JJ Lee

Faculty of Art Associate Professor JJ Lee is also the Acting Chair, Ada Slaight Contemporary Drawing and Painting. Lee won the silver medal at the National Magazine Awards in June, in the One of a Kind Storytelling category for her article, In My Yesterday.

In My Yesterday explores the art of uncovering Lee’s family’s immigration stories. The article was published in the June/July issue of Canada's History Magazine.

Lee is the recipient of several awards both for her individual work and her collaborative work with The Drawing Board, an award-winning collective with N. Waldburger and A. Swartz. Lee’s work is in public and private collections in Canada and the United States.

Alexander Manu

Faculty of Design Professor Alexander Manu is a part of Team Canada, which won Silver at the Continental Semi-Finals of the Bocuse d’Or in June. The Bocuse d’Or is the biennial world chef championship where the finals are akin to the Oscars of cookery talents.

Manu was appointed Resident Conceptual Designer with Chefs Canada in 2023. He and Industrial Design student Zack Schachter-Tribe collaborated to create the winning platter design. In his role, Manu works with Team Canada on plating and platter concepts as well as dishes using generative AI.

Manu is a strategic innovation practitioner, international lecturer and author. He has been invited to give over 600 keynote lectures in 27 countries, he has been a member of various advisory boards and consulted on foresight strategies, and in 1994, he was elected to the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts (RCA) in recognition of his contribution to the development of design and visual arts in Canada.

Jody Hewgill

Faculty of Design Associate Professor Jody Hewgill received a silver medal from the Society of Illustrators in New York City for her painting Apollo, from her recent solo exhibition Novel Companions. The awards ceremony took place in March at the Museum of Illustration in New York City.

Hewgill notes that Apollo is her largest and most complex painting from her series, Novel Companions. For her, this was a passion project – a celebration of our enduring bond with dogs through fresh portrayals of literary canine characters. Several paintings from the series were also featured in Create! Magazine, issue #40.

Her work has been exhibited in Canada, the United States and Europe, and her paintings can be found in many collections, notably, the Library of Congress Permanent Poster Collection, the Centennial Olympic Games Museum in Atlanta, Rolling Stone Magazine’s corporate office and the US Postal Service.

Other Recent News

Partial x OCAD University Artist Showcase Fall 2025 Call for Artists

Partial and OCAD U’s RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers are excited to announce the return of our partnership which provides an exceptional career opportunity for OCAD U student artists and recent alumni. Selected artists will be given complimentary 2 year Pro Accounts ($240 value) on Partial and permanent inclusion as featured artists within the OCAD University Artist Showcase on Partial to display their works, and administrate artwork sales and rentals.

2026 Sankofa Square Black History Month Digital Exhibition Call for Artists

Sankofa Square and the Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers are excited to announce the return of the annual Black History Month Digital Exhibition Career Launcher providing an exhibition opportunity for artists from the OCAD U community to exhibit their work on the square’s digital screens. Artists are invited to submit artworks to be displayed across five (5) digital screens for the duration of Black History Month in February 2026.

OCAD University announces 2026 Ateneo Art Award Resident Jel Suarez

Filipino artist Jel Suarez has been selected as OCAD University’s 2026 Ateneo Art Award Resident, part of OCAD U’s partnership with the Ateneo Art Gallery at Ateneo de Manila University. The residency supports emerging artists whose practices reflect creativity, critical engagement and innovation. Building on the 2024 residency of Doktor Karayom, who presented No One’s At Home (Walang Tao Sa Bahay) in Toronto, proceeds from a limited-edition shirt designed by Karayom will help support Suarez’s upcoming residency and strengthen cultural exchange between OCAD University and the Ateneo Art Gallery.