As part of the Mexico Fest 2014’s “Yucatan – Popular Art” exhibition at the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, an academic lecture will be presented at UBC Robson Square (800 Robson St, Vancouver, BC V6Z 3B7).
Carlos Eduardo Bojorquez Urzaiz
Dr. Carlos Eduardo Bojorquez Urzaiz is a writer, anthropologist and Mexican historian. Dr. Bojorquez-Urzais is currently Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the Autonomous University of Yucatan since 1976. He served as Director of the School from 1985 to 1993. He received his Ph.D. in History at the University of Habana.
Dr. Jose Antonio Cutz-Medina is a distinguished professor and educator, who is recognized for his work in maintaining the roots of Mayan culture through his efforts in giving Mayan dignitaries space and opportunities for dialogue between ancient knowledge residing in Mexico’s Yucatan region. His efforts have connected the struggling people of Kanxoc with its surrounding municipalities.
Join us on Wednesday, September 24th, 2014, 4:00-5:00PM, at the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre’s Dodson Room (Rm 302) as Dr. Jennifer Preece gives a talk on Citizen Science: Information, Technology and People, as part of the iSchool at UBC’s colloquia series.
Dr. Jennifer Preece is the Dean of the College of Information Studies, a Professor at the University of Maryland. and a member of the University of Maryland Human-Computer Interaction Lab. She researches online communities and is known for her work on what makes such a community successful, and how usability factors interact with socialibility in online communities. Her research interests are in: computer-mediated communication, human-computer interaction, online communities, management and design of social media, motivation for participation in social media, mobile communication
The Irving K. Barber Learning Centre and the Consulado General de México en Vancouver are pleased to bring to UBC campus this unique exhibition from Yucatán, México as part of the city’s celebration of Mexico Fest 2014. Located in Southeastern Mexico, on the north part of the Yucatán Peninsula, Yucatán is bordered by the states of Campeche to the southwest, Quintana Roo to the southeast and the Gulf of Mexico lies off its north coast.
In Yucatan there are more than 150,000 people who in one form or another make their living from Arts and Crafts mostly by participating in their production or comercialization. In a population of 1,900,000 inhabitants, we are looking at almost 8% of the population being dependant on Arts and Crafts. Aside from their economic contribution, this promotes and maintains local culture.
For the Department for Visual Arts of the Ministry for Culture and Yucatan Arts, this exhibition represents an opportunity to share and spread the important work of the Yucatan artisans. Arts and Crafts, embroidery, goldsmithing and wood carving are cultural expressions that significantly contribute to the cultural identity of the people of Yucatan. There is nothing more emblematic about this state than the “hipil” (dress), a “terno” (three piece suit) or woven hammock. The study of these objects helps us better understand the history of Yucatan, its natural resources and above all; the different habits and traditions that make up the everyday lives of these people.
For more information about this exhibition, please contact Allan Cho, Community Engagement Librarian at the UBC Library’s Irving K. Barber Learning Centre.
Webcast sponsored by the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre and jointly organized by the Asian Library, Department of Asian Studies, the Centre for Chinese Research and the Institute of Asian Research, Chinese Canadian Writers’ Association. Dr. Yeh Chia-Ying Professor Emerita of Asian Studies was celebrated on her 90th birthday on July 26, 2014 at the UBC Asian Auditorium. Professor Yeh is a worldwide renowned and esteemed scholar on Chinese classical literature. Born in 1924 in China, she graduated from the Fu Jen University in Beijing in 1945. She taught Chinese classical poetry at the National Taiwan University, Tamkang University and Fujen University in Taiwan in the 1950s and at the Michigan State University and Harvard University in the United States in the 1960s. Professor Yeh joined the UBC in 1969 and served till her retirement in 1989. In 1991, she was elected the Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. She is currently a member of the Central Research Institute of Culture and History and the Director of the Chinese Classical Cultural Research Institute, Nankai University in Tianjin, China.
Select Articles Available at UBC Library
Hightower, J. R., & Yeh, C. (1998). Studies in Chinese poetry. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Asia Center.
Sponsored by the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, on Tuesday June 10th the inaugural Wesbrook Talks event at MBA House in Wesbrook Village took place. A partnership event between Wesbrook Village and alumni UBC, the first event of the three part series featured a panel discussion of three amazing award-winning alumni all named Barbara. The sold out event featured Business in Vancouver’s Influential Women in Business award-winners Barbara Brink, BA’63; Barbara Dunfield, BEd’80; and Barbara Kaminsky, BA’70, MSW’73, MSc’82, in a panel discussion with CBC’s Renee Filippone and host Shelina Esmail, BA’93. It was the first time the 3 award recipients have spoken together on a panel. The three Barbara’s talked about their influences, commitment to their community, and career paths in a moderated discussion and question and answer session.
Kaminsky, B. A., Collins, M., BC Healthy Living Alliance Secretariat, British Columbia Government EBook Collection, & BC Healthy Living Alliance. (2011). Healthy living in BC: The next generation : A policy paper of the BC healthy living alliance. Vancouver, B.C: BC Healthy Living Alliance. Link: http://www.llbc.leg.bc.ca/public/pubdocs/bcdocs2011/469680/nextgeneration.pdf
The Sea of Cortez is located between the Baja Peninsula and mainland Mexico and is one of the youngest and most fertile seas on earth. The peninsula was formed approximately five million years ago when part of the Earth’s crust separated along the San Andreas Fault drifting in a northwesterly direction away from mainland Mexico. After colliding with southern California, an ocean basin was formed. This basin is known today as the Gulf of California or more commonly referred to as the Sea of Cortez.
Left in the wake of the collision was an explosion of natural geological wonders; a group of desert islands. The area has remained uninhabited, spellbinding and timeless. This amazing Galapagos type setting plays host to some of the rarest and most beautiful marine life on earth and offers an amazing environment for swimming, snorkeling, diving, kayaking, and hiking.
On July 15, 2005 the islands of the Sea of Cortez were declared a World Heritage Site by the United Nations. It is home to thousands of species of marine animals and is the reason why Jacques Cousteau called this sea “The Aquarium of the World”.
Lela Sankeralli’s journey to the Sea of Cortez is onboard Panterra’s 110 ft. live aboard ship, the “M.V. Adventure“, custom designed and built for comfortable, quiet, intimate cruising. The ship is professionally crewed with passenger certification under the “Nacional de Seguridad Maritima” laws. The Captain and crew bring many years of mariner experience in the Sea of Cortez and offer the warmth and kindness that reflects the beauty and hospitality of the people of Mexico. In partnership with Panterra Eco Expeditions and Panterra Educational and Cultural Training Society, the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre brings the Journey to the Sea of Cortez to campus.
Artist
Lela Sankeralli is the founder of Panterra Educational and Cultural Programs and started her career as a marine naturalist. She has dedicated her life to teaching and mentoring. Because of an insatiable desire to seek the origins of life on earth, her passion as a wanderer and explorer has led to a career in designing educational programs in the Gulf Islands of Canada and the Sea of Cortez, Baja, Mexico. In 2004, Lela retired, turning her business of 18 years into a non-profit organization. Her goal throughout her career has been to make a difference in the lives of the students she has come in contact with, turning them on to further learning, and instill in them the great importance and responsibility of being the future guardians of our planet.
