VISUAL ARTS

Website: www.ufv.ca/visual arts

Through art we share our ideas, thoughts, and feelings with each other. Art helps us understand both the world that surrounds us, and the perspectives of other cultures which are distant in time or space.

The Visual Arts program at UCFV integrates art history, film appreciation, and studio art to foster the skills and creative concepts which are part of the visual culture we all live in. Understanding visual communication and expression is important professionally, personally, and socially.

The program is dynamic, integrated, and multidisciplinary. The curriculum is very contemporary, and sensitive to the social and political issues that affect art practices today. It is designed to develop the student’s

• creative and technical skills necessary to produce sophisticated and challenging works of art
• analysis and critical response to the often contentious cultural issues that determine the production of art
• integrated understanding of the history of art in its cultural context, and in its relation to studio practice
• familiarity with institutions and practices that characterize the making and exhibition of contemporary visual arts.

The Visual Arts department has set high standards of achievement and instructional excellence as its primary objective for its students. Superior studio equipment and a dynamic professional teaching faculty make the department a highly informative and encouraging area in which to study.

UCFV Visual Arts options include a two-year Visual Arts diploma and a four-year Bachelor of Arts degree with a Visual Arts extended minor or minor. The extended minor must be combined with another extended minor to complete BA requirements. The Visual Arts extended minor or minor could also be combined with another Arts major. Degree students may choose to concentrate their studies in either studio or art history.

Students proceeding to universities or art schools are strongly advised to consult the calendar of the university to which they intend to transfer credit.

This section specifies the Visual Arts extended minor and minor requirements only. Please refer to the Faculty of Arts, Bachelor of Arts section, for additional BA requirements.

Visual Arts extended minor requirements

This section specifies the requirements for the extended minor discipline, which is part of the BA program.

Lower-level requirements: 18 credits

Eighteen credits in Visual Arts and Art History, including:

• Art History 101 and 102
• Six credits lower-level Visual Arts (studio)
• Six credits in lower-level Visual Arts, Art History, Film, or Media and Communication Studies.

Upper-level requirements: 15 credits

Fifteen credits in Visual Arts and Art History, including:

• One Art History course, 300-level or above
• One Visual Arts course, 300-level or above.

Note: In order to be eligible to take the required upper-level courses students must ensure they complete the appropriate lower-level prerequisites.

Visual Arts minor requirements

This section specifies the requirements for the minor discipline, which is part of the BA program.

Lower-level requirements: 12 credits

Twelve lower-level credits in Visual Arts, Film, and Art History, including:

• One Art History course
• One Visual Arts course

Upper-level requirements: 15 credits

Fifteen credits in Visual Arts and Art History, including:

• One Art History course, 300-level or above
• One Visual Arts course, 300-level or above

Note: In order to be eligible to take the required upper-level courses, students must ensure they complete the appropriate lower-level prerequisites.

Visual Arts diploma

Entrance requirements

B.C. secondary school graduation or equivalent, or 19 years or older before the first day of classes. Students with university-level credit must have a grade point average of 2.0 on all credits attempted. Applicants must also:

a. attend an orientation (optional)
b. attend an interview with a portfolio of current work
c. submit a 300–400-word essay on visual art as a career with the portfolio

Applicants will be evaluated on the following points:

a. Essay: 15 points
                5 points — depth of research
                5 points — structure
                5 points — presentation
b. Portfolio: 35 points

Total: 50 points

Applicants must score at least 30 points. The portfolio must demonstrate your potential for visual art. Photographs or slides of large works can be included. Works in the portfolio must have been produced in the last year.

How to apply

1. Submit the application fee along with your UCFV application for admission form to the Admissions and Records (A&R) office. Application forms are available from any A&R or Student Services office. You can also print an application form from our website, or you can apply directly through the internet at www.pas.bc.ca. See the Admission chart in the Admissions & Registration section for a complete list of application dates and general information.

Additional documents required for a complete application:

• proof of B.C. secondary school graduation or equivalent, if not 19 years of age or older
• students who have attended a post-secondary institution must submit an official transcript (sealed envelope) for each institution attended, whether or not they have completed courses there. If transcripts are being sent directly from the institution(s) attended, please indicate they are on order. To retain your original application date, order early so transcripts arrive within two weeks of the date your application is mailed or submitted.

2. In April you will be informed of interview and orientation arrangements. You must attend or make special arrangements with the program head to be eligible for admission to the program. You must bring to the interview a portfolio of recently created art works and a 300–400-word essay on your experience in visual art.

3. Upon admission to the program you will be provided with registration information. A deposit is required when you register (see Fees and Other Costs ). This money will be applied to the tuition fees and is not refundable. Final payment of all course fees is due the end of the second week of classes.

If this program is full, or you are waiting to find out about your admission to the program, you will be given an opportunity to register as a general studies student. It is not necessary to submit a separate application form. If you meet the entrance requirements and a space becomes available later, you will be contacted.

For students under 19 years of age, fall admission is conditional upon proof of B.C. secondary school graduation. Proof of completion of entrance requirements is due the end of the first week in August.

Part-time and non-program students

Students who attend UCFV part-time, or who are enrolled in other programs, may take any available Visual Arts or Art History courses for which they have the prerequisites. Those who later decide to complete the Visual Arts diploma or degree program should consult with the calendar or the department head to ensure that they have the appropriate courses.

Fees and additional costs

Fees stated are in effect for 2000/01 and are subject to change for 2001/02.

The fees for a full-time student (five courses or 15 credits) would be about $700 per semester. Books and additional supplies cost $50–$100 per course. See the Fees and Other Costs section for more information. There are other related costs which must be considered by the Visual Arts students over the two-year program:
    Materials approximately: $1,800
    *Photography students will require a 35 mm camera
    Field trips: $50–100
    Studio fees approximately: $15 per course

Note: Studio fees are assessed at $5 per credit. These fees are collected when you register.

Program requirements

A cumulative grade point average of 2.0 is required in order to receive a diploma.

Standing required for continuance

Visual Arts diploma students must maintain a 2.0 cumulative grade point average (CGPA).

Academic warning

Students whose grades fall below a 2.0 CGPA will be placed on Academic Warning for the next semester. A student on Academic Warning may not register in a course overload. Students who achieve a semester grade point average of 2.0 will continue on Academic Warning until the CGPA equals or exceeds 2.0.

Required to withdraw

Students who do not achieve a minimum semester grade point average of 2.0 while on Academic Warning will be withdrawn from the Visual Arts program. A student who has been required to withdraw may continue to take courses as a General Studies student.

Readmission to the program

To be readmitted to the Visual Arts diploma program, you must complete nine university-level credits (can be duplicate courses), with a minimum 2.0 CGPA. Once these criteria are met, you may apply for readmission at the Admissions and Records office. When readmitted, you will remain on Academic Warning until your overall CGPA is 2.0.

Graduation

It is the student’s responsibility to ensure all program requirements are met. This should be done by regular consultation with the Visual Arts department head.

Diploma candidates who qualify to receive a UCFV Visual Arts diploma must be approved by the UCFV Arts division and the University College Board.

Students must apply for graduation by completing a Request to Graduate form available at the Admissions and Records office. We recommend this be done in the first month of the graduating semester. The final deadline for submissions is April 1, with all program requirements completed by May 31 for students wishing to attend the June convocation ceremony.

Visual Arts diploma program

Program outline

Year One

Fall semester courses and credits

Year Two

Fall and Winter semesters courses and credits

Note: Students should be aware that courses beyond the first semester normally have prerequisites.

Course listings

For complete details on courses see the Course Descriptions section.

Faculty

Don Murray, BFA (Regina), MFA (UBC), Department Head
Jill Bain, BA (Hons), MA (UVic)
Davida Kidd, BFA, MVA (Alberta)
Jacqueline Nolte, BFA, MA (Cape Town)
Bruce Pashak, BFA, MFA (Calgary)
Grace Tsurumaru, Diploma (Emily Carr), MFA (Concordia)

To Course Descriptions
Return to Faculty of Arts and Applied Arts index