ABORIGINAL VISUAL CULTURE PROGRAM
LEADING IN THE AGE OF IMAGINATION
As a leader in cultural education, OCAD University has consistently offered more innovative and socially engaged visual arts and design programs than any school of its kind in Canada. OCADU’s downtown Toronto campus offers students a unique environment that combines studio-based learning with critical inquiry. In 2007 the university embarked on a new mission to lead the way into a transformed cultural milieu it characterized as the Digital Future. OCADU’s strategic plan Leading in the Age of Imagination identified cultural diversity as a key trend in contemporary society and initiated important objectives and innovative approaches to the challenges and opportunities diversity presents. Other guiding themes in the strategic plan: the integration of sustainability in art and design practices and the development of contemporary ethics, were identified as key components of the university’s educational mandate. OCADU’s Aboriginal Visual Culture Program is a direct result of these initiatives.
The strategic plan recognizes OCADU’s location within the territory of the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation (Algonkian) in a province with significant First Nations and Métis populations. It also proposes future initiatives that will create relationships and programs with Aboriginal communities in Ontario and beyond. The strategic plan underscores the value of Aboriginal programs towards asserting a healthy diversity of knowledge and culture in Ontario and at OCADU, and acknowledges the need to create specific programs and spaces for Aboriginal cultural learning.
For a full description, follow this link to a PDF of the Aboriginal Visual Culture Program Vision and Progress Report.
Click to find out more about the Minor in Aboriginal Visual CultureMinor in Aboriginal Visual Culture.
To learn more about Ontario Arts Council Funding for Aboriginal Artists please follow this link.
Last Modified:1/24/2012 12:57:31 PM
