Events

This term, experience the OCAD U Winter 2025 Design Charrette, leading into OCAD U’s Design Week! Join the workshop and design new Affordable, Transitional, and Supportive Housing solutions across Ontario! Work directly with leading Ontario community associations to develop concept designs for future housing projects that are desperately needed. We are looking for students and professionals from multiple programs and disciplines, as the Design Charrette is a collaborative and creative process that brings together diverse groups of students, professionals, and community stakeholders over an intense period of brainstorming to imagine, plan, and implement a collective future. 

WHAT IS INVOLVED? Interdisciplinary teams tackle a complex and wicked challenge, thus being encouraged to take a systematic perspective to the problem at hand. The projects are related to real life challenges and therefore engage community stakeholders and professional advisors and experts to help enrich the examination of the problem at hand. The approach to the problem involves co-creation, not only with the charrette teams but with the project stakeholders and the community at large and the general public and planet in general which have to live with and use the solutions that are being developed. Concepts are then developed into working prototype solutions, culminating in formal presentations to the larger group, forcing the teams to learn how to effectively communicate these solutions to others.

WHAT:

On behalf of the Dean of Design, Lesley-Ann Noel, we invite you to make a meaningful impact in this exciting, intensive design workshop event.

THE PROBLEM: 

Ontario faces a critical shortage of affordable and supportive housing, leaving many vulnerable populations without adequate shelter. Addressing this issue requires innovative, interdisciplinary solutions.

THE SOLUTION:

This Design Charrette brings together students, professionals, community stakeholders, and experts to collaboratively develop concept designs. 

THE BENEFITS: 

• Collaborative Innovation: Participants gain hands-on experience tackling complex, wicked challenges.
• Real-World Impact: Solutions address pressing housing needs.
• Prototype Creation: Concepts are developed into actionable designs and presented to stakeholders.
• Certification: Receive recognition from OCAD U for participation.
• Professional Development: Work alongside community leaders including Homes First, The Gathering Place, The Neighbourhood Group, St. Stephens Community Apartments, Catholic Children’s Aid Society Toronto, and the Boys and Girls Club.

Taking place in person February 20-24, 2025, at the OCAD U Waterfront Campus, 130 Queens Quay East Tower. For more information and to register, sign up at this link: https://forms.gle/PkP2r5grQmuUdw5Z6 .

Join Alumni Relations for an evening of life drawing on campus. 

Join the Welcome Squad and International Student Support Office on Feb. 19 for a hip-hop dance class at the Art Gallery of Ontario! 

Join Alumni Relations for a morning of life drawing on campus. 

Celebrate Valentine's Day... or Anti-Valentine's Day... with OCAD U Student Clubs and the Welcome Squad!

OCAD University’s RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers (CEAD) and Critical Distance Centre for Curators (CDCC) have partnered to co-create the Critical Distance Exhibition Essay Career Launcher.

OCAD University’s RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers (CEAD) and Critical Distance Centre for Curators (CDCC) have partnered to co-create the Critical Distance Public Art Billboard Career Launcher.

Onsite Gallery is thrilled to announce its annual Black History Month guest lecture featuring esteemed curator eunice bélidor. 

Join Alumni Relations for an evening of life drawing on campus. 

Make: Wearable Electronics, Second Edition Book Launch

Join the Welcome Squad and International Student Support Office on Feb. 12 for a hip-hop dance class at the Art Gallery of Ontario!

An exciting opportunity is here for GradEx students! The RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers is working with the Toronto Outdoor Art Fair to provide those participating in GradEx an opportunity to showcase their work at this year’s Toronto Outdoor Art Fair.

A symposium where students and the community discuss the work done by book artists, from the concept to the production methods.

Directed by b.h. Yael

A 97-minute film screening follows with filmmaker Q&A

This call invites proposals to exhibit multimedia, installation, digital, social practice and/or performance artworks at the opening night of DXC and lead a complimentary workshop on the theme of Counterbalance, which explores growing suppression and censorship as a site of artistic innovation and democratic possibility. 

Selected artists will participate as delegates for the summit's duration and represent the role of the arts in strengthening democracies and civil societies.

Join Alumni Relations for a morning of life drawing on campus. 

Take part in an insightful curatorial tour of the exhibition Fortitude/Fragile with guest curator Magda González-Mora.

Partial and OCAD U’s RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers are excited to announce the return of our partnership which provides an exceptional career opportunity for OCAD U student artists and recent alumni (2023 + 2024).

Gallery reception of Awenda Inspired! exhibition

Kafka's Metamorphosis animation is a modern classic that examines a family and societial reaction towards a decent young man's tragic fall of transforming into a large insect. It combines horror, emotional appeal and an underlying black comedy. 

Join Alumni Relations for an evening of life drawing on campus. 

The Office of Research and Innovation invites you to attend Research Talks featuring Dr Haru Ji, recipient of the 2023-24 OCAD University Research Awards.

Please join us in celebrating research excellence at OCAD University!

Isabel Machado will discuss the challenges and positive results of building inclusive classroom communities through public-facing collaborative projects by applying her research methodology to her course design.

Come and learn about CARFAC Ontario from the artistic director, Flora Shum, and how CARFAC advocates for artist rights, provides one-on-one support, and creates resources to help guide, inspire, promote opportunity, and contribute to empowering artistic endeavours.

Afrocurrences is an exhibition/art show presented by the Almeda Collective (OCAD University’s Black Student Collective). Curated by Wuliyah Hankey, this exhibition will showcase artworks in multiple mediums by Black students at OCAD University. With the theme of community, students were asked to reflect on how the inherent connection among Black individuals in various spaces influences their creative practices.

OCAD University’s RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers is excited to announce a recruited placement in partnership with wonderMakr for the role of Jr. Creative Technologist.

CommunityStreets at DesignTO 2025 is a panel discussion/open mic bringing together civic leaders, Youth community activists, and design and economic thinkers at OCAD University to explore a Youth lens on
affordability, access, equity, and the future of housing.

OCAD University’s RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers (CEAD) is pleased to announce a partnership with Bamtori Studio that invites three OCAD University students and recent alumni to sell their work at Bamtori Studio’s Valentine’s Day Market.

Join the Culturans team for an intimate, hands-on workshop looking back at the Port Lands Flood Protection project.  With limited capacity, this inspiring session explores social design and cultural research while addressing real-world challenges through empathy, co-creation, and impact-driven solutions. 

The RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers is excited to announce the Gallery 44 Residency Career Launcher for OCAD U students.

The RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers is excited to announce the return of the Akin Career Launcher for Drawing & Painting, Integrated Media, Indigenous Visual Studies, Cross Cross-Disciplinary Art: Life Studies, and Sculpture & Installation students in their graduating term.

Looking for some feedback on your work, career path, or life after OCAD U? Book a one-on-one career mentorship session with our Winter 2025 Creative Professional-In-Residence, Ahmad El Sarraff!

Are you an OCAD U Graduate student looking to complete a placement this spring/summer term? Join us for this info session to learn more about our Experiential Learning Program and get the answers to your placement questions!