Visual Arts
Graduate Coordinator: Ruth Chambers, MFA
Master of Fine Arts Program (Studio Art Practice)
The MFA program focuses on studio art practice/production and its contextualization within contemporary practice and critical discourse. Students meet with studio faculty on an individual basis. Weekly seminars allow students to discuss art theory and criticism and to develop and clarify individual research projects. The program is intentionally small (a maximum of five students are accepted each year) to allow for intensive interaction between students and faculty. The MFA program is supported by faculty members from the Department of Visual Arts, Faculty of Media, Art, and Performance, MAP Interdisciplinary Studies (IDS), MAP Creative Technologies Program, First Nations University of Canada, and Luther College.
The MFA program culminates with a graduating exhibition at the Fifth Parallel Gallery on campus or an alternate exhibition space chosen by the student, and a comprehensive support paper of 25-50 pages. The degree requirements are completed by an oral defense, assessed by an external examiner, with a committee of Visual Arts faculty and an external Chair.
Facilities
Each graduate student in the Department of Visual Arts is given a shared studio space for the first two years of the program. The studio may be accessed 24 hours/7 days per week. Studios are made available to students for a period of six consecutive semesters. After this time, studio availability is determined by the Graduate Program Coordinator in consultation with the student and their supervisor.
Graduate students have access to all department equipment and facilities including: the Fifth Parallel Student Gallery; a fully equipped wood shop; and equipment in each of the studio areas.
Ceramics: multiple electric kilns, 4 gas kilns, including soda kiln and car kiln, outdoor wood kiln, 18 Brent pottery wheels, 3 slab rollers, including 36" hydraulic slab roller, extruders, including hydraulic extruder, two clay mixers, pug mill, slip mixer, plaster room.
Drawing and Painting: 24-hour access to bright purpose-built semi-private graduate studios,
access to spray booth and solvent dispensers.
Photo-based media: DSLR cameras, Mac labs, Epson 44” archival printer, Epson 11000 Pro flatbed scanner, cyanotype facilities and support for chemical processes.
Printmaking: Three etching presses including a motorized Charles Brand, three litho presses, a large selection of litho stones up to 26x35”, screenprinting stations and full water-based UV setup with 48”w Magnum Curing unit, four typography presses including a Chandler & Price 8x12 platen letterpress, nearly 100 drawers of lead type and vintage cuts, a large darkroom with two Olec 5K lights and vacuum exposure units for Silkscreen, and Photo-etching, Photo-polymer (letterpress), and Photo-litho, iMac computer with Adobe Creative software and Epson Expression Scanner, 24”w Epson printer for positive and negative transparencies.
Sculpture: lost wax bronze casting facility, outdoor working area, overhead hoist, full-size walk-in spray booth, mould-making plaster room, silicone degassing equipment, MakerBot printer, welding area (MIG/TIG/Arc/Oxy-Acet, plasma cutters, English wheel, small sheet metal brake, roller and shear, large planetary ring roller), gas forge (summer access only) and wood shop (3 bandsaws, SawStop table saw, floor sanders, chop saws, radial arm saw, floor lathe, hand tools).
The Dr. John Archer Library houses an extensive collection of Visual Arts volumes and numerous periodicals.
The City of Regina has public galleries: the MacKenzie Art Gallery, the Dunlop Art Gallery, the Art Gallery of Regina, Neutral Ground Artist Run Centre, and Sakêwêwak Artists’ First Nations Collective, as well as commercial galleries.
Visiting Artists: The Department and Faculty offer a wide range of opportunities for students to hear and interact with local, national, and international artists, art historians, and others, through the Art For Lunch lecture series, the Fine Arts Presentation Series, special guest lectures, and workshops.
Financial Assistance
Financial Assistance such as the FGSR Scholarships, Teaching Assistantships, Research Awards and Teaching Fellowships are based on merit. A student may receive a maximum of five semesters of FGSR funding and the FGSR awards are only available to students in good standing who are registering in formal credit hours. FGSR scholarships etc. are awarded following the Winter semester review. There are also a number of employment opportunities offered by the department. (see the MFA Visual Arts Handbook for more information on funding opportunities.
Entrance Requirements and Application
Candidates for the MFA program must hold a BFA degree or equivalent. Applicants will submit
a Portfolio, Artist Statement, the Letter of Intent, Transcripts, References, and Language
Proficiency where applicable. Please see the supplementary materials page for more details.
The degree Master of Fine Arts offers the following areas of concentration. Students may also
opt to work between the areas:
- Ceramics
- Drawing
- Intermedia
- Photo-Based Media
- Painting
- Printmaking
- Sculpture
Courses
Degree Requirements
The MFA program normally requires seven consecutive semesters to complete. This includes two summer semesters. Studios are available to students for the first six consecutive semesters.
| Course | Credit Hours |
| MAP 800 | 3 credit hours |
| MAP 803 | 3 credit hours |
| ART 8xx | 12 credit hours |
| ART 801-804 | 12 credit hours |
| Elective | 3 credit hours |
| ART 902 | 9 credit hours |
| Total |
42 credit hours |
Exhibition, Comprehensive Support Paper, and Oral Examination
In order to complete degree requirements students are required to: (a) present an exhibition; (b) prepare a written comprehensive support paper; (c) undergo an oral defense.
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The graduating exhibition is presented in a professional manner at the Fifth Parallel Gallery or alternative space as approved no later than the fourth end of semester Review.
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The comprehensive support paper defines the intent of the student’s work and refers to the sources and theoretical basis of the art presented.
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The Oral Defense is a formal examination by a designated Examining Committee (see 5.3 below). The Oral Defense normally takes place at the time of and at the site of the graduation exhibition. It is chaired by a member of the University graduate faculty from outside the Department who represents the Dean of FGSR.
Upon successful completion of the exhibition and oral defense students are required to submit the following to the Department or submission to FGSR:
- A final (digital) copy of the comprehensive support paper, revised according to directives of the External Examiner and approved by the supervisor and the Graduate Program Coordinator. Images of the work in the exhibition should be included in an appendix at the end of the paper.