COVID-19 Updates from Chair John Hatch
Wednesday June 10, 2020
Dear Visual Arts Students,
This period has brought about new experiences for all of us and we have been learning how to make the best of this challenging situation.
We are proud to Congratulate our Class of 2020 who triumphed in spite a bumpy end to the Spring term. We wish them every success and hope to get a chance to say goodbye in person someday soon. You will be missed!
You can celebrate the class of 2020 by visitng https://www.uwo.ca/classof2020/ and see our BFA Class of 2020 Virtual Exhibition by visiting: https://www.uwo.ca/visarts/practicum2020/
Foremost in the minds of our incoming and returning undergraduate and graduate students is what will life look like this Fall. The University is hard at work on its phased return to campus, and we are still determining what will work best to safely support our students, faculty and staff in Visual Arts, but what we do know can be found at https://www.uwo.ca/coronavirus/students.html. Updates will be made throughout the Summer, so be sure to check the site on a regular basis and keep an eye on your email.
To our graduating class and returning students, you may have left art work and materials behind in the haste of the mid-March evacuation and subsequent lockdown. Your items are safe and we are drawing up plans on how to reunite you with your belongings once it is safe to do so. Once faculty and staff have access to the building we’ll be able to execute those plans; they will be communicated to you via email.
A big welcome to our incoming class of undergraduate students. This year will be unique in many ways and we're working to make your online experience an engaging and enriching one, despite the fact that things may be a little different than they have been in the past. To help you navigate registration, which started this month, don’t hesitate to visit https://www.sao.uwo.ca/ This site is an invaluable tool so make sure to use it!
As all of you will soon discover, many of our courses will be delivered online with and we have prioritized in-person experiences for our studio classes, where hands-on learning is crucial. What your year on campus will be like depends on what courses you select. Rest assured that we are making every effort to ensure that your online experience will provide you with the quality education Western is known for. It will be a challenging task but we have the people and the tools to pull off the unimaginable; after all, we are the most creative people on campus!
Sincerely,
John Hatch
Chair, Department of Visual Arts
Thursday March 19, 2020
Dear Visual Arts Students, Faculty, & Staff,
The Visual Arts building is closed until further notice. Access is now limited to authorized personnel only. Any items left in the building will be kept secure and we will notify you about retrieval at a future date. All Visual Arts faculty and staff will be available virtually to provide online support during regular business hours. Please stay tuned for further updates.
John Hatch
Chair, Department of Visual Arts
Additional details regarding Western's response to COVID-19 can be found on the University's official update page: https://www.uwo.ca/coronavirus/
Wednesday, March 18, 2020
Dear Visual Arts Students, Faculty, & Staff,
Monday night, Western’s President announced that the University will be moving to a required services model on campus, meaning that even more of our work will be done online/virtually. To support this initiative, we will be reducing the VAC building hours, while continuing to support student and faculty needs.
As of today, Wednesday March 18th, the Visual Arts building will be open weekdays from 10am to 2pm with staff support present on site. Other areas within the building including studios and labs remain closed.
Our staff will be working remotely and available to respond to student and faculty requests by e-mail between 8:30am to 4:30pm weekdays.
For the time being, faculty, staff, and graduate students still have 24 hour card-swipe access to the building.
Additional details regarding Western's response to COVID-19 can be found on the University's official update page: https://www.uwo.ca/coronavirus/.
Dr. John Hatch,
Chair, Department of Visual Arts
Monday March 16, 2020
Dear Members and Friends of the Department of Visual Arts,
Following the recommendations of the University and the Middlesex-London Health Unit, the Department of Visual Arts & Artlab Gallery will be postponing or cancelling all events until further notice. The Visual Arts Centre studios and labs will also be closed during this time. Students wishing to retrieve artwork and personal belongings will be provided an opportunity to do so at a later date and notified via e-mail.
During this time, our faculty and staff have been working tirelessly to ensure we are prepared for the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our community. I would like to thank everyone who is working together to help us navigate these uncertain times and supporting our community.
Additional details regarding Western's response to COVID-19 can be found on the University's official update page: https://www.uwo.ca/coronavirus/
Sincerely,
Dr. John Hatch,
Chair, Department of Visual Arts
