ECU’s Foundation Program Prepares Students for Artistic Excellence
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Right from their first year at Emily Carr University of Art + Design (ECU), incoming students try out many different mediums before settling into their artistic calling.
For Foundation Show curator, prOphecy sun, the proof of a successful first year is in the final artwork displayed in Michael O’Brien Commons. Through leaning into their curiosities, the Foundation Program at ECU offers an avenue for students to start in one discipline and flourish in another.
The ECU Foundation program stands out with the first year dedicated to exploring visual arts, photography, film, and sound arts, while the second term allows students to focus intensely on their preferred discipline. prOphecy highlights that this division between the terms enables students to get a crash course in indulging their creativity.
“One thing that sets our program apart is the diversity of perspectives students bring and how interdisciplinary the first year can be,” says prOphecy. “I love seeing students take on assignments that push them out of their comfort zones. For example, someone might say, ‘I couldn’t draw before,’ but after trying it, they realize, ‘Hey, I could actually use this as a skill in a future project.’
Vivienne MacDonald's mixed-media photography artwork for the Foundation Show.
This year, prOphecy has stepped into a new role as Foundation Show curator and is returning it to its roots of having faculty members assist in the curation and selection of the pieces. They view the Foundation Show as a culmination of the work produced across the year and recruited mixed media painting student Vivienne MacDonald to assist with the exhibition installation.
Vivienne’s experience in the program blossomed when they had the opportunity to take critical and curatorial courses, which laid out the path for choosing a BFA in visual arts and curatorial practices.
“What drew me in was the chance to bring my sense of what an art installation is to reality and have some say in how it all came together. That was so exciting for me. prOphecy was in the office one day, and I was able to ask her questions about curation. She noticed how enthusiastic I was and asked if I wanted to help set up the Foundation Show this year. Of course, I was all in!”
Though her chosen medium is photography, experimenting with sculpture has allowed Vivienne to stretch her artistic vision for the pieces she has created for the Foundation Show. Her piece is a wearable self-portrait that integrates photography and sculpture through the shape of a ribcage made from canvas and wire, with photos integrated in between.
“I knew I was a visual artist and liked working with oil, acrylics and drawing. But then prOphecy brought in sound workshops and all these other kinds of experiences, and I was open to trying them out and seeing how they could fit into the medium I already loved,” says Vivienne. “There’s no way I could’ve guessed where it would end up. My style is always changing, always evolving. I’m so grateful for the experience.”
A frame-by-frame of Selena Worden's animation
For Selena Worden, a photography student, the program was an opportunity to band together with like-minded creatives in their cohort and beyond.
“I liked how two of the three required courses were with students from all the different majors. And then you’d have your one specialization class, mine was Photography, which is a smaller major, so, we got grouped in with New Media and Sound Arts (NMSA). Our groups ended up collaborating a lot and just really working well together. I’m excited to keep working with both the Photo and NMSA students in the future.”
Selena encourages future Foundation students to push past their comfort zones when approaching those first-year nerves. For Selena, the Sound Arts component of their core studio was one such moment to delve into something completely foreign.
“I never used to take public transit. Then this year, I had to commute to school almost every day and spent a lot of time in train stations. So, when my class was assigned a ‘sound walk’, I decided to use that for my project,” says Selena. “Sometimes it can be nice to sit and listen carefully. Maybe you'll hear the soft drops of rain down a pipe, or the train pulling to a stop at the next station. Recording and editing this soundscape was probably my biggest surprise this year, that maybe I can work with this new medium.”
Her final piece in the show is a natural progression from this assignment, a mixed-media animation that explores the overwhelming nature of public space.
For the exhibition, prOphecy highlights that there's no need to strive for perfection; instead, the final pieces beautifully display the progress and growth students have achieved throughout the year.
Honestly, there’s something valuable in celebrating the process. Maybe it’s a life drawing you did in class in 15 minutes, but there’s this amazing texture or mark-making that’s exciting and maybe even more so than a piece you spent 50 hours on. Or maybe you’re planning to go into photography, but you tried out a performance or sound piece for the first time. I’d say put that in the Foundation Show. It shows you’re experimenting and stepping into something new.”
You can witness the stunning work of the largest cohort of Foundation students at the exhibition from Aug 21 to Sept 8, with a closing reception on Sept 4, 5pm – 7:30pm.