News

OCAD University’s RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers is excited to announce Sydnie Baynes, Chimemelie Okafor and Shamika Pierre as the recipients of the 2026 Sankofa Square Black History Month Digital Exhibition Career Launchers! Their works will be displayed across the five digital screens at Sankofa Square for the duration of Black History Month in February 2026. 

OCAD University’s RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers (CEAD) is pleased to announce a partnership with Bamtori Studio that invites five OCAD University students and recent alumni to sell their work at Bamtori Studio’s JingleBam Market.

OCAD University’s RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers is excited to announce Hala Alsalman, Dee Dee Decay, Anika Iyer, Xinyi Tian, and Wang Zi as the recipient of the 2026 Critical Distance Centre for Curators Projections Program, Call for Artists Career Launchers! Their works will be curated by Jasmine Liaw and displayed at the CDCC for six-weeks in January/February 2026. An essay will be commissioned to accompany the work. 

Congratulations to our Career Launchers recipient Alex Hall for receiving the "Best of Student Award" in the 2025 Toronto Outdoor Art Fair!

OCAD University’s RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers is excited to announce Catherine Blackburn as the recipient of the 2025 Trinity Square Video Vitrine Career Launchers!

OCAD University’s RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers is excited to announce Yana Rzayeva as the recipient of the 2026 DesignTO Exhibition Stantec Window Gallery Career Launchers! 

OCAD University’s RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers is excited to announce Laiken Breau, Jordyn Hendricks, Kenzie Littlelight, Kay Nadjiwon, Emilia Nahdee, Errol Ricard, Liv Sydney as the recipients of the 2025 TO Live Call for Indigenous Artists Career Launchers! Their works will be on dispaly at Meridian Arts Centre, Lower Gallery throughout the month of December 2025.

OCAD University’s RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers (CEAD) is thrilled to launch “Money Models for Emerging Artists & Designers”, a resource created by financial literacy educator and professional artist Maggie Flynn, QAFP® to help emerging creatives think through strategies and options that can help shape their financial lives.

OCAD University’s RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers is excited to announce Jasmine Liaw as the recipient of the Critical Distance Centre for Curators 2026 Projections Program Call for Curators Career Launchers!

OCAD University’s RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers (CEAD) is excited to announce the OCAD U vendors selected to table at Just Tasty Things Market.

OCAD University’s RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers (CEAD) is excited to announce the OCAD U vendors selected to table at Mako Art Market. 

OCAD University’s RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers is excited to announce Alexia Cantore as the recipient of the 2025 Kitworks Jr. Creative Designer Career Launchers!

OCAD University’s RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers is excited to announce Aashna Pujara and Charlotte “Char” Carbone as the recipients of the Contemporary Textile Studio Co-op 2025 Residency Career Launchers!

OCAD University’s RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers is excited to announce Brunna Fanticelli, Ezra Humphreys, James Rose and Shamika Pierre as the recipients of the 2025 401 Richmond Illustration Studio, Dalglish Family Foundation Career Launcher Award!

OCAD University’s RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers is excited to announce Kali Mitres as the recipient of the Ignite Gallery 2025 Call for Curators Career Launchers!

OCAD University’s RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers is excited to announce Jenelle Smith and Kathleen Foran-Spragge as the recipients of the 2025 Critical Distance Centre for Curators, Public Art Billboard and Exhibition Essay Career Launcher!

Jenelle's work will be on display at 180 Shaw Street in August/September 2025 and will be accompanied by an essay written by Kathleen which will soon be available to read on criticaldistance.ca

OCAD University’s RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers is excited to announce Markhan Hussain as the recipient of the 2025 DesignTO Programs Assistant Career Launchers!

OCAD University’s RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers is excited to announce Aashna Pujara as the primary, and Amy Noseworthy as the secondary recipient of the Open Studio 2025 Printmaking Residency Career Launchers!

OCAD University’s RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers is excited to announce Anna Trần as the recipient of the 2025 Art Toronto Intern, Public Spaces Designer Career Launchers! 

OCAD University’s RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers is excited to announce Jessica Patel as the recipient of the 2025 wonderMakr Jr. Creative Technologist Career Launchers!

OCAD University’s RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers is excited to announce Victoria Monaco as the recipient of the 2025 Toronto Animated Image Society (TAIS) Residency Career Launchers and Jada-Le Daley as the runner-up for this opportunity. 

OCAD University’s RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers is excited to announce the recipient of the 2025 Toronto Outdoor Art Fair Call for Artists & Makers Career Launchers!

OCAD University’s RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers is excited to announce Alex Hall as the recipient of the 2025 Gallery 44 Centre for Contemporary Photography Micro-residency Career Launchers and Zed Sheikh as the runner-up for this opportunity.

OCAD University’s RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers is excited to announce Firouzeh Saremi Far and Haley Meyer as the recipients of the 2025 Akin Studios Career Launchers!

OCAD University’s RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers (CEAD) is thrilled to award over $25,000 in support OCAD University’s creative entrepreneurs through the 2025 Seed Fund for Creative Entrepreneurs. Now in its fifth year, the Seed Fund is an essential opportunity for emerging creative entrepreneurs to access vital early support for their business ideas. More than 50 entities applied this year, engaging in a rigorous validation and review process. 

OCAD University’s RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers is excited to announce Caro Simon as the recipient of the 2025 Artist Project Call for Artists Career Launchers!

OCAD University’s RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers is excited to announce Nadia Da Silva (Art) and Maria San Martin Celi (Design) as the recipients of 2025 Format Website Prize Career Launchers!

OCAD University’s RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers is excited to announce Bunya Muchaeva, Katrina Bromberg and Kris Ahn as the recipients of the 2025 Tonkin Liu, Fabrication Apprentice Career Launchers!

OCAD University’s RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers (CEAD) is pleased to announce a partnership with Mutual Artist Network invites four OCAD University students and recent alumni to sell their work at Mutual Artist Network’s CREΔTIA Market.

OCAD University’s RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers is excited to announce Mason Smart as the recipient of the 2025 VIBE Arts Program Assistant Career Launchers!

OCAD University’s RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers is excited to announce Catherine Blackburn and Jordyn Hendricks as the recipients of the 2025 Sankofa Square Indigenous Student Centre Digital Exhibition Career Launchers!

OCAD University’s RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers is excited to announce Brandon Baghaee, Danielle Clark, Ghislan Sutherland-Timm, Jenelle Smith and Teniola Tejumola as the recipients of the 2025 Sankofa Square Black History Month Digital Exhibition Career Launchers!

OCAD University’s RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers is excited to announce Luisé Cineros as the recipient of the 2024 Writers Guild of Canada Screenwriting Awards Statue Call for Artists Career Launcher!

Now in its third year, the RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers is thrilled to announce the recipients of the 2023 Seed Fund for Creative Entrepreneurs.

We are thrilled to announce the winners for the 2022 Seed Fund for Creative Entrepreneurs!!!

Congratulations to the recipients of the inaugural Ownr Career Launcher for Creative Entrepreneurs! The RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers and Ownr are ecstatic to support the following creative businesses by OCAD U students and recent grads.