UTM Department of Visual Studies Student Society

UTM Department of Visual Studies Student Society DVSSS The DVSSS is the Department of Visual Studies' official academic society.

The Department of Visual Studies houses Art History, Art and Art History, Cinema Studies, and VCC programs at UTM. Follow us on:

Discord: https://discord.gg/jsRQPmy2tz
Instagram: .dvsss
Twitter:
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/utm.dvsss

Are you a DVS student planning to graduate in the 2026-2027 school year? If so, weโ€™d love to get your opinion on DVS gra...
05/25/2026

Are you a DVS student planning to graduate in the 2026-2027 school year? If so, weโ€™d love to get your opinion on DVS grad merchandise! Please take a few minutes to fill out the Google Form linked in our bio to specify your preferences (items, price range, personalization, colours, and more). Students interested in working with us to design grad merch are encouraged to let us know through the form (those interested will be contacted in the coming weeks). ๐ŸŽ“โœจ๐ŸŽจ

You can also copy/paste the link here: https://forms.gle/qWmYtURAxLB5kb466

Apply to be VCC or Cinema Studies Liaison for the 2026-27 DVSSS Team!To apply write a candidate statement for your prefe...
04/25/2026

Apply to be VCC or Cinema Studies Liaison for the 2026-27 DVSSS Team!

To apply write a candidate statement for your preferred position that addresses the following:
Tell us why you are interested in the position.
What makes you the best candidate for this position (give examples of prior experience, enthusiasm towards serving the DVS community in a specific way, skill sets, etc.)
What goals do you aspire to set for yourself in this position?
Propose one or two events for the 2026-27 academic year.

The statement can be 1-2 pages long. Please send your statement through email to [email protected] by April 28.

03/28/2026

Please join us for the opening reception ofb๐˜›๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ๐˜ฎ๐˜ด ๐˜ž๐˜ฆ ๐˜›๐˜ข๐˜ฌ๐˜ฆ on ๐—ฆ๐—ฎ๐˜๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐—ฑ๐—ฎ๐˜†, ๐— ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฐ๐—ต ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿด ๐—ณ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—บ ๐Ÿฑ:๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฌ-๐Ÿด:๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฌ ๐—ฝ๐—บ ๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ฆ๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฑ๐—ฎ๐—ป ๐—›๐—ฎ๐˜‡๐—ฒ๐—น ๐— ๐—ฐ๐—–๐—ฎ๐—น๐—น๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐—–๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ ๐—–๐—ฎ๐—บ๐—ฝ๐˜‚๐˜€ ๐—š๐—ฎ๐—น๐—น๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜†.

Image 1: Perla Sayah, ๐˜Š๐˜ฐ๐˜ญ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜ณ ๐˜ ๐˜ช๐˜ฆ๐˜ญ๐˜ฅ ๐˜”๐˜ฆ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ๐˜บโ€™๐˜ด ๐˜’๐˜ฆ๐˜บ (๐˜Š๐˜ ๐˜”๐˜’), 2025. Transparent acetate sheets.
Image 2: Xueqing (Christina) Wang, ๐˜”๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ถ๐˜ง๐˜ข๐˜ค๐˜ต๐˜ถ๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฅ ๐˜š๐˜ฆ๐˜ญ๐˜ง, 2025. Oil on canvas.
Image 3: Rose Liu, ๐˜›๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜‰๐˜ญ๐˜ฐ๐˜ด๐˜ด๐˜ฐ๐˜ฎ๐˜ด ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ 4๐˜ˆ๐˜”, 2025. Multimedia installation.
Image 4: Hafsa Murtaza, ๐˜Œ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฃ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฅ๐˜ช๐˜ฆ๐˜ฅ ๐˜”๐˜ฐ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ๐˜ญ๐˜ช๐˜จ๐˜ฉ๐˜ต ๐˜Ž๐˜ข๐˜ณ๐˜ฅ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฏ, 2026. Japanese paper coat dress.
Image 5: Alexander Denis, ๐˜–๐˜ณ๐˜ค๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ณ๐˜ฅ, 2025. Acrylic on hardboard.
Image 6: Mai Shimla, ๐˜ˆ ๐˜˜๐˜ถ๐˜ช๐˜ฆ๐˜ต ๐˜›๐˜ฆ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฑ๐˜ต๐˜ข๐˜ต๐˜ช๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ, 2025. Photographic print.
Image 7: Marissa Maennling, ๐˜ˆ๐˜ญ๐˜ญ๐˜ฆ๐˜จ๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ๐˜บ ๐˜ฐ๐˜ง ๐˜Š๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ๐˜ข๐˜ต๐˜ช๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ, 2025. Cyanotype on cotton.
Image 8: Ella Jiyang, ๐˜๐˜ฏ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ, 2025. Etching and aquatint on paper.

โ€“โ€“โ€“
๐™๐™๐™š ๐™๐™ค๐™ง๐™ข๐™จ ๐™’๐™š ๐™๐™–๐™ ๐™š
Sheridan Hazel McCallion Campus Gallery, Room B234 (second floor of B Wing)
4226 Duke of York Blvd, Mississauga, ON L5B 4C1
March 23 - April 10
Opening Reception on Saturday, March 28, 5-8 pm
Parking can be found behind the B Wing, $1 per hour.

Finding it difficult to find the gallery? If you enter through the entrance near the intersection at Rathburn Rd W and Duke of York Blvd, the bright orange staircase will lead you straight to the gallery.

We hope to see you there!

Please join us for the opening reception of the DVSSS-Organized Art and Art History Exhibition, ๐˜›๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ๐˜ฎ๐˜ด ๐˜ž๐˜ฆ ๐˜›๐˜ข๐˜ฌ๐˜ฆ! The o...
03/28/2026

Please join us for the opening reception of the DVSSS-Organized Art and Art History Exhibition, ๐˜›๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ๐˜ฎ๐˜ด ๐˜ž๐˜ฆ ๐˜›๐˜ข๐˜ฌ๐˜ฆ! The opening will take place this ๐—ฆ๐—ฎ๐˜๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐—ฑ๐—ฎ๐˜†, ๐— ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฐ๐—ต ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿด ๐—ณ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—บ ๐Ÿฑ:๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฌ-๐Ÿด:๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฌ ๐—ฝ๐—บ ๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ฆ๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฑ๐—ฎ๐—ป ๐—›๐—ฎ๐˜‡๐—ฒ๐—น ๐— ๐—ฐ๐—–๐—ฎ๐—น๐—น๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐—–๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ ๐—–๐—ฎ๐—บ๐—ฝ๐˜‚๐˜€ ๐—š๐—ฎ๐—น๐—น๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜†.

๐—”๐—ฟ๐˜๐—ถ๐˜€๐˜๐˜€
Alexander Denis
Ava Johnson
Charlotte Rangaratnum
Christina Wang
Chrysha Daniella Valla
Ella Jiang
Erfei Ye
Gurleen Manak
Hafsa Murtaza
Isabella Iacoe
Isabella Sciabbarrassi
Jay Barclay
Joshua Lautsch-Rees
Kauri Krishnar
Layla Waters
Mai Shimla
Marissa Maennling
Perla Sayah
Rose Liu
Sarah Lise
Sigourney Tisdall
Tiffany Zufelt

๐—–๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐—–๐—ผ๐—บ๐—บ๐—ถ๐˜๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฒ
Valentyna Onisko, Alex Nagy, Hafsa Murtaza, and Jules Lee

Image Credit: Alexander Denis, ๐˜–๐˜ณ๐˜ค๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ณ๐˜ฅ, 2025. Acrylic on hardboard.

โ€“โ€“โ€“
๐™๐™๐™š ๐™๐™ค๐™ง๐™ข๐™จ ๐™’๐™š ๐™๐™–๐™ ๐™š
Sheridan Hazel McCallion Campus Gallery, Room B234 (second floor of B Wing)
4226 Duke of York Blvd, Mississauga, ON L5B 4C1
March 23 - April 10
Opening Reception on Saturday, March 28, 5-8 pm
Parking can be found behind the B Wing, $1 per hour.

Finding it difficult to find the gallery? If you enter through the entrance near the intersection at Rathburn Rd W and Duke of York Blvd, the bright orange staircase will lead you straight to the gallery.

We hope to see you there!

You are invited to the opening reception of ๐˜›๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ๐˜ฎ๐˜ด ๐˜ž๐˜ฆ ๐˜›๐˜ข๐˜ฌ๐˜ฆ exhibition, organized by the Department of Visual Studies ...
03/27/2026

You are invited to the opening reception of ๐˜›๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ๐˜ฎ๐˜ด ๐˜ž๐˜ฆ ๐˜›๐˜ข๐˜ฌ๐˜ฆ exhibition, organized by the Department of Visual Studies Student Society in collaboration with Sheridan Creative Campus Gallery curators, with sponsorship from DVS. The exhibition features work by 22 talented artists from all years of the Art and Art History program. The show highlights emerging artists who question, probe, and confront the ways in which cultural narratives have been distorted, political histories have created divisions, and personal experiences shape ๐˜›๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ๐˜ฎ๐˜ด ๐˜ž๐˜ฆ ๐˜›๐˜ข๐˜ฌ๐˜ฆ.

The opening will take place this ๐—ฆ๐—ฎ๐˜๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐—ฑ๐—ฎ๐˜†, ๐— ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฐ๐—ต ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿณ ๐—ณ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—บ ๐Ÿฑ:๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฌ-๐Ÿด:๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฌ ๐—ฝ๐—บ ๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ฆ๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฑ๐—ฎ๐—ป ๐—›๐—ฎ๐˜‡๐—ฒ๐—น ๐— ๐—ฐ๐—–๐—ฎ๐—น๐—น๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐—–๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ ๐—–๐—ฎ๐—บ๐—ฝ๐˜‚๐˜€ ๐—š๐—ฎ๐—น๐—น๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜†. There will be snacks, selling of DVSSS merch, an exhibition catalogue, and new and old Buff publications to look through!

๐—”๐—ฟ๐˜๐—ถ๐˜€๐˜๐˜€
Alexander Denis
Ava Johnson
Charlotte Rangaratnum
Christina Wang
Chrysha Daniella Valla
Ella Jiang
Erfei Ye
Gurleen Manak
Hafsa Murtaza
Isabella Iacoe
Isabella Sciabbarrassi
Jay Barclay
Joshua Lautsch-Rees
Kauri Krishnar
Layla Waters
Mai Shimla
Marissa Maennling
Perla Sayah
Rose Liu
Sarah Lise
Sigourney Tisdall
Tiffany Zufelt

๐—–๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐—–๐—ผ๐—บ๐—บ๐—ถ๐˜๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฒ
Valentyna Onisko, Alex Nagy, Hafsa Murtaza, and Jules Lee

First Image Credit: Hafsa Murtaza, ๐˜Œ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฃ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฅ๐˜ช๐˜ฆ๐˜ฅ ๐˜”๐˜ฐ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ๐˜ญ๐˜ช๐˜จ๐˜ฉ๐˜ต ๐˜Ž๐˜ข๐˜ณ๐˜ฅ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฏ, 2026. Paper coat dress with lapel collar: block print, resist-dye, and digital print on Heritage Japanese paper, stitched.
Second Image Credit: Xueqing (Christina) Wang, ๐˜”๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ถ๐˜ง๐˜ข๐˜ค๐˜ต๐˜ถ๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฅ ๐˜š๐˜ฆ๐˜ญ๐˜ง, 2025. Oil on canvas.

โ€“โ€“โ€“
๐™๐™๐™š ๐™๐™ค๐™ง๐™ข๐™จ ๐™’๐™š ๐™๐™–๐™ ๐™š
Sheridan Hazel McCallion Campus Gallery, Room B234 (second floor of B Wing)
4226 Duke of York Blvd, Mississauga, ON L5B 4C1
March 23 - April 10
Opening Reception Saturday, March 28, 5-8 pm
Parking can be found behind the B Wing, $1 per hour.

Finding it difficult to find the gallery? If you enter through the entrance near the intersection at Rathburn Rd W and Duke of York Blvd, the bright orange staircase will lead you straight to the gallery.

We hope to see you there!

Join us for our screening and panel discussion event "The Price of Everything, And the Value of Nothing," happening Frid...
03/27/2026

Join us for our screening and panel discussion event "The Price of Everything, And the Value of Nothing," happening Friday, March 27 from 2-5 PM at CC2150.

DVSSS is collaborating with the Department of Management to question the intersections or art and finance. We will be screening ๐˜›๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜—๐˜ณ๐˜ช๐˜ค๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฐ๐˜ง ๐˜Œ๐˜ท๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ๐˜บ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ (Kahn, 2018). Invited pannelists include Department of Management Professor Tanya Kirsch and Professor Heather Bone, as well as DVS Professor Caylen Heckel.

We will be providing lunch outside of CC2150, and will be selling DVSSS merch.

๐Ÿ“ธ We are still accepting submissions for the Channel6ix Photography Exhibition โ€” โ€œLightโ€This is your chance to:โ€ข Share y...
03/23/2026

๐Ÿ“ธ We are still accepting submissions for the Channel6ix Photography Exhibition โ€” โ€œLightโ€

This is your chance to:
โ€ข Share your work
โ€ข Exhibit alongside other creatives
โ€ข Be part of a growing visual community

๐Ÿ—“ Exhibition: March 29
๐Ÿ“ 373 Wyecroft Rd, Oakville

โš ๏ธ Submission deadline is this Wednesday โ€” submit now!
๐Ÿ”— Link in bio

โ€”

Co-hosted by .dvsss & 6 Film Club
Organized by Channel 6 Film Club & Oakville Lighthouse FotoClub + Oakville Chinese Network

๐ŸฅณJoin us for UTM Film Festival 2026! Its happening this Friday, March 20 in the CDRS room, MN second floor, from 4:30-8:...
03/18/2026

๐ŸฅณJoin us for UTM Film Festival 2026! Its happening this Friday, March 20 in the CDRS room, MN second floor, from 4:30-8:00.

๐Ÿ†Come and see a screening of winning student films judged by our jurors, Dr. Jill Caskey, Dr. Patrick Marshall, Dr. Mathew Stoddard, and cinema studies alumni, Imam Hassan. An awards ceremony will follow along with a reception dinner.

One of our awards this year is sponsored by the ACORN Tri-Campus Festival, with the UTM Film Club handing out popcorn at the event ๐Ÿฟ

And you guessed it, we are selling DVSSS merch at the event! If you do not yet have one of our iconic t-shirts, be sure to get one at the Film Fest.

Hope to see you there!

๐ŸŽฌ๐—จ๐—ง๐—  ๐—™๐—ถ๐—น๐—บ ๐—™๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜ ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฒ ๐—–๐—ฎ๐—น๐—น ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐—ฆ๐˜‚๐—ฏ๐—บ๐—ถ๐˜€๐˜€๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป๐˜€ ๐—ก๐—ผ๐˜„ ๐—ข๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐—ป! ๐Ÿ™ŒAre you interested in YOUR very own film being showcased at the UTM ...
03/05/2026

๐ŸŽฌ๐—จ๐—ง๐—  ๐—™๐—ถ๐—น๐—บ ๐—™๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜ ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฒ ๐—–๐—ฎ๐—น๐—น ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐—ฆ๐˜‚๐—ฏ๐—บ๐—ถ๐˜€๐˜€๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป๐˜€ ๐—ก๐—ผ๐˜„ ๐—ข๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐—ป! ๐Ÿ™Œ

Are you interested in YOUR very own film being showcased at the UTM annual film fest?!
Are you a film maker looking to get your work on screen this March?!

Donโ€™t miss your chance to submit to the 2026 UTM Film Fest! ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿฅณ

The DVSSS is so excited to welcome you to be a part of the annual tradition of UTM Film Fest!
If you are an aspiring film maker or hoping to watch some amazing films, and network with some professors and esteemed guest judges, come meet us at our Cinema Studies Marquee Event! This incredible screening event gives UTM students the chance to showcase their films and cinematic visions to a real audience! The festival will take place on Friday March 20th from 4:30pm-8:30pm where selected films will be screened in the CDRS room located in the MN building!

Films will be juried by professors and guest judges. This year, prizes include first, second, and third place, including honourable mentions. As part of our collaboration with Gallery 1265, there will be an "ATAF selects" prize, with the chance of being screened as part of the tri-campus festival in UTSG and UTSC!

Requirements:

- Must be a current enrolled UTM student
- Film should be a maximum of 15 minutes (no minimum!)
- Films should be at least 720p resolution
- Film must be equitable and include any necessary content warnings

To Submit:

1. First, Click the link in our bio.
2. Then, Fill out the google form (with information including runtime, film name, a brief synopsis and a content warning if needed, etc!)
3. Youโ€™ve Submitted to UTMโ€™s Film Fest! (Now just sit back and relax and wait to hear back if your film has been selected for this yearโ€™s event!)

Submission options:
- Upload through Google Form link in bio
- WeTransfer to [email protected]

Questions or concerns? Contact [email protected]

Submission Deadline: March 11th at 11:59pm EST

If you have any questions or concerns about the event or how to submit please email us at [email protected] or DM our instagram account .dvsss!

Thank you to everyone who came to our second "Viewing the Now" film screening and discussion! ๐ŸฅณMany thanks to  for being...
03/05/2026

Thank you to everyone who came to our second "Viewing the Now" film screening and discussion! ๐Ÿฅณ

Many thanks to for being our special guest, Dr. Nikolina Kurtovic for her help is organizing the event, and the FAH392 class for their amazing discussion questions! After watching Fire at Sea (Gianfranco Rosi, 2016), we had a robust discussion on the impact of the sea and desert on migration, geopolitics, and cultural identities. Nehal's insights on her research about sand, the deserts role in the global migration crisis, and her shadow puppetry show "Ramla and the Desert," was inspiring and thought provoking.

Thank you for providing us with the generous catering!

Our next film screening and discussion will be in collaboration with the UTM Finance Department on March 27. Keep and eye on our social media for updates!

Address

3359 Mississauga Road
Mississauga, ON

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 12pm
Tuesday 10am - 12pm
Wednesday 10am - 12pm
Thursday 10am - 12pm
Friday 10am - 12pm

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