A new Visual Arts program will help students develop the practical skills and knowledge necessary for working in a museum or curating an art gallery exhibit.
Senate approved last week the introduction of a major in Museum and Curatorial Studies in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities. The program, set to begin in September, was in response to an increased demand for training in these areas.
A minor in Museum and Curatorial Studies already exists and has been highly sought after. The refocus of the McIntosh Gallery to include a research and academic component and developments within the Artlab Gallery give the department increased resources to implement in the program.
“We feel we have more infrastructure and a higher professional level of museum and gallery practice going on here right on our own campus in order to be able to offer a more extensive program,” says Visual Arts Chair Patrick Mahon.
“It really does galvanize some of the aspirations and strengths that we already were seeing in the Visual Arts department and gives some shape to them in ways that I think will be of interest to students and help us to see the forward movement of our work.”
Students in the program will benefit from access to James Patten, the new director and chief curator of the McIntosh Gallery, who brings experience from the Art Gallery of Windsor, the Winnipeg Art Gallery and Museum London, and the initiatives undertaken at the gallery, such as the curator-in-residence program.
The program builds upon the art history and studio programs offered in the department. Many students will participate in internships during their studies.
“This is a value-added program that builds on what we are already doing and offers a professionalizing opportunity for students,” says Mahon.
In the past, mainly art historians worked in museums and galleries. Now, artists are not only producers but are taking on roles as curators.
While other Canadian universities have similar programs, offering it at the undergraduate level makes Western’s program unique.
“It’s giving students a way of getting museum and gallery-related training and experience at an introductory level.
“It makes it possible for students to not only get their education, but to be employable at a level where they can gain experience on the job and determine if this is a field of interest that they’d like to invest more of their future educational time and resources.”
Western’s Continuing Studies offers a post-degree diploma in Gallery and Art Museum Practice.
Student must complete the first-year requirements of the Visual Arts program to begin the undergraduate module in the second year.