The Creative Student's Guide to Toronto Art Education and Careers

...for students of art, design, fashion design, photography, film/video, advertising, interior design and other creative fields.

Visit our Complete Directory of
Toronto Art Schools and Art Colleges!

by C.J. Gustafson
ArtSchools.com Contributing Writer

art schools in Toronto In 1793, Ontario's Lieutenant-Governor John Graves Simcoe ordered the establishment of a garrison at Fort York, and then moved the government there. The settlement became known as York, one of the seven municipalities that make up the city of Toronto (which is the Huron Indian word for "meeting place"). With 2,482,000 residents, Toronto is Canada's largest city, covering 243 sq. miles. It is also the capital of the province of Ontario. The melting pot of ethnic neighborhoods offers exciting food and market experiences not far from some of the city's main attractions like the CN Tower (the world's largest building), the SkyDome, the Hummingbird Centre (performing arts), and the Royal Ontario Museum. For a taste of Canadian art, try the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, which houses the prized works of the famous Group of Seven.

Arts and Architecture

In addition to the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) -- which is the 8th-largest museum in North America, the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art, the Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art, the Textile Museum of Canada (the only one of its kind in the country), and The Market Gallery also are important contributors to Toronto's art and culture, as are the more than 50 galleries in the city.

A notable collection of Toronto's art is owned by local government and is on display in public venues throughout the city. In addition to the statues and murals that typically make up the largest part of a city's public art collection, Toronto has numerous fine art paintings and drawings that hang in public buildings. There are five separate tours available to help guide visitors to nearly 200 pieces of public art. The website for Lola, one of Toronto's most popular arts magazines, provides an interesting collection of information on the city's art scene.

art degrees in Toronto Along with its reputation for notable art museums and public exhibits, Toronto is also touted as a city for architecture students and fans. The Canada Life Building, the Royal Bank Plaza, the Humber River Pedestrian Bridge, the Gladstone Hotel, and the City-TV Building are all of architectural significance. Additional sites of general interest in Toronto include Chinatown, Casa Loma (a medieval-style castle), St. Lawrence Market and Kensington Market, St Michael's Cathedral, Toronto Islands, and Queens Park, which is the home of Ontario's Provincial Parliament buildings.

Art Schools and Programs

In keeping with its status as Canada's largest city, Toronto has many arts education opportunities. Ontario College of Art & Design, and the Toronto School of Art all offer degree programs for visual arts students.

For public and general studies universities with arts degrees, there are Herzing College - Toronto Campus, the University of Toronto's Department of Fine Art and their Cinema Studies Program at Innis College, and Ryerson Polytechnic University. Ryerson University also has a Photography program, a Department of Architectural Science, and a program in Image, Radio, and Television Arts.

Other schools and arts centers in Toronto offer certificate programs, workshops and other training opportunities. Notable members of this group include the Canadian Film Centre, International Academy of Design & Technology, Angel Studios, Animation Portfolio Workshop, Humber College Package Design Program, and Studio M / Max the Mutt Animation School.

art student in Toronto Students at these Toronto schools can earn virtually any type of art degree including Advertising degrees, Architecture degrees, Interior Design degrees and Graphic Design degrees. They can learn computer animation, sculpting, painting textiles and a wide range of other mediums and they receive training in preparation for architectural careers, photography careers, fashion careers and a number of other careers in the visual arts.

An excerpt from a Board of Trade Publication, entitled "A Profile of Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area" provides a good description of the role arts and artists play in daily life in the city: "A thriving cultural life with arts activities dispersed throughout the city has helped keep its downtown streets safe, populated, vibrant and attractive to citizens and visitors alike. Our neighborhoods come alive with music, dance and the visual arts. This is a key ingredient in making Toronto one of the best cities in the world in which to live and work."

Top of Page