Ottawa School of Art

FINE CRAFTS CERTIFICATE [FCC] PROGRAM OVERVIEW

The Ottawa School of Art offers a unique and exciting educational opportunity. Long overdue in the Ottawa region, this mentoring program was launched during Craft Year 2007, as our way of participating in and of celebrating the history, contribution and future of crafts in Canada. Drawing from a rich tradition, students secure the ability to translate the principles of design and workmanship into a viable and professionally finished product. We understand crafts to be of a contemporary nature ensuring the highest standard of workmanship and of individual design qualities.

Although part-time study is possible, the program has been developed as a one-year, full time course of study providing skill and theoretical development in support of the student’s mentorship in the studio of a master craftsperson. Giving expression to a range of experiences, students leave the program with confidence and the imagination to pursue additional possibilities for the future.
One of the great benefits of studying and assisting in the studio of a person of influence in the world of crafts, is the way students develop their personal sensibilities through watching, practicing and pursuing projects of work under the guidance of a master craftsperson and with a well-structured program of support courses given at the Ottawa School of Art. The program places emphasis on a thorough undertaking of design structure, of material use and of technical approaches that aid in the understanding of the interdependence of these elements in the completion of accomplished pieces.

Placing emphasis on drawing and experimentation in art and design prepares students for the opportunity to experiment with a variety of techniques. Together with our program instructors, the master craftsperson provides the necessary technical and production guidance to demonstrate the investigation of processes and of critical enquiry. Students in the Mentorship Program undertake a rigorous investigation of their materials in a challenging combination of course work and studio practices that integrates design, craft and fine arts.