Design TO

OCAD U student works were among the highlights of the 2019 Design TO exhibition. In the Great Hall, the exhibition Design, Health and Wellness by ID students explored ways designers can better our world, recognize and facilitate our personal and physical needs, and enable us all to be important contributors to and participants in our city, society and culture. Projects on display included learning devices for children with special needs to what we need to change in the world to keep us engaged, happy and healthy as we age.

OCAD University Board of Governors

Since fall 2018 the OCAD University Board of Governors has welcomed five new members: 

President’s message

Dear colleagues, 

Before I share some updates with you, I want to pay tribute to Nancy Paterson and Peter Milligan. The OCAD U community mourns the death of Associate Professor Nancy Paterson, who taught at OCAD U in the Faculty of Art and more recently in Graduate Studies, for the past 28 years. An artist of international stature, Nancy is fondly remembered by her peers as “an interactive artist pioneer and feminist icon” and as “an inspiring and unique, brilliant and valued faculty member, who will be greatly missed.” Information about a memorial celebration to honour Nancy is posted on our website.

Newsletter submissions

We want to hear from you! Please send submissions for the next issue of the OCAD U Insider to Natalie Pavlenko by January 4, 2019.

The fine print: Please ensure your copy doesn’t exceed 300 words (and note that Marketing & Communications reserves the right to make editorial changes due to space constraints).

Faculty & Staff Campaign

Our Faculty & Staff Campaign launched at the Holiday party on December 6. Thank you to everyone who shared their input on our upcoming events, to those who volunteered and to those who gave a gift. We are hoping everyone will participate in the Campaign through a gift of time, talent or treasure.

A message from OCAD U's Zero Waste Team

OCAD U has undertaken the ambitious goal of reducing our waste to zero. As an art and design university, we have an important role in considering the materials we create, design, purchase and reuse on campus. This aim towards zero waste and a circular economy is part of a broader movement that includes the City of Toronto. Toronto now has a unit for Research, Innovation & Circular Economy that drew on Ontario’s aim to: minimize the use of raw materials; maximize the useful life of materials and other resources through resource recovery; and minimize waste generated at the end-of-life of products and packaging.

Insider Quiz

Quiz: Enter a draw to win a $25 Duke of Cornwall gift certificate.

  1. When was the recent open house at OCAD U CO (day/month)? 
  2. How many galleries are located at OCAD U? 
  3. True or False: Most of the members of the Group of Seven were either students, instructors, or administrative staff at OCAD University, when it was known as the Ontario College of Art (OCA).
  4. What company sponsored Experiencing Perspectives art exhibition.
  5. How many awards did Onsite Gallery receive at the Ontario Association of Art Galleries gala on November 19?

Did you know?

In this section, we introduce you to the exciting people, programs and centres at OCAD U! This month, an interview with Zev Farber, Director, Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers.

1. How does your department stand out from others?

At the Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers (CEAD), we offer specialized services for a specialized university. We’re a bit unique because the professional and educational backgrounds of our team members speak directly to the wide-ranging application of creative practice...and beyond. 

OCAD U at Art Toronto 2018

OCAD U participated in Art Toronto for the third time, with a Faculty of Art booth involving eleven artists and four curatorial students from the graduate and undergraduate programs.

Support for the project came from Drawing and Painting, Graduate Studies and the Faculty of Art, and involved program areas from across the institution. The offices of Development, Marketing and Communications and Recruitment also supported the booth. This year’s event was a great success thanks to the hard work of our curatorial students who represented recent alumni work. The booth, with its thoughtfully curated rotation of artwork during the four-day run of the fair, was very well received by curators, gallerists, and the general public and several collectors purchased work.

Exchange with Bezalel Academy of Art and Design

OCAD University and Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem have begun a research exchange. Dr. Yoav Friedman, Head of Research and Innovation at Bezalel, visited Toronto from October 31 to November 2. Dr. Friedman toured OCAD U’s research labs and visited the new Waterfront Campus. Dr. Friedman also visited the AGO and the studios of Simon Glass, an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Art whose work combines photographic imagery, both archival and original as well as found objects with biblical, liturgical and mystical Hebrew elements.

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