CBC’s new digital series This Art Works! features OCAD U artists

Title slide of Video This Art Works!
Friday, July 7, 2017

A new digital CBC series, This Art Works! airing on the CBC Arts online platform, profiles many OCAD U students and recent alumni whose work deals with art and social change. The 10-episode series, described as “a gleeful mix of ‘90s nostalgia, comedy and contemporary art practice,” is co-produced by Madeleine Co., CBC Arts, and OCAD University. 

A launch event for This Art Works! will take place on July 13th at the Gardiner Museum in Toronto. Hosted by Amanda Parris (host of CBC Arts' Exhibitionists), the launch will feature an exclusive screening of two episodes and a chance to hear from the show's creators and producers.

You can also visit Works for Change, an exhibition that runs from July 4 to 13, 2017 at the Gardiner Museum featuring workshops by This Art Works! artists and an interactive installation on how to make art work for change. The exhibition recreates the film set of This Art Works! which will serve as the backdrop to a program of how-to workshops and performances led by the artists about their creative practices. Spanning one of the walls of the space, the audience can also join in the collective creation of a large-scale artwork.

 

 

What happens when ‘90s show Art Attack meets real, working artists?

Still image of an actor costumed as a sculpted bust, Brandon Hackett, host of Art Works
Tuesday, October 4, 2016 - 4:00am

Art Works! is an online tv show parodying the beloved ‘90s British children’s television series Art Attack to humorously share the process of socially innovative Canadian artists working today. Created by Toronto-based art collective Madeleine Co. in partnership with OCAD University, and hosted by Toronto comedian and Second City performer Brandon Hackett, the project features artists Allyson Mitchell, Sean Martindale, and Dana Prieto showcasing their artworks. 

 Art Works! mixes the wholesome cheesiness of Art Attack with the surreal comedy of Adult Swim’s Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!. The show’s host, Toronto comedian and Second City performer Brandon Hackett, plays “The Head,” a talking sculpture who introduces the three featured artists and their friendly how-to guides on bringing artistic ideas to life. The video also features OCAD U students and alumni who discuss their processes. 

Artist and designer Sean Martindale, whose art interventions activate public spaces to encourage social engagement, shows us how to turn a city wall of poster ads into a garden of beautiful “Poster Pocket Plants”

Artist Dana Prieto bakes a unique batch of cupcakes to represent her complex cultural identity and "mestizaje", a spanish word for the process of mixing ancestries.

Watch the artists in action at www.artworks-show.com. Art Works! is commissioned by the Impact Collective www.impactcollective.ca, OCAD University’s art & design social innovation project. You can access images and gifs here.

Madeleine Co. is a Toronto-based art collective reimagining social issues through experiential storytelling and multimedia art. Projects include: Climate Talks commissioned by the Ryerson Image Centre, Creative Catalyst symposium on art and social change, internationally touring walking performance These are the People in Your Neighbourhood, and Let's Imagine Canada's Future commissioned by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. Madeleine Co. has been featured in festivals such as Scotiabank Nuit Blanche, Luminato, and Art of the Danforth. Learn more about past projects at www.madeleineco.com