The Graduate Program in Visual Arts at the State University of Paraná (PPGAV/UNESPAR) offers an Academic Master’s Degree in Visual Arts. Approved by CAPES in June 2023, it is the first Academic Visual Arts Program in the state of Paraná, Brazil. The PPGAV is based in Curitiba, the capital of Paraná, and features two Research Lines: "Contemporary Creative Processes" and "Theory, Criticism, and Art History". The Program’s main goal is to contribute to knowledge production and the qualification of human resources in the field of Visual Arts, considering its diversity and plurality, as well as the inseparable connection between artistic production and critical-reflective thinking. The M.A. course is free of charge, in-person, lasts two years, and operates on a semester basis, totaling four semesters, with annual admission. Core courses are held in the afternoon, one day per week, while elective courses may be offered in any time slot.

Contact us

secretaria.ppgav@unespar.edu.br | +55 (41) 3515-3915 | from 9 AM to 12 PM and from 1 PM to 6 PM - Monday to Friday | PPGAV Administrative Office 

RESEARCH LINES

LINE 1: CONTEMPORARY CREATIVE PROCESSES

The research line Contemporary Creative Processes focuses on investigating productions in Visual Arts, emphasizing the interrelation between practice and theory, various modes and contexts of creation, critical reflection, and the establishment of contemporary artistic processes. It emphasizes poetics and the development of both theoretical and experimental research on artistic processes, ranging from traditional supports and techniques to the most transdisciplinary approaches. This line also encompasses critical and curatorial practices understood as aesthetic and creative processes.

LINE 2: THEORY, CRITICISM, AND ART HISTORY

The research line Theory, Criticism, and Art History focuses on the historiographical study of the relationships between visual arts and the cultural and political vectors of a given society, group, or context, emphasizing the processes of production, circulation, and reception of modern and contemporary art. This research relies on the analysis of artworks and artists, as well as the investigation of their social interactions, public interventions, power relations, institutional dynamics, ideological systems, and forms of aesthetic experience. It supports interdisciplinary dialogue between Visual Arts, History, and related fields within the humanities, highlighting themes such as the historical and conceptual aspects of artistic poetics, art and politics, the discourse of art criticism, art exhibitions, gender issues in art, practices and values within the art system, relationships between visual arts and other media, art historiography, and theories of art and their authors.

CONCENTRATION AREA

PROCESSES AND THEORIES OF VISUAL ARTS

The concentration area Processes and Theories of Visual Arts presupposes the intimate and inseparable connection between artistic production and critical-reflective knowledge, recognizing that there is a theoretical dimension inherent in visual practices and artistic propositions, just as there is a poetic consideration implicit in historical-cultural theories dedicated to the contextual analysis of artistic phenomena. This concentration area embraces a practical-theoretical unity in the diverse productions and research interests of its members, distributed across two complementary Research Lines: one dedicated to contemporary artistic creation processes, and the other focused on the historical, social, and institutional understanding of Visual Arts.

STUDENT PROFILE

The Graduate Program in Visual Arts is designed to train visual artists, art critics, curators, researchers, and professionals from various artistic fields, as well as to qualify educators for teaching in public and private higher education institutions in the Visual Arts field. Graduates are expected to work in higher education and conduct and disseminate original research and advanced studies through academic publications, participation in events, presentations, artistic projects, art exhibitions, and curatorial work.

M.A. COURSE OVERVIEW

Approved by CAPES and recognized by the Ministry of Education (MEC), the M.A. course in Visual Arts is free of charge, in-person, lasts two years, and operates on a semester basis, totaling four semesters with annual selection. Core courses (Seminars I and II) are held in the afternoon, one day per week. Elective courses may be offered in any time slot. Throughout the course, students must complete at least two Core courses (one in the first semester and another in the second semester) and three Elective courses. Classes are held at the Tiradentes Campus of the Curitiba I Campus of the State University of Paraná, located at Rua Saldanha Marinho, No. 131, in downtown Curitiba city.

RESEARCH GROUPS

The PPGAV hosts an active set of research groups registered with the CNPq. All faculty and students are affiliated with at least one research group, which also encompasses their individual or collective research activities. Several program professors coordinate these groups.

OUR ACADEMIC JOURNAL

The International Journal of Visual Arts ART&SENSORIUM (eISSN- 2358-0437) is a continuos publication of the Graduate Program in Visual Arts at the State University of Paraná.

Its purpose is to publish original papers and academic essays in Portuguese, Spanish or English on issues related to the Visual Arts such as Theory, Criticism, Art History and Visual Poetics (Contemporary Creative Processes), with a focus on arts both from Brazil and abroad. Book reviews are also accepted in these same lines of research.