Career Launcher News
Celebrating the achievements and successes of our Career Launcher artists, designers and partners.
Announcing Amir Nevis as the 2023 LIFT Designer in Residence
Amir Nevis is a graphic design student currently pursuing his bachelor's at OCAD University. He was on the path to become a programmer when he shifted to graphic design as his goals for contributing to art and culture were not getting fulfilled in CS. Intrigued by systems and language Amir is making strides to predicate his practice on the intersection of code, design and interactivity.
Announcing Lia Aiello as the Recipient of the Contemporary Textile Studio Co-op Residency Career Launcher
August 15, 2023
Lia Aiello is a Toronto based textile designer. Her practice focuses on weaving, natural dye and surface design. Playfully interpreting sociological concepts, she designs textiles with the same bizarre profoundness as the dreams you have in the morning between your first and second alarms.
Announcing RashvenaKhosa as the Recipient of the Slate Asset Management 2023 Career Launcher
August 9, 2023
We're excited to announce Rashvena Khosa and Young-Mi Won as the recipients of the Slate Asset Management 2023 Career Launcher. Rashvena’s works are now displayed in the lobby of 2 St. Clair West in the Yonge St. + St. Clair Avenue West community. Youngmi's work will be installed later in 2024.
Congratulations to Yuhan Zheng and Avalon Mott on a new Career Launcher venture with Critical Distance Centre for Curators
August 9, 2023
We're excited to announce Yuhan Zheng and Avalon Mott as the recipient of the 2023 Critical Distance Centre for Curators Public Art Billboard and Exhibition Essay Career Launcher! Yuhan Zheng's work "Round and Full" is now on view at 180 Shaw Street and a commissioned essay by Avalon Mott is available to read on criticaldistance.ca .
Announcing Yuxi Ji as the recipient of the 2023 Parks Canada, Visual Creative Content Specialist Career Launcher
August 2, 2023
Yuxi will split her time between the office and the park: processing images in the Rouge National Urban Park photo library, shooting imagery with drones and cameras, doing design tasks for the Park’s Communications department, organizing and archiving images and supporting the creation of staff resources.
OCAD U Artists Win Awards at the 62nd Toronto Outdoor Art Fair
July 25, 2023
This year, the 62nd Toronto Outdoor Art Fair took place on July 7 - 9 at Nathan Phillips Square. As Canada’s leading contemporary outdoor and online art fair, TOAF gathered around 400+ artists from across Canada. Amongst these artists, many OCAD U artists were not only featured but also recipients of awards.
Summerburst: A New Mural at the Foot of Yonge Street
June 22, 2023
Waterfront Toronto and the Waterfront Business Improvement Area commissioned a new temporary mural as part of a Career Launcher opportunity. The mural is called Summerburst, by Toronto-based artist Wandy Cheng, and will be on display through the fall.
Summerburst Mural Unveiled
July 25, 2023
As the recipient of the 2023 Waterfront Toronto Mural Career Launcher, Wandy created a piece titled “Summerburst” which is now on display at the foot of Yonge Street and can be found at Smorgasburg Toronto.
Announcing Mia Lemia as the Recipient of the Arts Etobicoke Career Launcher
June 19, 2023
"My name is Mehnaz Lamia (Mia) and I am an international student from Bangladesh. I am a recent graduate of the Creative Writing program at OCAD University and have an avid passion for poetry and storytelling...."
Announcing Damon Couto-Hill and Veerta Kumar as the Recipients of the Akin Career Launcher
June 19, 2023
Damon and Veerta will each be awarded $2,000 in credits to go towards a studio space at Akin’s shared workspaces in 2023-2024. In addition to the $2,000 studio credit, each artist will receive $450 credit for use at Remote Gallery at Richmond and Portland.
Announcing Betty Shao as the Recipient of the Secret Planet, Studio Assistant Career Launcher
June 19, 2023
Betty Shao is a Chinese-Canadian illustrator based in Toronto, Ontario. She mainly focuses on digital media but also enjoys screen printing and reading comics. Her work usually consists of narrative-driven food illustrations that have a feeling of nostalgia as she strives to become a comic artist.
Announcing Yuhan Zheng as the Recipient of the 2023 Gallery 44 Centre for Contemporary Photography Residency
June 19, 2023
Yuhan Zheng is a lens-based artist living in Toronto. Yuhan’s work is grounded in her daily experiences and her approach mainly involves performance and self-portrait. She is interested in investigating the ambiguity of the boundary between the virtual and the real. Through practice, she seeks to reveal the intricacies of navigating identities and finding a sense of belonging in a diverse, constantly changing world.
Announcing Tir Tabandeh as the Recipient of the 2023 Toronto Animated Image Society (TAIS) Residency Career Launcher
June 19, 2023
Tir Tabandeh is an Iranian storyboard artist and animation producer who creates magical stories inspired by Southwest Asian culture and folklore. Recently graduating from OCAD in Experimental Animation, their future goals are to create inclusive and exciting children's shows in studios like Titmouse.
Announcing River Kenji Fujimoto as the Recipient of the 2023 Open Studio Contemporary Printmaking Studio Residency Career Launcher
June 19, 2023
River Kenji Fujimoto is a Japanese-Sicilian, yonsei, emerging multidisciplinary artist and printmaker. Their work combs through the complexities of being mixed race, queer, trans, disabled and a descendant ofJapanese Canadian internment camp survivors. Their practice primarily uses relief printmaking techniques and text to explore their relationship as being part of a diaspora and their positionality as a settler for many generations.
Announcing Arshdeep Kang as the Recipient of the 2023 Art Metropole Programs, Publications and Shop Assistant Career Launcher
June 19, 2023
"Interested in syncretic design practices, I find ways to combine the design thinking I’ve learned from school with the visual language from my South Asian culture. As I have learned and practiced “less is more” in the minimalistic design scene, I also like exploring the “more with less”concept derived from my culture, getting the most output possible within imposed restrictions. "
Announcing the 2023 401 Richmond Illustration Studio Artists
June 5, 2023
We're excited to announce Ivy Chen, Daria Joyce, Hyunsun Park, and Gabrielle Schwartz as the recipients of the 401 Richmond Illustration Studio Career Launcher.
Meet the Winners of the Format Career Launcher Prize
May 23, 2023
Meet the inaugural winners of the Format Career Launcher Prize and hear about their visions for life after graduation in this profile from Format.
Announcing EJ Kneifel as the Recipient of the 2023 Gallery TPW Programs Assistant Career Launcher
May 15, 2023
EJ Kneifel is a psycholinguist, poet-critic, friend of a friend. EJ is the author of the chapbook VIO-LETS (Anstruther Press 2023), co-creator of the collective poetry podcast, CATCH, web series, PLAYD8s, and movement-based theatre production, ORANGING.
Recipients of the Format Website Prize for Graduating Students Announced For Art and Design
May 15, 2023
Earlier in 2023, Format and OCAD U's Career Launcher Program partnered to create a prize offering one art and one design student free website hosting for life and a $500 prize.
We're excited to announce Olivia Aguiar and Rand Al-Rubaye as the recipients of the inaugural Format Website Prize for Graduating Students Career Launcher!
Announcing the Recipients of the 2023 Toronto Outdoor Art Fair Career Launcher
May 15, 2023
Ten OCAD U Artists have been selected to show their work at the 2023 Toronto Outdoor Art Fair taking place at Nathan Phillips Square this summer.
Kikki Guerard announced as the recipient of the DesignTO Programs Assistant Career Launcher
May 15, 2023
A 2Spirit Cree from Taykwa Tagamou FirstNation, Kikki is an art director, photographer, and designer. They pursued apost-secondary education in Advertising at OCAD University. Their creative workexplores the many facets of identity and culture, including discussions ofqueerness & gender.
Artist Project Career Launcher Recipient Vlad Kanic Featured in CBC Arts for his Living Sculptures
April 14, 2023
"Imagine like 20, 30 foot large sculptures that can produce oxygen — clean toxins from the air [on a level] equivalent to thousands of trees," he says. "Let's put them in Toronto as a gathering point for communities, and to show that we can change, there is a better future."
Vladmir Kanic announced as the recipient of the 2023 Artist Project Career Launcher
February 28, 2023
Vladimir Kanic is a multidisciplinary artist and environmental activist whose practice explores and experiments with the creation of living art. Vlad will be presenting a new piece in his ongoing body of work with algae for the 2023 fair, occurring April 13 - 16, 2023 at the Better Living Centre in Toronto
Announcing Anqi Li as the inaugural recipient of the Clark Centre for the Arts, Call for Curators/Cultural Producers
February 27, 2023
Anqi's curatorial project will premiere at the Clark Centre for the Arts in June 2023 with artists Ali Sheikh, Sierra da Silva-Canadie, Tizzi Tan, and Zim Yu.
Announcing Sofia Reyes, Pixel Heller, and Steve Williams Jnr as the Recipients of the Black History Month DigitalExhibition Career Launcher
February 2, 2023
We're excited to announce Sofia Reyes, Pixel Heller, andSteve Williams Jnr as the recipients ofthe Black History Month Digital Exhibition Career Launcher! Their work willpremiere at Yonge-Dundas Square for the month of February 2023.
Emerging designers featured in unique ROM exhibition
December 2, 2022
Congratulations to the eight emerging designers from OCAD U who will be featured in the new Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) exhibition, Canadian Modern! This exciting opportunity has been made possible through a partnership between the OCAD U RBC Centre for Emerging Artists and Designers and ROM to create a Career Launcher program as part of the Canadian Modern Exhibition.
Career Launcher Recipient Kasra Goodarznezhad Wins EQ Bank's Emerging Digital Artist Award
August 24, 2022
The Emerging Digital Artists Award (EDAA) is Canada’s award for critical experimentation in digital media, proudly presented by EQ Bank and Trinity Square Video. Launched in 2015, the award celebrates the contributions of artists working exclusively in virtual space. Kasra was selected for his work Evolving Maps: A Collective Memory, 2022.
Clara Kim Announced as a recipient of the Slate Asset Management 2022 Career Launcher
August 8, 2022
Clara's work will be on loan with Slate for a six month exhibition at 2 St. Clair West in the Yonge St. + St. Clair Avenue West community. For the past few years, Slate has welcomed graduating Drawing & Painting students working in all mediums to submit proposals.
Irene Lee Announced as the recipient of the Art Metropole Programs, Publications and Shop Assistant Career Launcher
August 3, 2022
The Programs, Publications & Shop Assistant will join Art Metropole’s team to support activities at their 896 College Street space, at pop-up locations, and online. This is a fantastic opportunity for OCAD U recent graduates interested in building skills and knowledge in an artist-run-centre with a focus on artist’s publications and related programming.
Students Shine at Toronto Outdoor Art Fair
July 7, 2022
This summer, TOAF will feature the talents of numerous OCAD University artists, some of whom will be presenting work through the RBC Centre for Emerging Artists and Designers’ Career Launchers program, an initiative that provides students and recent graduates with real-world experiences in the creative industries.
Parks Canada, Visual Creative Content Specialist recipient announced
July 1, 2022
We're excited to announce Brynn Murphy as the recipient of the Parks Canada, Visual Creative Content Specialist Career Launcher. Brynn Murphy is an Ontario-based photographer entering her fourth year at OCAD University, working towards a BFA in Photography. She specializes in outdoor natural light photography, with an interest in wildlife photography as well as capturing the interactions between nature and the urban environment.
Announcing the recipients of the Akin Studios 2022 Career Launcher
June 28, 2022
We're excited to announce Sara Abulkarim and Emerald Repard-Denniston as the recipients of the Akin Studios 2022 Career Launcher.
Yiren Tang recipient of SwissVBS Illustrator Career Launcher
June 14, 2022
We're excited to announce Yiren Tang as the recipient of the SwissVBS 2022 Illustrator Internship Career Launcher.
Meet the New Artists of the NEO Exchange Commissioning Program
May 30, 2022
The NEO Commissioning Program was launched in 2020 in collaboration with OCAD University, to commemorate new listings on the NEO Exchange in a unique and personal way.
2022 Gallery TPW Career Launcher Recipient Moksha Khanna
April 29, 2022
We're excited to announce Moksha Khanna as the recipient of the Gallery TPW, Programs Assistant Career Launcher.
Hau Pham @ Gladstone Hotel as Part of Partial OCAD U Artist Showcase
April 12, 2022
OCAD University’s RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers and Partial are excited to share that artist Hau Pham currently has work installed as part of Gladstone House’s Art Program. Hau Pham was selected as an artist in the OCAD U Showcase on Partial, a curated collaboration of emerging artists and designers noted for their standout skills and dedication.
Announcing the 2022 Artist Project Career Launcher Recipient Kasra Goodarznezhad
March 25, 2022
Kasra Goodarznezhad is a new media artist based in Toronto. His main focus is Performance and Installation. After studying Graphic Design in Tehran, Iran, he came to Toronto to continue his studies at OCAD University and graduated from the Integrated Media program.
OCAD University Artist Showcase & Partial Gallery Present 2022 Featured Artists
March 10, 2022
Partial Gallery and OCAD U's RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers have partnered to provide an exceptional career opportunity for OCAD U student artists and recent alumni. Congratulations to the first group of featured artists in 2022!
2022 Open Studio, Archive and Collections Assistant Announced!
February 22, 2022
We're excited to announce Erica Jochim as the recipient of the Open Studio, Archive and Collections Assistant Career Launcher. Erica will join the Open Studio team to create a formalized archive of donated prints created at Open Studio over 50 years and multiple locations.
OCAD U student work on view at The Public Gallery
February 16, 2022
Next time you’re in Toronto’s Parkdale neighborhood be sure to swing by 58 Lansdowne Ave. There you will find dear amma, an installation by Interdisciplinary Art, Media and Design student Par Nair displayed in The Public's window gallery space.
Drawing & Painting grad Kathryn Greenwood awarded inaugural Slate Asset Management Career Launcher
February 14, 2022
In spring 2021, OCAD University’s RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers was excited to announce a call for artists in partnership with Slate Asset Management. Slate Asset Management was seeking proposals for a rotating public art exhibit that would animate the lobby of 2 St. Clair West in the Yonge St. + St. Clair Avenue West community.
Video exhibition at Yonge & Dundas Square invites viewers to reflect on the future of Black histories
February 16, 2022
Video exhibition at Yonge & Dundas Square invites viewers to reflect on the future of Black histories. Curated by OCAD U grad leaf jerlefia and featuring work by students and alum Marlon Barrington, Zawadi Bunzigiye, Chauncey Downer-Hincks, Ehiko Odeh and Bidemi Oloyede.
Exhibition foregrounds the past and future of Black histories
February 1, 2022
OCAD U Criticism and Curatorial Practice graduate, leaf jerlefia invites viewers to slow down, recharge and reflect on Black futures and histories in an exhibition that is on view at Yonge-Dundas Square throughout February.
Shift Health Art CommissioningProgram Artists Announced
January 26, 2022
Back in Fall 2021, OCAD University’s RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers and Shift Health partnered to co-create the Shift Health Art Commissioning Program which commissioned five (5) emerging artists, representing different artistic practices and providing a diversity of artistic voices and approaches to create works of art for Shift Health’s new downtown space renovation.
Drawing and Painting grad Charlotte Healey Awarded Inaugural Slate Asset Management Career Launcher
July 23, 2021
Congratulations to Drawing and Painting 21’ grad Charlotte Healey on receiving the inaugural Slate Asset Management Career Launcher.
