The Visual Arts Advisory Council met thirteen times over the fall term. The meetings were spent discussion initial ideas for a new Visual Art degree plan and developing proposals for two new first year courses.
Initial degree plan ideas
Members generated a wide range of innovative and exciting ideas and the council began the process of figuring out how they might fit together in a cohesive and sustainable degree plan. Some of the questions we wrestled with were:
- What teaching resources do we have to run the degree plan?
- How big should the degree plan be given constraints and space, budget and teaching resources?
- Should it be a BFA or a BAH?
- Should we develop one or two degree plans?
- How does direct entry enrolment fit into this?
- How can we ensure a pathway for students in Concurrent Education?
While it wasn't possible to achieve consensus on these questions, surfacing and articulating the issues helped us design the development strategy for this upcoming winter term.
New first year courses
In early November, the committee switched gears from discussions about degree plans to developing courses. The overall timeline for students entering into a new degree plan is likely 2026 based on the work done to date and the timelines typical for degree plan development. However, it is possible to develop the courses sooner and have students begin taking those courses. To that end, the council decided to develop two new first year courses that are expected to be the gateway into the program. The proposed course titles and descriptions are:
ARTV 101 : Foundations in Visual Art
A broad introduction to drawing, painting, printmaking and sculpture, with an overview of contemporary and historical practices. The course is organized around hands-on workshops, requiring students to replicate technical and theoretical methods that incorporate the elements and principles of art such as line, value, space, texture, shape, form and colour theory. Students will harness fundamental studio skills to enhance their creative expression and artistic intuition while developing the ability to identify and articulate the distinctive aesthetic qualities inherent to each artistic medium.
ARTV 102 : Meaning-making through Visual Art
An introduction to the production of meaning through art making across a range of visual media. Although different in their final forms, all works of art are the product of a series of decisions (material, formal, conceptual, cultural, political, relational) that create effects and meanings. These meanings are shaped by different perspectives and worldviews, and they shift over time or across different contexts. In this course, students will be introduced to a variety of artistic processes and use these to convey concepts gaining critical awareness of how their works engage various audiences.