Faculty: Faculty of Arts
Degree options:
Other degree options you might be interested in:
Fine Arts at Mount Allison offers a unique approach for students looking to obtain professional training – combining studio work and instruction with the freedom of an immersive liberal and science curriculum.
The program gives you the opportunity to develop your creative and critical ability through studio courses in:
- drawing
- painting
- photography (analog and digital)
- printmaking (lithography, silkscreen, intaglio, relief, and letterpress)
- sculpture and installation
- open media
In addition to your studio classes, you will take courses and seminars that foster an understanding of art history and visual culture.
The first year studio courses give you a broad knowledge and skill base.
Second and third years courses build on this foundation and focus on
selected studio areas. In your final year, you create a body of work
through independent study.
Some first-year Fine Arts credits are open to students from other degree programs, depending on available space, and with written permission of the department.
Find out more about how to study Fine Arts at Mount Allison:
Find a complete list of Fine Arts courses in the academic calendar – Fine Arts
Not sure about the difference between a major, a minor, and an honours?
NEW! Pierre Lassonde School of Fine Arts
On Feb. 25, we celebrated a landmark announcement for Mount Allison's Fine Arts program with a $5-million gift from Canada's most notable patrons of the arts — Toronto entrepreneur, businessman, and philanthropist Pierre Lassonde.
In recognition of this new investment and commitment to arts education — the University has announced the naming of the Pierre Lassonde School of Fine Arts at Mount Allison.
This gift will launch a number of new projects and programs within the School, designed to enrich the student-artist experience at Mount Allison. This includes new entrance and upper year scholarships; internship opportunities; and a dynamic artist-in-residence program, giving students direct access to notable Canadian and international artists as part of their studies.
Popular career paths for Fine Arts graduates include:
- artist
- architect
- art gallery director/curator
- cartoonist/animator
- cinematographer
- exhibit preparator
- designer
- illustrator
- interior decorator
- landscape designer
- medical/scientific illustrator
- art critic
- art educator
- art therapist
- conservator/restorer
- gallerist
- web designer
Alumni spotlight
Adam Young ('03)
Bachelor of Fine Arts
Artist, Young Studios
"Mount Allison gave me the platform to understand painting, drawing, and
all the technical aspects. I had really great teachers and was
introduced to the world of art."
» Island life — Artist Adam Young's ('03) unique style inspired by Fogo Island, Newfoundland
“The Fine Arts program is really perfect for people who
think visually and are looking for new and challenging ways of
expressing their ideas. My advice would be not to underestimate how
intensive it can be. The workload is heavy, but it can be really
rewarding and inspiring work.”
Kyle Forbes
Fine
Arts, specializing in sculpture (’15)
Fredericton, NB
“The Fine Arts
program works a lot within the community. Working with Struts Gallery
and Faucet Media Arts Centre as well as businesses and organizations
within Sackville provides plenty of opportunities to see and show work.”
Brianna MacCormack
Fine Arts, specializing in
painting and photography, minor in psychology (’14)
Sydney, NS
Purdy Crawford Centre
for the Arts
The Fine Arts program is housed in the Purdy
Crawford Centre for the Arts, which opened in September 2014. The
$30-million facility provides Fine Arts
students with exhibit space and specialized studios. The
50,000-square-foot centre is also home to the drama program, providing
opportunities for interdisciplinary collaborations.
Owens Art Gallery
Opened to the public in 1895, Mount Allison's Owens Art Gallery is the oldest university art gallery in Canada. The gallery’s collection contains 3,200 works of art, including
paintings, photographs, prints, sculpture, and multi-media work by
established Canadian and international artists. One of the featured
permanent exhibitions is devoted to the work of renowned Canadian artist
– and Fine Arts alumnus – Alex Colville ('42).
Fine Art Conservation Lab
The only paintings conservation lab in New Brunswick, the Fine Art Conservation Lab is a significant resource within the Owens Art Gallery providing facilities and equipment for the documentation, preservation and treatment of artwork. The lab offers mentoring opportunities for Mount Allison students who wish to work with the gallery's fine art conservator.
History and community
Mount Allison was the first university in Canada to offer a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. The discipline has been part of the curriculum at Mount Allison for more than 160 years.
As a Fine Arts student, you can take advantage of Mount Allison and Sackville’s vibrant artistic community, including partnerships between the Fine Arts department, the Owens Art Gallery, and Sackville’s Struts Gallery and Faucet Media Arts Centre, an artist-run centre.
The department partners with these organizations to offer a Visiting Artists Program, where invited Canadian and international artists, curators, and historians give public presentations on their work along with workshops and studio visits.
Admissions to the Fine Arts program
A separate application package is necessary for admission to the Fine Arts program.
The package includes:
- an art information sheet
- a brief written statement
- a portfolio submitted in digital form
- a list of works
Visit the Fine Arts admission pages for forms, guidelines, and application deadlines.
Portfolio Day
Join us at Mount Allison's Fine Arts Portfolio Day, held in November every year at the Purdy Crawford Centre for the
Arts. Get direct feedback from Fine Arts studio faculty, and tour our new facilities with a current Fine Arts student.
Questions? Contact us at finearts@mta.ca.
Visiting artists program
As an integral part of the Fine Arts curriculum at Mount Allison, this program brings speakers from across Canada as well as other countries to speak about their practice – allowing students to interact directly with professional artists and engage in ideas on multiple levels.
Faculty spotlight
Jerry Ropson
Assistant professor, Fine Arts
Focused practice around material-based installations and storytelling, having exhibited his works across Canada, as well as Europe, Australia, Thailand, and Cuba.
» 5 questions with Fine Arts professor Jerry Ropson
