Smart Guide WINTER 2016

s m a r t G u i d e • c a n a d i a n a r t . c a 49s m a r t G u i d e • c a n a d i a n a r t . c a 49
a r t s c h o o l sSmart Guide
S p e c i a l S e c t i o nJameyBraden’sTO____ASIF____.(Thedifferencebetweenseeingandbelieving,or,betweenbelievingoneseesandseeingbetween.)
attheUniversityofBritishcolumbia’sMFagraduateexhibitionattheMorrisandhelenBelkinartGallery,2015PhotoMIchaElr.BarrIcK
conceptual
leGacieS
A guide to Canadian art schools
thinking outside the box.

50 C a n a d i a n a r t • w i n t e r 2 01 6
CloCkwise from top left:
1. UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA susanna Barlow Pause Ready Enter 2014
2. SHERIDAN COLLEGE Jon sasaki A Clock Set to 24 Hours into
the Future 2014 –15
3. UNIVERSITY OF REGINA edward (Ned) Bartlett 34 C18 Saucer 2013
4. UNIVERSITY OF GUELpH paul mcintyre Painted Blue Deck 2014
5. wESTERN UNIVERSITY ronnie Clarke Self-Control 2014
6. UNIVERSITY OF REGINA Amber phelps Bondaroff Situate 2014
7. CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY swintak Artist Contract Outfits 2014
8. ALBERTA COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN Natural real supreme
(sean michael taal and sara rennie) Water Arch 2014
9. NSCAD UNIVERSITY kelly Zwicker No Discipline 2015
2
9
1
MANY wORkS IN THIS GUIDE ARE THE RESULT OF ASSIGNMENTS
COMpLETED BY CURRENT STUDENTS AND RECENT GRADUATES.
s p e c i a l s e c t i o n a r t s c h o o l s m A r t g u i d e
conceptual-art teachings reverberate
in the halls of 21st-century art schools.
The Conceptual art movement coalesced in the mid-1960s and profoundly
challenged the way art is made, encountered and considered. The movement regards
art as a thinking process rather than a means of creating tangible objects, and its
implications can be found in disciplines ranging from established, material-based
practices, such as painting, photography and sculpture, to non-traditional fields such as
installation, sound, performance and digital art. Since the beginnings of the movement,
art schools in Canada have been vital sites of action for such art to operate within. Many
of the major players in the scene are still very much active, working as instructors and
curators, and it is largely due to them that the effects of the Conceptual legacy continue
to reverberate in programs and courses offered at schools across the country. Students
exposed to the tenets of Conceptual art pedagogy are taught to confront social issues,
question conventional hierarchies, disrupt institutional frameworks and destabilize
the status quo. Upon graduation, these students will enter artistic, sociological, political,
economic, industrial and other realms equipped with the creative problem-solving
and lateral-thinking skills that will help them become the next generation of leaders.
conceptual
legacies

s m a r t G u i d e • c a n a d i a n a r t . c a 51
Craig Leonard
NSCAD UNiverSity
“An idea isn’t a medium,
but the non-fixed part
of both form and material
that together determine
medium. As part of form,
it places limits on the
work’s existence. As material, its
presence is gauged by what seems
excluded. Idea and limit are one and
the same. This understanding holds
equally for my art practice and
approach to teaching.”
Kim Tomczak and Lisa Steele
UNiverSity of toroNto
“When we start a new
project, we always
submerge ourselves into
the research, and as
collaborators, we talk and
argue a lot. Concentrating
on the concepts being investigated—
rather than obsessing about the
materiality—helps refine the finished
work. In our teaching, sometimes
we have to teach a technical process,
but the quicker we can move to the
idea being mobilized, the better it is.”
Trevor Gould
CoNCorDiA UNiverSity
“It makes no sense to
interpret contemporary
sculpture through material
means alone—we need
new ways of conceiving the
meaning of sculpture in
a ‘post-disciplinary’ world. Thinking
about the medium as a concept
opens up this possibility to engage
with all manners of interdisciplinarity
in contemporary art.”
Miruna Dragan
AlbertA College of Art
AND DeSigN
“I am most influenced
by the overlooked aspects
of Conceptual art—the
intuitive, poetic, emotional
and philosophically
contemplative. Through a sensualist
approach to materials and experiences,
my site-responsive works also align
with ideas explored in land art; they
are a grounding of my own identity
through the identification of sites
laden with pregnant histories.”
Instructors from coast to coast define their practices
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4
3
8 7 6
MB-SK_UofRegina_Situate-loft - Amber
Phelps Bondaroff 2014 .jpg

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conceptual legacies
s m a r t G u i d e • c a n a d i a n a r t . c a 53Date: Oct 22, 2015
Filename_ Version#
OCA140801_CanArt_SmartGuide_FNL
HERE,
OVERACTIVE
IMAGINATIONS
ARE A
GOOD
THING
We’re looking for the
next generation of artists,
designers, inventors, digital
innovators and cultural
leaders. Find out how to
put your imagination to
work at ocadu.ca

conceptual legacies

58 C a n a d i a n A r t • w i n t e r 2 01 658 C a n a d i a n a r t • w i n t e r 2 01 6
Atlantic
NSCAD uNiverSity
In June 1967, the Nova Scotia College of Art in Halifax hired
artist Garry Neill Kennedy as its first president, and in
doing so altered the course of art history. At what would soon
be renamed the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, a spirit of
experimentation over structure changed the means and methods of art
education and, arguably, the definition of art itself. The school became
an international art hub, attracting visiting artists and faculty members
such as Joseph Beuys, Lucy Lippard, Sol LeWitt, Jenny Holzer and
Yvonne Rainer, and the NSCAD Press and Lithography Workshop
produced prints and publications by contemporary-art masters.
A commitment to cutting-edge, idea-based learning still rules across
the now-expanded university’s three campuses. Among these is the
70,000-square-foot Port Campus, which boasts a wood shop, metal
shop, foundry, sculpture studios and ceramics complex. NSCAD
University offers four-year bachelor’s degrees in Fine Art, Design
and Art History, which can include exchanges to any of 15 countries,
as well as one-year master’s degrees in Fine Art (either Craft or Fine
and Media Arts) and Design. Students can choose to remain on
an interdisciplinary path or specialize in one field of advanced study.
NEW bruNsWick collEgE of craft aNd dEsigN
Located in downtown Fredericton, the New Brunswick College
of Craft and Design offers a one-year Foundation visual Arts
certificate; two-year diplomas in Aboriginal visual Arts, Fine
Craft (Ceramics or Jewellery and Metal Arts), Digital Media,
Graphic Design, Fashion Design, Photography, and textile
Design; a one-year Graduate Studies certificate; and a Bachelor
of Applied Arts, an articulated degree with the university of New
Brunswick. All courses of study provide students with the
framework to refine their studio practices and entrepreneurial
skills in pursuit of professional careers in fine craft and design.
mEmorial uNivErsity
Memorial university, in Newfoundland and Labrador, offers
a BFA in visual Arts at its Grenfell Campus in Corner Brook,
which boasts an on-campus gallery, digital lab and printshop,
as well as drawing, sculpture, photography and painting
studios. there are opportunities for residencies for students
at the Bonne Bay Marine Station at Gros Morne National Park
(a World Heritage Site) and co-op experiences at St. Michael’s
Printshop in St. John’s. unique to the school is its intensive
12-week art history course, offered every other year
at Memorial’s permanent campus in Old Harlow, england.
1. Christina Bosowec
Dodge Spirit 2015
COurteSy ANNA
LeONOWeNS GALLery
PHOtO JOrDAN BLACKBurN
2. Sarah Whiffen
This Is It 2015
3. NBCCD digital media
students working
on a project PHOtO
ANDreA PAvLOviCH
1
2
3
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Quebec
concordia university
Situated in the heart of downtown Montreal, Concordia grants
BFAs, MFAs, MAs and PhDs in a wide range of fine-arts programs,
and operates within a supportive network of active, accomplished
faculty members.“Our five active student groups self-formed around subjects
of particular interest, such as Aboriginal art, ethnocultural art histories and the
design and politics of the built environment,”says Cynthia Hammond, chair
of the Art History department.“Their activities are exciting evidence of how
learning is an active process that students take into their own hands, as the next
generation of historians, curators, critics and cultural workers.”In concert with
a faculty member, gallery or art institution,Art History majors can develop
independent-study or internship course plans that allow them to gain in-depth,
professional experience while earning course credit. The critically acclaimed
Leonard and Bina Ellen Gallery and FOFA Gallery serve as invaluable resources
for students and faculty alike, and Studio Arts students benefit from cutting-
edge, purpose-built facilities. Faculty of Fine Arts dean Rebecca Duclos
highlights the most potent aspect of Concordia’s curriculum:“We maintain
room for experimentation, and hope to activate and animate the politics and
poetics that inflected previous movements and eras within the present moment
through new material, scholarly and performative work across the faculty.”
1. chloe Lum and
yannick desranleau
The Face Stayed East
The Mouth Went West
(production still) 2014
2. catherine Lescarbeau
Le département des
plantes de bureau 2014
PHoto PaveL PavLov
3. installation view
of exhibition at
the Foreman art Gallery
at Bishop’s university
UNIVERSITÉ DU QUÉBEC
À MONTRÉAL
“uQaM’s École des arts visuels
et médiatiques provides a unique
educational environment that directly
draws on multiple intellectual heritages,
where the question of art’s social
functions is always inflected through
Montreal’s rich and contradictory urban
culture,” says instructor david tomas.
research units such as the Heritage
institute and Hexagram uQaM
encourage graduate students and
faculty from different departments
to share resources and collaborate.
BIShOp’S UNIVERSITy
Bishop’s, located in sherbrooke,
offers bachelor of arts degrees with
a concentration in art History and
theory, Fine arts, or Liberal arts. these
versatile programs teach students skills
that are transferable to careers within
the arts and beyond. the Foreman
art Gallery researches and presents
innovative artistic and curatorial practices
year-round, and mounts an annual
show of work by graduating students.
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conceptual legacies

OCAD University
At OCAD U’s downtown campus, three comprehensive faculties—Art, Design and Liberal
Arts and Sciences—offer a wealth of options for prospective undergraduate and graduate
students. OCAD U encourages students to be technological and cultural innovators who
strategically plan and develop an improved future for the world. The school stands on the ancestral
and traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the New Credit, the Haudenosaunee, the Anishnabe
and the Huron-Wendat, and its unique Indigenous Visual Culture program examines the visual,
cultural, social and political history of Indigenous peoples with an aim to engage students in
contemporary discourses on the subject. Other programs of note are Integrated Media, Criticism and
Curatorial Practice and Design for Health (available starting September 2016 at the graduate level).
The forward-thinking school serves as a hotbed for cross-disciplinary creative experimentation while
occupying a firm foothold in studio-based practices such as drawing and painting, sculpture and
installation, photography and printmaking, billing itself as “Canada’s university of the imagination.”
york University
york’s school of the Arts, Media, Performance and Design grants
BFAs and MFAs. Among its top-tier facilities are labs for digital arts
and cinematic innovation, the Art Gallery of york University, studios,
soundstages, cinemas, concert halls, libraries, the Joan Goldfarb
study Centre, a historic farm, a large multi-faculty interdisciplinary
Organized research Unit, celebrated lecture series and $1 million in
awards available to students pursing interdisciplinary arts research.
University of toronto
“visual studies at the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture,
Landscape and Design is the only program in the country that
combines art and architecture for a BA Honours degree, resulting in
a prestigious degree that opens a lot of doors beyond the traditional
BFA,” says program director Charles stankievech. visual studies also
offers a two-year master’s degree in studio Art or Curatorial studies,
which includes an internship placement. the program’s accomplished
faculty includes artists and curators active in the toronto art scene.
1. view of OCAD
University studio
PHOtO CLAUDiA HUnG
2. Jenny Laiwint
Crawl to Stand 2013
3. Alvin Luong
36 Cyprigene Sum (After
Carl Andre) 2014
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Toronto

conceptual legacies

University of gUelph
“The establishment of the Extended Practices area in Studio Art
has provided a locus for research and production at the undergraduate
level,” says Martin Pearce, associate professor in Studio Art.“Social
practices and collaborative projects are specifically taught as part of the
curriculum.” Guelph offers BAs in Studio Art, Art History and Music and, at the
graduate level, an MA in Art History and Visual Culture and an MFA in Studio
Art.“Rigorous interdisciplinary studio courses involve students in the technical
and conceptual aspects of contemporary artmaking, and balance making with
research and thinking,” says Pearce. The Visiting Artists and Speakers Program,
as well as the Shenkman Lecture series, have brought in a host of distinguished
individuals, and exchange programs with HFK Bremen in Germany and the
Eastern Normal University in Shanghai further expose students to international
Conceptualism. An on-campus gallery, as well as the off-site G Gallery in
Toronto and BHG in Guelph, provide exhibition opportunities for students.
1. erika Dueck
Towers 2015
2. lindsay Davies Cold
Hard Truth (detail) 2014
3. Jon sasaki A Clock Set
to 24 Hours into
the Future 2014–15
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3
2
Ontario
s p e c i a l s e c t i o n a r t s c h o o l s m a r t g U i D e
sheridan college
oakville’s sheridan College puts tremendous emphasis on providing
leading-edge resources that reflect industry standards. “We offer
a number of fine-art studio programs in disciplines such as installation,
performance, sound and video art; art and art history, a four-year hBa
degree joint with University of toronto, mississauga; as well as visual
and Creative arts, a three-year diploma. most programs, however, focus
on a broad range of arts practices in industry. that drives in large part our
educational mandate,” says ronni rosenberg, dean of the faculty of
animation, arts and Design. “students are taught to strive to engage an
audience, client or user through imaginative narrative, creative innovation
and technical excellence. Craft, design and fine art tend to cross-fertilize.”
University of waterloo
located within a large university, the University of Waterloo’s faculty
of fine arts enjoys a feeling of community within a comprehensive
research environment. students can earn degrees in studio arts, art
history and visual Culture, or film studies and visual Culture. “in line
with our move toward contemporary critical/theoretical/conceptual
approaches, in studio work and in art theory and history,” says associate
professor lois andison, who teaches sculpture and digital media, “we
have reorganized our curriculum and created an open-studio program
that accommodates a multidisciplinary approach to artmaking.”
the two-year mfa in studio arts has a pedagogical component, and
culminates in a solo exhibition at the University of Waterloo art gallery.

conceptual legacies

University of windsor
Small studio classes and professors who pay close, personal attention
to students’development make the University of Windsor stand out.
IAIN BAXTER&, one of Canada’s premier Conceptual artists, is
professor emeritus at the school. Karen Engle, director of the School of Creative
Arts, details some of the programs and top-notch facilities available:“We have
Canada’s first BioArt Lab, and the media necessary for inter-media work,
film production and sonic arts. Full digital and analog photography facilities
are available, and for sculpture students, we have both traditional and 3-D
technologies. Our BFA VABE is a unique program, offering students a chance to
study at two universities (Windsor and Detroit Mercy) and graduate with a BFA
in Visual Arts and a BSc in Architecture.”Students can also pursue a combined
BA in Media Art Histories and Visual Culture. The MFA program is long
established, and a new MFA in Film and Media Arts was established in 2015.
brock university
in september 2015, Brock University in st. Catharines unveiled its
brand new Marilyn i. walker school of fine and Performing Arts,
which brings together the departments of dramatic Arts,
Music and visual Arts, as well as the Centre for studies in Arts
and Culture, in one exciting facility. visual Arts and studies in Arts
and Culture students can work towards earning a four-year BA
Honours, a three-year BA Pass or a six-year BA/Bed in Concurrent
education. the rodman Hall Art Centre provides the unique
prospect for fourth-year Honours students to work in their own
professional-level studios, culminating in an exhibition opportunity.
western university
western University in London offers degrees at three levels:
earn a BfA in studio Arts; BA in Art History and Criticism, visual
Arts or Museum and Curatorial studies; MfA in visual Art;
MA in Art History; or Phd in Art and visual Culture. Housed
in the John Labatt visual Art Centre, visual Arts encourages
collaboration with other departments, such as Mit and film
studies, as well with as the local community, at institutions such
as Museum London and forest City Gallery. there are on-
campus exhibition opportunities for students at Artlab Gallery.
1. Patricia Coates
PROPAGATION 2014
2. Quintin teszeri Tug
2015 © dePArtMent of visUAL
Arts, western University
3. Katie Mazi O.P.S.
(Objects of a Purpleless
Society) 2015
PHoto dAnny CUstodio
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conceptual legacies

Manitoba
University of manitoba
“Faculty play a critical role in the development of students,
demonstrating within the classroom and in their individual artistic
practices the necessity of continually challenging assumptions
about art, media and expression,” says Mary Ann Steggles, associate director
of the University of Manitoba’s School of Art in Winnipeg, which grants
both BFAs and MFAs. From their first days in the classroom, students are
taught to be active and critical viewers of art. They learn how to talk,
analyze and write about art through direct observation during field trips to
museums and art galleries in Canada and the US. The school itself, located
in the state-of-the-art ARTlab building, houses the renowned School of Art
Gallery as well as the comprehensive MAClab digital-production facility,
where students can work on video production and editing, graphic design
and professional-quality large-format printing on multiple materials.
Saskatchewan
University of regina
“our programs are designed to address the needs and challenges
of artists as social innovators, critical thinkers, community leaders and
promoters of art and culture,” says rae staseson, dean of the newly
renamed faculty of media, art, Performance (maP). the school’s
many creative workspaces include printmaking, painting, sculpture and
ceramics studios, digital media and photography labs, two theatres,
music and recording studios and an interactive media performance lab.
a strong legacy of community engagement and a well-regarded
internship program prepare students for professional life.
u University of winnipeg
University of Winnipeg students can work towards earning a ba with
either a major or minor in History of art, or specialize in Curatorial
Practices within the ma in Cultural studies. the History of art program
is interdisciplinary, and courses are offered through the History, Classics,
Philosophy and english departments, with a foundation in art history
and experiential learning. students can engage first-hand with valuable
resources such as the university’s extensive art collection, curated
programming at Gallery 1C03 and world-class exhibitions at the Winnipeg
art Gallery and Plug in iCa, both of which are located across the street
from campus. in 2015, the WaG and UW joined forces to hire Julie
nagram as Chair in the History of indigenous arts in north america.
1. nicolette nuytten
Technicolour Static Box
2014
2. amber Phelps
bondaroff Rag-Rug 2015
3. natasha Peterson
Untitled 2013
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conceptual legacies
Sheridan is Canada’s largest art school, with a reputation for excellence and innovation.
As a student, you will learn from talented, committed faculty who will pass on their
expertise and passion; as a graduate, you’ll have a rare combination of artistic talent,
professionalism and technical sophistication. You’ll be poised for success - and prepared
to make your creativity a force for change.
arts.sheridancollege.ca
Create
youryour

University of Saskatchewan
Department of Art & Art History
Getwiththeprogram.
Studio Art | BA, BFA, MFA
Art History | BA, MA Special Case
For more information:
artsandscience.usask.ca/art/
email: tim.nowlin@usask.ca

conceptual legacies

Alberta
University of AlbertA
The Department of Art and Design at the University
of Alberta offers students a broad range of experiences that
include training in the history of Conceptual art as well as
in more traditional media-based practices. The department’s studio
area is a flexible practice-program that offers students opportunities
to develop a media-specific practice, as well as to work across multiple
media through its intermedia area. The structure of the BFA program
encourages students to diversify their courses across media rather than
choosing a specialization, although that also remains possible. At the
senior undergraduate and MFA level, the program provides students
with the chance to work with faculty versed in artistic-research
methodologies as well as access to interdisciplinary experiences and
expertise from across the university. A good example of this exchange
across disciplines put into practice is Aaron Veldstra’s thesis exhibition,
a performance-based installation that considered the ecological
implications of Alberta’s oil industry (see our review on page 152).
University of lethbridge
“our students are encouraged to see art as participatory,
through projects and critiques that extend beyond the studio
classroom,” says professor Annie Martin, chair of lethbridge’s
Art Department. “We encourage direct engagement with the
community and environment through exhibition, performance
and intervention.” studio programs are rounded out by courses
in art history, museum studies, art theory and a liberal education
requirement. Art now, the school’s visiting-artist program,
provides further opportunity for active critical engagement.
1. toby reid O Precious
Symbolism 2015
2. Aaron veldstra
Our Anaerobic Future
(installation view) 2015
3. Courtney Holmes
Patience in the Blind 2015
4. roy Caussy Erratic 2015
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1
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yUkon school of visUal art
sovA offers a unique foundation-year program that features
a full range of undergraduate-level studio and humanities courses,
accredited through yukon College, in the culturally vibrant
atmosphere of Dawson City. the curriculum includes painting,
sculpture, installation, performance and video art within Western
conceptual frameworks alongside art history and theory courses
that embrace Aboriginal cultural values. students enjoy generous
studio spaces in a re-furnished early 20th-century building
and have easy access to excellent digital and manual equipment.
Yukon
alberta college of art and design
ACAD, in Calgary, grants bfAs in nine areas of concentration,
and a cross-disciplinary, studio-based MfA in Craft Media.
students have access to world-class facilities, wood and metal
shops and large studio spaces to accommodate their creative
research. one program of note is Media Arts, led by rita
McKeough, which includes digital art, sound, installation and
performance art. twelve student-run galleries, as well as
the renowned illingworth Kerr gallery, give students real-world
exhibition experience and an insider’s view of the artworld.

conceptual legacies
INQUIRE
APPLY
fineart@queensu.ca
www.queensu.ca/admission
Bachelor of Fine Art
Program
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
Queens Ad WINTER 16.pdf 1 10/27/15 2:44 PM

BritishColumbia
UNIVERSITY OF BRITISh cOlUmBIa
“In many respects, the history of Visual Art at UBC has been closely
intertwined with Conceptual art practice from the 1970s through to the
current day,” says Gareth James, associate professor in the Department
of Art History,Visual Art and Theory and Visual Art Graduate Advisor.“One
thing that is often overlooked,” he says,“is the degree to which Conceptual art
paid attention to the nuts and bolts of how art was made, and subsequently
extrapolated arguments from this kind of technical minutiae. Our classes provide
students with technical know-how in specific media, but students are encouraged
to think about the broader art-historical and contemporary theoretical issues
that formal issues entail.” Visual Arts is housed in the custom-built Audain Art
Centre, which contains studio facilities for upper-level undergraduates and graduate
students, smart classrooms and an entire floor devoted to printmaking facilities,
as well as the department gallery, which exhibits work by students and curated
exhibitions of more established artists. The department grants bachelor’s, master’s
and doctoral degrees, publishes undergraduate and graduate art-history journals
and hosts exhibitions, conferences, symposia, artist talks and lecture series.
Simon FraSer UniverSity
The Visual arts program at SFU balances studio-based production
with a strong theoretical component. BFa students are required
to take core theory and interdisciplinary studio courses, as well
as medium-specific, skill-based methods and concepts courses.
The school’s alexander Studio hosts lectures and visiting-artist talks,
and also houses individual studios for students pursuing mFas in
Interdisciplinary Studies. In addition, there are opportunities to
attend the Berlin Field School, exhibit in the audain Gallery, as well
as interact with the renowned audain artist-in-Residence program.
1. Jamey Braden TO ____
AS IF ____. (The difference
between seeing and
believing, or, between
believing one sees and
seeing between.) 2015
PhOTO mIchaEl R. BaRRIcK
emily carr UniverSity oF art and deSign
Ron Burnett, president and vice-chancellor of EcUaD, recalls
a memorable conceptual art moment at the school: “In 1979,
Ian Wallace invited chris Burden to visit. Instead of engaging
with students in the classroom, Burden spent each day of his visit
digging a trench from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.” The school’s storied
conceptual legacy remains present in its current course offerings.
Students can pursue BFas in critical and cultural Practice, Film,
Video and Integrated media, Design, Illustration, Photography and
Visual arts, or earn a master in applied arts or master of Design.
3
2
1
S p e c i a l S e c t i o n a r t S c h o o l S m a R T G U I D E
2. Olivia Dunbar don’t
know enough 2014
cOURTESY SFU GallERIES
PhOTO BlaINE camPBEll
3. prOphecy sun Objects
Wrapped in Dreams
Wrapped in Objects 2015

conceptual legacies

conceptual legacies
For both sides of the brain.
Brock University | Niagara | Canada
Canada’s newest centre of excellence for the arts
Classes have commenced in the beautiful new home of Brock University’s
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Designed by world-renowned Diamond Schmitt Architects, the Walker School offers a
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The Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts offers an elite arts education that
provides an exceptional learning experience, from the classroom to the studio to complete
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their creative passions while connecting them with a thriving downtown arts and culture
scene, located adjacent to the new FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre.
Reserve your seat today. Learn more at brocku.ca/miwsfpa

1. Abigail Auld: researcher, curator and organizer
After completing a Bachelor of Design at OCAD University,
I moved to pursue an MA in Cultural Studies from the
University of Winnipeg. While at the UW, I developed
a curatorial project that investigated the influence of the
Hudson’s Bay Company on Winnipeg’s urban development.
In summer 2014, I travelled by cargo container ship through
the East China Sea to the depths of an open pit mine in
Inner Mongolia to trace the journey of a smart phone.
I now work at Martha Street Studio, and also pursue other
activities ranging from research, writing and publishing
to exhibition and event organizing. As my future takes shape,
I hope to achieve a method of working that maintains
complexity and provides ongoing opportunity for learning.
2. John Lowndes: photographic and mixed-media artist
While my major at York University was in Studio Art,
only a quarter of my credits were in studio-based practicum.
Courses in film theory, urban studies and satire have
all shaped the bodies of work that I create today. This year,
through the Art Mentorship Project coordinated by the
McMichael Canadian Art Collection and the York Region
Arts Council, I got the opportunity to work with my mentor,
Césan d’Ornellas Levine. We have treated the mentorship
as a much more collaborative experience, acting as two equal
artists genuinely interested in the creative process. In the
future, I hope that I will have an opportunity to work in
a university, helping the next generation of artists to expand
their practices and think outside artistic conventions.
3. Janine Windolph: artist and filmmaker
In my BFA at the University of Regina, I took as many
Indigenous studies courses as I could, and learned the
alternate narrative of how Canada was formed. My master’s
was in Interdisciplinary Media Production and Indian Fine
Arts. After losing my unborn child in 2006, I wrote and
directed an NFB film, LifeGivers: Honouring our Elders and
Children, and in 2008 I became the president of mispon:
Indigenous Film Festival. We keep storytelling alive in
Saskatchewan with a focus on multimedia. I am now hard at
work on my first micro-budget film: Land of Rock and Gold.
4. Kara Hansen: curatorial intern at Nanaimo Art Gallery
At the Emily Carr University of Art and Design, I completed
a BFA with a major in Critical and Cultural Practices and a
minor in Curatorial Studies. I took an elective summer course
My shift from design
to studying art-based
practices came from
a desire to engage
with an intellectual
community that
challenges and makes
space for resistance.
— Abigail Auld
Hot JobsArt-school grads are moving on to great careers and making
their own jobs, too. Across media and across the country,
they’re defining the shape of art in the 21st century.
2. John Lowndes
s p e c i a l s e c t i o n a r t s c h o o l s M A r t g u i d e
1. Abigail Auld
3. Janine Windolph

I hope that CK2, as
a gallery opened and
run independently
by two young women,
will inspire a proliferation
of safe, creative spaces
in the arts community.
— Jessica Kirsh
taught by Canadian Conceptual artist Germaine Koh
on installation art, which focused on public art, intervention
and site specificity. The best parts of working at the
Nanaimo Art Gallery are the studio visits, corresponding
with artists and seeing projects develop. I co-curated
“Spirit Gum,” an exhibition on the expanded definition of
performance, with the Nanaimo’s curator, Jesse Birch. I plan
to go back to school for my master’s in Fine Art, and want
to take courses in textiles, world literature and fashion history
to cultivate both my interests and my artistic practice.
5. Tamara Himmelspach: Aboriginal liaison at ACAD
I graduated with a BFA in Sculpture from ACAD in May
2015, and received news in August that I had won the BMO
1st Art! Competition. One key objective within my practice
is for audiences to experience my artworks in a visceral way.
In 2014 I proposed to gather resources for ACAD’s
Aboriginal students, which led to the construction of the
Aboriginal Resource Centre. Choosing to venture out into
the urban community and investigate existing supports,
I now work closely with the Aboriginal Friendship Centre
to put programming together for our new space.
6. William Robinson: metalsmith and jeweller
Going back to art school at age 59 was interesting. I wondered
whether I would be able to cope with the workload, since it
had been 36 years since I had graduated from NSCAD—that’s
where I first came to the realization that I could make a living
from creating art and design. In 2014, I won a national award
for my jewellery after my instructor at the New Brunswick
College of Craft and Design encouraged me to apply. I plan to
expand my lines of jewellery designs, and to stage more solo
shows at local and regional galleries in the Atlantic provinces.
7. Jessica Kirsh: director at CK2 Gallery
My time at Concordia was critical in fostering my academic and
professional careers. I was given opportunities to publish my
writing, speak at conferences and work as a teaching assistant,
as well as acquire preliminary experience in curating and art
administration. Equipped with literary and practical knowledge
of the contemporary artworld, I opened CK2 Gallery with my
business partner, Stephanie Creaghan, in November 2014. Since
then, we have been curating solo and group exhibitions, video
screenings, performances and artist talks. Our mandate is
to showcase work by emerging to mid-career artists from the
geographical triad of Montreal, Toronto and New York. ■
6. William Robinson
4. Kara Hansen
7. Jessica Kirsh
5. Tamara Himmelspach PHOTO NATALIA BARBERIS
conceptual legacies

conceptual legacies

KyleAldenMartensDOCUMENTS2015COURTESYANNALEONOWENSGALLERY,NSCADUNIVERSITY
s p e c i a l s e c t i o n a r t s c h o o l S M A R T G U I D E
Alberta College of Art and Design
acad.ca
Banff Centre
banffcentre.ca
Brock University
brocku.ca
Centre for Digital Media
thecdm.ca
Concordia University
concordia.ca
Emily Carr University
of Art and Design
ecuad.ca
Haliburton School of the Arts
flemingcollege.ca/school/
haliburton-school-of-the-arts
Humber College
humber.ca
Loyalist College
loyalistcollege.com
MacEwan University
macewan.ca
McMaster University
mcmaster.ca
Memorial University
mun.ca
New Brunswick College
of Craft and Design
nbccd.ca
Nipissing University
nipissingu.ca
NSCAD University
nscad.ca
OCAD University
ocadu.ca
Ottawa School of Art
artottawa.ca
Queen’s University
queensu.ca
Seneca College
senecacollege.ca
Sheridan College
sheridancollege.ca
Sheridan College Art
and Art History
academics.sheridancollege.ca/
programs/art-and-art-history
Simon Fraser University
sfu.ca
Toronto School of Art
tsa-art.com
University of Alberta
ualberta.ca
University of British Columbia
ubc.ca
University of British Columbia
Okanagan
ok.ubc.ca
University of Calgary
ucalgary.ca
University of the Fraser Valley
ufv.ca
University of Guelph
uoguelph.ca
University of Lethbridge
uleth.ca
University of Manitoba
umanitoba.ca
University of Ottawa
uottawa.ca
University of Saskatchewan
usask.ca
University of Toronto
utoronto.ca
University of Victoria
uvic.ca
University of Waterloo
uwaterloo.ca
University of Windsor
uwindsor.ca
Western University
uwo.ca
Yukon School of Visual Arts
yukonsova.ca
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Smart Guide WINTER 2016

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