Jana Macalik

Jana Macalik is acting Dean, Faculty of Art at OCAD University in Toronto, Canada. She joined OCAD University in 2014, serving initially as the Associate Dean, Research, Outreach and Strategic Projects (2014-2019) and subsequently the Associate Dean, Academic Affairs (2018-2020) for the Faculty of Design. She joined the Faculty of Art in 2021 as Acting Associate Dean, Academic Affairs. As part of the Faculty leadership teams, she plays a central role in guiding aspects of the academic and administrative agendas within the institution.

Over the 20 years as an academic, her teaching explores how society is continuously challenged to break down barriers, barriers that stand to separate individuals and ideas. Art and design in their most authentic forms are created to fracture barriers and initiate dialogue with individuals, internally and socially. In her design practice, Jana Macalik explores discursive spaces as a link between the tangible and the intangible, representing an extension of society and its identities. Since 1994, she has been involved in cultural exhibition design and branding applications in communications and architecture. She has over 25 years of experience working as a designer for cultural institutions in Toronto and for multi-disciplinary firms, including Skolnick Architecture + Design Partnership in New York, Perennial Inc. in Toronto and Aldrich Pears Associates in Vancouver. She sits on the editorial board of Curator: The Museum Journal.

Presently, Jana is also a doctoral candidate in Higher Education at OISE/University of Toronto, investigating de-differentiation in the context of specialized art & design universities in Canada, particularly the differentiation frameworks that have posed a challenge to the unique model of art and design schools in higher education; among them, the economics of higher education being unfavourable to the studio-based approach. As an Associate Professor, she holds a Master of Architecture and a Bachelor of Environmental Design Studies from Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada, and is a registered NCIDQ and a LEED AP. Before joining OCAD University, she was a tenured faculty member at the School of Interior Design, Toronto Metropolitan University in Toronto, Canada.

AREA(S) OF EXPERTISE: exhibition design, interior design, design research, higher education, organizational studies

EDUCATION
Bachelor of Environmental Design, Dalhousie University
Master of Architecture, Dalhousie University
PhD-ABD (High Education), OISE/University of Toronto

PUBLICATIONS AS EDITOR
• Fraser, J. , Moussouri, T. , Golding, V. and Macalik, J. (2019), Philosophy, Art, and Social Value. Curator. Wiley Publications January 2019, Vol. 62/1.
• Macalik, J. , Fraser, J. and McKinley, K. (2015). Special Issue: Special Issue On Discursive Space Museums, Communities, And Society Users As Collaborators. Curator. Wiley Publications January 2015, Vol. 58/1

ARTICLES AND PAPERS AS AUTHOR
• Fraser, J. , Moussouri, T. , Golding, V. and Macalik, J. (2019), Philosophy, Art, and Social Value. Curator, 62: 5-6. doi:10.1111/cura.12293
• Macalik, J. , Fraser, J. and McKinley, K. (2015), Introduction to the Special Issue: Discursive Space. Curator, 58: 1-3. doi:10.1111/cura.12093
• Macalik, J. (2011). BIM and I: How advanced modelling technology will change studio learning. Interior Tools, Interior Tactics. London: Libri Books, pp. 59-66
• Macalik, J. (2010). U’Nity and the Museum Experience. Design Principles & Practices: An International Journal, Melbourne, Australia: CGPublisher, pp. 83-98
• Macalik, J. (2008). BIM and I: How advanced modelling technology will change studio learning. Interiors Forum Scotland: Interior Tools, Interior Tactics Conference Proceedings [online] http://www.interiorsforumscotland.com/page16.htm
• Macalik, J. (2008). The Museum is the Message. Onsite Review 20: Museums + Archives, Calgary, AB: Architectural Fieldwork, pp. 64-65
• Macalik, J. (2007). In a Culture Like Ours: U’Nity within the Virtual and Real Museum Experience. The International Journal on the Arts in Society, Melbourne, Australia: CGPublisher, pp. 26-34

PRESENTATIONS
• Macalik, J. (2020). (Invited panel participant) Design Education: Moving the conversation to the schools. She Ji: The Journal of Design, Economics, and Innovation with the Lucerne School of Art and Design, Lucerne, Switzerland (online), 7 October 2020
• Macalik, J. (2020) (Invited panel participant) BEAT Mix. Building Equality in Architecture Toronto, Toronto, ON. 23 January 2020
• Macalik, J. (2020) (Moderator) How to Win, Nurture, and Retain Millennial Talent. Interior Design Show, Toronto, ON. 18 January 2020
• Macalik, J. & Samseth, J. (2016). Education Designed for the Future: How to make industry internships part of a transatlantic design collaboration. Canadian Bureau of International Education, Ottawa, ON, 13-15 November 2016
• Macalik, J. (2013). Striking Curiosity: Self-examining identity and the visitor experience. Discursive Space, Toronto, ON, 20-23 June 2013
• Macalik, J. and Polo, M. (2012). Understanding Junior Designers. IIDEX, Toronto, ON, 21 September 2012
• Macalik, J. (2010). U’Nity and the Museum Experience. 4th International Conference on Design Principles and Practices, Chicago, IL, 13-15 February 2010
• Macalik, J. (2009). U’Nity and the Museum Experience. Atmosphere 2009, Winnipeg, MB, 5-7 February 2009
• Macalik, J. (2008) (Invited panel participant) “Building Information Modeling: State of the A&D Industry and BIM integration into design education” Raison D’ Etre, On-Line Proceedings, IDEC 2008 Annual Conference, University of Montréal.
• Macalik, J. (2008). BIM and I: How advanced modelling technology will change studio learning. Interiors Forum Scotland: Interior Tools, Interior Tactics, Edinburgh, Scotland, 21-23 August 2008
• Macalik, J. (2007). In a Culture Like Ours: U’Nity within the Virtual and Real Museum Experience. Second International Conference on the Arts in Society, Kassel, Germany, 21-24 August 2007
• Macalik, J. (2007). Millennial Students: Are we teaching the next generation of designers the right way? Canadian Design Educators Forum, IIDEX, Toronto, ON, 29 September 2007
• Macalik, J. (2007). The Culture of Interiors + The Interiors of Culture. Explore Design: The Design Education Fair, Toronto, ON, 11 October 2007
• Macalik, J. & Mitchell, A. (2006). The Vertical Studio. Interior Design Educators Council, East Region Conference, Union, NJ, 20 October 2006
• Macalik, J. & Mitchell, A. (2006). The Vertical Studio. Canadian Design Educators Forum, IIDEX, Toronto, ON, 30 September 2006
• Macalik, J. (2000). (Invited panel participant) Women in Architecture. RAIC 2000 Annual Conference, Ottawa, ON,

ORGANIZED SYMPOSIA/CONFERENCES
• “Urban Ecologies 2015” Director. Faculty of Design, OCAD University. Conference examining the future design of our cities with participants including Dr. Rachel Armstrong, Danny Wills and Newsha Ghaeli June 17-19, 2015.
• “Discursive Space” Chair. School of Interior Design, Ryerson University & Art Gallery of Ontario. Symposium addressing the breaking barriers in spatial communication in museums with participants including Ian Baxter&, Tom Hennes, Jana Scholtz, Kathleen McLean. June 20-23, 2013.
• “CTL_ALT_SHFT: Alternative Paths In Design”. Co-organized with Evan Pavka. School of Interior Design, Ryerson University. Symposium addressing changing careers in interior design with participants including Christina Ott, Laura Carwardine + Simone Ferkul, Kelly Buffey, Ashley Rumsey + Stanley Sun, Ala Roushan, Gelareh Saadatpajouh. 22 October 2012
• “Raising the Roof” Co-organized with Annick Mitchell. School of Interior Design, Ryerson University. IDEC East Region Symposium addressing current issues shaping interior design with participants including Ellen Fisher, Diego Burdi, Rachel Pike, Alex Bal. 24-25 October 2008.

EXHIBITIONS
• Macalik, J., Peterson, J., & Watters, D. (2011). Home is Where, Art Installation, Come Up to My Room: Alternative Design Event, Toronto, ON, 27-30 January 2011
• Macalik, J. (2010). U-Nity at Work, Media Installation, Nuit Blanche, Toronto, ON, 2-3 October 2010
• Macalik, J, Dolgoy, S., Dowling, C.,& Mitchell, A.(2009) In Praise of Shadows, Interactive Light Installation, Nuit Blanche, Toronto, ON, 3-4 October 2009

EXHIBITIONS AS CURATOR
• Come Up to My Room. Co-curator with Jennie Suddick. Gladstone Hotel/DesignTO. Alternative Design exhibition. 17-20 January 2019
• Come Up to My Room. Co-curator with Christophe Jivraj. Gladstone Hotel/Toronto Design Offsite. Alternative Design exhibition. 21-26 January 2018
• Come Up to My Room. Co-curator with Christophe Jivraj. Gladstone Hotel/Toronto Design Offsite. Alternative Design exhibition. 21-26 January 2017
• Other Worlds. Co-curator with Anda Kubis. Lieutenant Governor’s Suite. 20 September – 20 December 2016
• Come Up to My Room. Co-curator with Nuria Montblanch. Gladstone Hotel/Toronto Design Offsite. Alternative Design exhibition. 21-26 January 2016