A word from the Chair
Welcome to the Department of Visual Arts
No other form of expression has so profoundly changed over the last hundred years than that of the visual image. This realization engenders another: no other art form has been more controversial during the same period than that of visual arts.
The term "visual arts" encompasses a multitude of realities and yet remains elusive, because the world it represents constantly evolves. Our discipline began with drawing, painting and sculpture; then came practices in photography, cinema, the ready-made, installation and performance, to name only a few. Today, interdisciplinarity and the media arts are vibrant gateways to new horizons with almost endless possibilities. Perhaps our greatest challenge is how to teach this ever-changing discipline.
The basis upon which we build the discipline must be solid and well established. This includes the study of art history and theory and the acquisition of the most fundamental techniques of drawing, painting, sculpture and photography. New media arts are an integral part of both our present and our future; so, all our undergraduate students are introduced to them as well.
After establishing this foundation, we offer our students an array of choices because not everyone has the same aspirations. Future artists, theoreticians, teachers, art critics, art administrators and curators will have varying interests and different modes of expression.
Finally, learning must take place in a setting that respects freedom and promotes equal exchange.
We believe these conditions exist at the Department of Visual Arts. If this sounds interesting to you, give us a call.
Celina Jeffery