GradEx 101 draws 40,000 visitors

Group shot of medal winning students with Dr. Sara Diamond
Monday, May 9, 2016 - 5:30pm

From opening night on Wednesday, May 4 to closing on Sunday, OCAD University was teeming with excited visitors for its annual graduate exhibition, GradEx 101.

More than 900 students exhibited their thesis projects throughout the campus. On Wednesday night, special guests, medal winners and their friends and families joined faculty members for Celebrate Excellence, a private party where the names of medalists were announced.

In her speech, Laura Thipphawong, the first medal winner in the Visual and Critical Studies program, reflected on how the support and inspiration of faculty members and her peers influenced her. “Not only have they encouraged me in getting a head start in my career, being immersed in an environment centred on the things I truly care about has made a world of difference.”

“Tonight is an evening of great pride, where we give back to the city of Toronto through the presentation of the talent who will contribute to social, economic and cultural transformation here and far beyond,” said Dr. Sara Diamond, president and vice-chancellor.

High school students came by the busload on Thursday and Friday, enjoying the wide range of art, design and digital media projects, some asking about the admissions process.

On Saturday, over 200 alumni, from the Class of 1952 to the Class of 2015, came back to campus to enjoy VIP treatment in the Alumni Lounge.

OCAD University’s annual Graduate Exhibition is generously supported by Presenting Sponsor Mercedes-Benz Financial Services, Delaney Capital Management, First Capital Realty, Borden Ladner Gervais LLP, CP24 (Media Supporter), NOW (Media Supporter) and Steam Whistle Brewing (Event Supporter).

 

 

 

 

SFI Alumn Featured in Huffington Post

Strategic Foresight and Innovation
Thursday, December 3, 2015 - 5:00am

Madeleine Ashby, graduate of the Strategic Foresight and Innovation program (MDes 2011), was recently featured in the Arts and Culture section of the Huffington Post.

Her short story (a spinoff of her Master's thesis), “By the Time We Get to Arizona,” published last year in Hieroglyph, a science fiction collection, was highlighted as an example of solution-oriented science fiction.

Read the article here: http://huff.to/1HtMTKW
Read Madeleine's MRP here: http://openresearch.ocadu.ca/id/eprint/104
More about the SFI Program: www.ocadu.ca/sfi

Digital Futures Alum Profiled by the Torontoist

Yifat Shaik
Friday, October 9, 2015 - 4:00am

OCAD U Digital Future’s alum, Yifat Skaik (MDes ’14), is already making waves within the city’s digital landscape. She was recently interviewed by the Torontoist for their I Want Your Job Series, as the current Toronto Public Library Innovator in Residence. Through her classes and lectures, Yifat is bringing intimidating practices, like 3D Modelling, to a general audience, helping Torontonians without any previous technical abilities create finished 3D models.

To learn more about Yifat’s work, and the Toronto Public Library Innovator in Residence position, check out her full profile on the Torontoist.

Congratulations Yifat!

The Torontoist:
http://torontoist.com/2015/10/i-want-your-job-yifat-shaik-library-innova...

Digital Futures Graduate Program:
http://www.ocadu.ca/academics/graduate-studies/digital-futures.htm

Image courtesy of Yifat Shaik.

Advertising Program success profiled in Globe and Mail

Wednesday, August 12, 2015 - 4:00am

The success of OCAD University’s revamped Advertising program has received positive coverage in the Globe and Mail.

The program was redeveloped three years ago based on extensive industry research by Associate Professors Sandy Kedey and Ann Urban. It addresses the rapidly evolving demands of the advertising industry, offering a thesis stream and an advertising concept stream.

Kedey, the newly-appointed chair of the Advertising program, says this has led to the unprecedented hiring rate of graduating students.

In the concept or “boot camp” stream, big-name businesses present creative briefs to students who work in teams to come up with solutions. The businesses give feedback and rate the work while the students gain professional experience before entering the industry.

The thesis-style stream allows students work independently to create ground-breaking innovative, integrated campaigns and a body of work connected to a brand or relevant issue.

 

GradEx100 in the media

Tuesday, May 5, 2015 - 6:45pm

The 100th edition of OCAD U’s graduate exhibition did not go unnoticed by the Toronto media. Several journalists attended opening night as well as subsequent days of the show.  

The Globe and Mail’s Simona Chiose highlighted graduates from the Faculty of Art, while the Toronto Star’s urban issues columnist Christopher Hume took a closer look at Environmental Design.

BlogTO ran a photo essay on its top 30 art picks, while SheDoesTheCity featured a photo spread focusing on fashion and attendees.

CP24 broadcast live from the Great Hall interviewing medal winners starting at 7 a.m. and returned to capture the party wrap-up at the end of the night. These were just some of the media outlets that dropped in to capture the festive mood of the biggest GradEx ever.