Steps Forward Celebrates Student Creativity and OCAD U's 150-Year Legacy

Members of the OCAD U community gathered this week to celebrate the launch of Steps Forward, a new series of student-created murals transforming the iconic Yellow Staircase as part of the university's 150th anniversary celebrations. The event welcomed students, faculty, staff, senior leaders, and community members for a first look at the completed works and guided tours led by the artists themselves.

Since the opening of the Sharp Centre in 2004, the Yellow Staircase has served as one of OCAD U's most visible and dynamic spaces for student expression. Layered over the years with artwork, messages, memorials, celebrations, and calls for change, the staircase has become a living reflection of the student experience. Through Steps Forward, OCAD U invited current students and recognized student groups to reimagine several staircase landings through intentional, large-scale murals that honour the university's past while looking toward its future.

Developed through a competitive selection process, the project brought together a diverse group of student artists and collectives whose works explore themes of identity, belonging, imagination, community, and creative possibility. Featured artists include Alexa Morrison, Mataya Guy, Jordyn Hendricks, Caylen Monroe, the Dreamzzz collective (Minjeong Ju, Lisa Shao, and Liam Ethan), and the Mature Student Collective. The resulting murals reflect the breadth of perspectives that make up OCAD U's student body while contributing to a welcoming and inspiring campus environment.

“Steps Forward embodies the spirit of OCAD U’s 150th anniversary,” said Sarah Mulholland, Director, Office of Student Affairs. “The project celebrates the creativity and talent of today’s students while acknowledging the generations of artists, designers, and makers who have shaped our community over the past 150 years. Campus Life is committed to creating opportunities that bring people together, and these murals demonstrate how art can strengthen a sense of community while enlivening the spaces we share.”

Together, the murals invite the community to reflect on OCAD U's history, celebrate the present, and imagine the possibilities that lie ahead.

Special thanks to Jasmine Cardenas Obando, Coordinator, Campus Life & Communications; the participating artists and collectives; applicants; selection committee members; Facilities & Studio Services; Environmental Health & Safety; and paint sponsors Merit Decorating Centre and Benjamin Moore Paints Canada, whose support helped bring the project to life.