With over 6,000 students enrolled in 14 undergraduate programs and six graduate programs, the Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD) University (OCAD University) is the largest art school in the country. Naturally, its signature blockbuster event is its annual art show. This year marks the 100th anniversary of Grad Ex, coinciding with the largest graduating class in the school’s history. Over 900 students will be exhibiting their work.
“Thankfully, we have an app,” says Christine Crosbie, communications and media relations officer for the school. “When people are looking for their friends’ or family members’ work, they can type their name into the app and find where they are in the space.”
Nearly every public surface of four OCAD buildings will be covered in art. Crosbie says the event’s biggest logistical challenge is coming up with the space. “It can be hard to find ways to display the actual objects,” she says. With the evolution of technology to include programs like digital painting and video production, the exhibition will include video screens, as well as object that were made using innovative technology like laser cutters and 3D printers. “There’s a lot of interactivity,” Crosbie says.
To mark the centennial of the show, OCAD organizers have added an extra day to the event, which kicks off April 29. This gives the winners of the school’s awards extra time to display their work. “Every year, in each program, one graduate is elected as a medal winner. On the evening of the opening, the medal winners will be announced and their work will be shown on the Great Hall.” Programs include areas such as painting, curatorial studies, and design.
Crosbie also says that that graduates use the show as an opportunity to launch the next phase of their artistic careers. “You get a chance to meet the artists in person, and some of these people are going to be very successful in the next few years. We get talent scouts attending this show.” One of these success stories is Gary Taxali, a graduate of OCAD and the illustrator of this year’s event poster. He’s now a professor at OCAD, and works for clients like Esquire and GQ. Regardless of their post-graduate plans, Crosbie thinks Grad Ex remains a memorable moment for OCAD students. “For some students, this is the first big exhibition of their work. It’s a really important moment for them.”
Source: Christine Crosbie