MFA - Visual Arts

MFA - Visual Arts

The Master of Fine Arts Program in Visual Arts at the University of Windsor is a two-year, studio-centered program geared towards creative exploration, innovative experimentation and the development of a sustainable artistic practice. The program provides graduate students with a critical and theoretical framework that enables the independent development of artistic research and studio production that is supported by a range of dynamic faculty, visiting artists, curators and critics. Windsor’s School of Creative Arts has one of the longest running MFA programs in Canada, founded in 1979. University of Windsor MFA graduates have gone on to establish significant careers as visual artists, educators, curators and arts professionals.

Our program is distinguished for its focus on intensive graduate supervision, spacious facilities and openness to unconventional practices.  We encourage a multi-disciplinary approach to art that enables students to experiment with a variety of media and methods to discover those best suited to realizing their creative projects.  Recently these have ranged from video installation, audio responsive installation, performance, social practice, bio art, and urban interventions.

Philosophy and Objectives

The MFA Visual Arts program at the University of Windsor is an intensively studio-based program that stresses individual attention and the development of professional practice in contemporary visual art. Our program provides a critical and theoretical framework that fosters dialogue and experimentation through providing a challenging environment to expand definitions of contemporary creative practice. Students spend twenty months (five semesters) in full time study, taking graduate level coursework leading to the thesis exhibition and oral defense at the end of the program.

The objective of the MFA Visual Arts program is to produce artists that are self-critical and culturally aware, capable of engaging in the contemporary art world independently and self-reliantly both in terms of technical abilities and expanding professional opportunities encountered beyond the university context. The work of the graduate students encompasses a broad range of practices, aesthetic issues, personal concerns and technical means. Our program typically attracts a select group of students who pursue studio work that dissolves the boundaries of traditional areas of specialization.

Program Structure

The MFA Visual Arts program provides two years of advanced education and creative development in the student’s chosen area of research. The curriculum consists of a series of seminars and concentrated studio work.  These are supported by critical dialogue among students, faculty, visiting artists, lectures and conferences. Students are required to complete the following courses: four semesters of independent studio practice, four semesters of graduate seminars, one seminar on contemporary issues, and one seminar on graduate research and writing.  After the completion of the above, students prepare for their final support paper and individual thesis exhibition which is examined through oral defense. 

Course descriptions

VSAR-8610 – VSAR-8640: Studio Practice I-IV: Directed individual research in the form of studio projects supervised by a committee comprised of a principal advisor and two or three faculty members.

VSAR-8596 – VSAR-8599: Graduate Seminar I-IV: This series of courses provides a foundation for MFA students to develop critical vocabulary and creative research models in contemporary art production. These seminars provide a forum for peer critique and critical discussion with students, faculty, visiting artists, curators and other arts professionals. These courses are taught by a roster of graduate faculty who each bring their expertise to focus a range of subjects relevant to contemporary art practice. Over the course of the two-year program students will cover the following subjects: collectives and collaboration; alternative art practices; pedagogy; professional practice; exhibitions and curating. This course is taken in each of the four semesters.

MACS-8600 Seminar on Contemporary Issues: This course covers current issues in contemporary art and critical theory.  Through presentations, reflective papers, and the establishment of a research archive, students develop an individual dialogue with contemporary theory that is pertinent to their studio practice.

MACS-8000 Directed Individual Studies: Graduate Research Seminar: This seminar is based on research methodologies and writing strategies that enable students to gain proficiency with advanced level research and writing.

VSAR-8970 Thesis: The thesis consists of an exhibition of a body of original creative works within the MFA candidate’s area of studio research. The thesis is planned and executed in conjunction with the candidate’s advisory committee. This final exhibition is regarded as the equivalent of the scholarly thesis of an academic discipline, and is examined by an oral defense conducted through a committee of internal and external examiners. The MFA candidate will also prepare a substantial research paper that acts as a support document for the thesis exhibition.

Applications for the September 2024 intake are now closed.