The Department of Art is committed to the study and practice of the visual arts as these relate to:
(a) Creative research in art practices (studio);
(b) Educational practice and theory (Art Education); and
(c) Critical study of art in its diverse historical and cultural settings (Art History).
The Department offers the four-year BFA and BFA Honours (Visual Studies) degree, the four year BA in Art History, and a five-year concurrent degree program with the Werklund School of Education, leading to the BFA (Visual Studies) and Bachelor of Education degrees.
Students in the four year BFA and BFA Honours (Visual Studies) are involved in creative research and visual art practices that engage with contemporary society. The courses of study enable the student to develop conceptual understanding in the visual arts, to develop a foundation of knowledge and practice of artistic self-sufficiency, to develop creative processes of planning in order to carry out his or her various studio interests, and to teach art in the elementary or secondary school systems or to work as art specialists in other settings. The program enables the individual student to determine through studio practice the understandings and insights that support his or her own artistic and intellectual development. Students interested in teacher certification may pursue the concurrent degree program with the Werklund School of Education, which offers three years of study in the Visual Studies program and two years in the Bachelor of Education program. The Visual Studies program provides a core of work in the theory and methodology of art education, as well as a foundation in studio art and Art History.
The BA (Art History) engages students in critical and creative analysis of art objects and cultural forms in a variety of historical, geopolitical, and cultural contexts.