The Audain Travel Award
Supported by the Audain Foundation and administered by our partners from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver and Okanagan, University of Victoria, Simon Fraser University and Emily Carr University of Art and Design, the Audain Travel Award provides $7,500 to young artists enrolled in a full-time fine arts program at the undergraduate or graduate level, to encourage travel to view art. A total of five awards are available annually with one student selected from each of our partnering institutions. Faculty are responsible for their own selection process and eligible students are encouraged to contact their school administrators for more information about the award.Recipients
Avideh Saadatpajouh
Simon Fraser University
Avideh is in the second year of her MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts at Simon Fraser University. Avideh Saadatpajouh is a multimedia artist and design activist exploring techno-art's endless possibilities. Her explorations are at the intersection of performance art and technology, focusing on the impact of the Human-Centric worldview on surrounding environments and other habitats. Drawing on her collective knowledge of new media art, architecture, and industrial design, she explores design in digital spaces, internet art practices, performance art, and interactive installations. She would like to dive deeper into how to make invisible frequencies visible, and how we could create eco- techno art in this human-centric world.
Sun S Manuel
Emily Carr School of Art & Design
4th year of his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Arts at Emily Carr University of Art + Design. With the Audain Travel Award, he plans to travel to the South Korean Peninsula on a research expedition to develop his personal practice, which is rooted in ink painting and calligraphy. His journey will take him to three significant mountain ranges, major art museums and to meet with local artists, attend workshops, lessons and cultural events.
Yuan Wen
University of British Columbia
2nd year MFA student at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. She plans to travel to Taiwan, her main focus will be to study bamboo crafts and woodblock printmaking. She aims to learn more about the evolution and innovation of traditional crafts in the contemporary context, and to explore Taiwan’s efforts to preserve local folk handicrafts in the face of the climate crises. Her itinerary includes visiting significant bamboo craft preservation sites, as well as a printmaking heritage area.
Rainy Huang
University of Victoria
2nd year Master of Fine art in Visual Art at the University of Victoria. With the Audain Travel Award, she plans to travel to Jingdezhen, the "Porcelain Capital" of China, to engage with traditional and contemporary ceramic practices and techniques. She hopes that the research and experience gaining on this trip will benefit her graduate Visual Arts education, supporting a body of thesis on intergenerational connections, for which Chinese porcelain is a central motif.
Roland Samuel
University of British Columbia Okanagan
Currently in his 2nd year of his MFA in Visual Art at the University of British Columbia in the Okanagan. Through this award, Roland’s plans to develop his knowledge about the marginalization of the Igbo community* in Nigeria. He will conduct interviews and collect materials that document the genocide, history, and struggles of the Igbo people. Through their voices, he aims to gain a deep understanding of their lived experiences with marginalization in the country.