Emma Lake Kenderdine Campus

The Kenderdine Campus –  September 2014

Marcus Miller – Op/Ed Editor

On November 15, 2012, the University of Saskatchewan announced the suspension of all activities at the Emma Lake Kenderdine Campus for a three-year period as it embarked on a controversial and ill-considered cost-cutting exercise called Transform US. The university’s decision came as a shock to many in the Saskatchewan arts community. The illustrious history of the Emma Lake workshops is well known throughout the country and beyond. For many, the demise of this shining star became a sign that the university was no longer interested in artistic research and moreover: no longer interested in creating conditions that contribute to artistic excellence and leadership in Saskatchewan.

Today, we are entering into the third year of the Kenderdine’s suspension and no public announcements have been made regarding its future. Nobody has any reason to believe that ‘no news is good news’.

The Saskatchewan Arts Alliance thinks it's high time for the university to dust off the Kenderdine file and move it to the front burner. We asked two people with close ties to speak to the situation. So far, this is the news (and it’s not all bad):