BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY
264 Pages, 6.0 x 9.0
Formats: Trade Paper
Trade Paper, $24.95 (US $24.95) (CA $33.95)
Publication Date: July 2019
ISBN 9781773860015
Rights: US
Caitlin Press Inc. (Jul 2019)
New Ground: A Memoir of Art and Activism in BC’s Interior is the extraordinary memoir of a feminist, artist, and activist who fought for change no matter her circumstance. The Kootenay School of Art was the first of its kind in the region, but it only marked the beginning of what would become Kujundzic’s life-long journey to strengthen the artistic and political environment of BC. She and Zeljko established the Kelowna Art Centre, collaborated with George and Norma Ryga, joined the Voice of Women, lived and worked on a co-op farm, fought for women’s reproductive rights and social justice, and joined the Raging Grannies to fight against the military’s recruitment of the youth, all while juggling the roles inherent of motherhood. She traveled the world—often alone, with nothing but a phrase book to aid her—to places like Nunavut, Yugoslavia, Bethlehem, and Hong Kong. Honest, intelligent and brave, New Ground shares the life of a remarkable woman whose efforts in the political and artistic communities of BC are still being felt today.
Ann Kujundzic was born in 1929 in Dysart, Scotland. At age nineteen she married artist Zeljko Kujundzic and emigrated to Canada where they raised five children. Her involvement in establishing the Kootenay School of Art in Nelson, collaborations with the Ryga family in Summerland and ongoing activism give her a unique view of British Columbia’s cultural and political history. Mary Schendlinger is a senior editor at Geist and a writer. She lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.