The Art History program offers degrees at the undergraduate and graduate level. Art History courses offer students a unique opportunity to develop the essential skill of visual literacy -- learning to look carefully and think critically about the visual images and material objects that surround us. Encompassing global art traditions from prehistory to the present, courses introduce students to a range of interdisciplinary methods, topics, and media. We explore how visual and material culture shapes human society across time and around the world. Queen's Art History students can take advantage of experiential learning opportunities in Venice (Venice Summer School/Venice and Its Biennale) and at Bader College, our 15th-century castle in England, in addition to internships for course credit at the Agnes Etherington Art Centre on campus and in other museums across Canada. Research opportunities abound at Queen's which is home to the magnificent Bader Collection of European art as well as collections of contemporary, Indigenous, African, and Canadian art. Through field trips, internships, and other activities in and out of the classroom, students gain first-hand experience in analyzing and interpreting works of art and architecture in preparation for careers in museums and archives, academic institutions, heritage preservation and tourism, journalism, art business, art law, and cultural policy.
The Art Conservation program is offered at the graduate level only. It is the only Master of Art Conservation program in Canada. Art conservation is an exciting and challenging multidisciplinary field that involves the examination, interpretation, analysis, and treatment of cultural, historical, and artistic objects. Professional conservators rely on their knowledge of both the humanities and the sciences in order to understand the creation and production of material culture in the past and present and to ensure its preservation for future generations.
