Research centres

The Faculty of Fine Arts is committed to expanding and strengthening the role of research in the Faculty. The Office of the Associate Dean, Research and International Relations works closely with Concordia’s Office of Research to support the Faculty’s 114 researchers in their individual and collective efforts to secure funding and launch successful research programs. Learn more about Fine Arts Research.

The Department of Art History offers students and faculty access to two primary research centres:

Gail and Stephen A. Jarislowsky Institute for Studies in Canadian Art

To advance the greater appreciation and richer understanding of Canadian visual culture of all eras, the Gail and Stephen A. Jarislowsky Institute for Studies in Canadian Art collaborates on projects and publications with educational and cultural institutions, as well as the private sector to:

- support research on Canadian art for the professional scholarly community, for pedagogical purposes at all levels of education, and most importantly for the general public;
- produce scholarly materials in print and electronic formats such as monographs, journals, bibliographies, catalogues raisonnés, films and videos;
- maintain a broad and ongoing dialogue within the academic and museum communities on the evolving nature of studies in the visual arts in Canada;
- and establish links to national and international art communities through public events such as conferences and lectures.

The Institute is part of Concordia University’s Faculty of Fine Arts, and is located near the offices of the Department of Art History, the Journal of Canadian Art History/Annales d’histoire de l’art canadien, and the Canadian Women Artists History Inititative on the 3rd floor of the Integrated Engineering, Computer Science and Visual Arts Complex, 1515 St. Catherine St. West.

The Institute was established in 1998 through the generous financial support of Gail and Stephen A. Jarislowsky. Dr. François-Marc Gagnon, an outstanding scholar in Canadian history and art, was the Institute’s founding Director and Chair.

Canadian Women Artists History Initiative (CWAHI)

The Canadian Women Artists History Initiative (CWAHI) is a collaborative group of researchers working to enhance scholarship on women's contributions to the cultural and material history of Canada.

Through conferences and publications we promote research into a wide range of historical women artists. Our online research tools include a dictionary of Canadian women artists, with extensive bibliographical references, as well as a database offering searchable full-text access to published reviews of the annual exhibitions of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts, the Art Association of Montreal and the Ontario Society of Artists (1873-1940). We also maintain a consultable documentation centre with over 1,200 artist files, open to researchers and students alike.

To become involved with CWAHI or to use the documentation centre, please email cwahi@alcor.concordia.ca. Questions may also be directed to any of our three organizers: Kristina Huneault, Department of Art History; Janice Anderson, Faculty of Fine Arts Slide Library; Melinda Reinhart, Concordia University Libraries.