Phyllis Artiss

Portrait
Portrait of Phyllis Artiss.
Quotation
I feel most comfortable with myself when I find opportunities to act with like-minded people working together for a more just, honest and peaceful world.
Biography

Liz Burge talked with Phyllis in her book–lined house with its views to its colourful gardens that decorate her city property. Phyllis welcomed this interview, as it prompted her to think about choices she is facing now in her retirement, as a widow with family, friends and interests in different parts of the world. "This is an opportunity to pause and consider who I've been, who I am now, and who I want to be. I don't find the answers much easier today than they were decades ago."

Phyllis Artiss was a faculty member in English and Women's Studies at Memorial University for over forty years. She holds a teaching diploma from Acadia (1959) and degrees from the University of Edinburgh (MA 1965) and University of Texas at Austin (PhD 1989). She has a daughter and three granddaughters in Australia, and a son in Labrador.

Her NDP Election webpage summarizes some of her activities:

She received the President's Award for Distinguished Teaching, and the Graduate Students' Award for Contributions to Student Life. In addition to her teaching and research, Dr. Artiss has demonstrated extraordinary leadership and commitment to social justice in the university, the province and beyond. She was a founding member of the St. John's Native Friendship Centre, the St. John's Oxfam Centre, and the Brighter Futures Literacy/Computer Program, and a long-time member of the St. John's Status of Women Council and its projects.

Her profile here highlights her work as an activist at Memorial and in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Hear her voice through direct quotations and other approved transcript texts.

Pictures
Picture
Caption
Phyllis Artiss (right) picking redberries with Fran Williams and Elizabeth Penashue in Nain, Labrador.