going to be heading north, and they may not exist in the way that they were before, and [herbaria allow] us to track what’s happened as well.”

Despite their importance, Zelmer noted that the value of herbaria is not always recognized.

“A lot of people are not aware of how useful they are to science and to many other things like art because they’re often hidden away and people don’t get to see them,” Zelmer said. “This is one aspect of bringing [these important collections] into the public eye.”

“Artists can take all of that information […] and do something that is visually exciting, and make people interested in learning more and in preservation,” Herzog added.

Herzog hopes the exhibit will cultivate more love and care for the environment and raise awareness moving forward.

“I think that will go a long way to help us preserve what we have and gain back some of what we’ve lost,” she said.

Dry Media VIII: Plant Fibres is on display until Sept. 19. Visit maisondesartistes.mb.ca/contact/ for gallery hours.

Drawing the line on GenAI

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Drawing the line on GenAI

Should students use generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) to help with an assignment?

According to Brenda M. Stoesz, the answer depends on the course, the assignment and what an instructor has permitted. Stoesz is the research lead at the U of M’s Centre for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning. Her work includes research on academic integrity and technology in higher education.

As GenAI becomes more common on university campuses, Stoesz said responsible use starts with understanding expectations. Students should check their course syllabus and ask their instructor if they are unsure whether or how GenAI can be used.

“If GenAI is not to be used, then the line is clear — don’t use GenAI,” Stoesz said. “But, sometimes, it makes sense to use GenAI in a certain way in a certain course, so ask your professor/instructor where the line is for that course.”

According to Stoesz, when permitted, GenAI can be used in ways that support learning without completing the work for the student.

“Students might want to use GenAI to clarify a concept when they are studying, perhaps brainstorming for ideas, or even using GenAI to help create a plan for completing an assignment by breaking it into chunks,” Stoesz explained. “If you feel that you’ve learned nothing when using GenAI, then you are probably not using it to your benefit,” she added.

Starting assignments early can also help students maintain academic integrity. Stoesz said leaving enough time to complete assessments can reduce the temptation to take shortcuts. Students can also seek available academic support when they are struggling with course material.

Transparency is another part of responsible GenAI use, Stoesz noted. When students include GenAI-produced content in graded work, Stoesz said they should keep track of how the technology was used. Instructors may require documentation, while citation styles such as APA, MLA and Chicago provide options for acknowledging or referencing GenAI content. Students should also check their syllabus or ask their instructor or teaching assistant about specific requirements.

“Transparency is also important because it shows integrity — taking responsibility for the work you have submitted builds trust and respect with educators and classmates,” Stoesz emphasized.

The risks of GenAI extend beyond academic misconduct. Stoesz cautioned students against entering personal information about themselves or others into GenAI tools without understanding the company’s terms of use. GenAI can also produce inaccurate information. “It is very important to verify the output by comparing the details with reputable sources,” she emphasized.

While GenAI has created new questions for universi­ties, Stoesz said the meaning of academic integrity has not changed. Following instruc­tions, being transparent about how work was completed and asking questions when learn­ing is still important. She said detecting and preventing misconduct cannot address the issue alone. A broader approach includes giving stu­dents access to academic supports, teaching digital and GenAI literacy and keep­ing learning at the centre of assessment.

“The bottom line is that assessments need to show what [students] know and can do, other­wise they are not valid indicators of learning,” Stoesz said.

The U of M has also developed principles to guide decisions about GenAI. Stoesz highlighted its human-cen­tred approach, which says AI should augment human capabilities rather than replace them. The princi­ple emphasizes human rela­tionships, transparency, trust and ethical considerations in higher education.

For Stoesz, responsible GenAI use will require con­tinued learning from both stu­dents and educators. GenAI, she said, does not belong in every course, and expectations around its use will vary.

“It’s really important for everyone — students and educators included — [to remember] that GenAI is something we are all learning to use, and we need to be patient with each other,” she said.

As the technology develops, Stoesz said learning when to use Gen AI — and when not to — will remain part of using it responsibly.

Building the Ken dynasty

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Building the Ken dynasty

The Bisons women’s volleyball team has had immense success recently, evident by their 2025 U-Sports Championship victory. One of the foundations for this success might be the recruitment process that goes unnoticed. 

The 2026-27 season games for women’s volleyball will start on Oct. 23 against the Trinity Western Spartans in Langley, B.C. For the 2025-26 season, the squad finished with a 16-8 overall record. 

Speaking to the team’s coach, Ken Bentley, about the new season, he made it clear that his primary objective is to ensure that he recruits the top athletes from the province and puts them through the Junior Bisons program. Bentley added that he also recruits nationally and internationally.

When it comes to finding players using game footage, Bentley likes to watch it by himself, but he does not only rely on it, as he likes to go and watch teams play in person. 

Bentley said if he likes the film and has an introductory meeting with the athlete, he might fly the athlete out to evaluate their productivity and skill set, while also determining how well they would fit into the team. 

The coach noted, “I’ve become much more vigilant about doing the best job I can to ensure […] that the athletes I’m recruiting to this program are going to fit […] That they really are going to be excited about what the program offers.” Bentley said he has occasionally made offers on the spot, but he usually likes to tell the athlete to go home and consider the offer, and then get in touch with the athlete in a couple of weeks, at which point he might finally make the offer.

Bentley made it clear that just because an athlete is promised a place on the squad does not mean playing time or a starting position. He added, “It’s up to them to demonstrate if they’re good enough to actually play.”

He revealed that this is because of the message it would send. “I could have players in their third year that have worked really hard to start and maybe haven’t started yet, or have become really good players and might have an opportunity, [but] I’ve placed this first-year kid ahead of them, through that promise. So, now, what would motivate my returning players to want to come in and train hard and be a part of our culture if this is what I’m doing?”

Bentley acknowledged that the athletes are entering a new world with the university program and are largely unaware of what the demands are until they get there, so Bentley’s expectations are fairly low when it comes to their physical preparation. “They’re not very familiar with things like Olympic lifting or how to squat properly,” he said. “These are all things we have to educate them on once they get here. That’s just part of the development process.”

According to Bentley, becoming part of the team is an organic process. Players become familiar through training and being together.

Check the U of M Chess Club

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Check the U of M Chess Club

The transition from chess being perceived as a game played by nerds to a game respected for requiring extreme mathematical and computational skills has been a rollercoaster ride, not to mention the rise of chess superstars such as Magnus Carlsen.

Pawn your attention to the U of M Chess Club, a club that meets every Monday and Thursday during Fall and Winter semesters. On Thursdays the group meets at VW Social Club, and the Monday meeting locations are announced via Instagram.

Any U of M student can join the club, regardless of experience. Students do not need to bring their own chess sets or clocks, they are provided by the club.

According to club president Abdul Moeez, the club has more than 500 members and five executives. The club also has two senior advisors. Moeez said the range of experience starts with beginners and extends to players with an Elo rating of 2,200.

For beginners, the club offers the opportunity to learn in a relaxed environment, where they can find opponents closer to their own levels. “If you don’t know how to play, the executives will most likely help you,” said Moeez. He also emphasized that he has witnessed club executives spending hours teaching others basic openings.

Most meetings do not follow any specific formats, with the students mutually deciding the kind of format they want to play. However, the club does hold competitive tournaments throughout the school year. For competitive events, Moeez said that the club uses rapid chess with a 10-minute starting time and 15-second increment after each move, or a 10|15 format.

Moeez said the club offers a nice break from school and work. “Chess club is a great way to make more friends, have a social and relaxed environment, and if you are competitive chess player, it also gives you a chance to compete at chess.”

The club does not have practice sessions. For beginners, Moeez recommends playing longer games and not immediately focusing on speed, analyzing the games afterward and using books and YouTube videos to get better.

However, Moeez did have a realistic take. “It’s a very unique sport, where just because you play a lot doesn’t necessarily mean you will get better, which [means] you actually have to sit and analyze your game.”

As for the role computers have in the sport, Moeez had a pragmatic take. “We have sort of accepted that we can never beat computers and we can just play ourselves.”

Beyond the club’s weekly meetings, they have other events to look forward to, such as the Canadian University Chess Championship where all the student teams from universities across Canada compete against each other.

Moeez shared his experience of travelling to University of Toronto for the 2026 championship, which took place earlier this year from Jan. 16 to 18. He recalled that eight players from the U of M qualified to play in the tournament. Moeez stated that members of the Chess Club were left to cover expenses while representing the university. “I think I paid close to $500 out of pocket,” he added, referring to his own expenses for transportation, accommodation and food. The club also received funding from hosts University of Toronto. 

For the upcoming 2027 championship at the University of Waterloo, Moeez said that the club plans on raising external funds and is currently in contact with potential sponsors. 

The U of M Chess Club can be found on Instagram @uofmchessclub.

Prairie Comics Festival returns for 10th anniversary

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Prairie Comics Festival returns for 10th anniversary
Supplied by Sam Beiko.

The annual Prairie Comics Festival is set to take place from Sept. 5 to 6 at the Manitoba Museum, marking its 10th anniversary this year.

According to artistic director Sam Beiko, visitors can expect to see comics by 115 artists from across Canada and the U.S. There will also be industry-led panels on topics such as comics and social change, Indigenous comics and queering comics.

“We are about promoting and supporting independent creators of comics, zines, graphic novels, anything that is sequential art,” the director explained.

The festival is entirely run by volunteers, she also stated. It began in 2016 at the Millenium Library with 23 artists, which drew a crowd of about 400.

“After the festival wrapped, we just kept hearing from people that we really need something like this in Winnipeg that supports the independent comic and zine and graphic novel community here, because there is a rather big one,” she said.

However, because Winnipeg does not have a dedicated post-secondary program explicitly for comic illustration, the festival provides budding artists with opportunities to connect with those already working in the industry. Apart from the festival, the organization also hosts Comic Coven, an open comic studio night every Wednesday.

As the comic artist behind the series Krampus is My Boyfriend! Beiko enjoys the medium because it can deliver cinematic storytelling without the patience needed for hand-drawn animation.

“You are the artist and the storyteller, and you’re also the director, and you’re also having to think about the facial expressions and everything of every single character in every moment,” Beiko commented.

“There’s just so many possibilities with style and playing with form, and you can see the story be alive on the page.”

Beiko hopes the festival will give visitors the chance to appreciate and support art created by real people, especially local artists, as opposed to things generated by artificial intelligence.

“What I really hope people get when they walk through the door is that [they know] there are still so many people in the world who create art with their hands and their brains, and not with a water-guzzling prompter,” said the director.

“Supporting independent creators is really, really important right now because a lot of their work is being stolen and being profited off of without their permission. It was already a career with thin margins.”

She also stated that sequence art has been around since time immemorial, and it will continue to persist.

“Art is not dead. It is never going to die. Human beings have told stories with words or with just pictures since we figured that we could [paint] on a cave wall in sequence, and we’re going to keep doing it.”

The Prairie Comics Festival is free to attend. Comic Coven takes place every Wednesday from 6 to 8 p.m. at 611-70 Arthur Street. Visit prairiecomics.com for more information.

Never far from home

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Never far from home
Maryam Bagheri and her piece “My Mother’s Portrait.”

Maryam Bagheri, who resides in Winnipeg with her husband and two children, has not been able to visit her family in Iran for the past nine years.

She keeps in contact with her mother with video calls, which inspired Bagheri to create an anthotype portrait of her using turmeric. The portrait is reproduced on strips of canvas and hung around the gallery.

Bagheri is one of the artists whose work is on display in Dwelling in Thresholds, an exhibition at the School of Art Student Gallery presented on Aug. 26 showcasing works by five Iranian students and graduates from the school of art.

“The portrait is actually screenshots of my mother and I talking on the phone,” she said. “It was only through the cell phone’s camera, just seeing each other through these screens.”

“My mother, my brothers, my father, they all live in Iran,” she added. “It’s been a lot. This work is talking about that distance from home, from my family, especially my mother, [who] was sick for a long period, and I couldn’t be there for her.”

Ali Bayat, the curator of the show and a PhD student in film studies at the U of M, explained that the show is all about home in a broad sense.

“It’s about […] what makes home, and all these questions related to very foundational components of one’s identity, especially after geographical or cultural displacement,” he said.

This exhibition was conceived in response to the upheavals and crisis in Iran over the past year, said Bayat, and it also deals with the experience of being worried about home while watching from afar.

Another piece on display is a ceramic mosaic by MFA student Sara Sattari depicting a feminine body riddled with bullet wounds.

“This picture, if I’m not mistaken, is presenting an actual picture that became mainstream all over [the] place after [the] January crisis,” the curator said. “If you come from that bubble of Iranian social media, that image makes sense to you because it definitely brings up a lot of memories.”

Bayat, also originally from Iran, described a complicated relationship with his homeland. It has given him his language and traditional family structures and defined who he is as a person.

“At the same time, this is entrenched in so [much trauma]. So it’s not all rainbow and roses,” he said.

“[Home is] a very complicated combination of negatives and positives with all their force, so destructive and constructive at the same time, but a phenomenon that needs to be studied,” he added. “[It is] a phenomenon that is not personal. It’s very communal.”

Bayat stressed that Dwelling in Thresholds is not only about Iran, but the diasporic experience in general.

“I think anyone who is concerned about this idea of being at home, who’s concerned about the idea of even identity in general, would probably take something personal out of this exhibition because all these artists are doing a very deep dive, honestly, within themselves to search for the roots of their personal anxieties.”

Dwelling in Thresholds is on view at the School of Art Student Gallery until Sept. 9.

 

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