FAQ

To major in Fine Arts Studio, you must successfully complete:

• FINE 100,
• FINE/VCULT 101,
• UW/WHMIS,
• Fine Arts Health and Safety Milestone,
• Woodshop Workshop.

  You will also need to submit a Plan modification form.

Those wishing to major in Visual Culture should see their instructor or speak to the undergraduate advisor.

The Fine Arts department requires students to purchase many of the supplies they need to complete their projects. Some materials are included in the course kits which can be purchased at the beginning of term, others materials can be purchased in the department Tool crib (ECH 1226) during the term, while still others are provided as a part of a students’ communal course fees.

There are also several art supply stores in Kitchener-Waterloo including Curry's Artists' Materials, State Of The Art Supplies and The Artstore.

Studios and workshop facilities are provided for completing assigned projects, and their use is restricted to students enrolled in Fine Arts studio courses. Before using the equipment all students must complete the Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) training at the University of Waterloo. In addition, all Fine Arts students are required to complete the workshop tool safety instruction as part of FINE 100 to have access to the workshop.

The workshop in room 1227 is open from 9:30-3:30 (closed for 1 hour at lunch) Monday through Friday.

Academic Integrity (AI) is taken very seriously and it is your responsibility as a student to know, understand, and follow the University of Waterloo AI policies. 

It should be noted that instances of plagiarism are not confined to written assignments; submitting someone else's drawing, resubmitting work that was done in the past for another course, or handing in an unacknowledged copy of another person's work; all qualify as acts of plagiarism. Talk to your instructor if you have any questions.

The Visual Resources Centre is located in room 1216, and is open from 9:30 - 4:30 Monday through Friday (closed one hour for lunch). If an assignment in one of your Fine Arts courses requires you to use the collection, please consult Jean Stevenson for help and advice.

Students are welcome to browse the books, images and films.

The Dana Porter Arts Library maintains an excellent collection of books on Fine Arts. The majority of these are located on the 8th floor, although film and photography books are mostly housed on the 10th floor. Students at Waterloo are also able to borrow books from Wilfred Laurier and the University of Guelph.  For help in using this collection, contact the Fine Arts Librarian, Stephanie Mutch, at extension 40344.

Students are encouraged to work in the studios outside regular class hours, as long as the classroom is not in use. East Campus Hall (ECH) is normally unlocked each day at 8:30 am and locked at 10:00 pm Monday through Thursday, and at about 6:00 pm on Friday nights. You will be given a code, allowing you to access the building outside of these times. That code opens a side door of ECH; individual classrooms also have coded locks (your instructors will give you the code for these rooms). It is important that you do not share these codes with others, and that you never prop open the outside doors.

A "Trash day" clean-up date is set for each term, and is listed on your course outline. All artwork, equipment and material must be removed from your workspace and lockers before that date. Anything remaining will be thrown away. Trash Day extends to digital files too.  Files saved on the Lab computers will be deleted on Trash Day.

Along with displays of class work in the halls, the Artery Gallery is located in East Campus Hall 1207 and is run by Society of Fine Arts (SoFA) with regular shows of student work.  Calls for work are often posted in the hallways.

Also Brush with Art is a program operated by the Fine Arts Department that hangs student art in public yet secure venues on the University of Waterloo campus

If you are on OSAP, you may be employed on a work/study basis in the Fine Arts Department tool crib.  The University of Waterloo Art Gallery (UWAG) also offers both work/study and casual pay positions. The Student Awards webpage has more information about on campus work programs.

Society of Fine Arts (SOFA) is a student organization, set up to help students to organize and promote activities in Fine Arts, and to promote the Fine Arts Department around campus.