Artists with OCAD U affiliations exhibiting at Toronto Outdoor Art Fair

Image courtesy of @torontooutdoorart on Instagram.

Torontonians and visitors can explore artworks from OCAD University alums, faculty and emerging artists at this year’s Toronto Outdoor Art Fair (TOAF) from July 12 to 14 at Nathan Phillips Square. Plus, two OCAD U faculty members are part of the 2024 TOAF Jury.

Since 1961, the fair has been instrumental in launching the careers of artists and bringing art into people’s everyday lives. More than 400 visual artists and makers participate in TOAF each year.

TOAF Career Launcher Program

This year, 11 OCAD U emerging artists are participating in the fair as part of a partnership between TOAF and the OCAD U RBC Centre for Emerging Artists and Designers (CEAD), including current students and recent grads.

The artists include illustrator Mark Krzepis, who has illustrated cover art for Toronto artists such as BADBADNOTGOOD and Charlotte Day Wilson; Danielle Vincent, who specializes in oil painting and has been awarded first place in multiple juried exhibitions; and Stella Obedi, a Tanzanian Canadian mixed media artist who works with African wax fabrics.

Visit multiple booths in Zone A to check out their work.

GradEx 109 at TOAF

From GradEx 109 to TOAF, a curated selection of artworks from five artists who are OCAD U students and recent graduates will be presented at the fair, as part of CONDUCTION. The five participating artists are Tusharika Arora, Rylee Hollis, Byori Seo, Vicki Yong Shi and Grace Vali.

CONDUCTION explores themes such as femininity, human connection, memory and critique of mass consumerism. The exhibition features work showcased during the University’s annual graduate exhibition, GradEx 109, Toronto’s largest free art and design show held in May.

The development of this exhibition involved a curatorial collective of OCAD U students who were engaged in an experiential learning initiative, under the mentorship of TOAF and the RBC CEAD.

Visit Zone A, Booths 14 to 16, to check out their work.

OCAD U faculty members among 2024 TOAF Jury

Faculty of Art Instructor Derek Liddington and Faculty of Design Instructor Julie Moon are members of this year’s TOAF Jury. The jury reviewed and assessed a record-high 1,080 plus applications to select the 400 artists participating at this year’s fair.

Liddington holds a BFA from Nova Scotia College of Art and Design and an MFA from Western University. He enriches the local art scene in Toronto and across Canada with his focus on video and performance.

Moon is a ceramic artist who draws inspiration from material and process, such as inspiration from the pattern and decoration movement of the 1970s and 1980s.

Additional participating artists

Visitors will find several OCAD U alums, faculty members and emerging artists presenting their artworks at TOAF this year as part of their own projects.

The following are a few of the OCAD U affiliated artists who will be a part of the fair.

Among the Juror’s Picks is recent Drawing and Painting graduate Sarah Young, who is exhibiting as part of the Career Launcher program, at Booth 20. Young describes her oil paintings as sensitive aesthetic experiences, exploring the themes of memory, femininity and identity with recontextualized imagery.

Emerald Repard-Denniston is another recent Drawing and Painting graduate, and her paintings will be at Booth 263. Repard-Denniston is a visual artist based in Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh and Musqueam/Vancouver, and Tkaronto/Toronto.

Alum Emily Zou brings her 3D works to Booth 208, inspired by children’s books and crafted worlds, as well as human-made structures, materialism and climate uncertainty. She notes that she would like people to see potential in what society defines as “trash.”