FINE ARTS (510.A0) STUDENT MANUAL 2011 - Dawson College

2. History of the Fine Arts ProgramOver thirty years ago, the Fine Arts Department began to function in a revampedpharmaceutical factory in lower Westmount. It was part of a new concept in preuniversityeducation which, in the optimism and humanistic environment of thelate sixties, came to be defined as the “Dawson Community.”Sandra Toogood, the first chairman of the department, expressed a vision thatthe school should be a place where practicing professional artists would sharetheir experiences with their students in an intensive and comprehensive environment.These students were fortunate to have such exposure to drawing, painting,printmaking and sculpture at a pre-university level.From the early years, the Fine Arts and Applied Arts Programs were closely integrated,sharing facilities facing Viger Square. In the mid-seventies a move to anexpanded campus at the corner of de Lorimier Avenue and Sherbrooke Street inthe east end of Montreal, created an environment where the Fine ArtsDepartment developed its own reputation for excellence.In the nineteen-eighties the program was redeveloped to better reflect the natureof the art world. Although a rigorous training in the basics was respected, studentswere given the opportunity to participate in projects that crossed thetraditional Fine Arts disciplines.In 1991, with the construction of the Visual Arts wing on the Atwater metro line,we were reintegrated with the main campus of Dawson College. With the ninetiesthere was recognition of the whole learning experience and the necessity todefine outcomes for the student. The program responded again recognizing theimportance of curriculum integration and the communications technologies.The Fine Arts Program respects the fundamental learning activities and outcomesessential to a student's educational experience and responds to culture inthe contemporary world.8