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Stephen Foster appointed Dean, Faculty of Art

Stephen Foster
Stephen Foster

OCAD University is very excited to announce that it has appointed Stephen Foster as Dean of the Faculty of Art, effective January 1, 2020. Reporting to the Vice-President, Academic & Provost, Foster will be responsible for the educational and research leadership, development and supervision of the Faculty of Art and its integration into the University’s Academic and Strategic Plans.

Foster brings valuable teaching and leadership experience from his roles as Professor and Head of the Creative Services Department at the University of British Columbia Okanagan Campus (UBCO), as well as Director, Center of Indigenous Media Arts. He holds a BFA and MFA from the Visual Arts, Media Arts and Interdisciplinary Fine Arts program of York University.

Prior to these roles, Foster held the position of Associate Dean of Graduate Studies and Research with UBCO, where he served as Chair to a variety of committees related to graduate programming, scholarships and admissions, and research development and policy. He has been dedicated to the development of graduate studies at UBCO, where he pioneered the Summer Institute for Interdisciplinary Indigenous Graduate Studies, inviting Indigenous scholars and artists to work with graduate students in Indigenous Studies.

Throughout his academic and professional art career Foster has worked continually around the themes of Indigenous identity and new media, to include community-based research developing novel approaches to interactive documentary, as well as working in areas of video, photo and audio installation. An advocate for an interdisciplinary teaching and research model, he is specifically interested in the areas where web and installation-based documentary can intersect with community-based research.

Foster’s research practice has engaged inter-faculty collaborations and community-based approaches, as well bridging academic disciplines of social science, Indigenous studies and fine arts practice-based research.

Working collaboratively and in close consultation with the Faculty Deans and the Vice-President, Academic and Provost, Stephen Foster will promote the effective management of the University’s academic programs, research, and outreach, support its educational goals, and enrich University life.