Celebrating Black History Month 2024

Pixel Heller, “Community of Masqueraders in Motion” (2023).

OCAD University acknowledges the achievements and contributions of Black Canadians with exhibitions and initiatives during Black History Month.

Check out these exhibitions, initiatives and events all month long!

OCAD U related events

2024 Yonge-Dundas Square Black History Month Digital Exhibition
Feb. 1 to 29
Yonge-Dundas Square, 1 Dundas St. E.

The OCAD U RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers (CEAD) has partnered with Yonge-Dundas Square to showcase work from Abby Adjekum (Criticism and Curatorial Practice, 2027), Dose Omoruna (Integrated Media, 2025), Pixel Heller and Uzoma Ekpunobi (Graphic Design, 2025) who were selected as the artists for the Yonge-Dundas Square Black History Month Digital Exhibition Career Launcher program.

Adjekum, Omoruna, Heller and Ekpunobi’s work will featured on Yonge-Dundas Square’s five digital screens for the duration of Black History Month.

Field Trip: Black History Month Art & Culture Event
Feb. 1 from 4:30 to 7 p.m.
Richmond-Adelaide Centre, 130 Adelaide St.

OCAD U students are invited to connect, network, and socialize with their peers at a free, vibrant Black History Month celebration showcasing local vendors, mesmerizing performances, captivating storytelling and more, on Feb. 1 from 4:30 to 7 p.m. at the Richmond-Adelaide Centre.

ALMEDA: Black Was, Is, and Will
Feb. 2 to 12, opening night Feb. 2 from 6 to 10 p.m.
Ada Slaight Gallery, 100 McCaul St., second floor

Black Was, Is, and Will, is the second Black History Month exhibition from ALMEDA, showcasing diasporic conversations and experiences through a curated collection of works from the ALMEDA community.

ALMEDA is a collective at OCAD U for Black students to engage and connect with each other about artistic ideas and opportunities, learn from one another and foster a sense of community.

Onsite Gallery Curatorial Lecture Janet Dees: Notes Towards a Black Feminist Curatorial Practice
Feb. 22 from 6 to 8 p.m.
Onsite Gallery, 199 Richmond St. W.

OCAD U’s flagship professional art gallery, Onsite Gallery, presents its inaugural Black History Month annual guest lecture featuring curator Janet Dees on Feb. 22 from 6 to 8 p.m. The public is invited to attend this lecture, which is co-presented with the Centre for the Study of Black Canadian Diaspora, underscoring the importance of fostering dialogues on Black history, art and culture within and across our communities.

Onsite Gallery is generously supported by The Delaney Family.

Events around Toronto

Wawa Aba & Dane Dane – Building Black Civilizations: Journey of 2000 Ships
Jan. 2 to Dec. 15
Clark Centre for the Arts, 191 Guildwood Pkwy.

This series from Ekow Nimako, who is one of the artists featured in Onsite Gallery’s current exhibition power, is an expansive reimagining of the mysterious sea voyage of Mansa Abu Bakr II, the visionary ninth ruler of the medieval empire of Mali, using over 500,000 black LEGO elements.

Black History Month at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO)
Feb. 1 to 29
AGO, 317 Dundas St. W.

The AGO features family-friendly performances, screenings and activities highlighting the theme “movement” in celebration of Black History Month.

KUUMBA
Feb. 1 to 29
Harbourfront Centre, 235 Queens Quay W.

Harbourfront Centre’s KUUMBA, presented by TD Bank Group through the TD Ready Commitment, is Toronto’s largest and longest-running Black Futures Month festival, embracing the rich tapestry of culture, diversity and creativity through a month-long celebration of Black cultural programming.

The Journey: Black Leadership Navigating Institutional Spaces – ARCDO
Feb. 8 from 1 to 3 p.m.
The Great Hall, Hart House, 7 Hart House Cir.

Join the Anti-Racism & Cultural Diversity Office (ARCDO) and Hart House at the University of Toronto for a film screening and discussion centered on Black women in leadership navigating institutional spaces.

In Praise of Black Culture
Feb. 24 from 7 to 9 p.m.
Montgomery’s Inn, 4709 Dundas St. W.

OCAD U Professor Lillian Allen, who is city’s Poet Laureate, will lead an evening of readings of newly commissioned works by her students. This evening of poetry speaks to the way that belonging creates a sense of safety and power within Communities of Colour. 

City of Toronto
The City has several events and exhibits, inviting the public to explore and celebrate the heritage, traditions and culture of Black Canadians.

Student art in campus communications

Through an initiative of the Student Communications and Campus Community team, artwork from Black-identifying students will be showcased in campus communications, including digital screens across campus, myOCADUnews student newsletter and OCAD U social media channels. The students who have submitted artwork to be featured this year are Razan Ali, Pixel Heller, Osatohamwen Adeniyi and Jamilah Lambert-Jackson.

Are you aware of other Black History Month initiatives taking place on campus? Let us know, contact csharma@ocadu.ca.