The Carleton University Art Gallery (CUAG) is a state-of-the-art, professional public art gallery. With a collection of approximately 27,000 works of art, it is an outstanding resource that is an integral component of the Art History program. CUAG provides students direct experience with works of art, and is committed to providing students of high academic standing opportunities for hands-on experience and professional training.
CUAG produces a high percentage of student-curated shows, sometimes complemented by publications. Access for our undergraduates includes the use of the gallery and its collections in teaching, opportunities for practica, work study, and exhibition courses. Graduate students may gain curatorial experience through participation in exhibition courses, research assistantships, thesis-related projects, or individual initiatives. Graduate practica and research assistantships provide professional experience in collections management and exhibition.
The wealth of CUAG’s collections in Canadian and international art as well as its connections to collectors and the collecting institutions of the National Capital region often provide graduate students with their thesis material. The Gallery is planning on even greater opportunities for student research due to the recent acquisition of the W. McAllister Johnson print collection and archive, a unique resource of French Academic prints and archive that will form the basis of a print resource centre. This new resource will be a significant complement to the extensive holdings of works of Canadian and international origin in all media already held by the Gallery, including important collections of contemporary Inuit and First Nations art, and important representations of Canadian artists’ works.