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Alberta University of the Arts creates bright futures
Students learn by doing at Alberta’s innovative visual art university
Submitted by the Alberta University of the Arts
It’s hard not to be inspired at Calgary’s Alberta University of the Arts (AUArts). Some of the most talented and prominent artists, designers, and craftspeople around the world teach and mentor at this visual art post-secondary. Offering a unique education model, AUArts is the only dedicated art, craft, and design university in Alberta, and on the prairies. The university offers Bachelor of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Design, and Master of Fine Arts degrees in a wide variety of disciplines. Students may pursue degrees in Ceramics, Drawing, Fibre, Glass, Jewellery and Metals, Media Arts, Painting, Photography, Print Media, Sculpture, and Visual Communication Design. The Visual Communication Design program has two streams: Character Design and Illustration, or Advertising and Graphic Design. A growing program of minors offers additional exciting pathways including Animation, Comics, and 3D Object Design and Fabrication.
The campus is built for experiential learning, with nearly 300,000 square feet of professionally equipped studio space. Many programs also offer students their own individual studio space. Student skills and interests are developed alongside a talented community of emerging creatives. By nurturing
technical capabilities and enhancing critical thinking approaches, AUArts graduates are extremely versatile.
Small studio classes encourage collaboration and studio spaces are workshop-based. Students explore their own ideas while being supported by faculty and specialized technicians. This innovative studio model provides students with approximately 70 per cent hands-on applied learning and 30 per cent liberal arts and theory. AUArts students receive a university education and learn practical workforce skills, equipping them for exciting creative careers after graduation. Graduates become illustrators, animators, cartoonists, painters, game designers, art therapists, curators, industrial designers and more. Whatever path a student chooses, the university’s inventive approach ensures they will become an important contributor to culture, society and the creative economy.
AUArts students learn critical thinking, communication, and collaboration – changing the old academic narrative of STEM into STEAM by adding the essential ‘A’ for ‘Arts’. It’s more than being an artist or designer; it’s about learning how to approach problems in new and innovative ways by instilling an entrepreneurial spirit. The university appeals to students with big ideas, ingenuity, and unique perspectives. AUArts has approximately 1,200 students, and those who attend AUArts join a tight-knit interactive community. They are encouraged to build connections with peers and faculty in meaningful ways that are not supported in other learning environments. The studio-model ensures classes are small, on average faculty to student ratio in studio classes is 1:16.
Founded in 1926, AUArts has nearly 100 years of history devoted to education excellence. A post-secondary institution’s reputation stands on the shoulders of its alumni and faculty, and AUArts has 11 community members’ achievements honoured with Governor General’s Awards. The tuition and fees are among the least expensive of Canada’s art, craft, and design institutions, and it offers a wide variety of entrance scholarships and awards for new students. A popular gathering space is the Lodgepole Center, guided by an Elders Council, providing an inclusive space for students, faculty, and staff. Additionally, out-of-town students are welcome to live on-campus. AUArts has a student residence partnership with adjacent neighbour SAIT, and the convenient accommodation is only a few minutes’ walk away from the front entrance.
Dedicated to thinking bigger about the importance of a visual art education, AUArts boldly educates in ways that test the boundaries of common thought. Join the counsellors and teachers mailing list to keep informed: myfuture@auarts.ca.
Learn more about AUArts, admissions and the undergraduate and graduate programs by visiting AUArts.ca. n
