Studio Art

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

This hands-on, project-based class will investigate fundamental digital concepts common to photography, animation, and digital publishing practices. Students will learn general image processing, composing, colour management, chromakey, and typograpic tools for both on-line and print-based projects. These will be taught through Adobe Creative Suite software on Apple computers.

An introduction to the basic principles of video shooting and editing as well as an investigation into different conceptual strategies of video art. The course will also provide an introduction to the history of video art.

This course introduces students to the use of three-dimensional materials and processes for creating sculptural objects. Traditional and non-traditional sculptural methodologies and concepts will be explored.

An investigation of the basic elements and concepts of painting through experimentation in scale and content.

A continuation of Painting I with an emphasis on images and concepts developed by individual students.

An introduction to fundamental photographic concepts including depth, focus, stopped time, lighting and photographic composition in contrast to similar fundamental concerns in drawing and painting. A practical and historical discourse on the primary conceptual streams in photography including various documentary traditions, staged photographs and aesthetic approaches from photographic modernism to postmodernism.

An investigation of the various approaches to drawing, including working from the figure and working with ideas.

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.

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.

A continuation of VPSB70H3 with an increased emphasis on the student's ability to expand her/his personal understanding of the meaning of drawing.

A Studio Art course in digital photography as it relates to the critical investigation of contemporary photo-based art.

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.

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.

An in-depth investigation of digital imaging technologies for serious studio artists and new media designers. Emphasis is placed on advanced image manipulation, seamless collage, invisible retouching and quality control techniques for fine art production. Project themes will be drawn from a critical analysis of contemporary painting and photo-based 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. 

This course introduces students to the time-based use of three-dimensional materials and processes for creating sculptural objects. Students will use both traditional and non-traditional materials in combination with simple technologies.

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.

A non-traditional course in the digital production of non-analog, two-dimensional animation through the use of computer-based drawing, painting, photography and collage. Students will learn design strategies, experimental story lines, sound mixing, and video transitions to add pace, rhythm, and movement to time based, digital art projects.

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.

"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.

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.

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.

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

An advanced course for students who are able to pursue individual projects dealing with the complex relationships between drawing and other art practices like installation, painting and mixed media.

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.

An exploration of ideas and practice with an emphasis on three-dimensional work.

An exploration of ideas and practice with an emphasis on two-dimensional work, including digital imaging.

An exploration of ideas and practice with an emphasis on time-based media: performance, video, audio, time-based sculpture and installation.

This course will focus on the influence of global visual culture on contemporary art practices; exploring how artists respond to orientalism, colonial histories, migration, media, tourism, and the international art world. The culturally diverse backgrounds of students and their understanding of global media will be starting points for studio projects.

Information technologies are radically and rapidly transforming our culture. Networking, robotics, GPS, ubiquitous computing, data mining, rfid, biotech, surveillance, sound installation, digital image processing and interactive display are all offering new opportunities for the artist as well as new critical issues to address. Students will create affordable projects that address these issues.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Sculpture and the Everyday introduces students to contemporary sculptural approaches that include the use of everyday found materials and sculptural interventions in public spaces. Students will learn new techniques for installing and presenting artworks inside and outside of the gallery. Previous experience in sculpture is not required for this course.

This course will explore contemporary artistic practices that blur the boundary between art and activism.
We will examine how artists address political issues and the techniques they use to reach different types of audiences. Students will do research and develop projects that address specific local issues and wider social concerns.

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.

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.

An advanced course for students ready to work independently on their own projects. Students will be expected to work on their projects from conception to a final exhibition in the student-run gallery. Students may work in their choice of media.

An opportunity for students in VPS to explore aspects of contemporary inter-media practice and theory. Students will make work in their choice of media.

Students who have developed strong portfolios in painting, drawing or printmaking and intend to pursue professional exhibition careers will continue their investigations into two-dimensional expression and develop professional quality projects with thorough promotional strategies.

This option is available in rare and exceptional circumstances to students who have demonstrated a high level of academic maturity and competence. Qualified students will have the opportunity to investigate an area of contemporary art that is of common interest to both student and supervisor.