Campus Life, Faculty Profile, People, Teaching & Learning

Shawn Serfas is training students to become creators

Visual arts professor has a passion to attract the best students to UBCO’s fine arts program

January 31, 2022

SHAWN SERFAS HAD A BIT OF A CIRCUITOUS ROUTE TO UBCO. After originally joining the fine arts program in 2004, he spent eight years as a lecturer, teaching painting and drawing. Then in 2012, Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario, beckoned; at the time, they were building a new purpose-built 100,000 square foot facility that would house the dramatic arts, visual arts, music and studies in arts and culture. For Serfas, the prospect of helping build an art program with a large team was enticing and drew him to the other side of the country.

“During my tenure there, I helped establish the art school and build its profile. In my last year, I was head of the department and helped move the program into the future, and make connections with the community,” he says.

In the nine years he was at Brock, Serfas was able to connect with artists and art programs at many art schools in Ontario. He also created opportunities for his students to engage with lots of artists in New York and around southern Ontario.

“There are many great artists in that part of the country. It was a fruitful time, and I cherish those memories and the people.”

Then a position opened to teach painting and drawing at UBCO, and Serfas jumped at the chance to come back to the Okanagan. He has fond memories of the people at UBCO and the arts community.

“I’m thrilled to be back, and excited to build new bridges and foster new creative opportunities for students, faculty and staff.”

“A big part of my investment here at UBCO and in Kelowna is making sure we attract the best and brightest students to our Bachelor of Fine Arts program.”

He says that he is thankful to be able to spend the rest of his career in the Okanagan. “Even though I have many years left, I know this is home. This is where I’m going to stay and hang my hat.”

In his first year back, Serfas plans to experience the spaces again, to see what has changed and what remains the same. He has a passion to bring the best students to UBCO, and plans to continue making connections in the arts community to create opportunities for students.

“A big part of my investment here at UBCO and in Kelowna is making sure we attract the best and brightest students to our Bachelor of Fine Arts program.”

He adds that his number one desire is to build one of the best fine arts schools in the region.

“UBCO trains artists to be excellent at their disciplines. I want to make sure the university is recognized as having one of the best visual arts programs in Western Canada. I want to come to work every day and work with some of the most eager, vigorous and hungry students there are, and who really want to understand their creative voice and grow.”

He notes that he is still figuring out what that looks like in such a diverse department, work needs to be done to support all the other areas, and there is a lot of range in the fine arts and media studies programs.

“If I want to help build one of the best painting and drawing schools, the whole department has to be healthy as well.”

Intersections with teaching and artistic practice

Becoming a professor wasn’t a conscious decision for Serfas, but he found the engagement and conversations with students to be very enriching for his own practice. “Teaching can be hard, but when you’re with students who are excited about the material, that’s exciting to be able to help them.”

Serfas says although there are many rewarding things in life, perhaps one of the most rewarding is when a former student reaches out to thank you for pushing them so hard.

“You know you’re making a difference in their creative life. That’s pretty important work I think.”

As someone involved with his students, the community and his own practice, finding a balance can become a challenge, but Serfas says everything gets done effectively and efficiently when there’s a love of one’s profession.

“I really value being in the studio, so I set up blocks of time and don’t let anything interrupt that. I ensure I set up healthy boundaries and perimeters so my research doesn’t suffer.”

However, over time some of those boundaries have blurred; for example, one of the ways Serfas engages with his students is to get into the studio and paint alongside them.

“Our program is training students to become artists, so you need an artist to train them. Being artists ourselves showcases our value, and signals to students that we value our fields and creative expression, and the kind of investment we’ve made in our disciplines.

“If we can connect those dots where our creative energy and experience can be brought into the classroom, then it’s infectious.”

Serfas adds that for him, the most valuable professors were the ones who had a healthy and creative studio practice, where they were engaged in the making and questioning of life and their creative histories.

“If I could go back in time and see my 18-year-old self, I would say trust the people who are most passionate about their discipline. Trust them—they’re living and breathing it.”