Welcome to Fine Arts At StFX, where students explore art history, drawing, printmaking, painting, and other artistic media to understand the fundamental principles of visual culture. From the history of art, spanning centuries of artistic achievement, to contemporary self-expression in the studio, StFX offers an exciting learning environment led by art historians and professional artists who help students understand and master creative techniques. Each year, hundreds of students take Fine Arts courses at StFX, developing a heightened appreciation of art and culture.
Career Options
From curatorial and management work in galleries, museums, and cultural organizations, to medical illustration, Fine Arts can open the door to a wide range of careers. In a world where we are increasingly bombarded with images, understanding how images are made and what they mean is vital.
The First Year
Students typically begin a course of study in Studio Art with Art 100, an introductory class that teaches fundamentals of drawing through traditional techniques. This course provides a sound basis for upper-level courses in a wide range of media, with advanced techniques or specialized topics such as botanical illustration.
Degree Choices
Studio Art courses may be taken as electives or towards a minor. Art History courses may be taken as electives, towards a minor, or as a subsidiary to honours degrees in other departments in the Faculty of Arts.
WhY StFX?
StFX offers the only program in art history in Nova Scotia that is open to the regular student body as well as studio artists, and it offers a broad range of courses not available elsewhere in Atlantic Canada, including Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque art. The studio courses are all taught by professional artists, who have a profound working knowledge of their respective media; several have international reputations. Both programs ensure that each student benefits personally from the areas of expertise of instructors and faculty members.