Studio Art


Faculty List
  • Y. Brotman, B.A. (Manitoba), B.Ed., M.V.S. (Toronto), Lecturer, Emeritus
  • P. Cruz, B.F.A. (Philippines), B.F.A. (Emily Carr), M.F.A. (Guelph), Assistant Professor
  • M. Hlady, B.F.A. (Victoria), M.F.A. (York), Associate Professor
  • A. Irving, B.F.A. (Nova Scotia College of Art and Design), M.F.A. (York), Associate Professor, Teaching Stream
  • A. Koroshegyi, B.F.A. (Queen's), M.F.A. (Western), Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream
  • W. Kwan, B.A. (Toronto), M.F.A. (Columbia), Associate Professor
  • T. Mars, D.F.A., Honoris Causa, NSCAD University, Associate Professor, Teaching Stream, Emeritus
  • S. Mazinani, M.F.A. (Stanford), Assistant Professor
  • O.E. Osahor, B.F.A. (Alberta), M.F.A. (Guelph), Assistant Professor

ACM Program Manager: Email: acm-pm@utsc.utoronto.ca

The Studio Art programs at the University of Toronto Scarborough offers hands-on courses in drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, performance art, video, new media, animation, and conceptual practices. Students can also take specialized courses in digital imaging, sound art, kinetics, or thematic courses that explore such things as the relationships between art and globalization, or art and politics, or time-based art practices. UTSC Studio Art students develop a combination of technical, theoretical, conceptual and critical skills that enable them to express and communicate their ideas confidently in a variety of visual languages. Students explore art as a tool for examining and intervening in visual culture, to consider the role of creativity in shaping communities locally and globally.

Students are encouraged to engage with the diversity of contemporary art by examining art-making from aesthetic, intellectual, social, and political perspectives. They are exposed to current positions in contemporary art theory, criticism, and curation and study the history of art from various cultural and historical viewpoints. The wide range of artistic experiences offered by the UTSC Studio Art programs provides rigorous general visual arts education for students interested in careers in the cultural and design sectors. Studio Art also offers focused preparation for students interested in pursuing advanced visual art study at the graduate level.

The Studio Art programs are housed in the Department of Arts, Culture and Media, which offers students an interdisciplinary framework for analyzing the ideas and theories connecting the arts and encourages students to explore the related fields of literature, history, anthropology, and other areas of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Some courses in Studio Art (VPS) may include Ancillary fees for lab and workshop materials.

Guidelines for course selection

The table below provides the recommended course selection guidelines for students wishing to complete the Specialist and Major Program in Studio Art. To ensure graduating when expected, all students should pay special attention to prerequisites and corequisites when selecting courses, this is especially important for C- and D-level courses.

Students wishing to complete the Minor Program in Studio Art do not require D-level courses.

Please note that students cannot combine the Major Program in Studio Art with the Minor program in Studio Art.

First Year:

  • Fall: VPHA46H3, VPSA62H3, VPSA63H3, VPSB56H3 (if pursuing the Specialist program in Studio Art)
    Please contact ACM Program Manager if you are pairing Major Program in Studio Art with Major (Joint) Program in New Media Studies
  • Winter: VPSB56H3 (if pursuing the Specialist program in Studio Art; and if not taken in Fall term already), VPSB01H3
    Additional course from the following: VPSB59H3, VPSB70H3 

Second Year:

  • Fall: B-level in Studio Art courses
    B-level in Art History courses (If pursuing the Specialist Program in Studio Art)
  • Winter: B- and C-level in Studio Art courses

Third Year:

  • Fall: B- and C-level in Studio Art courses
    C-level in Art History courses (If pursuing the Specialist Program in Studio Art)
  • Winter: C-level in Studio Art courses

Fourth Year:

  • Fall: D-level Studio Art course #1
    Make sure the prerequisite is completed for this course in the previous year/semester
  • Winter: D-level Studio Art course #2 (Note that students in Major program require only 0.5 credits at VPSD-level)
    Make sure the prerequisite is completed for this course in the previous year/semester 

The Specialist Program in Studio Art and the Major Program in Studio Art are limited enrolment programs that you need to apply for entry. Please read the Program Admission sections for instructions.

Experiential Learning and Outreach

For a community-based experiential learning opportunity in your academic field of interest, consider the course CTLB03H3, which can be found in the Teaching and Learning section of the Calendar.

Studio Art Programs

SPECIALIST PROGRAM IN STUDIO ART (ARTS) - SCSPE11262

Undergraduate Advisor (General): Email: studio-program-supervisor@utsc.utoronto.ca

Enrolment Requirements
Enrolment in the Specialist in Studio Art is limited. Students must apply to enter the program after completing four credits including VPSA62H3 and VPSA63H3. Decisions are made on program admissions only twice a year, in May and August, and are based on student requests submitted to the Office of the Registrar through ACORN. Admission is determined on the basis of a student's overall GPA and grades in VPSA62H3 and VPSA63H3. For students applying after 8.0-10.0 credits, admission will be based on the overall GPA and grades in VPS courses taken.

Program Requirements
This program requires the completion of 14.0 credits, including 4.0 credits at the C-or D-level of which at least 1.0 credit must be at the D-level.

1. 2.5 credits as follows:
VPSA62H3 Foundation Studies in Studio
VPSA63H3 But Why is it Art?
VPSB01H3 The Artist
VPSB56H3 Digital Fundamentals for Artists
VPHA46H3 Ways of Seeing: Introduction to Art Histories

2. 3.5 credits at VPSB-level courses, 1.0 credits of which should be from the following:
VPSB58H3 Video Art
VPSB59H3 Sculpture
VPSB70H3 Experimental Drawing
VPSB73H3 Curatorial Perspectives I

3. 1.0 additional credits from the following:
VPSB02H3 The Image Culture
CITA01H3 Foundations of City Studies
ENGA03H3 Introduction to Creative Writing
ENGB12H3 Life Writing
ENGB38H3 The Graphic Novel
FLMA70H3 How to Read a Film
FLMB75H3 Cinema and Modernity
MDSA10H3/​(MDSA01H3) Media Foundations
MDSA13H3/​(MDSA02H3) Media History
MDSB32H3/​(MDSB05H3) Media and Globalization
MDSB28H3/​(MDSB09H3/​MDSB24H3) Kids These Days: Youth, Language and Media
WSTA01H3 Introduction to Women's and Gender Studies

4. 1.5 additional credits in VPH, of which 0.5 credit must be at the C-level

5. 4.0 credits in VPSC-level, of which 2.0 credits must be from the following:

VPSC85H3 Essential Skills for Emerging Artists
VPSC90H3 Theory and Practice: Art in a Globalizing World
VPSC91H3 Theory and Practice: Art and the Body
VPSC92H3 Theory and Practice: Art and Materials
VPSC93H3 Theory and Practice: Art and the Everyday
VPSC94H3 Theory and Practice: Art and Place
VPSC95H3 Theory and Practice: Art and Social Justice

6. 0.5 credits as follows:

VPSC56H3 Studio and Exhibition Practice

7. 1.0 credits as follows:

VPSD56H3 Advanced Exhibition Practice
VPSD63H3 Independent Study in Studio: Thesis

MAJOR PROGRAM IN STUDIO ART (ARTS) - SCMAJ1126

Undergraduate Advisor (General): Email: studio-program-supervisor@utsc.utoronto.ca

Enrolment Requirements
Enrolment in the Major in Studio Art is limited. Students must apply to enter the program after completing four credits including VPSA62H3 and VPSA63H3. Decisions are made on program admissions only twice a year, in May and August, and are based on student requests submitted to the Office of the Registrar through ACORN. Admission is determined on the basis of a students overall GPA and grades in VPSA62H3 and VPSA63H3.

Program Requirements
Students must complete 7.5 credits as follows:

1. 1.5 credits as follows:
VPSA62H3 Foundation Studies in Studio
VPSA63H3 But Why Is It Art?
VPHA46H3 Ways of Seeing: Introduction to Art Histories

2. VPSB01H3 The Artists

3. 2.5 additional credits in VPSB-level, of which 1.0 credits must be from the following:
VPSB58H3 Video Art
VPSB59H3 Sculpture
VPSB70H3 Experimental Drawing
VPSB88H3 Sound Art
VPSB77H3 Performance Art
VPSB62H3 Painting the Abstract

* Students may use up to 0.5 VPHB-level or 0.5 MDSB-level credit towards this requirement, provided they hold the prerequisites.

4. 2.5 additional credits in VPSC-level, of which 1.0 credits must be from the following:
VPSC56H3 Studio and Exhibition Practice
VPSC85H3 Essential Skills for Emerging Artists
VPSC90H3 Theory and Practice: Art in a Globalizing World
VPSC91H3 Theory and Practice: Art and the Body
VPSC92H3 Theory and Practice: Art and Materials
VPSC93H3 Theory and Practice: Art and the Everyday
VPSC94H3 Theory and Practice: Art and Place
VPSC95H3 Theory and Practice: Art and Social Justice

5. 0.5 credit at the VPSD-level
Majors are encouraged to take VPSD56H3. (Note that VPSD56H3 requires VPSC56H3 Studio and Exhibition Practice as a prerequisite).

MINOR PROGRAM IN STUDIO ART (ARTS) - SCMIN1126

Undergraduate Advisor (General): Email: studio-program-supervisor@utsc.utoronto.ca

Enrolment Requirements
Enrolment in the Minor in Studio Art is unlimited.
Students cannot pair this program with a Major or Specialist program in Studio Art.

Program Requirements
Students are required to complete a total of 4.5 credits as follows:

1. 1.0 credits as follows:
VPSA62H3 Foundation Studies in Studio
VPSA63H3 But Why is it Art?

2. 2.5 credits at the B-level in VPS courses
Students may use up to 0.5 credits of VPHB-level or 0.5 credit of MDSB-level towards this requirement, provided they hold the prerequisites.


3. 1.0 credit at the C-level in VPS courses, including 0.5 credit from the following:
VPSC90H3 Theory and Practice: Art in a Globalizing World
VPSC91H3 Theory and Practice: Art and the Body
VPSC92H3 Theory and Practice: Art and Materials
VPSC93H3 Theory and Practice: Art and the Everyday
VPSC94H3 Theory and Practice: Art and Place
VPSC95H3 Theory and Practice: Art and Social Justice

Note: Students enrolled in Minor program in Studio Art cannot enroll in more than 1.5 VPSC-level courses

 

Studio Art Courses

VPSA62H3 - Foundation Studies in Studio

An introduction to the importance of content and context in the making of contemporary art.

Corequisite: VPSA63H3
Exclusion: VIS130H, JAV130H
Breadth Requirements: Arts, Literature and Language

VPSA63H3 - But Why Is It Art?

This introductory seminar examines the key themes, concepts, and questions that affect the practice of contemporary art. We will look at specific cases in the development of art and culture since 1900 to understand why and how contemporary art can exist as such a wide-ranging set of forms, media and approaches.

Exclusion: VIS120H, JAV120H, VST101H
Breadth Requirements: History, Philosophy and Cultural Studies

VPSB01H3 - The Artist

The figure of the artist is distorted in the popular imagination by stereotypes around individualism, heroism, genius, mastery, suffering, and poverty. This lecture course will examine these gendered, colonial mythologies and offer a more complex picture of the artist as a craftsperson, professional, entrepreneur, researcher, public intellectual and dissident. We will consider diverse artistic models such as artist collectives and anonymous practitioners that challenge the idea of the individual male genius and examine artists’ complex relationship with elitism, the art market, arts institutions, and gentrification. This course will be supplemented by visiting artist lectures that will offer students insight into the day-to-day reality of the practicing artist.

Prerequisite: [VPSA62H3 and VPSA63H3]
Breadth Requirements: Arts, Literature and Language

VPSB02H3 - Image Culture

How should artists make pictures in a world inundated with a relentless flow of digital images? Can pictures shape our understanding of the social world and influence mainstream culture? Through the perspective of contemporary artmaking, this lecture course will explore ways that artists decentre and decolonize the image and concepts of authorship, representation, truth, and the gaze. The course will also examine the role of visual technologies (cameras, screens, microscopes), distribution formats (the photographic print, mobile devices, the Internet), and picture making (ubiquitous capture, synthetic media, artificial intelligence) to consider how artists respond to changing ideas about the visible world.

Prerequisite: [VPSA62H3 and VPSA63H3]
Breadth Requirements: Arts, Literature and Language

VPSB56H3 - Digital Fundamentals for Artists

In this hands-on project-based class, students will investigate fundamental techniques and digital concepts common to digital art practices. This course is an introduction to general image processing, compositing, seamless collage, composition, text design, and quality control techniques for printing and production using Adobe Creative Cloud software on Apple computers. No prior experience with computer technology is required, as this course will prepare students for further study and exploration with the production of contemporary digital art.

Corequisite: VPSA62H3 and VPSA63H3
Exclusion: (VPSA74H3), VIS218H, FAS147H
Breadth Requirements: Arts, Literature and Language

VPSB58H3 - Video Art

This course will introduce students to the use of video in contemporary art. Students will learn key video production and post-production skills, including camera operation, lighting, audio recording, editing, and motion graphics, that will enable them to produce short experimental video artworks. This course will look at the historical development of video art and explore how contemporary artists continue to work with video today.

Prerequisite: VPSA62H3 and VPSA63H3
Exclusion: (VPSA73H3), VIS202H
Breadth Requirements: Arts, Literature and Language

VPSB59H3 - Sculpture

This course will introduce you to contemporary processes used to make three-dimensional objects. Projects are designed to encourage an understanding of the elements of three-dimensional composition while supporting experimentation with different ways sculptural materials and process are used to express ideas. You will learn basic design and patternmaking for sculpture, hands-on technical skills with wood, paper, textiles, and found objects. This course will also give students a critical and historical perspective on sculptural practice through readings and lectures.

Prerequisite: VPA62H3 and VPSA63H3
Exclusion: (VPSA71H3) FAS248H
Breadth Requirements: Arts, Literature and Language

VPSB61H3 - Painting from Life

This course will introduce students to the process of painting from observation with a focus on still-life and the human figure. Projects in this course will help students develop the ability to handle acrylic paint, prepare painting supports, and care for painting tools. Students will explore principles of colour, composition, and mark-making in representational painting. This course will also give students a critical perspective on representation in contemporary painting through readings and lectures.

Prerequisite: VPSA62H3 and VPSA63H3
Exclusion: (VPSA61H3), VIS201H, FAS145H
Breadth Requirements: Arts, Literature and Language

VPSB62H3 - Painting the Abstract

This course will introduce students to abstract painting with a focus on generating ideas and concepts driven by process-based experimentation. Projects in this course will help students develop the ability to handle acrylic paint, prepare painting supports, and care for their painting tools. By painting on a variety of surfaces, students will explore experimental approaches to the construction of paintings with considered compositions and varied surface qualities. This course will use lectures and assigned readings to critically reflect on the conceptual concerns pertinent to contemporary abstract painting.

Prerequisite: VPSA62H3 and VPSA63H3
Exclusion: VIS220H, FAS245H
Breadth Requirements: Arts, Literature and Language

VPSB67H3 - Photography and Storytelling

This course will introduce students to the techniques and principles of contemporary digital photography. Students will learn digital camera and lighting fundamentals, post-processing using Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom, and digital printing workflow. In this course, landscape, still life, studio portraiture, and documentary practices will be discussed and analyzed to create a visual narrative through images. How can a single image be composed to tell a compelling story? And when sequenced, how do images create meaning, narrative, and understanding? This course will teach the critical history of photography with a focus on documentary, staged, and narrative approaches.

Prerequisite: VPSB56H3
Exclusion: (VPSA72H3), VIS218H, FAS147H
Breadth Requirements: Arts, Literature and Language

VPSB69H3 - Making Photographs: Analog and Alternative Processes

This course will introduce students to the core principles of photography through analog, digital, and alternative techniques. Methods introduced in this course include eco-conscious photographic techniques, double exposure, light painting, camera-less photography, motion blur, scanning, timelapse, and other experimental methods. Composing an image that is engaging, thoughtful, and experimental will be taught in this course, alongside the critical history of photography with a focus on abstraction and alternative processes.

Prerequisite: VPSA62H3 and VPSA63H3
Breadth Requirements: Arts, Literature and Language

VPSB70H3 - Experimental Drawing

This course will introduce students to the concepts, techniques, and media of contemporary abstract and non-representational drawing. Experimental drawing approaches will form the basis for developing personal and imaginative expression. Projects in this course will investigate collage, mapping, and other types of experimental mark-making processes and design approaches. This course will also give students a critical perspective on abstraction in drawing through readings and lectures.

Prerequisite: VPSA62H3 and VPSA63H3
Exclusion: (VPSA70H3), VIS205H, FAS143H
Breadth Requirements: Arts, Literature and Language

VPSB71H3 - Artist Multiples

Artist multiples are small, limited edition artworks that include sculptures, artist books, mass-produced ephemera such as posters, postcards and small objects. Students will explore the production and history of 2D and 3D works using a variety of media and approaches. This course is about both making and concepts.

Prerequisite: VPSA62H3 and VPSA63H3
Exclusion: VIS321H
Breadth Requirements: Arts, Literature and Language
Course Experience: University-Based Experience

VPSB73H3 - Curatorial Perspectives I

This course is designed to offer students direct encounters with artists and curators through studio and gallery visits. Field encounters, written assignments, readings and research focus on contemporary art and curatorial practices. The course will provide skills in composing critical views, artist statements, and writing proposals for art projects.

Prerequisite: [[VPSA62H3 and VPSA63H3] and [0.5 credit at the B-level in VPS courses]] or [enrolment in the Minor in Curatorial Studies]
Exclusion: VIS320H
Breadth Requirements: Arts, Literature and Language

VPSB74H3 - Observational Drawing

This course will introduce students to the concepts, techniques, and media of contemporary observational drawing. Representational drawing will form the basis for developing personal and imaginative expression. Still lives, portraiture, and figure drawing will form the basis for learning to draw what students see using a range of mark-making techniques and design elements. This course will also give students a critical perspective on representation in drawing through readings and lectures.

Prerequisite: VPSA62H3 and VPSA63H3
Exclusion: VIS211H and FAS243H
Breadth Requirements: Arts, Literature and Language

VPSB76H3 - Video II

This course explores advanced camera and editing techniques as well as presentation strategies using installation, projection, and multiple screens. Students will make projects using both linear and non-linear narratives while exploring moving image influences from online culture, popular media, surveillance culture, cinema, photography, performance, and sculpture.

Prerequisite: VPSB58H3
Exclusion: VIS302H
Breadth Requirements: Arts, Literature and Language

VPSB77H3 - Performance Art

This course covers the history and practice of performance art. Students will employ contemporary performance strategies such as duration, ritual, repetition, intervention, tableau vivant, endurance and excess of materials in their projects. We will also study the relationship of performance to other art disciplines and practices such as theatre and sculpture.

Prerequisite: VPSA62H3 and VPSA63H3
Exclusion: VIS208H
Breadth Requirements: Arts, Literature and Language

VPSB80H3 - Digital Art

Through lectures, demonstrations, and exercises that incorporate the use of Illustrator and other software, students will create 3D printed and augmented reality artworks. With an emphasis on developing skills when working in vector digital spaces, this course will help students develop the ability to articulate ideas related to contemporary digital art-based practice. An overview of expanded 3D digital media will be covered, and project themes will be drawn from a critical analysis of digital technology as an art form.

Prerequisite: VPSB56H3
Exclusion: FAS247H, VIS318H
Recommended Preparation: VPSB67H3
Breadth Requirements: Arts, Literature and Language

VPSB81H3 - Creative Coding

This course will teach students basic programming skills for creating computational and interactive digital artworks. This course will explore interaction and visualization in contemporary art using fundamental principles of design, AI technology, generative strategies, motion graphics and animation techniques. Students will learn independent concept development through lectures, demonstrations, exercises, and art projects. No prior coding experience is required.

Prerequisite: VPSA62H3 and VPSA63H3
Breadth Requirements: Arts, Literature and Language

VPSB85H3 - Text as Image/Language as Art

This course looks at how visual artists employ words in their art. Students will be introduced to the experimental use of text in contemporary art: how typography has influenced artists and the role of language in conceptual art by completing projects in various media. 

Prerequisite: VPSA62H3 and VPSA63H3
Breadth Requirements: Arts, Literature and Language

VPSB86H3 - Sculpture and Technology

This course will introduce students to digital processes and materials for creating three-dimensional and kinetic art objects. Students will learn computer-aided design (CAD), fabrication techniques such as 3D printing and laser cutting, and physical computing basics with an introduction to microcontrollers and ready-made circuits. This course will also examine the history and use of technology in contemporary sculpture through readings and lectures.

Prerequisite: VPSA62H3 and VPSA63H3
Breadth Requirements: Arts, Literature and Language

VPSB88H3 - Sound Art

Students will be introduced to sound as a medium for art making. Listening, recording, mapping, editing, and contextualizing sounds will be the focus of this course. Sound investigations will be explored within both contemporary art and experimental sound/music contexts.

Prerequisite: VPSA62H3 and VPSA63H3
Breadth Requirements: Arts, Literature and Language

VPSB89H3 - Digital Animation

This course will introduce students to the basics of digital animation using still and moving images and a variety of software to produce time-based digital art projects. Students will learn animation techniques, storytelling, sound mixing, and sequence editing with a focus on experimental practices. Through lectures, screenings, demonstrations, in-class exercises, assignments, presentations, and group critiques, students will gain an understanding of a wide range of experimental and conceptual skills to use animation as a visual art form.

Prerequisite: VPSA62H3 and VPSA63H3 and VPSB56H3
Recommended Preparation: VPSB70H3
Breadth Requirements: Arts, Literature and Language

VPSB90H3 - Digital Animation II

A project based course, building upon concepts developed in VPSB89H3 Introduction to Digital Animation. Students will refine their control of sound, movement, and image quality. This course will also introduce three-dimensional wire frame and ray-tracing techniques for constructing convincing 3-D animated objects and scenes as they apply to contemporary artistic practices.

Prerequisite: VPSB89H3
Exclusion: (VPSC89H3)
Breadth Requirements: Arts, Literature and Language

VPSC04H3 - "Live!"

"Live!" investigates interdisciplinary modes of contemporary performance. Within a studio context, this course serves as an advanced exploration of 21st century Live Art. This interactive course reviews the dynamics of time, space and existence, and asks fundamental questions about the body and performance.

Prerequisite: VPHA46H3 and [VPSB77H3 or THRA11H3/VPDA11H3 or (VPDA15H3)] and [1.5 additional credits at the B- or C-level in VPS or THR courses]
Exclusion: (VPDC06H3), (VPSC57H3), (VPAC04H3)
Breadth Requirements: Arts, Literature and Language
Course Experience: University-Based Experience

VPSC51H3 - Curatorial Perspectives II

This course focuses on the finer details of curating and/or collecting contemporary art. Students will delve into the work of selected artists and curators with an emphasis on the conceptual and philosophical underpinnings of their projects. Term work will lead to a professionally curated exhibition, or the acquisition of an artwork.

Prerequisite: VPHA46H3 and VPSB73H3
Breadth Requirements: Arts, Literature and Language
Course Experience: University-Based Experience

VPSC53H3 - Kinetic Sculpture

Students will produce time-based three-dimensional artworks. Students will be encouraged to use altered machines, simple electronic components and a wide range of materials.

Prerequisite: [VPHA46H3 and VPSB59H3 and VPSB86H3] and [an additional 1.0 credit at the B- or C-level in VPS courses]
Exclusion: (VPSB64H3)
Breadth Requirements: Arts, Literature and Language

VPSC54H3 - Painting III

An advanced course for students who are able to pursue individual projects in painting, with a focus on contemporary practice and theory.

Prerequisite: [VPHA46H3 and VPSB62H3] and [an additional 1.0 credit at the B- or C-level in VPS courses]
Exclusion: VIS301H, FAS345Y
Breadth Requirements: Arts, Literature and Language

VPSC56H3 - Studio and Exhibition Practice

A supervised course focused specifically on the development of the student's work from initial concept through to the final presentation. Students may work in their choice of media with the prior written permission of the instructor.

Prerequisite: 2.5 credits at the B- or C-level in VPS courses; students enrolled in the Specialist and Major programs in Studio Art must also complete VPHA46H3
Exclusion: VIS311H, VIS326
Breadth Requirements: Arts, Literature and Language
Course Experience: University-Based Experience

VPSC70H3 - Interdisciplinary Digital Art

This course will extend digital art practice into a range of other Studio Art media, allowing students to explore the creation of hybrid works that fuse traditional mediums with new technologies. Students will have the opportunity to work on projects that utilize networking, kinetics, GPS, data mining, sound installation, the Internet of Things (IoT), and interactivity.

Prerequisite: 2.5 credits at the B- or C-level in VPS courses including 0.5 credit taken from: VPSB56H3, VPSB58H3, VPSB76H3, VPSB80H3, VPSB86H3, VPSB88H3, VPSB89H3, VPSB90H3, NMEB05H3, NMEB08H3, or NMEB09H3; students enrolled in the Specialist and Major programs in Studio Art must also complete VPHA46H3
Breadth Requirements: Arts, Literature and Language

VPSC71H3 - Performing with Cameras

This course investigates the relationship of the body to the camera. Using both still and video cameras and live performance students will create works that unite the performative and the mediated image. The course will cover how the body is framed and represented in contemporary art, advertising and the media.

Prerequisite: VPHA46H3 and [2.0 credits at the B- or C-level in VPS courses including 0.5 credit taken from: VPSB58H3, VPSB67H3, (VPSB75H3), VPSB76H3, or VPSB77H3]
Breadth Requirements: Arts, Literature and Language

VPSC73H3 - Interdisciplinary Drawing

Interdisciplinary Drawing Concepts will extend drawing into a range of other media, allowing students to explore the sculptural, temporal and performative potential of mark-making.

Prerequisite: VPHA46H3 and VPSB70H3 and VPSB74H3 and [an additional 1.0 credit at the B- or C-level in VPS courses]
Exclusion: VIS308H3
Breadth Requirements: Arts, Literature and Language

VPSC75H3 - Advanced Sculpture

Advanced Sculpture will provide students with an opportunity for a deeper investigation into various materials and fabrication techniques. This course will focus on the theory and practice of object making through studio assignments that develop a critical and technical literacy towards both traditional and non-traditional sculpture materials.

Prerequisite: VPHA46H3 and [VPSB59H3 or VPSB71H3 or VPSB86H3] and [an additional 1.5 credits at the B- or C-level in VPS courses]
Breadth Requirements: Arts, Literature and Language

VPSC76H3 - The Documentary Image

Lens-based art forms such as photography and video have a rich tradition as a documentary practice. These media have engendered their own techniques, aesthetic, and cultural context. This course is designed to introduce students to the role of the documentary image in contemporary art practice, through personal, conceptual, and photo-journalistic projects accomplished outside of the studio.

Prerequisite: VPHA46H3 and VPSB56H3 and [VPSB58H3 or VPSB67H3] and [1.0 additional credit at the B- or C-level in VPS courses]
Breadth Requirements: Arts, Literature and Language

VPSC77H3 - Interdisciplinary Photography

This course will expand photographic practice into a range of other media. Students will explore the sculptural, temporal, performative, and painterly potential of the photograph and photographic technologies.

Prerequisite: VPHA46H3 and VPSB56H3 and VPSB67H3 and [1.0 credit at the B- or C-level in VPS courses]
Exclusion: VIS318H, FAS347Y
Breadth Requirements: Arts, Literature and Language

VPSC80H3 - Digital Publishing

A course for students interested in designing and publishing artworks using digital tools. The emphasis will be on short-run printed catalogues, along with some exploration of e-books and blogs. Lessons will identify common editorial and image preparation concerns while introducing software for assembling images, videos, sounds, graphics, and texts into coherent and intelligently-designed digital publications. Creative solutions are expected.

Prerequisite: VPHA46H3 and VPSB56H3 and [an additional 1.5 credits at the B- or C-level in VPS courses]
Exclusion: (VPSB72H3), VIS328H
Breadth Requirements: Arts, Literature and Language

VPSC85H3 - Essential Skills for Emerging Artists

The studio-seminar course will provide students with discipline-specific historical, theoretical, professional, and practical knowledge for maintaining a sustainable art practice. Students will gain an understanding of how to navigate the cultural, social, political, and financial demands of the professional art world. Topics will include professional ethics, equity and diversity in the art world, understanding career paths, developing writing and presentation skills relevant to the artist, familiarity with grants, contracts and copyright, and acquiring hands-on skills related to the physical handling and maintenance of art objects.

Prerequisite: 2.0 FCE at the B-level in VPS
Breadth Requirements: Arts, Literature and Language

VPSC90H3 - Theory and Practice: Art and Globalization

This open-media studio-seminar will examine the relationship between contemporary art and globalizing and decolonizing forces, focusing on key topics such as migration, diaspora, colonialism, indigeneity, nationalism, borders, language, translation, and global systems of trade, media, and cultural production. Students will explore current art practices shaped by globalization and will conceive, research, and develop art projects that draw from their experiences of a globalizing world.

Prerequisite: 2.5 credits at VPSB-level
Exclusion: VIS325H
Breadth Requirements: History, Philosophy and Cultural Studies

VPSC91H3 - Theory and Practice: Art and the Body

This open-media studio seminar will examine the relationship between art and the body, focusing on key topics such as identity (gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation), intersectionality, subjectivity, representation, and the gaze. Students will explore artistic methods that are performative, experiential, sensory, and interactive. This course will also examine approaches to the body that consider accessibility, aging, healing, and care. Students will conceive, research, and develop art projects that address contemporary issues related to the body.

Prerequisite: 2.5 credits at VPSB-level
Breadth Requirements: Arts, Literature and Language

VPSC92H3 - Theory and Practice: Art and Materials

This open-media studio-seminar will focus on material-based art practices and critical approaches to the material world. This course will explore topics such as sustainability and Indigenous reciprocity, feminist understanding of materials, the politics of labour, and the role of technology. This course will also examine key concepts such as craft, form, process, time, and dematerialization and consider the role that technique, touch, and participation play in the transformation of material. Students will conceive, research, and develop art projects that address contemporary approaches to material-based art making.

Prerequisite: 2.5 credits at VPSB-level
Breadth Requirements: Arts, Literature and Language

VPSC93H3 - Theory and Practice: Art and the Everyday

This open-media studio-seminar will examine contemporary artists’ fascination with the everyday, focusing on art practices invested in observation, time, the ephemeral, the domestic, labour, humour, boredom, and failure. This course will also explore critical approaches to found materials and artistic strategies that intervene into everyday environments. Students will conceive, research, and develop art projects that explore the critical and poetic potential of everyday subject matter.

Prerequisite: 2.5 credits at the VPSB-level
Breadth Requirements: Arts, Literature and Language

VPSC94H3 - Theory and Practice: Art and Place

This open-media studio-seminar will focus on contemporary art practices that are invested in the relationship of art to place, exploring topics such as Indigenous land-based knowledges; feminist and anti-racist approaches to geography; ecology and sustainability; accessibility, community, and placemaking; public and site-specific art, and the gallery and museum as context. This course will also take a critical look at systems that organize space including mapping, navigation, land use, public and private property, and institution spaces. Students will conceive, research, and develop art projects that address place and land-based subject matter.

Prerequisite: 2.5 credits at VPSB-level
Breadth Requirements: Arts, Literature and Language

VPSC95H3 - Theory and Practice: Art and Social Justice

This open-media studio-seminar will explore contemporary art practices that are invested in the relationship between art, activism, and social change. Students will examine how artists address social, economic, environmental, and political issues and the techniques they use to engage different types of collaborators and audiences. Students will conceive, research and develop collaborative art projects that address current social issues on a local or global scale. This course will place a strong emphasis collaborative work and community engagement.

Prerequisite: VPHA46H3 and [2.0 credits at the B- or C-level in VPS courses]
Exclusion: VPSC79H3, VIS307H, VIS310H
Breadth Requirements: Social and Behavioural Sciences
Course Experience: University-Based Experience

VPSD55H3 - Advanced Special Topics in Studio Art

This advanced Master Class will be taught by a newly invited instructor each time it is offered to provide students with an opportunity to study with an established or emerging artist from the GTA who is engaged in research that is of significance to current art practice.

Prerequisite: 1.5 credits at the C-level in VPS courses
Exclusion: VIS401H, VIS402H, VIS403H, VIS404H, VIS410H, FAS450Y, FAS451H, FAS452H

VPSD56H3 - Advanced Exhibition Practice

This advanced, open-media studio art course provides students with an opportunity to conceive, propose, research, develop, and complete a major artwork. This course will culminate in an end-of-term public exhibition in a professional gallery setting.

Prerequisite: VPSC56H3, and 1.0 credits at VPSC-level
Exclusion: VIS401H, VIS402H, VIS403H, VIS404H, FAS450Y, FAS451H, FAS452H
Course Experience: University-Based Experience

VPSD61H3 - Advanced Studio Art Project

This advanced, open-media studio art course provides students with an opportunity to conceive, research, develop, and complete a major artwork.

Final projects for this course can culminate in a range of presentation formats.

Prerequisite: 1.5 credits at VPSC-level
Breadth Requirements: Arts, Literature and Language

VPSD63H3 - Independent Study in Studio Art: Thesis

For Specialist students only. Students enrolled in this advanced course will work with faculty advisors to develop a major artwork supported by research and project-related writing. This course will involve weekly meetings and an end-of-term group critique. Students enrolled in this course will be offered a dedicated communal studio space.

Prerequisite: VPSC56H3, VPSC85H3, and 1.0 credits at the C-level in VPS
Exclusion: VIS401H, VIS402H, VIS403H, VIS404H
Course Experience: University-Based Experience

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