Susan Hickman
Over the decades, many famous artists have walked the halls of the Department of Visual Arts. And, if the new director’s optimistic vision comes to fruition, many more creative individuals will find their way to a department that Penny Cousineau-Levine says is on the threshold of a renaissance.
Cousineau-Levine arrived on campus on July 1, after six years as chair of studio arts at Concordia University in Montreal. She previously taught at the University of Ottawa in the 1970s and 1980s. A photography critic, she recently authored a book on Canadian photography.
“I have very fond memories of the visual arts department here. It has a strong tradition of artists, art theoreticians and students who have passed through these halls,” says Cousineau-Levine, pointing to such figures as Charles Gagnon, one of the most inspirational leaders in Canadian art over the past four decades and a professor of photography at the University of Ottawa for some 20 years. Montrealer Genevičve Cadieux, one of this country’s most significant contemporary photographic artists today, is a former University of Ottawa student.
The small group of professors who continue to inspire today’s budding artists include internationally recognized professionals and the likes of avant-garde media artist Catherine Richards, whose alliance of art and technology has led to a funded research project with the National Research Council.
Cousineau-Levine raves about what her department has to offer its students of painting, sculpture, art history, photography and media arts.
“In the context of Canadian visual arts departments, the University of Ottawa’s is a fabulous integration of studio and theory in history. The students here have much more exposure to – and consequently a more sophisticated understanding of – what’s going on in contemporary art in practice and in theoretical discourse.”
Although the number of visual arts students has remained consistent over recent years, more are completing the program than ever before. The annual “grad show,” when final-year bachelor of fine arts students exhibit their works throughout the building, will be twice as large this year as previous years and may necessitate external space.
“The fact that we have retained more students, in spite of cramped studios, an old building, and the expense of being a fine arts student, should be taken as a gauge of success and a measure of how much the department has to offer.”
Cousineau-Levine intends to work rigorously to attract additional faculty members, instigate the construction of a new building and initiate a master’s program in visual culture “which raises the bar in terms of research and production, and gives undergraduates something to aspire to.”
As well, she has her sights set on establishing a public street art gallery on campus. “Part of a liberal arts basic education is an awareness of what is going on in the arts world,” Cousineau-Levine suggests. “Given the strong federal government presence in Ottawa and the strong community-based art network, there could be no better place for a university-affiliated gallery.” Such a gallery, Cousineau-Levine believes, would not only have its own professional collections, but would be a point of “cultural intersection” with the community and raise the profile of the University by reflecting its unique approach to what is going on in contemporary art.
“I wouldn’t have left Concordia,” Cousineau-Levine admits, “if I didn’t believe we could bring about a renaissance in the Visual Arts Department here at the University of Ottawa. We may not have the technical, physical or financial resources we need right now, but we still have amazing human resources.”
