Concordia University’s Department of Art Education, in collaboration with the Centre for the Study of Learning and Performance (CSLP), is pleased to announce a unique 3-credit graduate summer institute running June 1 – 14, 2023.

“No Outsides: Underground Arts as a Catalyst for Pluralism in an Era of Polarization” will present a series of events and outreach activities designed to address how research and research-creation on underground art forms, such as extreme metal music, dystopic visual art, darkwave electronic music, and fringe arthouse cinema catalyze collaborative encounters between the fields of linguistics, musicology, consumer culture, fine arts, media studies, art education, art history and social justice pedagogy.

The “No Outsides” series will partner with the International Society for Metal Music Studies (ISMMS), who have scheduled their bi-annual conference to be held from June 6-8, 2023 at Concordia University in Montréal.

On June 1, 2 and June 5, 2023, the “No Outsides” Summer Institute will facilitate lectures, panel sessions, and research-creation workshops run by Institute leaders from North America, as well as special guest artists from Mexico, Italy, Canada, and the USA expressly invited for the series. Institute participants will then be attending the ISMMS conference between June 6 and 8, 2023 to partake in the keynotes and films screenings, moderate papers and panel sessions, as well as pursue specific research and artistic topics pertaining to their individual interests. Finally, participants will work with Institute leaders on their capstone activities on June 9, 12 (as well as June 13 and 14, if needed) following the ISMMS conference.

Download the  schedule for No Outsides (PDF)

Objectives of the “No Outsides” Institute are to:

Connect with interdisciplinary experts from pedagogy, political science, consumer culture, religion, musicology, postcolonial studies, communication studies, fine arts, and art history regarding how underground arts theoretically frame issues of polarization with the goal of framing pluralistic dialogues in a post-pandemic context.

Engage with a broad range of methodological frames for analyzing diverse forms of data from literary, film, musical and lyrical standpoints guided by experts in fields such as public pedagogy, Native studies, cultural studies, classics, social justice pedagogy, media studies, consumer culture and cognate disciplines.

Foster collaborative opportunity for Institute leaders and Institute/ISMMS 2023 participants to position papers and/or creative outputs that address themes associated with the Institute from multiple disciplinary standpoints, including but not limited to arts-based community resilience, dystopic consumer culture, postcolonial and decolonial approaches to arts-based pedagogies, etc.

Confirmed “No Outsides” Summer Institute leaders include the following Concordia faculty members, researchers, and research professionals:
  • Vivek Venkatesh, Art Education
  • Bradley Nelson, Classics and Modern Languages
  • Balbir K. Singh, Art History
  • Mitchell McLarnon, Education
  • Owen Chapman, Communication Studies
  • Kathryn Urbaniak, CSLP/Education
  • Jessie Beier, CSLP
  • José Cortes, CSLP/Art Education
  • Melissa Granovsky, CSLP/Art Education
  • Zeina Ismail-Allouche, CSLP
  • Veronica Mockler, CSLP
Our Institute will also feature the following internationally renowned academics:
  • Jason Wallin, Education, University of Alberta, CAN
  • Nicole Lugosi-Schimpf, Native Studies, University of Alberta, CAN
  • Jeffrey Podoshen, Marketing, Franklin & Marshall College, USA
  • Nelson Varas-Diaz, Global & Sociocultural Studies, Florida International
  • University, USA
We will also hear from and interact with internationally renowned poets, writers, musicians, filmmakers, and installation artists including:
  • William Lindsay, Writer (CAN)
  • David Hall, Filmmaker (CAN)
  • Leila Abdul-Rauf, Musician (USA)
  • Daniel G. Butler, Musician, Visual Artist, Writer (USA)
  • Juan Pablo Macias, Visual Artist, Curator (MEX)
  • Maria Chavez, Musician (USA)

Please note that all Institute and conference activities will be held on the downtown campus at Concordia University. In-person attendance is compulsory for all Institute participants. Course code: ARTE 660 / 850-1

Register now by writing to Kathy Adams at: [email protected]

Address all inquiries to: [email protected]