Title and statement of responsibility area
Title proper
The Winnipeg School of Art fonds
General material designation
- Textual record
- Graphic material
Parallel title
School of Art
Other title information
Title statements of responsibility
Title notes
- Source of title proper: The original name of the school was the Winnipeg School of Art. The name was changed to the School of Art in 1950 when the school became affiliated with the University of Manitoba.
Level of description
Collection
Reference code
Edition area
Edition statement
Edition statement of responsibility
Class of material specific details area
Statement of scale (cartographic)
Statement of projection (cartographic)
Statement of coordinates (cartographic)
Statement of scale (architectural)
Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)
Dates of creation area
Date(s)
Physical description area
Physical description
0.5 m textual records
78 photographs
9 negatives
43 slides
Publisher's series area
Title proper of publisher's series
Parallel titles of publisher's series
Other title information of publisher's series
Statement of responsibility relating to publisher's series
Numbering within publisher's series
Note on publisher's series
Archival description area
Name of creator
Administrative history
The Winnipeg School of Art, now simply the School of Art at the University of Manitoba, was established in 1913 through the efforts of the Winnipeg Industrial Bureau. The businessmen behind the Bureau established the Winnipeg Art Gallery in 1912 based on the belief that such a gallery would be a symbol of progress and cultural development. A similar mindset sustained the Bureau’s decision to support a School of Art the following year. The school is Western Canada’s oldest art institute and it was hoped that the school would play a role in shaping the civilization of Western Canada. The school played a major role in training Western Canadian artists throughout the twentieth century.
The early years of the school included courses on landscape sketching, life sketching, composition, artistic anatomy, animal drawing, painting, sculpture, modeling, and design. By 1915 classes for children were incorporated into the school’s curriculum. Evening and Saturday courses were offered for working commercial artists in the community. Saturday classes were also offered for free to public school teachers. Early publicity for the school marketed the applied benefits of art instruction; art was viewed as a technical skill. The curriculum expanded in the aftermath of the First World War as the number of students increased.
The School of Art faced a number of financial difficulties during the mid-1920s and early 1930s. The school remained open despite such challenges, primarily through pay cuts taken by the faculty and administration. After the Second World War, interest in art education in the province increased making incorporation with the University of Manitoba possible. The School of Art was incorporated into the University of Manitoba in 1950.
Today the curriculum at the School of Art includes both a traditional focus on developing fine art techniques, and knowledge of art history. Undergraduate degrees are offered in Fine Arts, and students have the option of specializing in the study of Art History. Since 2010 the school has also offered a graduate program.
Custodial history
This collection was donated to the University of Manitoba Archives & Special Collections by the School of Art in 2009.
Scope and content
The collection consists of School of Art Prospectuses, administration files, exhibition records, research materials, and photographs.
Notes area
Physical condition
Immediate source of acquisition
Arrangement
Language of material
- English
Script of material
Location of originals
Availability of other formats
Restrictions on access
Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication
Finding aids
A finding aid in pdf format can be downloaded from the collection-level description.
Finding aid
Associated materials
Accruals
Alternative identifier(s)
Accession
Standard number area
Standard number
Access points
Subject access points
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Name access points
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Control area
Description record identifier
Institution identifier
Rules or conventions
Rules for Archival Description
Status
Draft
Level of detail
Partial
Dates of creation, revision and deletion
Created by Andrea Martin on January 24, 2012
Language of description
- English
Script of description
Sources
The major sources used for this description were: Baker, Marilyn. The Winnipeg School of Art: the early years." Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press, 1984.; and the School of Art website (accessed January 2012).