IGNITE GALLERY CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS 2023 
 

Annual Call for Submissions. 

Apply by May 19th  

Ignite Gallery is continuing our 45-year tradition of exhibiting OCAD U students and recent grads. Ignite plans its program schedule after its annual call for submissions, which is released every spring. All applications are reviewed by the Gallery’s Selection Committee, which includes the Gallery’s Coordinators, representatives from the OCADU faculty and student body. Only successful applicants will receive emails at the end of June. We accept applications from individual artists, designers, and curators, as well as group submissions. No solo shows will be accommodated; however, the Selection Committee may combine individual artists who apply into a group exhibition. The committee works to create a balanced program that reflects the diverse range of work produced across all programs at OCAD U. Ignite Gallery is committed to exhibition equity, we encourage applications from members of equity-seeking communities including women, racialized and Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, and persons of all sexual orientations and gender identities/expressions. 

For the upcoming exhibition year, we hope to receive more performance and experiential installations. 

Please include all of the following in a single PDF, name the PDF your name, (example GarfieldArbuckle.pdf) and email to: 
ignitegallery@ocadu.ca 

1. Contact name(s) 

2. Phone number(s) 

3. Email(s) 

4. Program/year 

5. Artist statement (individual submissions) or exhibition proposal 
   (group submissions) 

6. A selection of images (maximum 10 images per application or 5 minutes of time-based media 
   not exceeding 30 MB). Submit links in the PDF for files over 30MB or for video. 

7. If applicable: an image list, with dimensions and materials. 
   Label all image files with a number and your name. Ensure that the numbers for the first nine images begin with a zero (for example:01GarfieldArbuckle.jpg, 02GarfieldArbuckle.jpg …10GarfieldArbuckle.jpg). This will ensure that they are presented in the correct order. 
    

Applications will be accepted until 11:59 p.m., May 19th, 2023    
 

Ignite Gallery is on the homelands of the Haudenosaunee, the Anishinaabeg, and the Wendat. Ignite Gallery sets our intentions to live within the laws of these host nations and to building meaningful relationships with the lands and waters.   

For any self-identifying Indigenous student or alumni interested in displaying/presenting/selling their artwork at pi'tawita'iek: we go up river Mural Launch, please email susanjama@ocadu.ca.

Deadline for Submission: Monday June 13, 2022 at 11:59 PM

pi'tawita'iek: we go up river Mural Launch is on Wednesday, June 15, at Butterfield Park (100 McCaul Street), from 3 PM to 5 PM.

Onsite Gallery will provide tables to artists at no cost.

About pi'tawita'iek: we go up river

pi'tawita'iek: we go up river is a large-scale outdoor mural by Jordan Bennett

pi'tawita'iek: we go up river on the south wall of OCAD University’s main campus, adjacent to Butterfield Park, will ground the space in Indigenous material culture. This new, public artwork is rooted in Bennett’s relationships with Mi’kmaq porcupine quillwork. He brings forward and reimagines their graphic patterns, bright colours and inspiring stories. In visiting with these cultural objects Bennett connects with their visual language and furthers this visual conversation through his contemporary influences and experience.

pi'tawita'iek: we go up river curated by Lisa Deanne Smith, Curator, Onsite Gallery

Call for Submissions - 2021-2022 Partial Gallery OCADU Artist Showcase
Partial Gallery 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 (2020 + 2021). 40 selected artists will be given complimentary 1-year Pro Accounts on Partial and inclusion as featured artists within the  OCAD University Artist Showcase on Partial’s online platform in order to showcase their works, and administrate artwork sales and rentals.

As of year three, the OCAD U Artist Showcase has had: 

• 3.72 M total impressions since launching in Feb 2020
• 204 interactions (booking requests and interest sessions)
• 65% of artists received at least 1 sale/rental inquiry
• A total of 148 sale booking requests (97 successful)
• A total of 56 rental booking requests (36 successful)
• A total of 42 artists received sale / rental requests

ELIGIBILITY

Partial is a platform for independent and emerging fine artists. 

• OCAD U Alumni from any program of study who have graduated in 2020 or 2021 
• OCAD U undergraduate students who have earned 15.0 or more credits 
• OCAD U Graduate students who will be completing their program in the current academic year 

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

• Full contact information (Name, phone, portfolio, and email) and current CV. 
• Links to online portfolio, highlighting up to 5 sample works. Choose 5 sample works that you would want to see on the platform 
• A brief artist biography 
• A brief statement of intent outlining your interest in this opportunity (up to 250 words max) 
• Written confirmation of eligibility listed above 
  
  For more information visit: https://careerlaunchers.format.com/10008564-2021-22-partial-gallery-submissions

DEADLINE

We will be accepting applications until all positions are filled.

This is an amazing opportunity to get your work out there, nurture an audience, and sell your work! Applications will be reviewed by faculty members and staff from the Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers.

The benefits of being part of the OCAD U Artist Showcase include: 

• A dedicated artist profile page
• Active promotion of work by OCAD U's Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers
• Listing on Partial’s artist directory
• Smart insights about your artwork
• Pricing Guide
• E-commerce capabilities for art sales plus rental & payment plans for your art
• Trade Access: access to set decorators, designers, and stagers
• Priority Artist support
• Insurance Protection on all art rentals/rent-to-own plans
• Low 20% transaction fee on any sale/rental

About Partial

Partial is an art marketplace and platform for artists and art-seekers to connect and engage in real and accessible transactions. Thanks to the smart try-before-you-buy options, original work by local artists are just around the corner – and now within reach. The small team began Partial in 2016 in Toronto with the simple goal of bringing more art out of artists’ studios and onto the walls of homes and businesses in their city. https://www.partial.gallery              

ACCESSIBILITY

Applicants who have concerns about meeting a Career Launcher application deadline are invited to connect with the CEAD in order to discuss possible alternatives. We encourage all who might require assistance with the application process to reach out to determine available support. Outreach of this nature should be undertaken at least one week prior to the published application deadline.

QUESTIONS

If you have any questions about this opportunity, please contact  careerdevelopment@ocadu.ca

The Journal of Visual & Critical Studies is taking submissions for this year's publication, under the theme of ART & RECIPROCITY. With the goal of celebrating some of the best undergraduate academic writing at OCAD University, this anthology challenges the boundaries of art history by looking at art’s relationship with the world through cultural, political, and social exchange.

We encourage students to submit work that they have written for courses and would feel proud to share with the OCAD U Community and aligns with the guiding theme. The Editorial Committee is seeking submissions from all current OCAD U students in the following formats:

Exhibition and Performance Reviews [250 to 500 words]
Reviews of exhibitions, performances or art-related events that happened after April 2021. We welcome reviews that are local, national, or international in scope.

Critical Essays [1000 to 2000 words]
We publish academic essays about art, design, and visual studies. We are open to a wide range of methods and analyses, including experimental writing on aesthetic experiences and interdisciplinary research. We can accept excerpts from larger essays.

Abstracts of Thesis Projects [150 to 250 words]
Art or design students may submit up to 3 images of their works to contextualize their abstract. Images provided should be 300 DPI.

---

Submission Guidelines
Submissions should be sent either as an email attachment, or as a link to a Google Drive file to visualcriticalstudies@gmail.com. Writing should be submitted as a Word Document (.doc or .docx) and Chicago style citations are encouraged.

In your submission email please provide a 1 to 2 sentence biography that includes your name, your program, the year of your program (for ex: 3rd year student), and a few details about your research interests and/or studio practice.

Submission deadline: Friday, February 18, 2022

To learn more about the Journal of Visual & Critical Studies and to read past volumes, please visit visualcriticalstudies.tumblr.com.

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: Navigating Identity in the Asian Diaspora

AZN Artists Collective (AAC) is thrilled to have the opportunity to host our very first exhibition at OCAD U in the Ada Slaight Gallery space. AAC would love for you to join us in the making of our exhibition, and we invite current members of the collective and non-members to apply (with consideration of the qualifications). We ask that participants submit one piece of work or a series that relates to our theme: navigating identity in the Asian diaspora. We would love to know your perspective,  experiences, and your past or present views on what it like to navigate identity as a person belonging to the Asian Diaspora. Existing pieces or proposals for new works are acceptable submissions. Please indicate on your application if your work has specific installation requirements or if you need special accommodations. The artworks will be selected by a jury, and the successful applicants will be contacted.

Note: the AAC is in full compliance with OCAD University’s COVID-19 protocols, gallery capacity is TBD.

Submission deadline: 11:59 p.m., November 30, 2021

How To Apply: Please fill out the form attached to this link
https://bit.ly/3lOwkHa

Requirements:
-Current OCAD Student
-Member of Asian Diaspora
-Headshot and Artist Bio

Compensation: there will unfortunately be no compensation as this is an unpaid opportunity.

Timeline:
November 30: Submission Deadline
December 1 to 6: Assessment Process
December 6: Notification of Results
January 17: Opening Day
January 26: Closing Night

About AZN Artists Collective:
AZN Artists Collective (AAC) is a community to get together to talk about social issues, identity work; Pan-Asian political/social justice oriented while sharing a common passion of the design and fine arts. Although the AAC mainly caters to the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, we are committed to engaging and welcoming those who identify as Black, Indigenous, People(s) of Colour (BIPOC); Two-spirited, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Transsexual, Queer, Intersex, Asexual, Pansexual (2SLGBTQ+); and Deaf Persons, Persons with Disabilities and Persons Living with Mental Illness.

For information about this and other student-run groups at OCAD U, visit https://www.ocadu.ca/services/campus-life/student-groups

The JVCS will be having their second annual undergraduate colloquium in visual culture. We are accepting texts and stories by artists, writers, and designers that addresses how online living has altered the fabric of our sociality, temporality, and embodiment. How has online living changed practices of self and community care? How has this past year of isolation affected our introspection and awareness of self, and others? How have we changed the way we create?

Submissions are open to current undergraduate students. Priority will be given to BIPOC and 2SLGBTQ+ applicants. Formats can include but are not limited to: academic essays, personal essays, letters, poetry, manifestos, and more.  Texts should be sent as a docx or doc to visualcriticalstudies@gmail.com.

Deadline extended to Friday, July 30th!

Call for Submissions: Pivot 2021 virtual conference
Dismantling/reassembling — Tools for alternative futures 

July 22-23, 2021 
Deadline for abstracts: April 5, 2021

The Pluriversal Design Special Interest Group of the Design Research Society (DRS) and the Public Visualization Lab of OCAD University invite you to submit an abstract and participate in the Pivot 2021 virtual conference.
The Pivot 2021 theme focuses on the tools that we might design and use to dismantle the structures of the current civilizational model (aka patriarchal capitalist Modernity) and to reassemble the debris into new models, converting debris into the nurturing humus for worlds in the making. 

By tools, we refer to not only artifacts but also to services, symbols, rules, institutions, policies, pedagogies, systems, environments, and so on (Illich 1975). Briefly, tools constitute aspects of social life that we deliberately create to (re)shape the tangible reality. 

As the world faces multiple colossal, interconnecting crises—COVID-19, social unrest around our fragile sphere of Earth, climate crisis, plastic pollution, deforestation, ravaging wildfires, the frightening spread of authoritarianism, and so on—there is an increasing awareness that the Western civilizational model and ways of life have reached a crossroads. What is currently asked from humanity is more than damage reduction, but a profound societal transformation: reconceiving cultural and economic models and changing our ways of being, thinking, learning, making, relating, and so on. 

Pivot 2021 aims to identify tools and practices of dismantling and reassembling that could favor ways of reshaping human presence on Earth, as well as concrete cases of alternative future-making from all around the world. 

CONFERENCE FORMAT
PIVOT 2021 will be a virtual conference that takes place on Zoom (July 22-23, 2021). Each day will feature two keynotes and several panels exploring different themes. 

HOW TO PARTICIPATE
We invite you to submit a long abstract (700-1000 words) by April 5, 2021. 
Send us two PDFs (one with your name and affiliation and one fully anonymized)
Please submit your abstracts by email to: pivot2021toronto@gmail.com

Learn more at: pivot2021conference.com

OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

Partial Gallery and OCAD University are excited to announce the return of our partnership which provides an exceptional career opportunity for OCAD U student artists and recent alumni (2020). 40 selected artists will be given complimentary 1 year Pro Accounts on Partial and inclusion as featured artists within the  OCAD University Artist Showcase on Partial’s online platform in order to showcase their works, and administrate artwork sales and rentals.

In the inaugural year, the OCAD U Artist Showcase had:

• Over 1.7 million impressions 
• 28 Sales   
• 16 Rentals 
• Over 85 interactions (booking requests and interest sessions)
• 40 featured OCAD U students and grads 

This is an amazing opportunity to get your work out there, nurture an audience, and sell your work! Applications will be reviewed by faculty members and staff from the Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers. Read more about artists' experiences with Partial here. 

The benefits of being part of the OCAD U Artist Showcase include: 

• A dedicated artist profile page
• Active promotion of work by OCAD U's Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers
• Listing on Partial’s artist directory
• Smart insights about your artwork
• Pricing Guide
• E-commerce capabilities for art sales plus rental & payment plans for your art
• Trade Access: access to set decorators, designers, and stagers
• Priority Artist support
• Insurance Protection on all art rentals/rent-to-own plans
• Low 16% transaction fee on any sale/rental

About Partial

Partial is an art marketplace and platform for artists and art-seekers to connect and engage in real and accessible transactions. Thanks to the smart try-before-you-buy options, original work by local artists are just around the corner – and now within reach. The small team began Partial in 2016 in Toronto with the simple goal of bringing more art out of artists’ studios and onto the walls of homes and businesses in their city. 

DEADLINE

The initial intake deadline - Friday, October 30 at 11:59 pm EST 

ELIGIBILITY

Partial is a platform for independent and emerging fine artists. 

• OCAD U Alumni from any program of study who have graduated in 2020 
• OCAD U undergraduate students who have earned 15.0 or more credits 
• OCAD U Graduate students who will be completing their program in the current academic year 

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

• Full contact information (Name, phone, portfolio, and email) and current CV. 
• Links to online portfolio, highlighting up to 5 sample works. Choose 5 sample works that you would want to see on the platform 
• A brief artist biography 
• A brief statement of intent outlining your interest in this opportunity (up to 250 words max) 
• Written confirmation of eligibility listed above 

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTION 

Please submit via https://ocadu.partial.gallery/submit

If you have any questions about this opportunity, please contact Zviko Mhakayakora zmhakayakora@ocadu.ca

Image: Gillian Toliver. Courtesy of Artist.

OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

OCAD U is excited to partner with Canadian TireCorporation to create an exclusive call for submissions for members of the OCAD U community. This call for artworks is a new initiative that will commission five new works created by OCAD U students/alumni in support of Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities. These commissioned artworks will be auctioned in September 2021 at the annual Canadian Tire Dealers Convention, benefiting Jumpstart Charities, which helps kids overcome barriers to sport and recreation in an effort to provide inclusive play for kids of all abilities.

Individual project grants of $2,000 each will be awarded to OCAD U affiliated artists by a jury made up of Canadian Tire and OCAD U representatives. Recipients will be selected on the basis of a short, written proposal and the strength of a portfolio of existing work. Proposals should demonstrate an affinity for the heritage of Canadian Tire Corporation, the role of the retailer in supporting Canadians, or showcase the charitable work of Jumpstart which as an organization breaks down barriers to ensure that every kid has a chance to play. Works could potentially respond to themes such as the role of Canadian Tire in local communities, the longer history of Canadian Tire or Jumpstart themes such as movement, inclusiveness, children, ability or sport, but are not limited to these recommendations.

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS

Friday, October 9, 2020 at 11:59 PM

PROJECT TIMELINE

• Call for Artist Participant Launch: September 18, 2020 
• Deadline for Applications: October 9, 2020 
• Jurying of Proposals by Partner: Week of October 12, 2020 
• Award Announcement: Week of October 19, 2020 
• Approval of Final Concepts by Partner: By November 16, 2020 
• Production of Commissioned Artwork: November 23, 2020 – March 15, 2020 
• Documentation of Artworks Provided: By March 22, 2021 
• Artworks Delivered to Partner: Last week of March 2021 

PARTNER 

Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities 

https://jumpstart.canadiantire.ca/ 

As one of the most trusted and iconic Canadian brands, customers have been shopping with us for over 95 years because we provide them with the most relevant assortment and exclusive products they need for life in Canada. With over 500 retail locations, and leading the way in Automotive, Playing, Fixing, Seasonal andLiving categories, we are Canada’s Store.

Founded in 2005, Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities is a national charitable organization dedicated to breaking down barriers to get more kids into organized sports and physical activities. With an extensive national network of more than 300 local chapters, Jumpstart Charities helps kids overcome financial and accessibility barriers to sport and recreation in an effort to provide inclusive play for kids of all abilities. 100% of every donation made to aJumpstart Chapter gets reinvested in that community— directly impacting local kids.

QUALIFICATIONS

• OCAD U Alumni from any program of study who have graduated between 2014 and 2020 
• OCAD U undergraduate students who have earned 15.0 or more credits 
• OCAD U Graduate students who will be completing their program in the current academic year 

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

• Name and contact information. Please confirm your eligibility regarding the qualifications (above) 
• A current resume or CV 
• A short written proposal (max. 250 words) that clearly describes the work which will be created, including any potential linkages to the partner or suggested themes 
• Links to an online portfolio of prior work. Please also specify up to 3 particular past works for the jury to begin with. 

SUBMISSION CONSIDERATIONS

• Final works can be realized in any medium but will need be “exhibition ready”, eg. framed or mounted, if selected 
• Works may have been created individually or in collaboration (one grant per submission) 
• Applicants can propose a series of works or one stand-alone work (one grant per submission) 
• Works will need to be digitally documented by the artists for the purposes of online circulation 
• Selected artists will have access to Canadian Tire archives in order to support any potential research needs 

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTION

All applicants will submit via Typeform: 

http://bit.ly/canadiantireapply 

Call for Submissions: Virtual Studio Visits 

As OCAD University’s professional gallery and experimental curatorial platform for art, design and new media, Onsite Gallery is mandated to play a leadership role in developing international dialogues and programming of relevance to Toronto. 

During these uncertain times of pandemic, physical distancing and anxiety-inducing news feeds, artists, designers, researchers and cultural institutions are reflecting on COVID-19—its causes and effects including civilization’s extractive relationship with all living things, human to human interaction, and collaboration.  

Onsite Gallery is interested in conducting virtual studio visits with artists and designers whose practice addresses themes of collaboration, environment, multi-species relations and/or globalization.  

We believe that maintaining critical links between Onsite Gallery and our creative communities is crucial during this time of isolation. Onsite Gallery’s Curator, Lisa Deanne Smith, will conduct virtual studio visits via Zoom to establish new connections, stimulate discussions and development of future digital and exhibition programming with Onsite Gallery.  Her most recent exhibitions include How to Breathe Forever and The Sunshine Eaters.

Onsite Gallery invites regional, national and international professional (non-student) creatives to submit the following to onsite@ocadu.ca by 11:59 p.m. on April 13, 2020: 

• Your name
• Your email address
• Your location 
• Link to your website or digital portfolio
• Brief description of your practice and how it relates to collaboration, environment, multi-species relations and/or globalization (max. 200 words) 
• 4 to 6 images that exemplify your practice (under 1MB each) 

Onsite Gallery especially encourages submissions from members of diverse communities, including Indigenous and POC creatives, those with disabilities, those from the LGBT2Q+ community and those who identify with other marginalized groups.  

Onsite Gallery thanks all those who choose to submit; unfortunately, we will be unable to accommodate all requests for studio visits. If you are selected for a virtual studio visit, you will be notified by April 28, 2020.