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Visual Arts
DEPARTMENT OF VISUAL ARTS
In the Department of Visual Arts (VISA), education takes place within well-equipped studios and teaching spaces, as well as in our vibrant local arts community. We provide education in two distinct but interconnected streams: Studio Art (STDA) and the History of Art and Visual Culture (HAVC). Studio Art students take courses in all fine art media, such as painting, photography, drawing, digital media, sculpture, performance art and nontraditional methods of expression. A portfolio is required for applicants to Studio Art. Visit brocku.ca/visual-arts for more information. As a student, you’ll receive dynamic, personable instruction and mentorship from award-winning faculty, as well as individual guidance. This critical feedback is complemented by unique learning opportunities from internationally acclaimed guest artists to bolster your learning. Our on-site student gallery gives you opportunities to view art, exhibit your work, and learn the exhibition space’s behind-the-scenes operation. But your learning isn’t confined to the classroom. By studying in the heart of downtown St. Catharines, you will also become part of a community of working artists. You will be given opportunities to create and collaborate during your studies and develop lasting professional connections.
How to apply:
Ontario secondary school students must have a minimum of six Grade 12 4U or 4M courses and have completed the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD).
Required course: ENG4U
Recommended courses: One from 4U history, philosophy, classical studies or international language.
Expected entrance average: mid-70s
Students applying to the Studio Arts program are required to submit a portfolio (details on page 26).
Students interested in the History of Art and Visual Culture (HAVC) program are exempt from submission of a portfolio. Students apply directly to the BA Honours in History of Art and Visual Culture.
“VISA’s program has helped me apply my artistic skills to everything I do and develop my practice into a career. The instructors helped me learn the importance of being able to talk about my own work, and I also learned many practical skills regarding collaboration, art production and exhibiting. My favourite courses are the ones that allowed me to experiment and try out new media.”
— Brittany Brooks, (BA ’16) Visual Arts
Degrees offered
•BA Honours in Studio Art
•BA in Studio Art (Pass degree)
Develop your artistic skills, learn new techniques and technologies and develop your professional practice. Courses offered include painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, media and digital art.
•BA Honours in History of Art and Visual Culture
Learn about the tremendous power of visual images to shape and reflect our cultures, experiences and histories. Explore historical and contemporary art and visual culture with the aim of uncovering how images express meaning, who made them and why, and how.
• Minor in History of Art and Visual Culture
• Minor in Studio Art
• Concurrent BA/BEd
Study in Visual Arts and the Faculty of Education to earn two undergraduate degrees — one in Visual Arts and the other in Education.
Options include: Concurrent BA (Honours): BEd Intermediate/Senior – Visual Arts.
Concurrent BA Integrated Studies (Honours): BEd Junior/Intermediate – Visual Arts as teachable subject.
CREATE WHENEVER INSPIRATION STRIKES
in studios that are brimming with natural light — many of which are accessible 24 hours a day.
Develop strong analogue and digital photography skills in our darkroom and digital media lab.
13:1
student to professor ratio
Exhibit and experience art in our on-site student gallery and exhibition space.
— Gianna Aceto (BA ’19), Brock alumna
A view of the exhibition (un)hidden featuring the work of graduate Amber Lee Williams, at the VISA Gallery and Student Exhibition, April 2018.
HISTORY OF ART AND VISUAL CULTURE
History of Art and Visual Culture courses explore history as it is connected to the present, and we aim to help students develop critical thinking skills necessary to navigate our image-driven world. Courses are innovative and thematic, and explore such topics as the role of imagery in medicine and science, visual representations of disaster and the apocalypse, and how technology and innovation have shaped the arts.
Our professors are exhibiting artists and published scholars who have mastered a wide array of media and topics, and are fluent in emerging discourses. We offer a well-rounded, exciting education. Want to show your work, curate a show or participate in a festival? How about giving a lecture on your research or travelling abroad to see art? All is possible within a degree program in the Department of Visual Arts.
For more information visit brocku.ca/visualarts “Since graduating from Brock University, I have attended the University of Oxford to complete my Master’s in the History of Art and Visual Culture. During my time at Oxford, I wrote my dissertation on the pedagogical strategies that can be used to make art history education more inclusive, intersectional, and diverse.
HAVC’s impressive suite of courses provided me with the art historical foundation that I needed to continue my studies abroad. Through the program at the MIWSFPA, I was also able to gain professional and practical experiences by working as a Teaching Assistant and a Gallery Attendant, and travelling to Italy on a study tour. These experiences would not have been possible without the support of my incredible, caring, and inspiring Brock professors.”
— Hannah Dobbie (BA ’20), History of Art and Visual Culture, Visual Arts
Portfolios are a required part of the admissions process for students applying to Visual Arts - Studio Art, Concurrent Education - Intermediate/Senior (Visual Arts -Studio Art major). We must receive your complete portfolio submission by Feb. 7, 2022 to consider your application for studies beginning in September 2022. For Portfolio requirements: brocku.ca/miwsfpa/visual-arts/apply/#digital-portfolio
Your portfolio submission must contain two elements
1. Letter of Intent (max. 300 words)
The letter of intent helps us learn more about what motivates, challenges and inspires you in your creative process. It should describe your reasons for wanting to study visual arts, where you are coming from and what you have studied in the past. Please consider how your answers may enhance or contribute to our understanding of your portfolio work as we view it. Artist statements are also welcome but not mandatory. Your letter of intent should be submitted in one of the following formats: • As part of a website or artist blog linked in your submission email. • As a Word document (.docx) included in the cloud-sharing folder of your choice (Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, etc.), and linked in your submission email. • As a Word document (.docx) attached directly to your submission email. • As a Word document (.docx) on a USB stick submitted by mail. You may include this letter on the same USB stick or artist blog/website as your digital portfolio. Please be sure to accurately label the file (or link) as your “letter of intent”.
2. A digital portfolio (15-20 of your artworks)
Please DO NOT send original artworks to us. Please title your portable devices and provide a labelled case with your full name (as submitted on your application), OUAC reference number (if applicable) and date of birth.
Your portfolio is to be submitted in one of the following ways: Email Assistant Professor Troy David Ouellette (touellette@brocku.ca) with either the digital files attached, or a URL link to your artist blog, website or cloud-sharing folder. Include your full name, OUAC reference number and date of birth.
• Saved on a USB stick and submitted by mail or in-person to:
Assistant Professor Troy David Ouellette
Department of Visual Arts
Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts
Brock University 1812 Sir Isaac Brock Way
St. Catharines, ON
L2S 3A1, Canada The portfolio and letter of intent must be sent together in a strong, reusable package and must be accompanied by sufficient return postage. Portfolios sent without sufficient return postage will not be returned to the applicant. Please email Assistant Professor Troy David Ouellette (touellette@brocku.ca) to inform the department that your portfolio has been sent.
Digital files must be in these formats:
IMAGES: PDF, JPG files must be 2MB or less, sized 1024 x 768px, 72 DPI. VIDEO: MOV, MP4 files must be kept under 10MB and be less than 3 minutes.
AUDIO: WAV/MP3 files must be kept under 10MB and be less than 3 minutes.
(For VR objects, programs, game environments, digital models, or other digital files, please provide video or image files in their stead. You may also provide a working web link, if relevant, at the end of your image/audio or video list.)
Label each digital image file as follows:
Number, Artist Name, Title, Medium, Dimensions (Metric), Year work was completed. Example: 01_LastName_WorkTitle_ MixedMedium_32cmx34cm_2020.jpg FOR AUDIO FILES:
Number, Artist Name, Title, Format, Duration, Year work was completed. Audio Example: 01_LastName_WorkTitle_ FieldRecording_2:34_2021.wav FOR VIDEO FILES:
Number, Artist Name, Title, Format, Duration, Year work was completed. Video Example: 01_LastName_WorkTitle_ HDDigitalVideo_1:24_2021.mov Please include an image list corresponding with the digital portfolio as a Word document .docx or pdf. International Students: Please contact the Department of Visual Art to plan a portfolio submission process that coincides with your regional academic schedule. Questions?
All questions about the application and portfolio process can be directed to Assistant Professor Troy David
Ouellette, touellette@brocku.ca
For questions related to the admissions process, please contact our Admissions Office at
futurestudent@brocku.ca
Where can you go from here?
Transferable skills: • Hands-on experience in a wide range of techniques and technologies • Critical thinking • Writing, research and communication skills • Ability to market and promote your work and yourself as an artist
About half of all Ontario artists (47 per cent) are self-employed, (source, Statistics Canada) and many of our graduates go on to establish their own professional practice as artists.
Other future career paths: • Professional artist • Curatorial work in art galleries, museums, and artist-run centres • Law (copyright, repatriation of cultural artifacts, cultural property) • Writing and publication • Teaching • Graphic design and web design • Analogue and digital animation • Photographer • Archivist • Arts administration
Contact Information Department office: MWS 328 905 688 5550 x3214 visualarts@brocku.ca
