OCAD University: Dedicated Art and Design Education
February 28, 2015
Founded in 1876, Ontario College of Art and Design University (OCAD University) is the oldest specialized art and design school in Ontario, Canada. With a 139-year history, the university has a uniquely storied past of producing many of Canada's best-known artists while simultaneously remaining at the forefront of emerging trends in art education with a new Digital Futures program and a curriculum centered on hands-on learning.
Today, OCAD University continues to build on its traditional studio-based strengths adding new cross-disciplinary approaches to learning that promote collaboration and integration across emerging technologies. New programs and research bridge fields of digital media and design, sustainability, health and wellness, and cultural diversity.
Lending authenticity, diversity, and creativity to the OCAD U experience is a student body representing 40 different countries. In fact, 15% of students are citizens of countries other than Canada and a third speak a first language other than English.
In Brazil, OCAD U has found a similar approach to design education. “There is a synergy between the ways Brazil teaches and cultivate designers and the way that we do,” explained Ms. Deanne Fisher, Associate Vice President Students. The university welcomes international students through Brazil’s Scientific without Borders program and faculty research partnerships.
The OCAD U faculty is uniquely qualified to cultivate the next generation of designers. “Our faculty is made up of practicing artists, designers, and instructors. They are very well-connected in the industry which means that by the time our students graduate, they are already connected to the design industry or cultural sector,” highlighted Ms. Fisher.
With a premier downtown Toronto location and a faculty well-connected with the actual practices of art and design, it is no wonder OCAD University has produced some of the country’s most renowned artists. Now OCAD is committed to sharing its interdisciplinary, collaborative, and creative approach to learning with the next generation of imaginative designers.
Deanne Fisher, Associate Vice President Students
