Three degrees and onto to teach – over a decade at Carleton

Katie Cholette may have spent a large portion of her life living in various places, but she has managed to remain in Ottawa and at Carleton for the past 14 years, minus a short one-year hiatus with the Portrait Gallery of Canada as curator of acquisitions and research.

Her most recent posting at Carleton is as a member of the School for Studies in Art and Culture as an assistant professor in art history.

Cholette’s history at the university began in 1994 after moving from Toronto where she worked in the graphic art field for a number of years. She wanted a change and came to Carleton as a mature student, initially only taking one course in art history. “I loved the experience. I loved being a student and learning,” recalls Cholette.

After three years as a part-time student she became a full-time student and completed her B.A. (Highest Honours) in Art History, winning the University Medal in Arts. Carleton was one of the few universities that offered a Master’s in Canadian Art History and because of the school’s proximity to many important institutions such as the National Art Gallery, Cholette decided to complete her MA here as well. In 2001 Carleton became the first Canadian university to offer a PhD in Canadian Studies. Because she wanted to broaden her knowledge Cholette enrolled in the program, becoming the first graduate in 2007.

Now, Cholette is taking on the role of professor and is teaching a first year architectural survey course and a fourth year art history seminar. “I like to help people learn because I love to learn,” says Cholette. “I want my students to realize that what we’re learning surrounds them every day. I want them to appreciate it and understand it, not to just walk in and out of these buildings.”

The new professor enjoys working with students and points out that her seminar class begins at 8:30 a.m. each Monday and all six of her students are always present: “They are as keen as keen can be.”

Cholette’s main area of expertise is Canadian Art in the 1960s and 70s with a focus on cultural nationalism and identity. Although she primarily teaches architecture, she points out that art history and architecture share a common concern with nationalism and identity.

In addition to teaching, Cholette is working on many projects, which includes two articles and a book deriving from her dissertation, Memory and Mythmaking: The Role of Autobiography in the Work of Jack Chambers and Greg Curnoe. She is also in the process of compiling a comprehensive review on the cultural history of London, Ontario throughout the 1960s and 70s. “There is a lot of research on events and occurrences, but there is nothing bringing it all together,” says Cholette. “It was a really vibrant arts scene. I want there to be a complete record of what happened.”