Fonds F2487 - Queen's University. Department of Art fonds

Formal studies in art began at Queen's University at Kingston, in 1933, when Goodridge Roberts was named the University's first resident artist. He was succeeded in 1936, by Andre Bieler, a prominent Canadian painter, who became the founding Director of the Agnes Etherington Art Centre in 1957. In 1963, a Department of Art History was established at the University, with Gerald Finley as its first Head. Six years later, the Department branched out into studio instruction, launching a four-year studio program leading to a Bachelor of Art Education, subsequently changed to a Bachelor of Fine Art (BFA). Students studying for this degree can specialize in painting, sculpture, or print making. A special feature of the Department was the addition, in 1970, of the Summer School on the Art and Architecture of Venice, which continues to run in Italy every summer. A Master of Art Conservation program was established in 1974. At the same time, the Department changed its name, becoming simply the Department of Art. Since 1979, it has also offered an MA program in Art History. The studio and art history components are located in Ontario Hall, while the Art Library and a Visual Resources Unit, containing an important collection of slides and photographs, are now located in Stauffer Library. In 2001, a donation from benefactress, Dr. Winifred Ross, enabled the Department to set up the Digital Imaging Centre, in which students can compose and scan their artistic works into digital format for computer and Internet-based research. The Art Conservation program is located in the Agnes Etherington Extension. There are about twenty (20) full-time faculty in the Department, which is part of the Faculty of Arts and Science.