MFA Program

Concordia University’s annual Open Studios event for MFA students took place on Feb. 19. Photo Matthew Daldalian

Matthew Daldalian,
Local Journalism Initiative

Statement to administration condemns police presence, teaching assistant wages and more

At Concordia University’s annual Open Studios event on Feb. 19, Master of Fine Arts (MFA) students unveiled an anonymous collective statement condemning the university administration’s treatment of artists and its reliance on police presence to suppress student organizing.

The annual Open Studios event provides MFA students with an opportunity to display and sell prints of their work. But this year, a paper letter addressed to Concordia’s administration was attached to several venue walls. 

The collective statement was titled, “Concordia Administration Does Not Support the Arts.”

The anonymous collective cited Concordia’s reliance on police and private security to manage student protests as the reason behind their statement, describing it as “creating a climate of fear and anxiety that is not necessary.”

The statement highlighted several events that students said created a “climate of repression” at the university. The events cited include the university calling police on an arts event screening of Palestinian film Resistance, Why?; the firing of the previous Leonard & Bina Ellen Gallery director; the detention of students in the same gallery during a protest; and Concordia’s ban on political statements from departments.

The statement also tied these concerns to ongoing issues in academia, specifically the exploitation of teaching assistants (TAs) and research assistants (RAs).

“I love the work, I really like the students,” said first-year MFA student and TA Marius Gnanasihamany. “But we are in negotiations as TAs and RAs. It is kind of bittersweet to be showing work when I know that part of my labour that I contribute to Concordia is so underappreciated and so undervalued.”

Concordia TAs currently earn $29 per hour. According to Gnanasihamany, that number is far lower than their counterparts at other institutions. 

“And Concordia has so far not been very interested in giving us a fair deal,” they added.

Second-year MFA student Abi Hodson, who participated in the event with their textile and video-based work, echoed these frustrations. 

“We make so much of a difference in teaching and research,” Hodson said. “The quality of education that Concordia says they’re proud of? We’re a part of that.”

Hodson emphasized the disconnect between Concordia’s branding and the lived reality of MFA students. They pointed to an increasingly restrictive and hostile environment for artists and researchers at the university. 

For Yuki Tam, a print media MFA student and TA, the event was a reminder of the multifaceted roles that artists play within the institution. 

“We wear multiple hats,” Tam said. “This event is a great way for students to see what their TAs and RAs do outside of the classroom and how the things we’re teaching them can be put into practice.”

Tam said that Open Studios is an important space for critical dialogue, particularly regarding Concordia’s treatment of its workers. 

“It is also a space where we want to have honest conversations about what it’s like being an artist in an institution,” they said.

With Concordia’s TAs and RAs currently bargaining with the university after more than 1,000 days without a raise, Tam said that the open studios showed that artistic practice is inseparable from the conditions of artists’ labour. 

“We do incredible work. We make great research,” Tam said. “And none of us are served well when Concordia’s priorities are underpaying their employees and policing them.”