The Alberta University of the Arts (AUArts) is a
public
In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichk ...
art
Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas.
There is no generally agreed definition of wha ...
university
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...
located in
Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
The university is a
co-educational
Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to t ...
institution that operates four academic schools.
The institution originated from the art department established by the
Southern Alberta Institute of Technology
The Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) is a polytechnic institute in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. SAIT offers more than 110 career programs in technology, trades and business. Established in 1916, it is Calgary's second oldest post-se ...
(SAIT) in 1926, later renamed the Alberta College of Art in 1960. It was separated from SAIT in 1985, becoming an independent, publicly funded college. In 1995, the university was granted the authority to issue
Bachelor of Fine Arts
A Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) is a standard undergraduate degree for students for pursuing a professional education in the visual, fine or performing arts. It is also called Bachelor of Visual Arts (BVA) in some cases.
Background
The Bachelor ...
degrees and was renamed the Alberta College of Art and Design (ACAD). The institution was designated a university by the government of Alberta in 2018 and was renamed the ''Alberta University of the Arts'' in the following year, to reflect its change in status.
History
The university's origins date back to the founding of the Provincial Institute of Technology and Art (PITA) in 1916. Beginning with evening and Saturday classes, day classes were offered starting in 1926, with
Lars Haukaness appointed as the first head of the art department. In 1960, PITA was renamed the
Southern Alberta Institute of Technology
The Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) is a polytechnic institute in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. SAIT offers more than 110 career programs in technology, trades and business. Established in 1916, it is Calgary's second oldest post-se ...
(SAIT), and the art department became the Alberta College of Art (ACA).
In 1973, after eight years of planning and construction, the Alberta College of Art moved into a brand new purpose-built building designed by architectural firm
Cohos, Delesalle and Evamy, on the edge of Calgary's North Hill, next to the
Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
The Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium is a performing arts, culture and community facility located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
The auditorium was built in 1955 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Alberta. It is owned and operated by the Gove ...
.
The Alberta College of Art became a separate institution from SAIT in 1985, and in 1995 amended its name to become the Alberta College of Art and Design.
[ACAD History](_blank)
On February 1, 2019, ACAD officially became the Alberta University of the Arts.
Academics
As a college, the institution had the authority to grant certificates and diplomas. In 1995 the Alberta Government authorized granting the degree of
Bachelor of Fine Arts
A Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) is a standard undergraduate degree for students for pursuing a professional education in the visual, fine or performing arts. It is also called Bachelor of Visual Arts (BVA) in some cases.
Background
The Bachelor ...
and in 2000 gave authority to grant the
Bachelor of Design
A Bachelor of Design (B.Des. or B.Design) degree is usually an undergraduate academic degree in the field of design awarded for a course or major that generally lasts three or four years. It is the undergraduate equivalent of the Master of Design, ...
degree.
The
Master of Fine Arts
A Master of Fine Arts (MFA or M.F.A.)
is a terminal degree in fine arts, including visual arts, creative writing, graphic design, photography, filmmaking, dance, theatre, other performing arts and in some cases, theatre management or arts admini ...
in Craft Media was launched in 2015 with the inaugural class receiving their degrees in May 2017.
In March 2018, ACAD was named a university by the Minister of Advanced Education.
It is the only institution in the province to offer and confer university-level undergraduate and now, graduate degree programs in art, craft, and design.
On January 17, 2019, the Government of Alberta announced that ACAD was to become the Alberta University of the Arts (abbreviated as AUArts). The transition began on the same day while the name and university status became effective formally on February 1, 2019.
AUArts' degree programs are housed within four administrative schools:
* The School of Craft + Emerging Media (ceramics, fibre, glass, jewellery + metals, and media arts)
* The School of Visual Arts (drawing, painting, print media, photography, and sculpture)
* The School of Communication Design
* The School of Critical + Creative Studies (non-studio academic courses)
Library and galleries
AUArts' Luke Lindoe Library is named after alumnus, instructor, and founder of the Ceramics Department
Luke Lindoe
Luke Orton Lindoe (8 March 1913 – 4 December 2000) was a Canadian potter, painter, sculptor, and businessman who did most of his work in Alberta, Canada. For long periods he was based in Medicine Hat. He had many different jobs, from mineral pros ...
, and maintains a collection of over 25,000 art and design-related titles. The university is also home to two professional galleries, the Illingworth Kerr Gallery (IKG) and the Marion Nicoll Gallery (MNG), and nine student-run gallery and pop-up spaces.
The Alberta University of the Arts gallery was renamed after artist and instructor
Illingworth Kerr
Illingworth "Buck" Kerr (20 August 1905 – 6 January 1989) was a Canadian painter, illustrator and writer.
He is best known for his landscape paintings of the Saskatchewan and Alberta prairies and foothills.
Early years
Illingworth Holey Kerr w ...
when AUArts moved into its new home (current location) in 1973, expanding into a 9,500 square-foot facility.
The MNG, named after artist and teacher
Marion Nicoll
Marion Florence Nicoll (née MacKay; 11 April 1909 – 6 March 1985) was a Canadian painter. She is known as one of the first abstract painters in Alberta. In 1933 she became the first woman instructor at the Provincial Institute of Technology ...
, is based on a not-for-profit model and run by the AUArts Students' Association. MNG manages three locations (in AUArts' Main Mall, the
AUArts/Jubilee LRT station hallway, and in downtown Calgary's Arts Commons
+15 walkway), and focuses on exhibiting student work.
AUArtSA also manages nine student exhibition spaces on campus.
Lodgepole Centre
Given its name by AUArts' Elder Council to reflect the supportive nature of the lodgepole, traditionally placed at the centre of the
tipi
A tipi , often called a lodge in English, is a conical tent, historically made of animal hides or pelts, and in more recent generations of canvas, stretched on a framework of wooden poles. The word is Siouan languages, Siouan, and in use in Dakot ...
to carry the weight of the covering, AUArts'
indigenous
Indigenous may refer to:
*Indigenous peoples
*Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention
*Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band
*Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...
resource centre, the Lodgepole Center, officially opened on campus in September 2016.
An all-inclusive space, the Lodgepole Center facilitates Elder advising and support, traditional ceremonies, and workshops, and is a quiet study, smudge, and gathering space.
Notable alumni
Notable professors
Current
*
Alana Bartol
*
Mireille Perron
*
Rita McKeough Rita McKeough (born 1951) is a Canadian interdisciplinary artist, musician and educator who frequently works in installation and performance.
Training and career
McKeough was born in 1951 in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. McKeough completed her BFA at th ...
*
Shelley Ouellet
Emeritus
* Henry Glyde, Lecturer Emeritus, 1987
* Illingworth Kerr, Lecturer Emeritus, 1987
* Dr. Stanford Perrott, Lecturer Emeritus, 1987
* Walt Drohan, Lecturer Emeritus, 1991
* George Mihalcheon, Lecturer Emeritus, 1991
* Keith Thomson, Lecturer Emeritus, 1991
* George Wood, Lecturer Emeritus, 1991
* Royston Evans, Lecturer Emeritus, 1995
* Dr. Verna Reid, Lecturer Emeritus, 1995
* Kenneth Samuelson, Lecturer Emeritus, 1997
* Gilbert Flodberg, Lecturer Emeritus, 1998
* Albert Borch, Lecturer Emeritus, 1999
* Katie Ohe, Lecturer Emeritus, 2001
* Richard Halliday, Lecturer Emeritus, 2003
* Pauline Butling, Lecturer Emeritus, 2004
* Alexandra Haeseker, Lecturer Emeritus, 2004
* Ronald Ponech, Lecturer Emeritus, 2006
* Norman Faulkner, Lecturer Emeritus, 2008
* Bill Macdonnell, Lecturer Emeritus, 2008
* Katharine Dickerson, Lecturer Emeritus, 2010
* Wendy Toogood, Lecturer Emeritus, 2010
* Elaine Prodor, Lecturer Emeritus, 2011
* Dan Gordon, Lecturer Emeritus, 2013
* Jane Kidd, Lecturer Emeritus, 2013
* Walter May, Lecturer Emeritus, 2013
* Judith Anne Sterner, Lecturer Emeritus, 2013
* Dennis Budgen, Professor Emeritus, 2014
* Jim Ulrich, Professor Emeritus, 2014
* Sarabeth Carnat, Professor Emeritus, 2014
* Veran Gartley, Professor Emeritus, 2014
* Alan Dunning, Professor Emeritus, 2014
* Eugene Ouchi, Professor Emeritus, 2014
* Larry Riedl, Professor Emeritus, 2014
* Rik Zak, Professor Emeritus, 2014
* Gary Olson, Professor Emeritus, 2015
* Greg Payce, Professor Emeritus, 2015
* Ken Webb, Professor Emeritus, 2015
* Tim Zuck, Professor Emeritus, 2015
* Blake Senini, Professor Emeritus, 2016
* Gord Ferguson, Professor Emeritus, 2017
* David Casey, Professor Emeritus, 2017
* Katrina Chaytor, Professor Emeritus, 2017
* Donald Kottmann, Professor Emeritus, 2018
* Mireille Perron, Professor Emeritus, 2018
* Dr. John Calvelli, Professor Emeritus, 2019
* Dr. Jennifer Salahub, Professor Emeritus, 2019
* Charles Lewton-Brain, Professor Emeritus, 2019
* Jeff Lennard, Professor Emeritus, 2020
* Bill Morton, Professor Emeritus, 2020
* Laura Vickerson, Professor Emeritus, 2020
See also
*
Education in Alberta
Education in Alberta is provided mainly through funding from the provincial government. The earliest form of formal education in Alberta is usually preschool which is not mandatory and is then followed by the partially-mandatory kindergarten t ...
*
List of universities and colleges in Alberta
This is a list of colleges in Alberta. Post-secondary education in the Canadian province of Alberta is regulated by the Ministry of Advanced Education. Alberta has the following tertiary education institutions:
Publicly funded colleges
Al ...
Notes
References
External links
*
Alberta University of the Arts Student Association
{{authority control
Universities and colleges in Calgary
Art schools in Canada
Graphic design schools
Design schools
Educational institutions established in 1973
1973 establishments in Alberta
Universities in Alberta