Visual Arts - Training Institutions

A good reputation precedes students graduating from Grant MacEwan College's two-year Fine Art Diploma. The rigorous program in Edmonton is structured to provide a generalist foundation for those seeking to transfer into a bachelor of fine arts (BFA) program, or delve directly into a professional practice.

Students wishing to enter the program are expected to submit a portfolio of recent work so that faculty members can assess their suitability for the diploma curriculum. Once accepted, fine art students have a fairly structured and intense two years ahead of them.

The foundation courses, along with electives, allow for some attention to various areas of interest. Some courses offered by the College are drawing, design fundamentals, painting, digital imaging, digital video production, installation, photography, sculpture, art history and contemporary art issues.

As course offerings indicate, faculty members strive to provide a balance between studio work, theory and the socio-historical contexts in which art is created. Students are expected to think critically about the various personal, regional, and global issues that impact their creative processes; the school becomes a place for art training and self-discovery.

Furthering the goal of learning, fine art students interact with their outside world a fair bit. Grant MacEwan College hosts lectures by visiting artists and some classes venture outside to visit important art organizations and institutions in Edmonton—the likes of Harcourt House, Latitude 53 and the Edmonton Art Gallery.

Over the years, partnerships have developed between the College and community entities. This collaboration helps to increase awareness of the program while exposing future professional artists to potential workplaces, colleagues and mentors.

Various studio resources are available at the College's west-end Centre for the Arts Campus. Sky lit studios, sculpture and clay facilities, wood and metal shops and a library for art materials including slides, enable art making.

Students in the fine arts diploma program cap their learning experience with a graduation show. The celebratory exhibition publicizes their creations and provides valuable installation and show experience.

Grant MacEwan College can lay claim to successfully preparing students for careers in visual art. Graduates of the program have gone on to receive advanced standing in prestigious Canadian and American art schools such as Concordia University in Montreal, Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design in Vancouver, Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (NASCAD) in Halifax, Brooks College in California and New York University, New York.