Visual Arts — Bachelor of Fine Arts

FEATURES:

• Well-equipped labs and studios, a diverse range of opportunities, and committed faculty and staff, create a supportive environment to grow as an artist.
• Program eligible for financial aid

Develop the practical skills, critical understanding, and industry-related knowledge necessary to succeed as a professional artist with UFV's Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA).

Fine-tune your BFA to best match your educational and career goals as an emerging artist, designer, performer, writer, or critic. Earn a BFA by choosing a Visual Arts major, or by selecting a Visual Arts extended minor and an additional extended minor in Art History, Creative Writing, Graphic Design, Media & Communications Studies, or Theatre.

Visual Arts major:

In your first year of a Visual Arts major, you lay the groundwork for mastering artistic skills in Foundation studio courses. Through study in drawing, material process, video production, photography, and space, form and time, you build a repertoire of technique and experience that prepares you for more advanced course work. 

After mastering the basics, you specialize in three studio disciplines chosen from painting and drawing, sculpture, print media, new media, and photography.

You grow your command of art history through the critical study of modern and contemporary pieces, ranging from Indigenous art to Renaissance classics. Near the end of your studies, senior seminar courses challenge you to develop a comprehensive understanding, while senior studio courses allow you to flex your newly minted artistic skill on self-directed projects. Your work is showcased to UFV alumni and the general public with a BFA graduation exhibition. 

Extended minors:

Concentrate on two subject areas by opting to earn your BFA by completing two extended minors.

Customize your BFA degree by combining extended minors in two of the following areas:

• Visual Arts
• Art History
• Creative Writing
• Graphic Design
• Media & Communications Studies
• Theatre

If you choose a Visual Arts extended minor, you will specialize in two studio disciplines chosen from painting and drawing, sculpture and extended media, print media and photography. No matter which disciplines you choose, well-designed studios, a dynamic faculty, and a dedicated community network provide a highly supportive environment for studying creative arts.

Your well-rounded degree is topped-off with courses in Visual Literacy, Performance Literacy, Writing, Reasoning and a Lab Science.

Additional opportunities

UFV's four-year Bachelor of Fine Arts program is dynamic and interdisciplinary. You gain the tools for various modes of artistic production through a curriculum that is sensitive to the social and political issues that affect today's creative marketplace. You will also enhance your education through interactive experiences such as gallery and performing arts tours, lectures by visiting artists and industry professionals, and exhibition and performance opportunities.

You can also build credibility and on-the-job skills by selecting the Co-operative Education option. Combine study semesters with four, eight, or twelve-month paid work terms, offered in regional, national, and global firms. Positions are available in varied industries. These opportunities provide you with valuable experience and boost your career prospects.

If you would like to see the world, you can study abroad in one of 25+ countries and earn UFV credits at a partner university — partners that include top global business schools. Students who take advantage of the Study Abroad program gain a global network of connections, build cultural knowledge, and are better equipped for the global marketplace.

For creative individuals, a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree is the perfect way to explore the possibilities of careers in the fine arts. In this four-year program, you gain an understanding of how creative practice and academic theory complement each other in today's artistic landscape. A BFA will prepare you to not only produce cultural commodities, but also to understand the complex and critical relationships between creative practice, the creative economy, and contemporary culture.

Depending on how you structure your UFV BFA, you can find employment with a range of employers, including:

• Design agencies
• K-12 schools
• Post-secondary institutions
• Galleries and museums
• Para-arts organizations
• Marketing agencies
• Photography studios
• Copywriting firms
• Community organizations
• Print or online publications
• Production companies

Alternatively, you may go on to pursue further education, or seek employment in other related industries such as business, entertainment, tourism, broadcasting, and more.

If you do not currently meet the BFA entry requirements, you still may be considered for the Visual Arts diploma. Apply to Qualifying Studies in order to upgrade your qualifications for future admissions.

Upgrading English courses

There are several options to upgrade your English, including UFV CMNS 099 or ENGL 099 with a grade of C or better, UFV ENGL 081 or 091 with a grade of C+ or better, or UFV ESL WG84 with a grade of C+ or better. Please speak with a Qualifying Studies or International advisor to learn more about additional options.

Values

Upon successful completion of the Visual Arts major:

• students are flexible and conscientious thinkers, able to respect diverse ways of thinking and working, while expressing themselves as capable risk-takers.
• students are open-minded and value traditional methods as well as contemporary practices.
• students have respect for collaborative and communal working environments.
• students can participate in respectful dialogue about controversial issues.
• students are ethical thinkers, considerate of personal and global connections and able to express issues such as difference, community, and ecology.
• students are advocates for the importance of cultural production who contribute positively to community.
• students recognize opportunity even in challenging circumstances, and nurture and enjoy their practice. 

Knowledge

Upon successful completion of the Visual Arts major:

• students comprehend historical and contemporary cultural contexts, and connect art historical knowledge with movements in world history.
• students are critical thinkers who engage in visual culture with sensory and aesthetic awareness.
• students integrate creative thinking across disciplines.
• students exhibit ingenuity and self-sufficiency in accessing resources to support any creative, academic or personal inquiry. 

Skills

Upon successful completion of the Visual Arts major:

• students are able to present and communicate to an audience, in effective written, visual, verbal and non-verbal language.
• students are able to produce artwork with technical proficiency in at least three media, across both established and experimental practices.
• students are able to think independently, use critique constructively, and are self-reflective and analytical cultural producers, capable of creative problem-solving.
• students are able to engage effectively in the presentation, installation and de-installation of works for exhibition.

Phone: 604-854-4543
Email: jordan.zimmermann@ufv.ca
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