## Breadcrumb 1. [Home](/index%2Ephp/) 2. [News and Stories](/index%2Ephp/news) 3. [Butterfield Park revitalization project launches in late July](/index%2Ephp/markdownify/node/2648) July 4, 2024 # Butterfield Park revitalization project launches in late July ![A mockup image of a group of people sitting and walking around in the revitalized Butterfield Park (in colour).](/sites/default/files/styles/1_5_1_large/public/2024-09/Revitalized%20Butterfield%20Park.png.webp?itok=LNANhnkv) OCAD University is proud to announce the completion of the Butterfield Park revitalization fundraising campaign, raising over $1.7 million towards the project. Early contributions from George and Martha Butterfield and David Binet propelled the campaign forward to reimagine the park as a dynamic hub of creativity, innovation and community engagement. The campaign was concluded by Chancellor Jaime Watt and Paul Ferguson’s generous gift. Butterfield Park serves as a central gathering place for OCAD U students, AGO patrons, neighbours and the general public; it is also a key piece of green infrastructure for the City of Toronto that will create a more welcoming and inspiring environment for all. “As beauty extends beyond the canvas, sculpture, the classroom and other art forms to the environment, we are excited to support a sustainable outside space for contemplation and creativity,” says Martha Butterfield. [PFS Studio](https://pfsstudio.com/), the same visionary landscape architecture firm that redesigned Grange Park, led the design process in collaboration with Indigenous consultants, [Two Row Architect](https://www.tworow.com/). As a first step, the design team solicited feedback from students, faculty and staff through a survey in 2020 about various preferences, including factors such as park usage, integration of OCAD U values and overall vision. Input from University stakeholder groups as well as from residents of the neighbourhood were also taken into consideration. Construction on the park’s revitalization is set to begin in late July 2024 and is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2024. “On behalf of OCAD University, I extend my heartfelt gratitude to our generous donors for their support in the revitalization of Butterfield Park,” says Ana Serrano, President and Vice-Chancellor of OCAD University. “This initiative will enhance the campus environment and become a place for community collaborations where creativity in the city can flourish.” The revitalized park will include a dedicated space for public art installations, an expanded amphitheatre, a ceremonial fire circle and thoughtfully selected native plants and trees throughout the gardens. “The generosity of our donors is the cornerstone of this project, ensuring that Butterfield Park becomes a vibrant, inclusive and environmentally conscious community space,” says Mary Koutsoubos, OCAD U’s Executive Director of Advancement. The revitalized Butterfield Park will: - **Build Community:** The renovated space will host various activities, programs and social events in new seating and gathering areas with enhanced infrastructure. - **Create a Vibrant Hub for Public Art:** It will be the prominent outdoor venue for OCAD U to showcase art and design installations as well as engaging and inspiring activations. - **Better Connect Parks:** Strengthen the visual and physical connection between Butterfield Park and Grange Park, improving the streetscape and neighbourhood cohesion. - **Protect and Enhance the Environment:** Integrating green space, new trees, community gardens and year-round planting will reduce environmental impact and combat climate change in the urban area. - **Empower and Support the Indigenous Community:** The park will embody Indigenous design principles, serving as a welcoming Indigenous common for all visitors to rest, contemplate and commune. It will continue to showcase the large-scale mural, *pi'tawita'iek: we go up river*, by acclaimed Mi’kmaq artist Jordan Bennett for several years and serve as a lasting land acknowledgement. **Thank you to our donors:** - George and Martha Butterfield - David Binet - Jaime Watt and Paul Ferguson - Anonymous - TD Bank Group - DH Gales Family Charitable Foundation - The Catherine & Maxwell Meighen Foundation ## Other Recent News [### 2026-27 Call for Funding Proposals for Student Groups that Support Creative Entrepreneurship on Campus The RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers (CEAD) invites OCAD University student groups with a mandate to support entrepreneurship on campus to apply for funding for student-led initiatives that strengthen and expand the creative entrepreneurship ecosystem at OCAD U. This funding is intended to help student groups create opportunities for entrepreneurship skills development, community building, and revenue-generating activities for students and recent alumni, while reducing barriers to participation for equity-seeking individuals. November 6, 2026 ](/news/2026-27-call-funding-proposals-student-groups-support-creative-entrepreneurship-campus) [### 2027 Critical Distance Centre for Curators Projections Program Call for Artists OCAD University’s RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers (CEAD) and Critical Distance Centre for Curators (CDCC) have partnered to co-create CDCC Projections Program Career Launcher. Four (4) to five (5) selected emerging artists will receive $690 to exhibit work in a single channel, projection-based screening program that will be displayed at the CDCC in March 2027. October 30, 2026 ](/news/2027-critical-distance-centre-curators-projections-program-call-artists) [### Call for Vendors: BAM! Holiday Art Market 2026 OCAD University's RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers (CEAD) is excited to partner again with Wychwood Barns to offer a curated group of OCAD U students and recent alumni the opportunity to share a vendor table at the BAM! Holiday Art Market. October 26, 2026 ](/news/call-vendors-bam-holiday-art-market-2026) Related Stories ## Related Stories [### A night of art, design and community at the OCAD U Gala More than 300 guests gathered for the second annual OCAD U Gala, raising $420,000 through an evening of art, design and community. Proceeds from the event will support student bursaries at OCAD University. June 4, 2026 ](/news/night-art-design-and-community-ocad-u-gala) [### Taking graduate work beyond the studio With support from the William and Nona Heaslip Foundation, OCAD U graduate students are expanding their practice through travel, experimentation and new creative work. May 5, 2026 ](/news/taking-graduate-work-beyond-studio) [### Rosalie Sharp honoured with inaugural Chancellor’s Lifetime Achievement Award The OCAD U award recognizes Rosalie Sharp’s extraordinary contributions to the advancement of art, design and culture in Toronto and across Canada. October 22, 2025 ](/news/rosalie-sharp-honoured-inaugural-chancellors-lifetime-achievement-award)