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Alumni News

Paul Dallas

Hysteria Repeats Itself

Paul Dallas, "Hysteria Repeats Itself"

Paul Dallas (AOCA, 1982), Chair of Illustration at OCAD U, has been named the 2011 "Artist-Educator of the Year" by New York's 3x3 Magazine, for his "contribution to the Illustration community and development of OCAD U's Illustration Program."

Louis Fishauf (AOCA, 1972) has designed a pair of stamps for Canada Post in celebration of the Year of the Dragon. The Faculty of Design instructor's design can be viewed here.

Jeremy Kai (BDES, 2009) has released a new photography booked called Rivers Forgotten, a journey through the passages and portals of the underground waterways that lie unseen below cities.

Mike Juneau (BFA, Integrated Media, 2009) was profiled in the Toronto Star about his career as a video director, about the business of shooting videos in the small Toronto market, and how Much Music awards grants. Juneau recently directed a music video for Tokyo Police Club.

Kwong Lum (AOCA, 1962) recently gifted to Cornell University's Johnson Museum a painting entitled "Excerpt from a Poem by Li Bai." Known for Ink Splash paintings, a technique that adapts the ancient art of calligraphy to abstract paintings, Lum holds the distinction of being the only living artist to be honoured with a museum in his name in China.

Barbara Reid (AOCA, 1980) was recently appointed to the Order of Ontario for her impact as a children's author and illustrator. Her other accolades include the UNICEF Ezra Jack Keats Award, The Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Award, the Mr. Christie's Book award, and the Elizabeth Cleaver Award.

Gary Taxali (AOCA, 1991), Assistant Professor of Illustration, has designed a series of six celebratory coins for the Royal Canadian Mint. The coins feature the themes of Birthday, Wedding, Tooth Fairy, New Baby, O Canada, and Holiday, in his distinctive font "Chumply," the first time the Mint has allowed an artist to change the typography on coins.

Mildred Valley Thornton (AOCA, 1925) has been celebrated in a biography entitled The Life and Art of Mildred Valley Thornton. While her early works were vibrant landscapes in oil, her nearly 300 portraits of the First Nations peoples of Western Canada became the genius loci of her oeuvre. Thornton (1890-1967) was also a noted journalist, Vancouver Sun art critic, book reviewer, published poet and recipient of a Canadian Authors' Association Award for her book Indian Lives and Legends (1966).


Alumni Benefits + Services

Focus on Finance

Introducing "Focus on Finance: Financial Planning for Artists & Designers"

By Diana Bahr, Projects Officer, OCAD U Financial Aid & Awards

Welcome to a financial planning column just for OCAD U alumni! As artists and designers, you already know how important it is to do what you love. Do you also have a financial plan that will help you succeed? I believe artists and designers can create any career they want with a great plan and some basic financial management skills.

In this column you’ll read about steps to creating a successful plan. You’ll understand your relationship with money, set goals, track your cash flow, make a savings plan and much more. A successful plan begins with understanding where you are right now. In addition, you’ll read success stories of other OCAD U artists and designers, stay up to date with free workshops, get financial tips and activities for your professional practice, and learn the latest in personal finance news with valuable links and resources. Learn more at CREATiveFUnd$ and follow us on Twitter: FinAidOCAD.

Let’s Get Started

How financially fit would you say you are at this moment? Are you an expert cash-flow tracker but regularly bust your budget? Do you have more month left at the end of your money and don’t know why? Identify where you excel and where you want to improve with this quiz. Then keep reading this monthly column and use OCAD U’s very own CREATiveFUnd$ financial literacy site to boost your financial fitness!

Events

March 6-30

The Battle for the Tree of Life

Nik Dudukovic, "The Battle for the Tree of Life"

Spotlight: Alumni Exhibition

The Gladstone Hotel (Toronto)
Opening Reception: Friday, March 9,
6:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.

Alumni from all disciplines within OCAD University were invited to submit work for 2012: OCAD U Alumni Association Exhibition, juried by Tobi Bruce (Senior Curator/ Historical Canadian Art at the Art Gallery of Hamilton), Simon Glass (Associate Dean, Faculty of Art, OCAD University) and Tony Taylor (Multidisciplinary artist).

More than 40 alumni will be exhibiting, including Adrian Fish (Photography, 1999), Lorraine Kwan (Material Arts, 1967), Aanchal Malhotra (Printmaking/Art History, 2011), Gina Stepaniuk (Experimental Arts, 1982), Michele Crockett (Photography, 2011), Mori McCrae (Drawing and Painting, 1986), Jacquelyn Sloane Siklos (Communication Design, 1998), Stephen Pak Wai Lai (Surface Design/Print, 1987), Cliff Caines (Integrated Media, 2002), Yshia Wallace (Sculpture/Installation, 2009).

Wednesday March 7

7 PM - 9 PM EST | OCAD University, Auditorium

Art Creates Change:
The Kym Pruesse Speaker Series:
Shu Lea Cheang

A talk by Shu Lea Cheang, the first net artist commissioned by Guggenheim Museum New York for her work Brandon (1998-1999), a one year narrative project.

Thursday March 22

6:30 PM - 8 PM EDT | OCAD University, Auditorium

2012 Nomadic Residents Artists: Ghada Amer & Reza Farkhondeh

The Faculty of Art presents the 2012 Nomadic Residents Artists, Ghada Amer and Reza Farkhondeh. During their one week residence the artists will give a free public talk.

Friday March 23

6:45 PM - 8 PM EDT | OCAD University, Auditorium

President's Speaker Series:
Lev Manovich

How to compare one million images? Visualizing patterns in art, games, comics, cinema, web, and print media.

Thursday March 29

7:00 PM - 9 PM EDT | OCAD University, The Great Hall

Project 31

Project 31 is a live art auction, offering up stunning paintings, photography, limited edition prints, sculpture, textiles and fibre, illustration, jewellery and digital media by OCAD U faculty members, and a few specially-invited guests. Project 31 pairs the support of donating faculty members with specific areas of need at the University. Since its inception, Project 31 has raised more than $150,000 to support OCAD University.�


Career Services

Wednesday March 7

12 pm - 1 pm & 8 pm - 9 pm | Webinar

Social Media
& Your 3D Personal Brand

You may be looking for the next step in your creative career and wondering how to best leverage social media to build your personal brand. What role do LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, blogging and other social media tools today in the world of work? How can you utilize these tools to advance your internal and external brand and career? Alan Kearns, founder of CareerJoy, OCAD U alumni exclusive career and leadership coaching partner, will lead you through this interactive webinar on managing your personal online brand. Register for 12pm session here. Register for 8pm session here.

Thursday March 29 + Friday March 30

Central Hall (Rm 230), OCAD U

Workshops: Start Your Professional Practice Now!

A free series of professional practice workshops for artists & designers. Presented by Financial Aid & Awards, Student Success Programs and Alumni Relations. Workshops include: The Creative Entrepreneur, Building Your Community: Connect, Promote, Contribute, Budgeting for Artists & Designers, Tax Planning for Your Business, Beyond Art & Design: Applying Your Creativity in Other Industries, and the event concludes with an Alumni panel, Q&A and networking session.


Message from Association President

Maggie Broda

I want to express my sincere gratitude for your support, and friendship, over the past three years, and also to thank you for the opportunity to serve you as President for another term. OCAD University is a vibrant place and I am sure it obvious to everyone that I love just about everything about it.


It is particularly an honour to be representing the Association during the University's 135th anniversary. I hope to provide all alumni with the kind of leadership that creates space for ideas, encourages commitment and most of all values the efforts of the dedicated volunteers.

During the past four years the Alumni Association has contributed more than $50,000 in direct financial support to the OCAD University community by way of bursaries and scholarships, and even donations to the student food bank. This year we are also proud to support the upcoming Alumni Day that will be held in May of 2012, in conjunction with this year's Graduate Exhibition.

Over the past several years we have also demonstrated our commitment to all Alumni by creating an opportunity to exhibit work of every discipline at the annual Alumni Association art show. Our dedicated volunteers provide weekly Open Studio Drawing sessions as well as painting days. These exciting events will make you never want to forget where you left your charcoal and paint-box!

There are new plans, projects and get-togethers quickly approaching. It feels like the fun has already started. I hope to see you at the opening night of the Alumni Association's upcoming art show at the Gladstone on Friday, March 9th. Come and hang with us! It's time to get on a first name basis with prominent designers and artists from decades of Alumni who will network, share ideas, amuse and support you like family.

Warm Regards,

Maggie Broda (AOCA, 1972)
President, OCAD U Alumni Association 


From the Archives

Rome, circa 1978/79

Rome, Circa 1978/79

Can you identify any of these people? We believe these are class members of the Florence program on a trip to visit the ancient Forum in Rome.

If you can help please contact us at alumni@ocadu.ca with the subject line "From the Archives".


In Memoriam

Dorothy Crysler (AOCA, 1951) passed away with family by her side in Meaford, ON on January 21. A longtime environmentalist in Grey County, Crysler had been described as an "original environmentalist" who had a love for birding. Full obituary here.

Theo Dimson (AOCA, 1950) died suddenly in Toronto on January 18. Known for his Art Deco stylized movie and theatre posters, Dimson is the author of Great Canadian Posters and has also created stamps for Canada Post. Full obituary here.

Edmund Robert Hunter (AOCA, 1933) died in Florida on July 2011 at age 101. After working the Art Gallery of Toronto (now AGO) he served as director of several art museums in the U.S., including The Norton Museum (Florida), High Museum (Georgia), the Jacksonville Museum (Florida), The Dade County Art Museum (Florida), and McCormick Place Gallery (Illinois).
Full obituary here.

John Joy (Class of 1948) died January 14 at the age of 86 with his wife Elsie and his family by his side. Considered one of Toronto's, if not Canada's, most recognizable and respected Plein Air painters, Joy was a founding member of the Society of Canadian Artists. Full obituary here.


Giving News

Sean Bekeschus

Sean Bekeschus

(B.Des., Industrial Design, 2011)

Winner of the 2010 Vivash Bursary, a donor-funded bursary that enables OCAD U graduates to continue on in their field of study anywhere in the world.

“I have had the opportunity to work with a prototyping designer from Audi. I learned how to visually survey a runabout style boat taking photographs from different angles and convert these measurements and photographs into a 3D hull model. Currently we are partaking in a four month workshop which trains us in Alias Design, the industry-leading 3D surface software used to render 3D forms.”

Apply for the Alfred T. Vivash Bursary for International Graduate Studies in Design

This bursary provides up to $11,000 CDN for a graduate from the OCAD U Faculty of Design to pursue a year of postgraduate studies outside Canada. The deadline has been extended. Check your eligibility and apply now!


Alumni Discounts


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