"I have wanted for so long to own and maintain even a few huge, interlocking thoughts that, having exhausted more legitimate methods, I have recently resorted to theoretical speculation."
— Nicholson Baker, The Size of Thoughts , 1983 Criticism & Curatorial Practice Program Guide
Criticism & Curatorial Practice offers a cross-disciplinary program intended for students interested in pursuing a career that includes the fields of curating, writing, exhibition production and art practice. Linking the Faculties of Art and Liberal Studies, Criticism & Curatorial Practice provides an environment that extends into a wide range of disciplines from art history to current practices and theories of contemporary art and design.
The curriculum draws on the richly varied resources available across the University, and through required courses, helps students develop methodologies to define their own critical approach. To assist in this, the core faculty includes curators, critics, academics and artists respected in their fields for their critical and supervisory skills.
Students have an on-going opportunity to apply their skills through field study arrangements with Toronto galleries, museums, alternative spaces and publications.
As artist-curators, graduates are uniquely positioned to develop their own roles in the art and design world, both in Canada and internationally. A contemporary arts environment in which critically informed collaborations occur between artists, curators, writers and designers has become a hallmark of engaged practice. It is an environment that offers students of the program an exciting and fulfilling future at the centre of today’s visual culture.
Thesis and Directed Studies Option
At the 400 level, students must choose between the Thesis and the Directed Studies option. Both options lead to a BFA with a Criticism & Curatorial Practice program major.
THESIS OPTION
The Thesis Research and Presentation option offers Criticism & Curatorial Practice majors the opportunity to undertake an in-depth curatorial, web-based or criticism project. It is expected that students undertaking a curatorial project will produce a catalogue (either print or web-based) in conjunction with their exhibition. Students who elect to focus on criticism are expected to produce a major piece of writing on an aspect of contemporary art and/or theory. The expected length of the written document for students focusing on criticism is in the range of 30-50 pages. Students considering the Thesis option are strongly advised to begin formulating their project in the summer preceding their Thesis year.
DIRECTED STUDIES OPTION
Criticism & Curatorial Practice majors can elect to take Directed Studies in their fourth year instead of Thesis Research and Presentation. Directed Studies provides a concentrated area of study of modern and contemporary art and is recommended for students whose primary focus is critical writing and/or who wish to pursue graduate studies in Art History, Cultural Studies or a related field. It requires the student to take 2.0 credits in 300 or 400 level Liberal Studies VISC courses that address modern and contemporary visual culture. Eligible VISC courses for Directed Studies, which are also recommended electives for all Criticism & Curatorial Practice majors, are listed at the end of the Program Guide.
All students who elect the Directed Studies option must meet with the Chair of Criticism & Curatorial Practice to discuss and approve the courses they have chosen to ensure they fall within the Directed Studies guidelines.
NOTE: For Directed Studies, 0.5 credit of 300/400 level Faculty of Art studio/seminar course may be taken as part of the required 2.0 credit VISC courses.
MINORS
It is strongly recommended that students consider pairing their Criticism & Curatorial Practice major with a minor. Students should keep in mind that only elective courses can be counted towards a minor. As the required courses for a Criticism & Curatorial Practice major include a large number of VISC courses, Criticism & Curatorial Practice Majors may not pursue an Art History Minor.
The major is only available to BFA students. All students should refer to the Liberal Studies requirements to ensure they meet the minimum requirements for graduation.
NOTE: For Criticism & Curatorial Practice majors, ENGL and HUMN requirements are included as required Criticism & Curatorial Practice courses. Students may take more than the minimum requirements.
| COURSE CODE | COURSE TITLE | CREDIT |
| 200 Level Requirements | ||
| CRCP 2B01 | Contemporary Issues: Art Today (STU/SEM) | 0.5 |
| CRCP 2B02 | Museums, Galleries and Alternative Spaces (STU/SEM) | 0.5 |
| Choose two of the four following courses: | 1.0 | |
| VISC 2B01 | History of Modern Design | |
| VISC 2B07 | History of Modern Art | |
| VISC 2B09 | History of New Media Art | |
| VISC 2B32 | Canadian Art: The Modern Era | |
| 200 Level | Studio, studio/seminar, Design or Liberal Studies electives including Interdisciplinary (INTR & DIGF) courses | 3.0 |
| Total Credits | 5.0 | |
| Recommended: | ||
| HUMN 2B01 | Aesthetics | |
| OR | ||
| HUMN 2B16 | Twentieth-Century Ideas | |
| ENGL 2B01 | Introduction to Creative Writing | |
| ENGL 2B03 | Introduction to Literary Criticism | |
| ENGL 2B05 | Introduction to Creative Non-Fiction | |
|
| ||
| 300 Level Requirements | ||
| CRCP 3B05 | A Question of Beauty (STU/SEM) | 0.5 |
| CRCP 3B06 | Exhibitions: Processes, Procedures, Pragmatics | 0.5 |
| VISC 3B37 | The History and Theory of Art Criticism | 0.5 |
| Choose at least two of the following five courses: | 1.0+ | |
| CRCP 3B03 | Special focus: Talking Community (STU/SEM) | |
| VISC 3B03 | Contemporary Canadian Art | |
| VISC 3B09 | Art After Modern Art: Conceptual Practices | |
| VISC 3B42 | Critical Issues and Ideas in Contemporary First Nations Art | |
| VISC 3B43 | Into the 21st Century: Photographic Practices, Theory and Criticism | |
| 300 or 400 Level | English (ENGL) * | 0.5 |
| 200 or 300 Level | Studio, studio/seminar, Design or Liberal Studies electives including Interdisciplinary (INTR & DIGF) courses | 2.0 |
| Total Credits | 5.0 | |
| Recommended: | ||
| CRCP 3B04 | Special Focus: Making Community (Field Study**) | |
| HUMN 3B01 | Reading Popular Culture | |
| HUMN 3B92 | Special Topics in Humanities: STUFF: Material Culture and the Meaning of Things | |
| HUMN 4B18 | Postmodernism: Critical Perspectives*** (please note this course is mandatory for 4th year) | |
| INTM 3B17 | Publications: Digital | |
| INTR 3B04 | Visual Culture Publications I | |
| INTR 3B05 | Special Topics: Art & Design Education Lab | |
| INTR 3B06 | Visual Culture Publications II | |
| 400 Level Required Toward a Thesis Major | ||
| CRCP 4C01 | CRCP Thesis: Research | 1.0 |
| CRCP 4C02 | CRCP Thesis: Presentation | 1.0 |
| CRCP 4B02 | Art Writing: A Workshop in Practice and Ideas (STU/SEM) | 0.5 |
| HUMN 4B18 | Postmodernism: Critical Perspectives *** | 0.5 |
| 200, 300 or 400 Level | Studio, studio/seminar, Design or Liberal Studies electives including Interdisciplinary (INTR & DIGF) courses | 2.0 |
| Total Credits | 5.0 | |
| 400 Level Required Toward a Directed Studies Major | ||
| 300 or 400 Level | Liberal Studies, Visual Culture courses (VISC/HUMN) (may include 0.5 credit Faculty of Art 300 or 400 STU/SEM) **** |
2.0 |
| CRCP 4B02 | Art Writing: A Workshop in Practice and Ideas (STU/SEM) | 0.5 |
| HUMN 4B18 | Postmodernism: Critical Perspectives *** | 0.5 |
| 200, 300 or 400 Level | Studio, studio/seminar, Design or Liberal Studies electives including Interdisciplinary (INTR & DIGF) courses | 2.0 |
| Total Credits | 5.0 | |
Eligibility to Graduate
Please note that students are eligible to graduate if they:
•Have fulfilled all program requirements.
•Are in good academic standing. (Students who attempt 2.0 credits or more in an academic year and earn an average of 60% or higher in those credits are in satisfactory academic standing.)
•Have on overall average of 60% or higher.
•Have an average of at least 65% in the designated courses of their major/program. (Faculty of Design only).
•Have no outstanding accounts at the university.
*Criticism & Curatorial Practice majors must obtain 0.5 credit in ENGL; this is in addition to the first-year writing course LBST 1B11, LBST 1B12 or LBST 1B13
** See Special Studies under Alternative Studies regarding application deadlines and policies.
*** It is recommended that students complete HUMN 4B18 in their third year or in the summer preceding their thesis year.
****Liberal Studies VISC/HUMN courses for Directed Studies and Recommended Criticism & Curatorial Practice electives:
| HUMN3B01 | Reading Popular Culture |
| HUMN3B92 | Special Topics in Humanities: STUFF: Material Culture and the Meaning of Things |
| VISC 3B05 | Dada and Surrealism |
| VISC 3B06 | Art of the African Diaspora |
| VISC 3B19 | Aboriginal Peoples of the Americas |
| VISC 3B28 | Latin American Art: Indigenous and Hybrid Cultures |
| VISC 3B30 | Contemporary East Asian Art |
| VISC 3B33 | Canadian Cinema |
| VISC 3B34 | Japanese Cinema |
| VISC 3B39 | Latin American Cinema |
| VISC 3B42 | Critical Issues & Ideas in Contemporary First Nations Art |
| VISC 3B43 | Into the 21st Century: Photographic Practices, Theory and Criticism |
| VISC 3B45 | South Asian Art and Culture: Multiple Modernisms |
| VISC 4B02 | Performance and Performativity |
| VISC 4B03 | Contemporary Documentary Media |
| VISC 4B04 | Re-presenting Women: Feminist Film and Video |
| VISC 4B05 | Future Cinema: Digital Narratives |
| VISC 4B06 | Global Mesh: Internet, Networks, Globalization and Digital Resistance |
| VISC 4B08 | Post-War European Art |
| VISC 4B10 | The Politics of Painting: Modern Art & Revolution |
| VISC 4B12 | Modern Korean Art and Society |
| VISC 4B13 | Modern Mexican Art |
| VISC 4B17 | Reading Images of Aboriginal People |
| VISC 4B21 | Arts and Cultures of Asia and Oceania |
| VISC 4B22 | Art and Design Activism |
| VISC 4B94 | Special Topic in Visual Studies:The Body and The Machine: Interrogating the Posthuman in Art and Design |
NOTE: Students are encouraged to review the Liberal Studies courses on a yearly basis for new and Special Topic courses.
Alternative Studies & Advanced Standing Students
Criticism & Curatorial Practice Majors who are interested in applying for some of OCAD’s Alternative Studies options, including the Florence program, or Mobility/Exchange program, or who are admitted with Advanced Standing must meet with the Chair of Criticism & Curatorial Practice for academic advising. Students who are accepted into OCAD's Florence program, or Mobility/Exchange program, or with Advanced Standing must meet the following minimum requirements for graduation from the Criticism & Curatorial Practice program:
200 level: 2.0 of the required 2.5 credits from the Criticism & Curatorial Practice Program Guide
300 level: 1.5 of the required 2.5 credits from the Criticism & Curatorial Practice Program Guide
400 level: 2.0 of the required 3.0 credits from the Criticism & Curatorial Practice Program Guide
Students are subject to these minimum requirements only during the year they are participating in the Florence program, or Mobility/Exchange program, or the year they are admitted with Advanced Standing.
Last Modified:1/24/2012 12:57:26 PM