MFA Open House 2023
Works by: AYLIN ABBASI, SHIVA NASIRI, SOPHIE EL-ASSAAD, LEA HAMILTON, LEIGHA STILES, SARAH HUGHES, ANNIE BÉRUBÉ, ARMAND DIANGIENDA DIANSAMBU, EMILY ESCOFFERY, ELAINE DIGUER, ÉRIC MAILLOUX
Join us to learn about our MFA program, meet our professors and MFA students, and view graduate student work.
The University of Ottawa’s Department of Visual Arts offers a Master’s in Fine Arts (MFA).
In this bilingual two-year program students work within a variety of artistic practices, from photography and media arts to sculpture, painting and drawing, video and installation art. At the core of the MFA program is the student’s engagement in intensive Studio practice, supported by technical and conceptual expertise and critical feedback.
Each MFA student is provided with their own individual artist’s studio, and enjoys access to the Department’s state-of-the-art technical facilities, including painting and sculpture studios, darkrooms, digital and 3-D printing laboratories. Theory courses provide exposure to contemporary artistic and cultural discourse, and forms the basis for students’ contextualization of their personal studio work within current art practice and theoretical investigation.
Students may choose to complete written assignments, examinations, and studio critiques in either English or French.
The Department of Visual Arts is located in Ottawa’s downtown core, home to many of Canada’s most influential and dynamic art institutions, and is within walking distance of the National Gallery of Canada, the Canada Council Art Bank Gallery, the Ottawa Art Gallery, SAW Video and the Karsh-Masson Gallery, as well as the Canadian Museum of Nature. Located close by are the Canadian Museum of History, and Library and Archives Canada, and across theriver in Gatineau, Québec, artist-run centers AxeNéo7 and Daïmôn media arts center in the La Filature complex. These and other National Capital Region art venues feature outstanding collections, high-profile exhibitions, stimulating artists’ presentations and lecture series, and first-class research facilities.
Students enroll in two Theory courses per academic year; the Professional Internship course, in which students have the opportunity to work at one of the many art institutions in the region, or with a professional artist, is a distinctive feature of our program.Faculty members and adjunct professors of the Department are actively involved in exhibiting, research and publishing as well as in curatorial projects. The Department’s adjunct professors include directors and curators of important museums, galleries, and archives, as well as some of Canada’s most outstanding art practitioners, critics, and historians.
In order to ensure our students high-quality instruction, the program has limited enrolment: only five candidates are admitted per year and 10 candidates are in the program at any given time. The program is for students wishing to study full-time only. Bursaries and teaching assistantships are provided for students with appropriate academic and professional achievements.
The Deadline for Application to the Program is February 1.
Interested candidates are invited to contact Professor Lorraine Gilbert, Graduate Program Director. For more information: [email protected]