CONTACT US
General Inquiries, 416-977-6000, Ext. 229 or email to: wlc@ocadu.ca
Susan Ferguson, Manager
416-977-6000, Ext. 375
Rebecca Smollett, Coordinator of Student Programming
416-977-6000, Ext. 239
Shawn Grey, Program Assistant
416-977-6000, Ext. 2786
Summer 2012 Staff
Peer Tutors:
To be announced.
Teaching Assistants:
To be announced.
Biographies:
Alex Bowron is a third-year Sculpture/Installation student with a previous degree in Religious Studies. In her artistic practice she likes to explore everything from situationist-style performance, to photography and encaustic painting. Alex has a background in urban planning and an interest in cultural studies. Upon completion of her BFA at OCAD U, she hopes to continue her education at a master's level with a focus on how art and artists shape the built environment.
As a fourth-year Graphic Design student, Maggie Chiu Yee Chan appreciates the importance of language in the communication of ideas, especially within her discipline concerning direct communication. At the age of five, she moved here from Hong Kong. As such, she knows well the struggles one may have with the English language. Maggie is actively engaged in the OCAD U community as co-director of the student group OCAD U Bike and loves to continue her contribution to student life at OCAD U.
Meghan Hers is a fourth-year Criticism and Curatorial Studies student with a passion for art education and writing, who made it to OCAD U by way of studies at UBC. As both a Peer Tutor and Study Group Leader she is excited about exploring LBST 1B03 alongside first year students, and learning about the writing process from students of all year levels. When she's not exploring the amazing studio facilities that OCAD U has to offer, you can find her riding her bike through Toronto, working in her preferred medium of collage, or devouring art magazines.
Jamie McMillan is a filmmaker and digital media artist. He is currently completing his 5th Year at OCAD University in Integrated Media, On-Screen Media and Digital Media Studies. Jamie explores the historical evolution of art, film and technology and believes that artistry is truly a reflection of time and space. Jamie greatly values the experience and insight that peer advising brings him and believes that writing is one of the most powerful means of conveying ideas. He is always eager to meet with students and advise their writing skills and beyond.
Though bound to his work and home in Toronto, Patrick Phillips considers himself a kind of traveller in his art and words. From a practice that often draws from and together a multitude of perspectives – best described as strange worlds built from the interdisciplinary manifestations of the play and curiosity vital to the growth of knowledge and life of frames – he has developed an interest in the challenging process of finding a creative voice in academic and personal, professional art writing. An alumnus of OCAD U's Drawing & Painting program currently looking toward graduate studies, Patrick continues to return to writing as grounding and nourishment for his hopes and ideas.
As a third year Printmaking student, Kayla Preston-Lord has always been drawn to the written word by its capacity for remarkably honest communication of base human thoughts, feelings and desires. Kayla remains forever devoted to exploring and experimenting with the ways in which any mode of artistic expression can serve to bridge the explanatory gap that hinders us from being able to truly understand the cognition of another. On a good day, you'll find her knee-deep in India ink and vine charcoal, or perhaps coveting strangers' pets.
Drawing on the abstractions of language forms while leaning into the material matter of things, Rebecca Diederichs explores means of telling through images. Her explorations extend to the workings of text and meaning and the ‘presentness’ of art. Having first studied at the OCAD U in the 1980s, she recently returned to OCAD U to get a BFA and then went on to complete a Master's of Visual Studies degree at the University of Toronto. Rebecca has been involved with Toronto's artist-run culture since the 1980s in her employment, as a board member, curator and writer. She has participated in artists' collectives, including Place & Show Artists' Projects and Persona Volare and, with these groups, exhibited in Ontario and Europe.
Fiona Inglis has an MA in Applied Linguistics and TESOL and is currently a graduate student at the University of Toronto. She has many years of experience working as an ESL instructor in Japan, England, and Canada. Her interest in writing centres began when she was teaching university ESL classes in Nova Scotia and was asked to teach a credit composition course specifically for international students and to work with ESL students in the writing centre. Fiona has been living in Canada for over twelve years, but she can empathise with new international students since she can still remember the shock of her first Montreal winter and the difficulty she had in getting people in Vancouver to understand her accent.
Rebecca Smollett has followed a zigzagging path, including graduate studies in linguistics, teaching ESL, community radio, and writing “do-it-yourself” books on home renovation. She has a passion for languages and has studied several, including Bulgarian and Norwegian. Rebecca has worked at the Writing & Learning Centre for seven years. In her role as ESL Specialist, she works to develop learning support and programming for ESL students. Having studied abroad more than once, she can relate particularly well to the challenges faced by students who are new to Canada.
In addition to fine arts studies at York University, Shawn Grey holds a diploma from the International Academy of Design & Technology. Shawn’s administrative experience includes roles such as Client Services Representative with Counselling & Psychological Services at University of Toronto, Executive Assistant positions with Aboriginal Rights Movement and Anishnawbe Health Toronto, and Curatorial Secretary at The Power Plant Art Gallery.
Susan Ferguson is a researcher, writer and educator. She has a background in educational program development and a Master of Education degree in Sociology and Equity Studies in Education from OISE/University of Toronto. Her thesis research explored embodied writing as a decolonizing methodological practice. Susan has published and presented work on disability, gender and equity in higher education and delivers workshops on disability pedagogy.
Last Modified:4/26/2012 1:03:28 PM
