In a nearly empty studio space, the last Queen’s Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) cohort is preparing to say goodbye.
In 2022, the BFA class of 2026 was told their program would be suspending admissions indefinitely, making their year the last to graduate the program. While the pause was only supposed to be for two years, and Queen’s cites plans to re-open the program in the future, 2026 will be a bittersweet graduation for the 16 remaining students in the program.
Students Fiona McMillan, Emma Fleming, and Paige Chiusolo, all BFA ’26, all considered more traditional art schools, but chose Queen’s for the small class sizes, studio space, and opportunity to interact with a diverse student body.
“I wanted to interact with people that had nothing to do with my discipline because I thought it would make me more well rounded and not just get stuck in an echo chamber of being a painter who only talks to painters,” McMillan said in an interview with The Journal.
Chiusolo mentioned to The Journal how she’s a part of the Queen’s Themed Entertainment Development Team, a group comprised of fine arts, humanities, and STEM students alike. She expressed worries that losing the BFA program will “close them [other students] off to the more creative artsy side of Queen’s,” Chiusolo said.
The BFA program is an avenue for students who want to attend a traditional university while following their passion for art.
“I’ve not necessarily been passionate the way I am about art anywhere else,” Fleming said in an interview with The Journal.
McMillan recalls being told the program was halting admissions and feeling in shock. “I was very young and I was very confused, and now I’m less young, but I’m still quite angry about it,” she said.
All three all noted how their small class of 16 has only gotten closer over the years, as their studio space in Ontario Hall has gotten emptier. Small class sizes are important for an arts education, allowing BFA students to hone their craft, and form lasting friendships.
The fine arts studio space is important to the BFA students, who shared their gratitude for an open space to create andconnect with each other. “We just spend all of our time in this building [Ontario Hall] and have gotten so exponentially close to one another,” McMillan said.
For the BFA class of 2026, working up to their final exhibition feels more important than ever. The exhibition is an opportunity for the graduating fine arts students to share what they’ve been working on and celebrate their development over four years in the program.
“I know this is probably going to be the highest attendance of any show, and the most sentimental, I’d say, which I’m grateful to be a part of, but almost devastated that I won’t get to come back next year and see the next one,” Chiusolo said.
For Chiusolo, McMillan, and Fleming, losing fine arts at Queen’s means losing four years of fond memories. All three shared their disappointment that future classes won’t have the same experience.
“I think the only reason there is so much anger is because this program is so great,” McMillan said.
Chiusolo noted that the studio space will probably need some updates before the program could reopen again but hopes the overall structure of the program won’t change significantly.
From the studio space to small classes, and bonding over a shared love of their work, the BFA class of 2026 will have to leave Queen’s knowing the program won’t continue after them. What McMillan called a “special corner” of campus will cease to exist, but McMillan, Chiusolo, and Fleming all expressed gratitude for the memories they’ll be taking with them.
Tags
Art, Arts & Sciences, Bachelor's of Fine Arts, BFA, Faculty of Arts and Science, Visual art
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