In the Frontlines: Toronto
School of Art
The Toronto School of Art has been a player in the Toronto
arts scene for many years—and now they’re becoming
more visible than ever. A solid non-profit, TSA explains
its formidable relevance to making a great city with great
arts.
TSA has been with us for 36 years, yet its profile,
until recently, appears to have been low-key. Please explain!
People always seem surprised that TSA is still around!
TSA is one of the only alternative art schools that have
managed to survive, and it continues to maintain a faculty
of very well-known artists. Respect for the school and our
instructors have always been evident from the 'word on the
street'. Some of the reasons for our low profile have been
location changes (no, we are not on Brunswick or Dovercourt);
incorrect assumptions (no, we offer much more than traditional
'old lady' watercolour and figure drawing); and, as with
all arts organizations, fewer dollars for ads and printing
(happily the internet has come along). Our faculty and students
are really involved in the arts community in Toronto, so
TSA realized it was time again for us to step out and become
involved with Toronto's arts community on an organizational
level.
Your mandate states that you reflect Toronto's diversity
in your programming. Could you give us some examples of
this?
We have grown (and grown up) a lot over the past 36 years.
TSA now offers OSAP-eligible full and part-time diploma
programs and a one year graduate Independent Studio Program.
We still offer classes in traditional figurative work but
we also have leading edge contemporary studies with artists
such as Lyla Rye and Catherine Heard. A new Mac-based Digital
Art Lab that features the computer as an art-making medium
was introduced in 2004. Kelly Mark is our Guest Artist Studio
instructor this year, as far away from the classics as you
can get. TSA also started a year-long, Sunday afternoon
Youth Studio Program for teens 14 - 19 years. It offers
younger students a place to study in each discipline, especially
useful for those whose high schools have cut back on fine
art programming. This program, like our one year full-time
Portfolio Development Program, is designed to prepare students
with their applications to other art schools.
One of the very best things about TSA is to observe a young
male student, fresh out of high school, all spiked hair,
tattoos, and attitude, sitting beside a woman in her 60's
discussing the show they have just seen in their Contemporary
Issues class. Our school Code of Conduct pretty much sums
up our approach to both programming and people: "The
Toronto School of Art believes each person deserves the
opportunity to learn and work in a positive environment."
TSA is confident that our programming offers something
of value to every age, race, gender, and ability. We are
proud of the success of our students with physical or mental
health disabilities, our cross-gendered students, and all
our students who society considers to be too old to be able
to produce relevant art. To reach an ever wider range of
the community is the ongoing challenge we set for ourselves.
TSA is currently developing ways to provide seats in classes
at reduced or no cost to
emerging artists and others for whom money is a barrier.
How does TSA courses differ from other those offered
by other schools, such as OCAD's, or from institutions that
offer art courses, as at the AGO?
Since its inception, TSA has identified a need for people
to study art-making with practicing artists in a small,
responsive environment that encourages students to achieve
their potential as creative individuals.
While the work is taken seriously, the school is inclusive
and works hard to make a space for achievement for everyone
who comes here. We differ from places like OCAD and the
AGO, and even small, neighbourhood art schools by embracing
the best of each yet provide a place where all students
can study in a serious way without the sometimes prohibitive
challenges (financial, academic, language) of mainstream
post-secondary education. The intended outcome for our diploma,
certificate, and graduate programs is to give students the
skills and support to become practicing, professional artists.
Most TSA students are people who take classes for 'general
interest', but they are the same classes as diploma students
and the same respect is given to their desire to learn and
create. This means that TSA courses focus solely on art-making,
has high standards for faculty and student achievement,
but, most importantly, uses the starting place of each individual
as the baseline for measuring success.
You're a non-profit. Do you forge links with individuals
and businesses in the Toronto arts community?
It can always be said of most non-profits that more and
stronger links are always welcome and every artist could
use a patron. That said, TSA is very fortunate to have the
assistance of local art stores such as Loomis & Toles
and Woolfitt's who donate money and supplies for scholarships.
Our library is almost exclusively made up of private donations
from Ray Meade and Larry Foley. The family of a former student,
Edie Yolles, donated funds in perpetuity for an annual painting
prize in her honour. Over the years, TSA has sometimes had
to turn inward to focus on surviving financially, grateful
for the donations of its students and their families to
keep the school alive.
We hope an expanded board and a new staffing model will
allow TSA to connect even more with the Toronto arts community
and others to broaden our base of support and our ability
to support others. Our new curriculum coordinator is working
on getting TSA classes approved for credit at other publicly
funded schools and thanks to the hard work of our board
chairperson, we have recently been approved as tenants for
the Artscape Green Arts Barns project and are greatly excited
by the opportunity to be in a building with other arts organizations.
Tell us about Gallery 54.
Gallery 54 is a small gallery space within the school.
TSA classes use it to display their work, especially during
the fall and winter terms. It is also a great 'starter'
space for individual students to mount their first show.
The gallery is available for rent to members of the public
and has the advantage of a lot of traffic and thoughtful
feedback in the visitor's books. We can confidently say
that the quality of the work meets and can even exceed that
of any other artist-run gallery and it's open 7 days a week.
You can call or email the school for the show schedule and
we hope to have the information on our website soon.
Plans for the future?
In September, 1969 TSA started out in one studio and has
grown to offer over 60 classes a term in a 12,000 square
foot facility. As mentioned previously, TSA will have 2
studios in the Green Arts Barn project in the St. Clair
and Oakwood area. Our lease is up in June 2007 and rent
increases may force us to move, so we are starting to look
for new space in addition to the Art Barns. Any new space,
shared or on our own, will reflect our determination to
continue to offer great classes in traditional and contemporary
art and improve our service to students and faculty. Our
faculty is our strength, our students are important to the
future of the arts community, and we believe Toronto School
of Art is an essential alternative, necessary to the ongoing
success of visual arts in Toronto.
The Toronto School of Art can be reached in a number
of ways:
Phone: 416-504-7910
Fax: 416-504-8171
Mail: 410 Adelaide Street West, Third Floor, Toronto, ON,
M5V 1S8
Email: admin_tsoa@on.aibn.com
Web: www.tsa-art.ca
|
