It is with considerable sadness that the School of Fine Art and Music announces the passing of our dear colleague and friend, Professor Laurel Woodcock. A noted conceptual artist and highly respected educator, Laurel died on January 7, 2017 at Toronto General Hospital after receiving extraordinary care.
Born in Ottawa, Laurel grew up in Montreal, studying Fine Art at Concordia University and later completed her Master of Fine Art at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. As a conceptual artist, Laurel achieved a national reputation working in text and installation, exhibiting in important venues such as The Power Plant, Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art, and the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto, The Contemporary Art Gallery in Vancouver and Artist’s Space in New York City. Her work was represented by Michael Klein’s MKG127 gallery in Toronto.
Laurel loved teaching. She joined the faculty in SOFAM Guelph in 2000 and immediately set about developing the Extended Practices program in Studio Art, an area that continues to embody, both in curriculum and attitude, Laurel’s characteristic love of interdisciplinarity and dialogue. As a professor, Laurel was instrumental in teaching and mentoring a new generation of important Canadian artists. Her gifts as an instructor, coupled with her generosity of spirit and exacting standards, made Laurel a much admired and beloved professor. And she loved her students right back. Her keen sense of humour, intellectual curiosity and supportive nature will be sorely missed by all.
A memorial service will be scheduled at a later date. Condolences may be left at http://www.aftercare.org/ [1]
