A Magical Time: The Early Days of the Arts at Simon Fraser University

Simon Fraser University went from an idea in 1963 to opening its doors in 1965, a feat that led it to be dubbed “the instant university.” This multi-authored history chronicles the excitement of that first radical decade of the arts at SFU.

The 1960s were famously a decade of cultural revolution, and Simon Fraser University was a creature of its time. The counter-culture spirit infected all levels of society, but none more than the new university and its innovative arts programming. Early SFU was shaped by a vision of a new kind of university where thought was free-flowing and lines between the disciplines were blurred. The open format attracted experimental artists such as the dramatist John Juliani and the composer R. Murray Schaffer, whose avant-garde performances did much to set a revolutionary tone. In this multi-authored book, writers associated with the university such as Max Wyman, Barry Truax, Ann Cowan and Francis Mansbridge capture the excitement of that first decade of the arts at SFU. Hildegard Westercamp, Carole Gerson and Christine Hearn describe the years of ferment from the viewpoint of former SFU students, and celebrated filmmaker Sandy Wilson contributes a moving piece written specifically for this book about the beginning of her career in film as a student at SFU. Richly illustrated with ephemera and photographs from the era, A Magical Time traces how innovation in the arts shaped events over the next six decades at SFU.

Francis Mansbridge worked at the North Vancouver Museum and Archives. A contributor to both newspapers and literary journals, Mansbridge is also the author of several books, including Cottages to Community: The Story of West Vancouver’s Neighbourhoods (West Vancouver Historical Society, 2011), Launching History: The Saga of Burrard Dry Dock (Harbour, 2002) and Irving Layton: God’s Recording Angel (ECW, 1995). In his free time, he plays competitive table tennis.