When we think about a Visual Arts education in Toronto, UofT may not be the first school that comes to mind. Other schools like the Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD), or even Ryerson and York, may be first in line for students looking to pursue an education in the visual arts. However, this isn’t to say that UofT doesn’t have something of artistic note to offer.
One of the University of Toronto’s best-kept secrets is the Visual Arts faculty, a small nook hidden within the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design. On the Daniels website, a separate tab indicating “Visual Studies @Daniels” is the only portal of information about the program. Offering an innovative Honours Bachelor of Arts program for undergrads and a Masters in Visual Arts for graduate students, the faculty aims to provide “instruction in studio practice, combined with critical discourse involving all aspects of contemporary visual culture, through lectures, seminars, and field trips.”
The Visual Arts program, which used to be part of Arts and Science, transferred to Daniels in 2013. This change came with its share of pros and cons, as the Arts and Science Department receives more funding, but Daniels is more suited to the creative endeavours of Visual Arts students. Professor Lisa Steele, who has been a part of the Visual Arts faculty since 2001, suggests that the transfer has made an impact in a very positive way, allowing for smaller classes and a greater sensitivity to the importance of studio-based teaching. According to Professor Steele, the support and resources provided by the University recognise the value of the program, and the communication is favourable between both the Arts and Science Faculty and the John H. Daniels faculty.
Professor Steele, who also used to work at OCAD, maintains that the UofT program has a lot to offer to visual arts students who would prefer to study in a more “academic environment.” The program has begun accepting students in a “direct entry” approach, meaning students can be admitted directly from high school. The program offers the possibility of taking other, non-visual arts programs at the same time, and the degree obtained at the end of undergrad is a Bachelor of Arts, as opposed to the Bachelor of Fine Arts provided by most art schools. This gives flexibility to students in their future undertakings, as they can pursue other graduate degrees that aren’t necessarily within the fine arts.
Unfortunately, the small size of the Visual Arts faculty has made it almost invisible to the rest of the student body. But this doesn’t mean that they can’t get involved. For instance, students interested in minoring in Visual Arts can do so, and all it takes is four VIS credits. Professor Steele mentions: “The students bring into the [visual arts] classroom whatever else they are doing in more academic classes. This is what makes the UofT Visual Arts faculty interesting compared to other schools.” For students who just want to appreciate the art on campus, there are fourth year thesis exhibitions every April and a huge diversity of media all around campus.
We asked Blair Swann, a recent graduate of the Visual Arts program, to answer a few questions on his experience with the faculty.
The Strand: Can you give an example of a visual studies course you took? What medium(s) did you work in?
Blair Swann: The VIS program is very interdisciplinary. The program really pushes you to take a variety of classes and explore different media. I took classes in photography, installation, video, and performance. There are introductory classes starting in 200-level to each for a specific medium, followed by more intensive and focused classes in the years after that.
Has the art department’s separation from the Faculty of Arts and Science impacted your studies in any way?
I was in the VIS program during the transition from Arts and Science to Daniels. Before, we were in the stunning 1 Spadina building, which really laid down a background for the classes in a way. Then the next year we were in the Borden Buildings, which are, ahem, quite different. The physical change is definitely what stood out to my friends and I during the [move]. A lot of us elected not to move faculties out of fear of the bureaucratic nightmare that would be. Is it different a few years after? The program is still in the Borden Buildings. When the time comes that 1 Spadina is all shiny, bright, new, and renovated, will there be room for the VIS program? Or will we be watching from across the street from our corner of the faculty?
In your experience, does the visual arts program at UofT lack funding from the University?
Yes. It’s a small program—and many of its benefits come from that fact—but side by side with other fine art programs in the city, even its spiritual neighbor at UTSC, it pales in comparison in terms of facilities and exhibition opportunities. There isn’t even a permanent student-run gallery for showing work—who can say that about any other university’s fine art program?
Would you recommend UofT to someone looking to study visual arts?
I would, yes. I loved my time there. You just need to be aware of its specific personality, and hold it up to other schools and what you yourself are looking for in a program. It’s small—but intimate connections and true criticism from professors comes out of that. It doesn’t have a lot of facilities compared to other schools—but it leans on a strong conceptual foundation that builds up skills in writing about and criticizing your own work.
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