Graduate Studio Arts program open house
“One of the experiences any student in Studio Arts should have is the opportunity to exhibit your work through the school,” says film production student Nilesh Patel, a co-organizer of the 2011 Open Studios tour put on by masters students in Studio Arts. “It’s a way to learn about the process and get used to it.”
Held February 11 and 12, the student-run initiative invited the community into the various workshops, galleries and studios throughout the Visual Arts Building (VA, 1395 René Lévesque Blvd. W.) and the Engineering, Computer Science and Visual Arts Integrated Complex (EV, 1515 St. Catherine St. W.). Films were also shown at the J. A. de Sève Cinema in the J. W. McConnell Library Building Atrium (1400 De Maisonneuve Blvd. W.).
While the total number of visitors was not calculated, Patel says the screening of excerpts of student work at the de Sève Cinema on February 11 attracted approximately 70 people, “which was a great turnout.”
Roughly 100 of the 120 students in the MFA in Studio Arts program exhibited their work.
Each department within the program was represented: fibres, film production, print media, sculpture and ceramics, painting and drawing, photography, and open media.
The art auction on February 12 in the VAV Gallery in VA Building sold 52 artworks. Funds raised will be put toward the costs of producing a print catalogue for fine arts students to show their work.
The event served not only as an opportunity for interested prospective students to have a glimpse into the program, but also as a chance for the artists themselves to see what their peers are up to.
“The undergrads often don’t know what the MFA students are doing because we’re on an entirely separate floor in the VA and in separate spaces in the EV,” Patel said.
“On a community level, it was a way to invite people in to actually interact, which is what art is about,” he said. “It was an opportunity to engage with the greater community of Concordia and greater Montreal.”
Related links:
• Concordia MFA in Studio Arts