Master’s of Fine Art pending approval
Sufficient space and funding needed
Ashley Gaboury, volunteer staff
At the April Senate meeting, members approved a proposal for a master of Fine Art program submitted by the School of Art. With a combination of studio and theory components, the new program will provide undergraduate students with the opportunity to further their fine arts studies here at the U of M.
Celia Rabinovitch, director of the School of Art, said that the idea for the graduate program began more than 30 years ago but that a lack of both funding and support were major factors delaying the formation of such a proposal.
“The school was, in a way, cautioned not to be so ambitious in terms of its funding needs, particularly in the early ’90s because the funding was tight. But we decided to be as ambitious as possible, when we wrote [the proposal] and shoot for the moon . . . to have the program be the way we would like it to be in what we think would serve the students and the U of M and the province of Manitoba in the best possible way.”
The new program would allow for interdisciplinary programs between other faculties including Architecture, English and Ukrainian Studies. Rabinovitch believes that the graduate program will promote interconnectedness between the School of Art and other faculties across campus.
The program will attract international students as well as those from other universities across Canada, according to Rabinovitch. She also added that students who completed an undergraduate degree at the U of M would not be admitted directly into the graduate program.
“Our expectation is that [undergraduates] would spend two to three years somewhere else developing their work somewhere else and then they are allowed to come into the program. It’s mainly so that . . . students are not only exposed to two or three professors in their discipline. Students need to have a diversity of influences and perspectives.”
Eight students are expected to be admitted within the first two years of the graduate program. Once in place, the program will increase the number of students admitted over a three-year period to a total of eight to 12 students admitted per year.
According to Rabinovitch, a key aspect of the program is that it will allow students to be exposed to visiting artists on a regular basis.
“Students will be required to attend the visiting artists’ lectures, but then the visiting artist will also participate in a weekly critique. [The visiting artist] will have an individual critique of the students’ work with them.”
Vanessa Marginet, a second-year Fine Arts student, said she would compare the master’s of fine arts program at the U of M to those at other universities before she would consider applying for admission.
“If they can get a really strong program, then it will be a lot easier for kids in Canada to get a master’s in Fine Arts and not have to go to another country . . . to actually get a decent [graduate degree].”
Rabinovitch stated that 2010 is the targeted year to introduce the master’s program. Her main concern is that although Senate approved the proposal they recommended that without proper funding and sufficient space the program should not be implemented.
“Obviously, we’d like [funding] as soon as possible since it’s been a big achievement 30 years in the works. I would say that [there have been] five years of very concentrated effort on my part and the part of my administrative staff and the faculty in terms of moving [the proposal] forward.”
The master of fine arts program will only come into existence once it has received adequate funding. The School of Art has proposed that it receive $2.3 million over a six-year period.
