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"Eastside Westside" by Christina Bagatavicius, Canadian Art, Winter 2008 |
The philosophies that underpin these graduate programs are notably different. At Concordia, the M.F.A. program in Studio Arts offers an immersive, open environment that places strong emphasis on artistic process. In the 1990s, the school oriented the degree towards practice, which led to the elimination of the written thesis requirement and extended the program to three years—the longest in the country. As the Concordia professor and artist Evergon explains, “The three years is a benefit to the program. In the old days, some students deliberately stretched it out to seven years, since you can take advantage of equipment that you may never have access to again.” In contrast, UQAM’s graduate program in Visual and Media Arts takes a more formal, academic approach to art education: it is a two-year degree that potentially leads into a Ph.D. One of the program’s requirements is a written thesis, something in which Robert Saucier, director of the School of Visual and Media Arts at UQAM, sees intrinsic value: “A thesis forces students to be aware of what is going on, what their work is based on and what the references are in relation to what they are doing.” This has earned the university a reputation for attracting students who seek intellectual rigour and favour a conceptual methodology.
The other major difference between these two programs involves the way they grapple with the interdisciplinarity of contemporary art. At UQAM, once M.F.A. students are admitted, they attend studio and theory seminars that are collaboratively developed by faculty across disciplines. While students can choose to concentrate their studies in Creation or Art Education, Alain Paiement, an artist and UQAM professor, explains, “The degree is not defined by a tradition. Throughout the program a lot of students will develop a different understanding of their artistic path. For example, a painter can easily switch to video.” At first glance, Concordia’s approach seems to sidestep the trend toward integrated thinking, as it is organized according to medium-based categories. However, these divisions still represent an engaging starting point: the school focuses on time-honoured practices such as painting and sculpture alongside more groundbreaking areas such as open media, textile art and film production. The artist and professor Ingrid Bachmann considers this a major strength. “We offer an interdisciplinary base—given that this is the nature of contemporary art practice— but within a disciplinary context,” she states. “At the same time, students are choosing discrete disciplines with different histories and values, which makes for more complex discussions.”
There are other reasons why these graduate programs are in high demand. The M.F.A. environment at both institutions is supported by a dynamic infrastructure that provides students with ateliers and studio space, access to state-of-the-art equipment, platforms for exhibiting publicly and a wealth of invaluable contacts. At Concordia, the discipline specializations create intimate, tightly knit communities that can be powerful networks for young artists. At UQAM, the fact that the school offers a full range of undergraduate and graduate degrees in Museum Studies, Art History and Visual and Media Arts means that there is a rich continuum of learning across related fields. Young curators can develop alongside researchers and artists, creating a meaningful synergy among like-minded cultural professionals and artists.
The outstanding reputation of UQAM’s gallery gives some indication of how this breadth of expertise benefits the school. Its director, Louise Déry, believes that “University galleries are in the best position for uncovering new trends and young artists…This is the way I discovered David Altmejd. In 1998, he was part of the graduate show at Galerie de l’UQAM.” When Déry was chosen to oversee Canada’s pavilion at the 2007 Venice Biennale, this put the university gallery on the map as a place for the discovery of new and local talent. Over the years, exhibitions at Concordia’s Leonard and Bina Ellen Art Gallery and at UQAM have provided a platform for emerging talent, becoming destinations for established artists as well. In fact, many of the artists selected for this year’s Québec Triennial have shown their work at these venues in the past.
While there is no guarantee that studying at Concordia or UQAM will result in a thriving career in the arts, both programs are highly respected. The art dealer Pierre-François Ouellette has remarked that in choosing a location for his gallery, “One of the things that really interested me about Montreal was the strong graduate programs.” The artist and UQAM professor Alain Paiement maintains a measured perspective on what an M.F.A. can bestow: “It is a good way to make connections between your background and the art world. It’s not the only way, and it is a privileged way. There are a lot of great Canadian artists who have never completed a B.A. However, you jump right into the scene when you do a master’s degree, and for a young artist, it is important to be connected.”
As success breeds success, expectations have risen in terms of what these programs can deliver and why students are motivated to apply. As François Morelli points out, “There is a new professionalism to the career plan of an artist. In the last five years, a number of our students have held their M.F.A. graduating exhibitions at the top commercial and artist-run spaces in the city.” Artists in this savvy young generation are approaching M.F.A. programs with specific goals and exacting demands. In many cases they are seeking enrichment and creative autonomy rather than a degree that will allow them to teach art. Pierre-François Ouellette has seen a number of artists that he represents—such as the painter Dil Hildebrand and the photoconceptualist Alexandre Castonguay—return to university years after building their careers. The reason is simple: “The need to go back to school shows maturity.” Artists are attending these programs to create opportunities to invigorate their practices and to push their work to its full potential.
This current generation of artists is also working within a broader context. The balance has tipped and the local arts scene needs to define itself in relation to the fast-paced international arena. These M.F.A. programs are responding to a shift in the arts that can be traced to the rise of the Young British Artists in the 1990s, the appearance of new biennials, triennials, itinerant festivals and art fairs—many of which have a global focus—and the commercial market’s increased emphasis on discovering young art stars. Robert Saucier, at UQAM, recognizes the effect of these developments on Montreal: “The art world is more international, which makes the local scene richer and poorer at the same time.” Students now have to position their art career and educational path within a global context. Universities such as Concordia are now competing for applicants with such heavyweights as Yale, Columbia and Goldsmiths.
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