OUR MISSION

Founded in 2006, Canvas is the open-access, peer-reviewed undergraduate journal of McGill’s Department of Art History and Communication Studies. We give students a platform to publish their work, gain editing experience, and collaborate. In doing so, we encourage students to produce innovative research and quality writing. Canvas is a space for new and emerging perspectives on art and media theory.

As of fall 2024, Canvas welcomes submissions from students outside of McGill.

Submissions are open for fall 2025.

McGill University and our department are situated on land that has long served as a site of meeting and exchange amongst Indigenous peoples, including the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabeg nations. We acknowledge and thank the diverse Indigenous peoples whose presence marks this territory on which peoples of the world now gather.

OUR TEAM

OUR TEAM

  • Rachel Barker

    EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

    Rachel Barker is a fourth-year Honours Art History student with minors in English Literature and French. Her research focuses on contemporary Canadian art and media with an emphasis on public art, museum practices, and the art market. She holds a particular fondness for stained glass, the prose of Marilynne Robinson, and cutting up old art books for poster-making materials.

  • Marie Frangie

    EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

    Marie is in the fourth year of her Cultural Studies Major and Communications Minor. Always discovering new interests, she remains captivated by the philosophical discourse attempting to define the artist, the characteristics of art, and the purpose of the creative craft. In her spare time, you can find Marie curating her Pinterest boards, listening to '60s Soul, or practicing her new boxing skills.

  • Dahlia Labatte

    SENIOR EDITOR

    Dahlia is in her fourth year double majoring Art History and Religious Studies. She is primarily interested in the intersection between art and religion, and she is currently exploring contemporary feminist and queer reinterpretations/explorations of religious art. In her free time, she enjoys reading, painting, and spending hours at cafes.

  • Mathieu Lajoie

    SENIOR EDITOR

    Mathieu is a third-year Honours History student with a minor in Russian. His academic interests centre on the architectural history and theory of twentieth-century Europe, with particular attention to questions of spatial production and modernism. Outside of school, he enjoys reading, having tea with friends, and exploring flea markets.

  • Ayşegül Alpak

    EDITOR

    Ayşegül is in her third year double majoring in Art History and Anthropology. She is primarily interested in uncovering the interconnected histories of different cultures through textiles and Islamic rugs as well as architecture's role in formation of socio-cultural identity and belonging. In her free time you can find her roaming in the streets of Montreal or Istanbul taking pictures of historical buildings, hunting for old art history books in small bookshops, baking and reading. 

  • Sophie Hill

    EDITOR

    Sophie is a third-year English Literature student minoring in Economics and Communication Studies. She is interested in the intersections of culture, media, and technology, and how these forces shape the ways people communicate and tell stories. Outside of her studies, Sophie enjoys reading, discovering new films, and sharing her thoughts as a passionate reviewer on Letterboxd.

  • Nitya Khirwar

    EDITOR

    Nitya is a fourth-year student completing an Honours in Applied Math with a minor in Art History. She is interested in marginal costume and performance history, as well as their circulation along trade and contact routes, particularly in Indian communities. In her spare time, she enjoys playing tennis and martial arts.

  • Annabella Lawlor

    EDITOR

    Annabella is a third-year student in Art History, English Cultural Studies, and Italian Studies. She is looking to pursue further studies in medieval visual culture, the social history of textile and costume design, and cultural criticism. Outside of her studies and work as an editor for several campus publications, she enjoys writing, folk and jazz guitar, embroidery, and foreign cinema.

  • Anne-Lise Mocanu

    EDITOR

    Anne-Lise is a fourth-year Honours Art History student at McGill University, with minors in Educational Psychology and Communication Studies. Aiming to extend her art historical studies into a postgraduate art therapy practice, her research focuses on memory, healing, and self-exploration in visual culture, with particular attention to the body in 20th-century Eastern European art. Outside academics, when she isn’t teaching piano to children or working at her local pet store, she’s probably hunting for a new coffee spot with friends, or squeezing yet another thrift find into her overstuffed closet.

  • Anna Robinson

    EDITOR

    Anna is a fourth year Honours Art History student with a minor in English Literature. Her areas of interest include 15th and 16th-century Flemish art and the visual culture of the Protestant Reformation. In her free time, Anna likes biking around the city, playing piano, and reading.

  • Diana Yamada

    EDITOR

    Diana is a third-year English Literature student, minoring in Communications. She is interested in the intersections between pop culture and critical theory. She is also invested in creating approachable, accessible, and collaborative spaces for creative writing. Outside of school, Diana enjoys DADF#AD and being mediocre at Banagrams.

  • Sophie Becquet

    EVENT PHOTOGRAPHER

    Sophie is a third-year Joint Honours Art History and Anthropology student. She is interested in modern and contemporary art, visual and material culture, and the critical study of images—how they produce meaning, circulate, and are interpreted through semiotics and theories of representation. Outside of her studies, she enjoys exploring the city with her camera and unwinding with a good book and a cup of tea.

  • Abigail Powell

    GRAPHIC DESIGNER

    Abigail is in her fourth year at McGill University, completing a Joint-Honors degree in Political Science and History, with a Minor in Art History. Her research focuses on transcultural histories and their impact on modern inter-state relations, as well as the repercussions of colonial and imperialist legacies on art conservation and repatriation efforts. She hopes to attend law school after graduation, with a focus on intellectual property and cultural heritage law. Outside of academics, Abigail enjoys a good historical fiction or cooking a tasty meal.

About AHCSSA

Canvas is housed by the Art History and Communication Studies Student Association (AHCSSA) of McGill. AHCSSA serves as a liaison between undergraduate students, faculty, and the broader cultural community in Montréal. The association also functions as a resource for students to support their social and academic activities at McGill. Learn more here.