University of British Columbia Press Uplift: Visual Culture at the Banff School of Fine Arts

In 1933, the Banff School opened in the stunning surroundings of Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies. From its beginnings offering a single drama course, it has since grown into the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, a renowned cultural destination. Uplift traces its first four decades as it generated ideals of culture and liberal democratic citizenship intrinsic to the development of modern Canada. In an era of unstable cultural policy and state support, Uplift draws welcome attention to the continued place of the arts, culture, and the humanities in public education and a life well lived. Review "I have come across no other work that explores the art history and visual culture of this landscape at this level of detail. The book provides a valuable history of the Banff School, and it will also influence ongoing discussions about education, art, and political and environmental issues in Alberta and Canada today."--J. Keri Cronin, author of Manufacturing National Park Nature "PearAnn Reichwein and Karen Wall have given a penetrative and critical account of the conception, institution, organization, and culture of the Banff School of Fine Arts in the twentieth century. Uplift stands as a solid foundation for future work in the interdisciplinary fields it encompasses."--Paul Stortz, University of Calgary I have come across no other work that explores the art history and visual culture of this landscape at this level of detail. The book provides a valuable history of the Banff School, and it will also influence ongoing discussions about education, art, and political and environmental issues in Alberta and Canada today.--J. Keri Cronin, author of Manufacturing National Park Nature PearAnn Reichwein and Karen Wall have given a penetrative and critical account of the conception, institution, organization, and culture of the Banff School of Fine Arts in the twentieth century. Uplift stands as a solid foundation for future work in the interdisciplinary fields it encompasses.--Paul Stortz, University of Calgary About the Author PearlAnn Reichwein is a professor of history at the University of Alberta. She is the author of the award-winning Climber’s Paradise: Making Canada’s Mountain Parks, 1906–1974 and co-editor with Karen Fox of Mountain Diaries: The Alpine Adventures of Margaret Fleming, 1929–1980. Both titles were Banff Mountain Book Festival finalists. She is a founding member of the Canadian Mountain Network and an advocate for parks, heritage, and UNESCO sites. Karen Wall is a professor of communication, media, and heritage studies at Athabasca University and teaches in the Heritage Resource Management Program. She is the author of Game Plan: A Social History of Sport in Alberta, as well as numerous articles about Edmonton and Alberta heritage and arts, tourism, Indigenous issues, and cultural landscapes.