Bachelor of Fine Arts (Visual Arts)

Overview

• Explore your artistic practice in an open-studio environment, encouraging self-directed investigation.
• Opportunity to study a cross-disciplinary approach  to explore your art practice across a range of media.
• Experience study in both studio practice and art history.
• Prepares you to work as a professional artist, curator, creative director, visual designer or arts manager.

QTAC course code	421782
QUT course code	KK34
Attendance	Full-time
Course duration	3 years full-time
Start month	2013 February
Deferment	You can't defer your offer in this course. You must start in the semester you apply for.
Delivery	On campus Kelvin Grove
Faculty	Creative Industries Faculty
Course contact	Student Business Services (SBS) Admissions: Email: askqut@qut.edu.au Telephone: +61 7 3138 2000
CRICOS code	060810B
Careers	Art Project Manager Artist Arts Administrator Curator Media Industry Specialist Multimedia Designer Visual Artist Visual Arts Teacher

Details

Brisbane is fast becoming a global hotspot for emergent artists. Visual Arts at QUT can help you find your niche in this burgeoning art scene by supporting you to define and shape your creative identity. Through our unique open-studio environment, you will focus on contemporary art practices without being divided up into separate media-specific areas, such as painting or sculpture, as in traditional art schools. This distinctive cross-disciplinary approach to studying art encourages the fluid, self-directed investigation necessary to most contemporary arts practice.

Why choose this course?

QUT Visual Arts graduates have been at the heart of the explosive growth in artist-run initiatives across Brisbane. Our students have developed some of the most exciting and innovative experimental art spaces in the city. These spaces, like BoxCopy, No Frills*, Inbetween Spaces, and Accidently Annie Street, have active programs involving regular exhibitions, artist talks and publications. In addition, our graduates have also been the recipients of the prestigious Samstag Scholarships, Australia Council and Arts Queensland awards, art prizes such as the Queensland Premier’s New Media Award, the Qantas Spirit of Youth Award, as well as the German DAAD scholarship and numerous international studio residencies.

Whether you are planning to become a professional artist, teacher or art professional such as curator or arts manager, you will benefit from substantial studio experience while receiving training in your specialist area. You can combine your studio training with study areas such as interaction design, event management, entrepreneurship or business to equip you for a range of careers in the creative economy.

Career outcomes

This course will allow you to choose your career outcome. Many of our graduates become highly successful practising artists who are represented by commercial galleries and have strong careers in the commissioned and public funding sectors.

Graduates also pursue professional careers as curators or arts managers.

With specialist training in a related field, our graduates also take up positions as creative directors, visual designers and a range of other occupations in the creative industries sector.

This course can be followed with a graduate-entry teacher education course, which enables you to become a qualified teacher. Pathways exist to prepare you for further study including honours.

Units

Your course

Year 1

You will focus on beginning to develop your own art practice, working with a variety of media. Staff will help you develop your own interests and ideas. Introductory workshops will be provided in both digital and traditional art-making skills and you will also develop skills in visual analysis. You will be introduced to a wide range of art practices both in the studio and in history/theory classes.

Year 2

Building on your skills and knowledge from your first year, you will continue to develop your art practice using a range of media and your knowledge of contemporary art. Your skills in visual and textual analysis will develop, as will your understanding of national and international art. You will contextualise your art practice through presentations, discussions and supported practical experience in display and exhibition. If you want to become a teacher or art professional, you will begin undertaking specific vocational training towards your career goal.

Year 3

In your final year, you will continue to consolidate your art practice and build your understanding of its place in the Australian and international context. For those intending to become practising artists, the year will culminate in a public group exhibition. Your final year of study will allow for specialisation, helping you enter the real world of the arts industry or prepare you for further study in the Graduate Diploma in Education (Senior Years), or in honours and postgraduate research.

Entry requirements

2013 registrations have closed

Registrations for the 2013 intake were due on the extended closing date of 12 October 2012 and are now closed. If you had not registered and you are considering applying to study in 2014 we recommend you read the following information as a guide only as it details requirements for entry in 2013 and these may change prior to the 2014 intake.

Prerequisites

Successful portfolio and interview

Closing date extension

Register online and submit your portfolio and additional supporting documentation with QUT by the extended closing date of Friday, 12 October 2012.

Additional entry requirements

In addition to applying through QTAC and you must also before the closing date:

1. Complete the Online Registration Form and print the confirmation page.
2. Post or submit the following documentation to the Creative Industries Faculty:

• Online registration confirmation page
• A current passport sized photograph
• A copy of your most recent school report and/or results of previous tertiary studies
• A copy of the QUTpay confirmation page from your online credit card payment for the $33 service charge (PLEASE NOTE: Q-Step and ATSI applicants are exempt from the service fee)
• Portfolio

Please Note: Registering plus submitting your supporting documentation with QUT is separate is separate and in addition to listing the course as a preference with QTAC. To successfully apply for entry into this course you are required to do both. The portfolio and interview process is managed by Creative Industries Faculty; however, all offers for the course will be made through QTAC in December.

Delivery details

In person

QUT Creative Industries Faculty Additional Entry
Z6, Level 1 The Hub-foyer delivery slots
Creattive Industries Precint
Musk Avenue
Kelvin Grove,QLD, 4059
(opening hours from 8am to 6pm)

Post

QUT Creative Industries Faculty
H Block, Level 3
Victoria Park Road
Kelvin Grove, QLD, 4059

Service fee

A $33 service fee applies to all applicants, excluding applicants who seeking admission assistance via QUT’s Q-Step and/or Oodgeroo schemes. This payment is to be made via QUTPay and please ensure you print the confirmation page as you will need to attach it to your portfolio.

Frequently asked questions

What should my portfolio include?

Your portfolio should include a maximum of 20 pages of images that best demonstrate your current art achievements, working processes, commitment and potential. Consider the "qualities" we look for (listed below) when compiling your portfolio. It may contain photographs, slides, photocopies of sketches and journal pages (showing your planning and preparation for a project), printed digital images and/or short video excerpts (no more than 2 minutes each). For a paper-based portfolio, keep pages to a maximum of A4 size and do not include large folders. If you are including CD/DVD/uploaded images, the preferred format is either as a 'PowerPoint' or .jpg files. We prefer video that can be opened in 'QuickTime' and only samples of work are required. To ensure we will be able to open and view any digital media files, keep the file size to a minimum (i.e. under 5MB).

Please note: We do NOT return portfolios, so do NOT include any original copies of your work or documentation.

What qualities are QUT Creative Industries looking for?

• Overall, we seek indications of your ability to think creatively, to be open to new ideas and challenges, and of your potential to succeed in the course.
• We look for evidence of versatility, skill, enterprise, inventiveness and knowledge of contemporary art and culture/s. We are also looking for candidates who bring a wide range of interests and enthusiasms to their study area (e.g. film, literature, music, digital culture, etc.).
• We look at your artistic achievement - the level of investigation and familiarity with particular media, the degree of sophistication and sensitivity in handling media, evidence of industry, hard work, sustained practice and familiarity with visual media.
• We look for the degree of exploration of ideas and evidence of the development of ideas. Some carefully selected key documentation of preliminary plans, working sketches, journals and work in progress help us in this regard.
• We also look for evidence of artwork that is totally self-initiated (i.e. not necessarily part of a set study program) and an indication that you are determined to pursue art interests in a range of circumstances.

Interview locations and dates

If shortlisted you will be contacted and interviewed during November. If you are called, you are not required to bring anything with you to this interview, but you should be prepared to respond to questions about your artwork and your future goals. Interviews are designed to further assess your suitability for the style of Visual Arts course that we offer and will also present an opportunity for you to ask any questions you may have about the course. Interviews will occur at the QUT Kelvin Grove campus.

Who do I contact for more information?

Please contact the Creative Industries Faculty by:

Phone: (07) 3138 8114 and press option 4

Email: ci.additionalentry@qut.edu.au

Course fees

Your actual fees may vary depending on which units you choose. All fees are based on current fixed fee prices. We review fees annually.

HECS-HELP: loans to help you pay your course fees

You may not have to pay anything upfront if you're eligible for a HECS-HELP loan.

Find out if you're eligible for a HECS-HELP loan

Scholarships and financial support

You can apply for scholarships to help you with study and living costs.

These scholarships are available for this course:

View all scholarships

You may also be eligible for Centrelink payments