Ontario College of Art & Design
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| Ontario College of Art & Design | |
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| OCAD, from Canada Life building | |
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| Established: | 1876 |
| Type: | Public university |
| President: | Sara Diamond |
| Staff: | 156 full-time; 229 part-time |
| Location: | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Campus: | Urban |
| Students: | 2767 Full Time, 700 Part Time |
| Affiliations: | AUCC, IAU, COU |
| Website: | ocad.ca |
The Ontario College of Art & Design (commonly referred to by its acronym, OCAD) is Canada's largest and oldest university for art and design.[1] It is located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on McCaul Street beside the Art Gallery of Ontario. The school combines an experiential, studio-based education with liberal studies, which are recognized with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) or a Bachelor of Design (BDes) degree. The school has a student body of approximately 3,500, with a student-faculty ratio of 16:1.[2]
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[edit] History
Founded in 1876 at the Toronto Normal School by the Ontario Society of Artists, the Ontario College of Art & Design was originally known as the Ontario School of Art. In 1931, after various name changes, the school finally adopted the name Ontario College of Art. The school retained this name for another eighty-four years before changing to its present incarnation in 1996. The change was made in recognition of the integral role design plays in a visual art education.[3]
In 1969-70, during his brief period of tenure as president, Roy Ascott radically challenged the pedagogy and curriculum structure of the College.[4]
OCAD received official status to confer the degrees of Bachelor of Fine Arts and Bachelor of Design in 2002, via the new Ontario College of Art & Design Act, passed by the Government of Ontario. With its new university status, OCAD has made a number of significant changes. These include such things as a renewed curriculum, a new professorial structure for faculty, a research mandate, a new system of governance, and preliminary groundwork for future graduate programs.
In 2004 work was completed on a new expansion. The "Sharp Centre for Design", designed by architect Will Alsop, of Alsop Architects, in a joint venture with Toronto-based Robbie/Young + Wright Architects Inc.[5] It consists of a box four storeys off the ground supported by a series of multi-coloured pillars at different angles. The $42.5 million expansion and redevelopment has received numerous awards, including the first-ever Royal Institute of British Architects Worldwide Award, the award of excellence in the "Building in Context" category at the Toronto Architecture and Urban Design Awards, and was deemed the most outstanding technical project overall in the 2005 Canadian Consulting Engineering Awards. The College Street building, which was part of the campus until 1997, was once a Toronto Police station house.
[edit] Name Change
On August 2, 2007, it was announced that OCAD is considering changing its name to reflect its status as a degree granting university. The term College in OCAD's title often causes confusion amongst the general public and potential students.[6]
On April 15, 2008, it was announced that the Board of Governors voted in favour of recommending that OCAD's name be changed from "Ontario College of Art & Design" to "OCAD University."[7] Any name changes to OCAD must be approved by the Ontario Government and be granted Royal Assent.
[edit] Academic program
OCAD has various programs leading to Bachelors of Fine Arts (BFA) and Bachelors of Design (BDes) degrees. Courses are offered through the Faculty of Art[8], Faculty of Design[9], Faculty of Liberal Studies [10] and alternative programs.[11] In the fall of 2008 OCAD will offer graduate programs leading to MA, MFA and MDes degrees.[12]
[edit] Campus
The Ontario College of Art & Design campus is located on McCaul Street in downtown Toronto, just south of Dundas Street. The campus comprises six buildings all located in the McCaul and Dundas area.
[edit] Main building
The central main building of OCAD is located at 100 McCaul Street. It contains the Great Hall, OCAD's central gathering and orientation space. The building also features a mixed use space that includes lecture theatres, exhibition space, and e-classrooms and studios which are primarily for programs in the Faculty of Art and Faculty of Liberal Studies. The Administrative offices of the Faculty of Art, the Faculty of Liberal Studies are located in this building as well.
[edit] Sharp Centre for Design
The award winning new facility houses classrooms and studios primarily for the Faculty of Design, with some mixed-use space as well. The administrative offices of the Faculty of Design are located in this building which is accessed through the 100 McCaul Street main building. Unlike the main OCAD building, the Sharp Centre for Design has no natural ventilation and limited natural light. Some students refer to this part of the building as; the speckled box, tissue tower, Dalmatian floors, or "Box of Doom".
[edit] Annex Building
The Annex Building is located directly across the street from the main building. This facility, at 113 McCaul Street, is accessed through the Village by the Grange commercial complex. This building houses the Dorothy H. Hoover Library, as well as studios and classrooms for the First-Year program and Liberal Studies. The Writing & Learning Centre, the Centre for Students with Disabilities, and the new Centre for Advising, First-Year and Campus Life are also located in the Annex Building.
[edit] Rosalie Sharp Pavilion
The majority of OCAD's administrative operations and offices are in this building.
[edit] Student Gallery
The Student Gallery hosts a continuous rotation of student exhibitions.
[edit] Aboveground Art Supplies
The current tenant of OCAD's oldest campus building, located just south of the main building.
[edit] Other buildings
[edit] Butterfield Park
The campus' newest outdoor area. It is located underneath the Sharp Centre for Design, and provides informal meeting space for the OCAD community and general public. In the near future, walkways will lead directly to Grange Park as well.
[edit] 49 and 51 McCaul Street
OCAD's student centre at 51 McCaul Street was designed by [Baird Samspon Neuert Architects] of Toronto. It is home to four administrative departments: Financial Aid & Awards, Advising & Campus Life, the Health & Wellness Centre and the Centre for Students with Disabilities, as well as the Student Union. The neighbouring property at 49 McCaul Street is currently used by fourth-year Thesis students in Drawing & Painting. It also provides meeting space for Criticism & Curatorial Practice students.
[edit] Health & Safety
OCAD has a strong Health & Safety program for both staff and students, comprised of online information[13], in-class, hands-on training and lectures on art hazards by specialist Ted Rickard, Manager of Health & Safety. Awareness training, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and alternate materials use to minimize risks are all promoted. WHMIS training is mandatory for all teaching staff whose courses use hazardous materials, and First Aid training is strongly encouraged.
[edit] Student life
OCAD's Centre for Advising & Campus Life develops programs while working with students to enhance the student experience at OCAD and the overall quality of campus life.
[edit] Student groups
The Student government is headed by the Ontario College of Art & Design Student Union (OCADSU). It brings students together through community building and collective political action. They provide support of various kinds to student based initiatives that benefit the student population. OCADSU also supports a student-run independent gallery and social space called XPACE. OCADs' largest student group, with over 3000 members, is a nonpartisan student-run website called MYOCAD.
There are also several student clubs including The Korean Students' Association (KASA), Green Palette, OCAD Dance, OCAD Film Society and OUT at OCAD.
[edit] Student housing
OCAD does not have on campus housing but provides links to off campus housing. Some of these services are provided by the University of Toronto’s Student Housing Service as well as the OCAD website
[edit] Notable faculty members
Faculty and staff of OCAD have included George A. Reid, Arthur Lismer, J.E.H. MacDonald, Jock Macdonald, Lisa Steele, Ian Carr-Harris, Richard Fung, Carl Dair[14], Allan Fleming, Maurice Vellekoop, Martha Ladly, Mary Margaret O'Hara and Norman White.[15]
[edit] External links
- Ontario College of Art & Design
- Campus Life
- Myocad, a student-run website
- XPACE, student union gallery
- OCAD Library
- OCAD Library (catalogue-web)
- Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada profile
[edit] References
- ^ AUCC - Publications and Resources
- ^ OCAD - Facts & Indicators
- ^ OCAD - Historical Summary
- ^ Wolfe, Morris. OCA 1967-1972: Five Turbulent Years. Toronto: Grubstreet Books, 2002. ISBN 0-9689737-0-1
- ^ The Colorist: The Sky Line: The New Yorker
- ^ OCAD - News Item
- ^ http://www.ocad.ca/Page1479.aspx?newsid=144
- ^ http://www.ocad.on.ca/academic_programs/art.htm
- ^ http://www.ocad.on.ca/academic_programs/design.htm
- ^ http://www.ocad.on.ca/academic_programs/liberal_studies.htm
- ^ http://www.ocad.ca/academic_programs/alternative_studies.htm
- ^ OCAD - About OCAD
- ^ http://www.ocad.ca/about_ocad/health_safety.htm
- ^ http://www.gdc.net/about_gdc/fellows.php?id=4&press=1&draw_column=3:1:2
- ^ OCAD - Background
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