Practice English Speaking&Listening with: OCAD University 2020 Virtual Convocation

- Hello everyone, and congratulations

to our 2020 graduates.

I'm Dr. Caroline Langill,

vice president, academic, and provost,

and I wanted to welcome you all here today.

On behalf of OCAD University

I want to acknowledge that we are on these traditional

and ancestral lands of Haudenosaunee,

the Anishinaabe, the Huron Wendat,

and the Mississaugas of the Credit

who are the original owners

and custodians of the land

upon which we live, work, and create

when we're on campus.

Never did I imagine that I would be greeting you

from my home here in Peterborough,

but we are are, together online.

These are extraordinary times,

and this is a historical moment.

This is our first virtual ceremony.

I wanna thank graduates, parents,

friends, and family for watching with us today.

I also wanna thank the students

and congratulate you all on your resilience

in finishing this year

during what has been a challenging time.

I wanna give a special thanks to faculty

and staff who have supported students

in all their endeavors today.

We are in another historical moment,

this is the last convocation ceremony

for President Sara Diamond.

I want to thank her for her commitment

over the last 15 years.

Her leadership has ensured that students have had

what they needed to succeed, thrive,

and graduate with degrees in art and design.

Dr. Diamond has been a champion of digital technology

in the classroom.

She has put us in a leadership position

in relation to decolonization

and the integration of indigenous knowledge,

and she has led the growth of gradates studies

and research at OCADU.

So on behalf of Salah Bachir

chancellor at OCAD University,

and my colleagues, I wanted to thank Dr. Diamond

for what OCAD is today,

a unique art and design institution

with interdisciplinary programs

and a diverse population of students and faculty.

Joining us today are many outstanding individuals

who are part of our OCADU community.

We are going to recognize our honorary degree recipients,

our teaching award winners,

and our governor generals award winners.

We're also going to hear a performance by Cris Derksen,

a Juno-nominated cellist.

In closing, I wanna wish all students

both graduate and undergraduate,

the best with all of your future endeavors,

and congratulate you once again

on what you've achieved today.

I hope you enjoy the ceremony.

- Howdy, I'm Cris Derksen,

and I just wanna congratulate all of you OCAD grads

on making it through this wild, wild year.

I gotta new song for you.

(gentle music)

Good work team.

- Chancellor Bachir, President Diamond,

distinguished guests, graduates,

members of the OCAD-U community,

proud family members and friends, hello,

bonjour, (speaking in foreign language).

It's a personal pleasure to join you virtually

on this happy and historic occasion.

Happy because during these strange times,

a celebration comes as welcome relief.

Historic because in addition to this being first ceremony

of its kind, today a new generation

goes out into the world, so to speak.

As your lieutenant governor,

I want to pay tribute to this university.

OCADU is a place of boldness, innovation,

and untold paths of possibility.

Throughout this current pandemic,

we've seen the essential role

of those who can think critically,

anticipate what is needed,

and imagine and reimagine products,

services and policies

that will help society respond effectively.

As we begin to chart the future,

the arts will certainly help us heal.

The design community will help us design

not simply a new normal,

but a better normal,

for we must dare to dream of a society

that is better,

that is fairer,

that is rebuilt to make the most of humanity's resilience.

If anyone is equipped to be a part

of fulfilling such expansive vision,

it is today's graduates.

So to you, on behalf of a grateful province,

I offer my warmest congratulations,

and I thank you in advance

for the important contribution I know you will make.

And to the many family members,

mentors and friends,

thank you for your continuing support.

May you keep well.

This is a moment to come together,

lift our spirits,

take inspiration and courage

from bright young minds.

Enjoy.

- Dear graduates, I'm extremely glad to be here with you,

albeit virtually, on this joyous occasion

of your convocation.

(mumbles) and a warm greetings

to our distinguished faculty

honorary degree recipients,

families, friends and honored guests.

In this unprecedented time,

I know it's tough for all of you

who've had to make massive adjustments

to our everyday lives during this global pandemic.

I also want to thank all the creative people

who brought us together today

in this virtual graduation.

Nevertheless, today is your day.

Today, we celebrate your outstanding achievements,

and I applaud you for your remarkable work,

tenacity and resilience

in completing your degree.

Let's also thank the many supporters

who have helped and inspired you along the way.

Your parents, teachers, colleagues,

and other family members and friends.

I also congratulate this year's honorary degree recipients,

the honorable Elizabeth Dowdeswell,

Jim Logan,

Julien Christian Lutz,

also known as Director X,

and Dr. John Semple.

Your incredible work is inspiring to all of us.

I also wanna express my sincere thank you

to President Sara Diamond,

who's completing 15 years of service as our leader.

Sarah has transformed OCAD

and is a friend and a mentor.

And we can't wait to see what she does next.

To our graduating class, once again,

I celebrate your achievements.

As our next generation of Canada's top artists,

designers, and media makers,

I'm confident they'll make us proud.

Now more than ever,

you can use the power of your creative thinking

to improve our world.

Your creativity can inspire the lives of others

and we have seen this first hand

during this challenging time.

Over the past few months,

we've seen how artists, designers,

and digital creators have played an important role

in helping society cope with the crisis.

As you build your careers,

remember to work together for change,

and to value diversity as a strength.

And by the authority as chancellor,

and on behalf of the senate,

I admit you in absentia gradates

to diplomas and degrees,

and grant you the license of doing which all pertains

to those diplomas and degrees.

As your chancellor,

and on behalf of the entire OCAD University community,

I congratulate you and extend heartfelt wishes

for future happiness, health and success.

Thank you.

- Hello everybody.

It's a great pleasure to welcome you into our home,

and you are surrounded as I am

with the wonderful artwork and design work

of our faculty and our alumni.

And I wanted to have this as a background

as I share my congratulations with you,

our graduating class of 2019-2020.

So with great pleasure,

I welcome graduates, their family and friends,

faculty, staff, alumni,

our board chair, Jamie Watt,

Chancellor Salah Bachir,

members of senate, and the Board of Governors,

our honorary doctorate appointments

for the 2019-2020 convocation,

the honorable Elizabeth Dowdeswell,

Ontario's lieutenant governor,

visual artist and creator, Jim Logan,

award winning video director, Julien Christian Lutz,

known as Director X,

and internationally recognized surgeon

and OCADU graduate,

Dr. John Semple,

and their family and friends,

and other members of the OCADU community.

(speaking in foreign language)

On behalf of all of those assembled here,

I congratulate the OCAD University

undergraduate and graduate students

who will graduate in today's ceremony.

And I offer a very special thank you

for choosing to join us for OCADU's virtual convocation.

We hope to inspire you

and wish you well as you make your way

into our complex world.

I reach out to you to shake your hands.

OCAD University currently holds to a compelling vision

as Canada's university of the imagination.

That is imagination with impact.

We challenge you to pursue the questions of our time,

audaciously and responsibly,

through the powerful interplay of art, design,

the humanities, the social sciences,

and the sciences.

When we say you,

we are speaking to our alumni and our audience,

and your many communities of origin,

and those that you will impact

and influence over your lifetime.

The COVID 19 pandemic underscores how keenly

the capabilities of artists,

designers, curators, creative thinkers,

strategists, media makers,

and imaginative scientists and health care professionals

are needed here in Toronto, Canada, and the world.

And rarely has the consumption and creation of culture

expanded so dramatically

addressing our sense of isolation,

bringing pleasure and contemplation,

bridging division in the face of polarization,

helping us manage mental as well as physical wellbeing.

I want to briefly share

some of the amazing efforts

by our faculty and students.

OCADU technicians led by Daryl Currington

quickly created a distributed 3D printing factory

to produce personal protective equipment

for frontline health care workers,

designed for Health Canada Research chair, Dr. Sellen,

and her health design studio

developed the COVID 19 printable patient handouts,

the self management resources

available in more than 27 languages.

Centers and clinics are downloading

and adapting these all over the world.

The inclusive design research center

has used co-design

to create an inventory of needs

of marginalized groups in Toronto

working closely with the city of Toronto.

Alumni, Lisa Deanne Smith,

who's curator of Onsite,

OCAD University's professional gallery,

has developed a series of virtual tours

with artists and interviews with them

where they talk about how they are addressing COVID 19

in their lives.

And Ada Slaight,

chair of contemporary painting and print media,

Ilene Sova has inspired undergraduate students

to create art in the time of the Coronavirus,

available on our In Studio platform.

Graduates, in this time when others may lose hope,

you have a tremendous opportunity

in the near future and the years ahead of you

to live a life that expresses, seeks,

and celebrates beauty,

creativity, and optimism.

You have benefited from the power of Studio critique,

the investigative and expressive practices

of research creation,

of individual learning,

and equally of collaboration.

You know how to inspire,

to vision, to include,

to convince and to engage.

You do not stand at the margins of this world,

but at the epicenter of building a post-COVID 19

that is better than this,

whether physical, virtual, local or international.

These complex times demand your highly diverse imaginations,

your foresight, your generosity,

your intentionality, and your attention.

Whether you live in Canada or elsewhere,

respect for and celebration

of indigenous culture and knowledge

is one of the most important opportunities

for positive transformation

of our societies in this century

and for our planet's future.

OCAD University nurtures diversity and resilience

and practices equity inclusion and sustainability

helping our world address the climate crisis.

And diversity will provide you

the well spring of knowledge

that will equip you to respond to difficult issues.

The empathy and ethical direction

that has guided your education at OCADU

should provide a compass that will orient

your perspectives in years to come.

Graduate artists, you enter a moment

in which the thirst for visual literacy,

cultural expression, curation and interpretation

has never been so powerful.

You can apply your skills to a vast array of fields

and remain true to your creative vision.

As artists, you can address the grand challenges

of the 21st century

with your images, or work in concert with communities

placing art at the forefront of social

and environmental change.

You can meet the growing demand

for visual art across many cultures,

age groups and international markets and audiences.

And you can be financially successful as an artist.

Gradate designers, you're entering

one of the most celebrated and in demand professions.

You will be a fifth column

in industry, in government,

and in the not for profit sector.

You will help to design the post-COVID 19 world

using design thinking and strategic foresight

and concrete design skills.

You will create and succeed in building your own companies.

And graduate curators,

in a time crowded with information,

disinformation, images and experiences,

you will cut through the noise

to create meaning and new ways of understanding

and experiencing the world

that negotiate our future, virtual, and physical boundaries.

Gradates, we live at the brink

of the forth industrial revolution,

AI and machine learning.

You will be the inventors of new techniques,

tools and you will provide humane user centric,

environmentally responsible technology.

In fact, providing checks and balances

against algorithmic bias

has been one of the contributions

of OCADU researchers in the COVID 19 crisis.

They are working to design training materials

on how to detect misinformation or omissions

in AI formuli helping to make health and safety decisions

during the pandemic.

I speak now to our graduate students.

Thank you for taking this important time in your lives

to undertake concentrated study and discovery

at the graduate level.

The intensely focused and disciplined work

that you have pursued

with its results in a thesis

or major research project

will guide you over the next years of your careers.

Whether you have created an exhibition,

an historical tristis,

a design solution,

an artwork, an intervention,

an invention, a foresight realization,

a technology or other expression,

these years are a solid foundation

and a powerful point of departure

for future research and practice.

Your combined critical, creative,

technical and strategic insights

will shake and shape our challenging epoch.

Graduates, I return to you

the beauty that you bear as an eloquent testimony

to the investment that our faculty have made

as enablers of your talent,

as role models who are confident of their own creativity

and critical thinking,

of guides for your undergraduate

and graduate learning paths.

Graduates, wherever you are watching,

please applaud your faculty

and all of the tremendous efforts

and support that they have provided

to the path that led you here today.

(applauds)

Equally, I want to acknowledge that with us

are many parents, partners, and friends

who have supported a student

and are here to share the triumph of graduation.

They too are deserving of congratulations

on this happy day.

(applauds)

Please take good care of yourselves.

Stay safe and respect the guidelines in place

in your local community.

Please attend to your wellbeing,

and that of those around you.

You have studied with colleagues from many countries.

Your relationships will allow you to build societies

that are inclusive and peaceful.

Do not let borders close and xenophobia prevail.

The network that you have created

through your sojourn at OCAD University

should serve you well in future life.

I ask you to nurture it

as you join the distinguished body

of OCAD University alumni.

We anticipate welcoming you back both virtually,

and when safe, physically.

I have been president and vice chancellor

of OCAD University for 15 years and three terms.

This is my last convocation in this role,

and it has been a great honor

to be your president,

to wish our graduates well,

and then to witness the monumental,

or at times subtle impacts

that our alumni have on the world around them.

You are graduating from OCAD University

at a particularly tough time,

but I know that you will exponentially rise to the occasion.

May the abundance of seed

that OCAD University has planted blossomed

and their nectar nurture you,

our beautiful butterflies.

You will be the fearless future leaders

of art design and many other fields of knowledge.

You will create pathways,

social, cultural, health,

environmental and economic opportunities,

industries and jobs that are yet unthinkable.

And these will be magnificent.

Each of your successes will in turn reflect back

on OCAD University.

Thank you, (speaking in foreign language).

- On behalf of the OCAD University alumni association,

it is an honor for me to congratulate you

on this very important day.

Though we are apart,

there's so much to celebrate.

Each and every one of you has worked so hard

to reach this point in your lives.

You took your passion for art and design,

studied hard, and learned from your professors

and each other, and now you embark on a new path

to build a meaningful career.

You are unique talents,

change makers, we know you will make a difference,

some great, some small,

but a real difference as you take your passion

and learning out into the community and the world.

Though our paths now diverge,

we hope you will stay involved

in the OCAD University community.

So I invite you to participate

in the OCADU Alumni Association.

The association is committed

to creating opportunities for alumni,

especially recent graduates,

to network and learn,

as well as exhibit and promote their work

from all disciplines.

You can benefit from the many,

now online, career and social events,

which will allow you to circulate

with established designers and artists.

These individuals represent over six decades of alumni

who network, share ideas,

and will support you professionally.

Know that the Alumni Association,

the Office of Alumni Relations,

and the Center for Emerging Artists and Designers

wishes to be there to assist you along your way.

OCAD University is committed to supporting you

as you embark on your professional journey.

It is my pleasure to let you know

that the supports and resources

of the Center for Emerging Artists Designers

are available to you for a full year after today.

And as part of that commitment,

we are proud to include extended access

to the Adobe Creative Cloud for one year after graduation.

In closing, class of 2020,

though the path you face is different

from classes before you,

embrace your creativity, resilience and passion.

Get out there and make a difference

knowing that we will be there

to support your journey in any way we can.

Thank you.

- Ladies and gentlemen, friends all,

what a thrill it is for me to introduce

the Honorable Elizabeth Dowdeswell,

the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario.

Elizabeth's record as a public servant

and her commitment to the arts

are more than enough reason

for her to receive this degree today.

But her real commitment, her lifelong commitment

to education, to reconciliation,

and to the wellbeing of civil society,

values that sit at the very core of who we are

as university make this award

even more important and appropriate.

When Elizabeth was the executive director

of the United Nations environment program,

she led the fight against climate change.

When she was the CEO

of the Nuclear Waste Management Organization,

she's recognized for setting the standard

in indigenous engagement on a nation to nation basis.

And when she became the lieutenant governor of Ontario,

she appointed herself story teller in chief.

Since then, she's welcomed 50,000 visitors

to her offices at Queens Park,

undertaken 3,000 engagements,

visited very single writing in the province,

commissioning numerous exhibitions,

including the Other Worlds Exhibition

which she commissioned with OCADU.

Elizabeth is an artist in her own right.

She designs and makes her own clothes.

And she's spoken and written about the therapeutic value

of design and sewing.

Elizabeth, for your enormous contributions to Canada,

for your enduring commitment

to the values of this university,

and for your spirited person artistry,

I invite you to come forward

and to receive your honorary degree.

- Mr. Chancellor, President Diamond,

graduates, family and guests,

I am both honored and humbled

to be standing before you today.

Recognition by one's peers has no equal,

and recognition from this institution

is just very special for me.

The leadership and faculty of OCADU

have pursued academic excellence,

applied creativity and innovation

to solving some stubborn societal problems,

and embraced the imperative,

to live in harmony with their community.

It's a genuine privilege to be sharing this milestone day

with graduates who have worked so hard

and who hold such promise.

You know, convocations are times for reflection.

And yours comes in the midst of an unprecedented pandemic.

The world has been turned on its head.

Significant challenges have come into very sharp focus

and they give us pause.

I can tell you from spending the last 2 1/2 months

reaching out to Ontarians

that there's certainly are poignant stories

of hardship and inequality.

We're being challenged by lack of food security

for marginalized groups.

We're having to retrofit public spaces

to accommodate physical distancing.

We're thinking seriously about business continuity and risk.

Fragility in our supply chains,

along with new geopolitical and security implications.

We're experiencing unemployment at record levels.

And we're starting some difficult conversations

about how we can use state of the art AI

to track and trace infections

while still preserving personal privacy.

We're just beginning to see the physical

and psychological impacts on families

when they are placed under conditions of isolation.

And we are grieving.

We're grieving while questioning

how could we possibly have ignored

the care of our elders.

But what gives me hope

are the wonderful stories of collaboration and empathy,

creativity and courage.

All orders of government are working together

in common cause.

Scientists and researchers with single focus

are racing to develop a vaccine.

In fact, when did you last see such trust in science,

which has been at the heart of evidence based policy making?

Industries are retooling their production lines so quickly.

Governments are testing socially responsive

and relevant financial models.

And the arts and cultural community,

in solidarity and kindness,

are bringing moments of awe and wonder into our homes

to educate and to entertain.

We're seeing examples of the potential healing of nature

as the drivers of pollution are reduced.

Citizens are being empowered

as we build cohesive communities and neighborhoods.

So I hear compelling stories

of anxiety and hope in equal measure.

Certainly, there are many who simply

want this all to be over,

and for life to go back to normal.

There's an unmistakable hunger for normalcy.

But there's also a realization

that our lives will probably not be the same.

In fact, there's some momentum building

to not simply drift back into a new normal,

but to actually design a better normal.

And that graduates,

is the adventure that you'll begin tomorrow.

You are so well placed to make a contribution

to innovative recovery

and new paths of possibility for shaping the world

that we actually want.

Call it a reset if you like.

We are blessed to live in this country of generosity,

with its commitment to social justice and rule of law.

But we are about to face profound choices

that will require deeper dialogue

and systemic thinking.

So we need to harness your energy

and all that you have learned

in your cross-disciplinary studies

of strategic foresight and innovation

and systems analysis,

and your imaginations.

It's your imagination that will allow you

to see alternative futures.

After all, it was designer Bruce Mau

who challenged us with the question,

now that we can do anything,

what will we do?

Convocation speakers are usually asked for some advice,

and I'll restrict myself to just one comment.

I have been so fortunate to have been challenged regularly

by new experiences,

new people and new places.

Nonetheless, I am very much a work in progress.

Always motivated by curiosity,

and prepared to take risks.

How else could you possibly answer the question

of a home economist ended up as CEO

of a nuclear waste corporation?

Or how an immigrant to rural Saskatchewan

would serves as under secretary general

of the United Nations

living in Africa,

and ultimately having the immense privilege

of being the Queen's representative in Ontario?

You'll not be surprised to learn

that most of my working life,

my mother kept asking me

when I was going to get a normal job.

I'm not suggesting, certainly,

that my journey is a blueprint for anyone else.

But what I do know

is that the real truth

is that the only ending to your story

is the one you create yourself.

If you are to grasp the promise,

perhaps it's worth remembering

that the walls we have to scale,

the barriers to overcome

are most often the walls within our own minds.

So I urge you to not let this moment pass you by,

to not be a mere observer,

seize the momentum.

Be bold.

For your voices and visions are needed.

It cannot be said often enough,

we are utterly interdependent

and mutually vulnerable on this earth.

It is together that we will save lives and livelihoods.

I thank you in advance,

and I wish you all continued good health.

- OCAD University acknowledges the ancestral

and traditional territories of the lands

on which with all stand and create.

Jim Logan is Cree, Sioux, and Metis

and has undeniably changed our cultural landscape

through a profound contribution

in visual arts and culture

through his practice as a visual artist,

curator, and arts administrator

over the last 35 historic years.

Jim Logan's dynamic narrative paintings

portray indigenous survivance

by depicting the realities of dealing with colonial trauma.

They have been included in Seminal exhibitions

that initiated the indigenous art movement in Canada.

It is impossible to separate Jim's commitment

to the indigenous community

from his curatorial process.

In 1988, he co founded the Society of Yukon Artists

of Native Ancestry.

His good nature and respect

continue to open doors

that led to early conversations

which engaged art policy development

for indigenous art acquisition

and the creation of indigenous specific art prizes

in British Columbia in 1993.

In 1999, on the opposite coast,

Jim Logan became the first indigenous curator

at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia

after confounding the Easter Aboriginal Artist Collective.

Capacity development for the indigenous community

has been the impetus for Jim Logan's pursuits

in indigenous arts administration.

From 1987 to 2000,

Jim Logan served on the board of directors

for the Society of Canadian Artists of Native Ancestry,

which is also known as SCANA.

SCANA was a national arts advocacy organization

that worked towards equalized opportunity

and recognition for indigenous artists

in Canadian public art galleries

at the National Gallery of Canada,

as well as with provincial and federal arts funding bodies.

In 2002, Jim Logan became the first

indigenous visual arts officer

at the Canada Council for the Arts,

and served to shape indigenous art

across these lands until 2018.

Jim Logan also helped shape and implement

the formation of the indigenous traditional art program

and was a valuable contributor

to the creation of the current creating,

knowing and sharing program

at the Canada Council for the Arts,

a revolutionary program

that demanded more funding

as well as recognition

and implementation of sovereign rights

as indigenous people within the corporation.

From the Yukon to British Columbia

to Nova Scotia to the nation's capital,

Jim Logan has advanced indigenous rights

through the arts and service and leadership.

He has been a trail blazer

in illuminating a path for indigenous arts and culture.

Please stand with me now in gratitude

and acknowledgement of Jim Logan

with this honorary doctorate.

Jim Logan is the very first

Metis visual artist to receive this distinction

in OCAD's 144 year history.

Congratulations,

thank you and (speaking in foreign language)

for your tremendous contribution, Jim.

(soft indigenous music)

- [Jim Logan] I would like to sincerely than OCADU

for bestowing this honor upon me.

I'd like to thank Jason Baerg

for putting my name forward

and for supporting me.

Today, I stand uninvited

on unseated (speaking in foreign language) territory

and paying respect to that nation

as their land is so beautiful.

And to find myself here

is truly a blessing.

I'm a Matis with Cree, Sioux, French

and Scottish ancestry.

And the first Matis artist

to receive this prestigious honor from OCADU.

I have walked a long road.

Born in the mid-50's, I've witnessed many things,

some heartbreaking, some heart warming.

I've shared this walk with many artist

who have left this world.

I miss them.

I miss Joan Cardinal Schubert

and her no nonsense approach to art making.

I miss Bob Boyer

and his tongue in cheek humor.

I miss Carl Beam and Doreen Jensen

for their intellectualism and strength.

And of course, Daphne Odjig,

the mother of contemporary indigenous art.

They are gone from this world,

but I know they're smiling today.

We all work to end cultural apartheid in Canada

with the Society of Canadian Artist of Native Ancestry.

I believe we were successful,

to a point.

But change takes time.

There are people in power

who couldn't accept change.

Most of them have moved on now,

but there's still so much work to do.

Looking back on that road,

I feel satisfied with some of those accomplishments.

But I don't look back often.

I focus on the future,

and this is where I see you, the next generation.

I put forth my faith in you

that you'll continue to make this world a better place.

You are the artists.

You've earned that title.

Congratulations to you all

and that title has power,

power to change minds,

power to inspire,

power to change the world.

You have political power,

the power of redressing wrongs,

the power of being a witness in your time.

You have the power to change the world.

You have the power of creativity,

of intellect, of healing,

and you will.

You will change the world.

But beware of those who wish to take your power,

to silence you,

to intimidate you,

to beat you down,

to tempt you.

Believe in yourself.

Keep your focus.

And don't allow any of those bastards

to take that power away from you.

You are the artists.

I believe you'll change the world.

And the world truly needs you.

So believe in yourself.

Stay true.

Stay on your road.

And bless the world with your creations.

Your elders stand with you,

and remember, your children are always watching you.

Thank you and sincere congratulations to the class of 2020.

- Former OCAD University Board Chair, Dr. John Semple,

graduated from the Ontario College of Art.

He then completed a bachelors of science

in medical illustrating at the University of Toronto

in the faculty of medicine.

He followed this with his medical doctor's degree

at McMaster, and then pursued surgical training

at the UFT.

He was awarded

a medical research council of Canada fellowship,

and then went on to undertake

a masters of science degree in experimental pathology.

He's currently faculty surgeon

in division of plastic surgery

at Women's College Hospital,

a professor of surgery at the University of Toronto,

chair of surgical research

at the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.

And this is the first surgical research chair

awarded in Canada by the CBCF.

Dr. Semple is a senior researcher

and scientist in the Women's College Hospital

Research Institute having been chief surgeon there

for many years.

He also has an adjunct appointment

in the division of Wilderness Medicine

at Massachusets General Hospital

at Harvard University.

He's past president of the Canadian Society

of Plastic Surgeons.

He continues to produce significant scholarship

as a researcher and as a practicing surgeon

and has published over 100 peer reviewed articles.

Internationally recognized as a leader

in plastic surgery innovation

whose specialization focuses

on breast surgery and reconstruction,

he undertakes groundbreaking work in women's health care.

His research has resulted in increased independence

for women who are facing this difficulty of breast cancer.

By working at both sides of the journey

of women going through the challenge,

he has developed state of the art breast reconstruction

surgical techniques as well as mobile technology

and ambulatory processes

that allow women to return to home

18 hours after surgery

rather than what was in the past a typical six days.

He co founded QOC Health,

which is now a scale up company

that ensures that this platform

is expanded and disseminated.

Dr. Semple is an avid mountain climber,

and he has led a number of expeditions

around the world,

which has inspired an interest in high altitude meteorology

and global warming in the Himalayas

and health care related to climate change.

A doctor grappling with the anthropopathy,

Dr. Semple believes climate change medicine

will inevitably grow as a field in the near future.

He has published many papers on climate change effects

and is currently looking at environmental challenges

in the Canadian high Arctic.

Dr. Semple is also a practicing artist

with solo shows such as "Portraits of Places"

at Berenson Fine Arts.

He's also a talented musician

and performs regularly with his jazz band.

Dr. Semple remains involved with OCAD University

after his tenure as board chair.

He audits drawing and painting classes,

and continues to advise the design for health program.

Dr. John Semple.

- Thank you, Sara.

Honored guests, members of the board of governors,

and senate, faculty, staff,

alumni, and my fellow guest speakers,

the Honorable Elizabeth Dowdeswell,

Jim Logan,

and Julian Lutz,

and most importantly, you the graduates

with your family and your friends.

What an honor it is for me to be with you today

to celebrate OCAD University's graduating class of 2020.

This day is about you and what you've achieved

through hard work, determination, and creative inspiration.

I'm actually thrilled to be part

of this virtual convocation.

As Sara mentioned, I am alumni from OCAD University,

OCA as it was back in those days,

and then went on to medical illustrating at U of T,

and training and research and surgery.

I believe a lot of my success as a surgeon

and as a scientist is directly related

to my time and experience at OCAD University.

I believe there is a significant overlap

between art and science,

and that a training in art, design,

and creativity are essential components

needed to provide the answers

to some of our biggest global problems to date.

Problems such as a cure for cancer,

for climate change,

and how to get out of this pandemic

that we're in currently.

We are standing in OR number eight

at Women's College Hospital.

And this is really my away from home work studio.

Everything I learned at OCAD

I use every day in the operating room.

Whether you're holding a scalpel,

a pen, or a brush,

your success depends on several important principles.

You have to have a plan,

or a 3D concept in your mind.

You have to know your medium,

whether it be Florentine marble,

or human tissue.

And you have to be able to render accurately,

and in both surgery and in art,

the closer you get to your original concept,

the more successful you will be.

But there are differences.

Surgery is really not a form of self expression.

You have to stick to the rules.

There is a strict code of principles.

I still paint,

and in painting,

there's something that happens

that we call a happy accident.

That really never happens in surgery.

But you can still be creative.

We are always trying to improve procedures

and how we actually do things.

Really, we are all just problem solvers.

When people find out that I was in fine arts

before going into medicine,

they say wow, that was a real change in direction.

But it was straightforward progression

from my point of view.

A training in art

is really a training in observation.

It teaches you how to be aware

and how to see.

And that's certainly something that you can use

extremely well in medicine

and in surgery,

and in research.

I believe the world of scientific research

would benefit from an artistic education.

The idea that creativity is part of every day thinking

is something that I use all the time in research,

specifically in my capacity for dealing

with abstract ideas.

I find a lot of people fear facing abstract notions

and will often retreat to safe known areas and components.

But as an artist or a painter,

we are trained to face a blank canvas

or a problem and deal with it head on.

From a research point of view,

that can mean looking at things in ways

that people have never actually looked at it before.

When I was applying to medical school,

I received a lot of blank stares

from people who couldn't figure out

how being an artist could have any relevance to science.

But I think it's such a great background for scientists.

It's the way you look at things as an artist

that is really very important.

Creativity is a critical element

of how human beings advance in all our disciplines.

Where medicine and science need help from artists

is looking over the horizon

in looking at something completely in a different way.

Thinking as an artist means connecting the dots

that aren't all next to each other.

But these are difficult times to be graduating in.

There's no question.

There are a lot of unknowns

and a lot of new challenges that you'll have to face.

I believe that your time at OCAD

will provide you with advantages over other graduates

at other universities.

There will be hard work,

but you are used to that.

Look to where your hard work has brought you to this day.

You have to thank the people around you

that have got you to this point.

Thank your friends, your family,

your partners and the people sitting next to you.

Thank your teachers

and respect and value your time at OCAD.

Be proud of your creative DNA that you carry from OCAD.

Face every challenge in the future

with respect and love.

Best wishes to you.

Good luck.

Congratulations again,

and have a very, very special day.

- Greetings.

My name is Dori Tunstall,

dean of the faculty design.

And I am delighted to present Julian Christian Lutz,

director, producer and philanthropist.

I'm also excited to showcase the talent

of illustration gradate as of today, Ani Aga,

who's provided the illustration for this video introduction.

So enjoy.

The epic quest to bring Julian Christian Lutz

to OCAD University.

Meet Julien Christian Lutz,

AKA Director X,

FKA, Little X,

a 40 something Canadian of Trinidadian

and Swiss heritages

is the award winning director

of music videos, commercials, movies.

The goats of music videos,

he started from the bottom

making graphic design flyers for parties

and now he's here.

And where is here?

OCAD University, 144 years old institution

that does not look a day

over the 12 years of the Sharp Center for Design.

They in their non-binary gender,

are the leading institution for art and design

media education and capital.

I should introduce myself.

I am Dean Dori Tunstall.

I design anywhere in the world

and the narrator of this exciting quest.

In a clandestine meeting location back in October 2018,

the young gifted and black in Toronto meet.

A stranger describes his recent TEDX talk

on using meditations to address gun violence.

My ears perk up.

That sounds like respectful design.

I decide we must recruit this cool director guy

to lead meditation for all of our OCAD students.

The next day, I Google the names on the stranger's card.

Julien Christian Lutz

brings this weird hip hop yoga commercial with cows.

Director X

results in a long scroll

if his list of professional accomplishments,

over 117 director credits

including three feature films

and numerous commercials and awards.

We have to bring him to OCADU, but how?

The journey begins when we decide to have OCADU students

prepare the strategic workshop and plan

for Julien's Operation Prefrontal Cortex,

an initiative to bring meditation to schools,

communities experiencing violence,

correctional facilities,

and individuals formally incarcerated.

OCADU and Julien both organize our merry bands.

Julien brings his co founders, Anelle Adams

and Sara Bassel.

OCADU forms a super team for the design for program

of Lin Nore, Gregg Cho,

(mumbles), Charlotte (mumbles),

and Ian Camale with great support

from the center for emerging artists and designers

and Maryanne Li and faculty design office.

The journey is hard.

Julien is having to rearrange his production schedules

to meet with students.

The students are pulling all nighters to meet the deadlines.

Yet the workshop day arrives

with two sessions over 70 participants.

Our merry bands of students are intoxicated with joy

and lack of sleep.

And the outcomes are declared by Julien

and his team, a great success.

Having past through one ordeal,

now comes the next stage of the journey,

organizing their meditation event

for OCAD University students.

The frustrations begin.

Contracts cannot be signed.

Funds are hard to raise.

OCADU wonders if Director X is too famous

and extra security for the event needed.

OCADU begins to think

Director X is too sex, drugs and hip hop for the event,

but he tells us,

hip hop is what I do, not who I am.

Let me show you who's Julien Christian Lutz.

With his magical miracle iPad,

he shows us "Death of a Sun, Life of the Earth"

an exhibition for (speaking in foreign language),

and a devotion to sustainability and planet Earth.

He shows us his Mr. Tachyon series

(mumbles) where he uses scientific methods

to investigate fringe topics

such as orgone energies.

He shows us his Cleo Award winning (mumbles)

mother short film for Pierre Moss

and more to come.

We can clearly see who is Julien Christian Lutz,

a philanthropist, father, mentor,

writer, producer, meditation practitioner

and advocate and creator

of the environmental spectacles,

as well as a director of music videos, commercials, movies.

All the things that we value in respectful design.

And this is why we've given Julien Christian Lutz

the highest honor of OCAD University,

the honorary doctorate.

Please Dr. Lutz,

lead our new graduates in meditation

to visualize their futures

in this quest and bring a new one with OCAD University.

(soft music)

- Congratulations OCAD, class of 2020.

It has been a wild year,

but you're here.

You are graduating.

You are making the transition

from the learning of art to the business of art.

And they've asked me to come talk to you

a bit about that.

So yeah, let's have a talk.

Let's talk about the world that awaits you out there.

You know, first choice is

are you gonna be someone who works for yourself

or you gonna work for other people?

Are you gonna have clients?

Well, if you're gonna work for yourself,

you know, what comes with that,

you work for yourself.

You make your art.

You sell it.

You make your money.

With that comes you know, a lot of responsibility.

But that's what it is.

If that's the choice that you made,

more power to you.

It's a,

it's a big leap to take.

If you had the talent to make that happen, man,

geez, that's incredible.

For the rest of us,

there is the working with clients.

And working with clients is its own thing.

And if you're gonna work with clients,

there's still choices to make.

Are you gonna be the type of artist

that will only work on jobs

they feel passionate about?

Jobs they care about?

Or you gonna be the type of artist

that works with who has a check

and can afford your time.

If you're gonna be the artist

who works only on jobs you're passionate about,

you're gonna have the experience

of turning down work.

And sometimes it doesn't always feel so good.

Sometimes someone's gonna show up

with a lot of money for a job,

but it doesn't move you.

And you're gonna make that decision to not do it.

And it's a choice to make.

And you should follow that choice

if that's where your heart takes you.

The artists who make those choices

have a body of work that is often very consistent

and depending on your skill level,

see how good it will be.

I mean you're graduating from OCAD,

I'm sure it's incredible.

But that's what comes with that territory,

doing work that you really feel passionate about,

work that you care about

to make work that you can feel proud about.

Then there is the work for hire,

bit of a mercenary.

We got a job.

We can afford you.

And then you say, okay, well those are my requirements.

I'll do it.

And with that comes a larger diversity of work.

You're gonna be making things

sometimes you don't always feel so passionate about,

and that's fine.

People need quality work.

Sometimes the work involved

is not gonna be the most artistic.

But it needs to get done,

and it needs to get done competently.

And that's a choice you make.

That job has a lot more flow.

You know, you're gonna have a lot more people

knocking on your door

and a lot fuller plate.

But with that fuller plate

comes its own kinda warning,

and that is sleepwalking through work.

And you have to be very, very careful not to.

If you begin to just kinda give them a semi sorta,

hey take this kind of thing,

the clients will notice.

They came to you because you're good.

They came to you because they want someone who cares.

And even though it's not something

you feel passionate about,

you can feel passionate about your craft

and make sure you're giving them good work.

These are real things you're gonna have to consider

as you go out into the world,

real choices you're gonna have to make,

so you can start making them now,

start thinking about it right now this very second.

But with that comes another little bit,

working with the client.

And this is something

I find doesn't get talked about a lot.

Working with the client

for the two that choose to work with clients

is a big part of it.

I mean if you were that first category

where you work for yourself,

well then your own client

and then your fine.

I hope you like yourself.

Have fun.

If you've decided to go down the client road,

even if you, someone who's decided

you're only gonna work on work you're passionate about,

you're gonna have a client

and the client is gonna have something to say.

So you're gonna have to make that,

you're gonna have to be honest with yourself.

Do you collaborate?

And do you collaborate well?

If you can't collaborate,

then don't say you do.

Be honest with yourself

and do your own work.

And go down that road.

If you can't handle someone saying change this,

or I think this should be that,

and not have a conversation about it,

and be open to changing it,

you're in the wrong business.

Seriously.

You gotta decide, and you have to be honest with yourself

because if you come, do the job

saying you're a collaborator,

and then when you got the job won't collaborate,

that won't go well for you down the road.

It won't go down well for you on that job.

It's bad.

It's lying.

So be clear.

Can you collaborate?

If yes, good.

Now come the two parts of collaborating.

Are you gonna collaborate and just do as told

'cause they didn't hire you to be an operator.

They hired you to be an artist.

They hired you to bring your skillset.

They hired you to bring your passion and professionalism.

And if you start doing work

where the client says make it red

and you just make it red,

the client is gonna look at you a little funny.

They're not gonna say oh well,

great to work with this person.

They just do whatever I say.

They hired you for a reason.

They hired you for you,

and if you remove you from the equation,

they're gonna be upset.

They might not know it's upsetting them,

but there's a feeling in them.

They're not happy.

They're not happy with how that went.

And they'll remember it.

And they won't call you back.

And they may tell other people about the experience as well.

Then there is how you do it.

How do you work with a client

and find that middle ground

between I'm not changing anything on my work

and I'll change whatever you like,

however you like it.

Well, it's recognizing that your client

is connected to the work as well.

Sometimes artists look at their client

as people who are a nuisance

to getting the work done.

And it's not that.

They've been working with this job for a while.

After you're done, they're gonna take that work

that you've done and go on

and do whatever they're gonna do with it.

So it's very, very important to them

and they have in instinct about that work as well.

And if you embrace your client,

if you embrace that part of them,

you actually make better work

because that instinct will see things

that you might not have noticed.

So I use this analogy a lot.

And people call it the note behind the note.

Say you're doing a job

and you've painted a wall red.

And the client comes along and says,

I don't know about red.

We should make it pink.

Now if you make it pink,

you're risking going down that road

that we spoke about before

where you're just blindly doing what they say

and then your client begins to look at you

like why are you here

if you're just doing whatever I say.

If you refuse to make it any other color but red,

then the client's gonna look at you and say,

why am I, this guy won't do anything.

Everything I say to them just is,

it's always a problem and has to change.

And then you're gonna find that they're right.

The walls shouldn't be red

'cause they have an instinct about it, but not pink.

The middle ground is treating those comments from a client

as what I've been saying, an instinct,

a indicator, almost like a coach on the field.

And they come and say ah, I don't know if this will,

this wall shouldn't be red.

We should make it pink.

And you look at it and say,

not pink, purple.

And then the client's, purple.

They've been heard.

They were right.

It needed to change.

It needed to elevate it.

And you've elevated it.

You've taken it to a new place.

And when you work with your client like that,

you find you make better work

by listening to their notes,

looking for that note behind the note.

Not jumping to attention and doing whatever they say,

but not stomping your feet

and saying you're not gonna do anything.

Really looking at it and trying to implement their note

'cause in that trying to implement,

you might find something better.

I often do.

I often do.

And there are also clients that are reasonable.

You go and you try it,

and you try it and you try and make their note work

and when it doesn't work,

you say look, all the things we tried.

And they go oh yeah, it doesn't work.

Yeah.

That's how you do it, man.

This is the world that's awaiting you.

It is an amazing, amazing life

making art, paying your bills.

It feels incredible.

There's people right now in a cubical

dreaming and wishing they could do these things,

and here you are on your path to doing it.

It is a team sport.

And that's how you win championships,

passing the ball around,

everyone taking their shots,

'cause when they job wins the award,

everybody gets award,

everyone gets the credit.

It's an amazing thing, man.

I'm wishing you guys a lot of luck.

And I'm gonna give you one more piece of advice

that I wish someone had given me

when I was in your age range.

Meditation.

You saw in the introduction to my talk right now,

Dean Dori saying that I was gonna lead you

through a meditation,

and I'm gonna lead you through a meditation

'cause there's amazing benefits that come from it.

But as an artist,

they're helpful as well.

The building of your brain,

meditation changes the brain,

the parts of your brain that should be bigger

it will make bigger.

The parts of your brain that should be smaller,

it will make it smaller.

You'll be able to deal with stress better.

You'll be able to handle your emotions better.

The parts of your brain that handle learning

and memory and creativity, they become larger.

The decision making parts, they become larger.

It is a great practice to get into.

It will really change your life for the better.

So I'm encouraging you

to make this a practice for yourself.

I have an organization that I started

with my friends called Operation Prefrontal Cortex.

And our mission is use meditation to reduce violence.

So for us creatives,

it'll help us as creatives.

And for those of us in our society

that have real trauma to overcome,

it can help them as well.

It's a wonderful tool.

So, let's do a quick one.

Close your eyes.

Take a deep breath.

And as you exhale,

visualize and repeat the number three three times.

Now, think about your scalp.

Visualize the flowing of blood

where hair meets skin and skull,

and the organs,

and tell it to relax.

Think about your eyes.

Think about everything involved,

blood flowing, the organs,

the skin and tell it all to relax.

Think about your tongue.

Tell it to relax.

Think about your throat.

Tell it to relax.

Think about your shoulder and chest.

Tell it to relax.

Think about your arms

all the way down to your hands.

Tell it to relax.

Breathe in deep,

continue to breathe deep.

Think about your abdomen.

Tell it to relax.

Think about your hips.

Tell it all to relax.

Think about your legs,

your calves, your feet,

the muscles, the organs, the bone,

the flowing blood.

Tell it all to relax.

Now take a deep breath,

and as you exhale,

visualize the number two, three times.

Now I want you to visualize

a place that you find serene and calm,

a place where you feel safe and comfortable.

Using all your senses,

visualize that place.

See yourself in that place.

Take a deep breath,

and as you exhale,

visualize and repeat the number one, three times.

Now, I'm going to count you down from nine to zero,

feeling yourself go to a deeper state of mind.

Nine.

Eight.

Seven.

Six.

Five.

Four.

Three.

Two.

One.

Zero.

In this deeper state of mind,

I want you to visualize a goal.

Visualize it using all your senses.

See where you are.

See who's there.

See it all clearly.

Now project great gratitude and love

at that visualization.

I'm gonna count from zero to nine,

and make a sound.

And when I make that sound,

open your eyes feeling fresh and awake

better than you did before.

Zero.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Five.

Six.

Seven.

Eight.

Nine.

(claps)

There you go.

I hope that was good for you.

I hope you continue to take up the practice,

begin to meditate for longer times.

And I hope you have a great life as an artist

making work you are proud of,

work you love,

work that has an amazing impact

and effect on the world at large.

You are on your way.

Congratulations OCAD graduating class of 2020.

I applaud you, applaud yourself.

(clapping)

- Hi, I'm Lori Riva,

lecturer in art and design histories

in the faculty of liberal arts and sciences.

I'm very honored to be the co-winner

of the non-tenured award for excellence in teaching.

And I extend my congratulations

to fellow winner, Derek Liddington.

I'd like to first say how grateful I am

to those members of the OCADU community

who nominated me for this award,

and to the colleagues, TAs and students

who provided their support.

For those of you that don't know me,

I teach courses in design, history and theory.

My goal is to get students

to think not only about how we shape the experience

of architecture, design and urbanism,

but also how it shapes us.

My experience as an educator

is dependent on the amazing students

that I've worked with over the years,

so I really must give a special thanks to them.

Thanks for providing your thoughts and feedback

when I tried new things in the classroom.

And thanks for always sharing the work

that you've been doing in your art,

design and writing practices.

Finally, I'd like to say congratulations

to all of the graduates.

Don't let the circumstances of this pandemic

detract from your amazing accomplishment.

Thank you.

- Hi, my name's, for those of you who don't know me,

my name is Derek Liddington.

And I'm honored today to be a co-winner

of the non-tenured track award for excellence in teaching.

See, I'm kinda looking at my phone there

to make sure I got that right.

And I'd like to thank,

first I want to start

by thanking Erinphin Lee

for nominating me for this.

And Joshua Bedavalu

for writing a really lovely letter

in support of me for this.

I'm not really good at writing speeches

so I didn't write mine,

and I'd probably bore you if I did.

But I just wanted to say that for me,

this is a really,

it is really amazing sort of thing to receive

and to be acknowledged in this way,

mainly because it's something

I'm not necessarily trained in.

I've been teaching at OCAD

and other institutions for almost 10 years.

I'm a trained artist.

But teaching is something that I really had to learn

and learn kind of on the fly,

and learn with everyone,

learn with you as students,

for those of you who've been in my class,

I've learned from you,

and from my colleagues,

my peers, my mentors.

It's been a really amazing learning experience.

It's been humbling in many, many capacities.

And for me at this point in my career, receiving this,

it's just, it's been, it was really nice, you know.

Honestly, when I read the nomination letters,

it just really just hit home

how kind of important teaching and learning

and knowledge sharing is,

and to be a part of that

and to be acknowledged for that

is really quite amazing.

You know, these are very difficult times

and right now, I'm sitting in my studio.

I've been sort of work shopped

into getting the best shot

that makes it look not like a garage.

And you know, we can't see each other face to face.

I haven't been able to see any of you,

my students or colleagues, in almost two months.

And as much as this is a celebration,

I'm sure many of you are also,

you know, wondering what the horizon is.

And I think that,

I was trying to think of one thing I say to students

or say to kind of my peers,

or when they finish school.

And for me, it's that we are peers now, right.

You're artists.

I recognize students as artists from day one.

You get better as artists.

You get better as designers.

You become stronger and more critical thinkers,

oftentimes more than me, I feel.

But now we're peers out there.

And I think that why I'm sort of saying that

is that we're, it's a shared reality now.

And we're all gonna work together.

We're always constantly working together.

And students who are graduated years before

become colleagues, become friends,

and you, you know,

the larger picture of art we're working on together,

and what that might be aesthetics,

or be it sort of problem solving,

or sort of thinking through ideas,

or ways of teaching.

And so I guess what I can say

is that I'm excited to have you all join me in that

and know that we're all working on it together

so you're not alone in this.

Although, this is a moment in history

where I think one of the hardest things

that we all feel very alone.

I can tell you that you're not.

You have an amazing community.

You have a community around you right now,

and you have a community out there

be it in Toronto, be it in Canada,

be it wherever you're from internationally,

you have a community.

And we're all in that together in the arts.

I think that's one of the parts,

one of the things that I never take for granted

and really hold true

is that I'm part of like a larger community

than just myself.

And it's amazing to be able to contribute to that.

So thank you everyone.

Thank you for this award

and I hope that you're all celebrating.

Thanks a lot.

Bye.

- Good morning everyone.

I'm Rebecca and it's an honor to receive this award today.

I've never accepted an award like this before,

so I can't promise that this address

will be exactly what's expected.

But I will say that I'm grateful for the chance

to share a few thoughts on why I think

an art and design education

is such a valuable thing to have,

especially in times like these.

But first, I will say that I have been conflicted

about this medal.

I'm very grateful for the privilege

university education, of course,

and I certainly do appreciate

having my years of hard work

acknowledge by the powers that be.

I'm just not sure that I agree with grades

in art school in the first place.

I think grades are problematic

because they encourage students

to focus on the outcome of their work

rather than on the process.

Whether the medium is photography,

graphic design, or installation art,

I think that grades stifle creativity

because their inevitable side effect

is to discourage risk taking.

We don't mature as sculpture,

art critics, or designers

by doing exactly what our instructors expect of us,

or by repeating what we're already good at.

We can only improve by testing out new methods,

mediums and processes, and by making mistakes.

Sometimes this means that being overly ambitious

is a good thing.

And sometimes we need to challenge

the assignment brief itself.

Getting an A can feel great,

but I don't think it's a very good indicator

of a student's creative growth

or intellectual progress.

The career path of most art and design graduates

is unlikely to be linear.

We're not accountants or engineers.

And we can't predict where we'll be in five,

10 or 20 years from now.

So it's important that we focus on

and enjoy the process of making

as much as we celebrate its outcome.

Looking back on my four years at OCAD,

much of my best work came out of a commitment to an idea

and a process.

When I focused on the work itself,

rather than on it's final product,

I often surprised even myself.

And the truth is uncertainty, discomfort,

and self doubt are good for us in small doses.

Sometimes we need to fuck things up

in order to get them right.

And many of the projects I learned the most from making

are ones that didn't necessarily receive the highest marks.

I'm truly grateful to those instructors who pushed me,

often very much against my will,

to forget what I wanted something to look like

when it was done,

and encouraged me to engage deeply with the process.

It took me a while,

but I eventually understood

why they call it creative practice.

Because of course our work will never be finished,

even if we become leaders in our fields,

experts, world famous artists,

we'll still just be practicing.

I guess my point here is that an art or design degree

isn't just a milestone on the path

to achieving a career goal.

But this type of education gives us

is a way of looking at, interpreting,

and engaging with the world.

We don't see things the same way

that regular people do.

As artists and designers,

critics and curators,

we're trained to be just a little bit more aware,

more intentional when we interface with our surroundings.

And because of this,

we're positioned to be more flexible.

It's easier for us to evolve

as the world changes around us

because we often notice it happening

before other people do.

Of course, now is an especially challenging time

to be graduating from university.

A video feed isn't exactly a climactic finale

to years of all nighters and existential angst.

And I'd be lying if I said

that I didn't find it stressful

to be starting my own design practice

at a time when the rest of the world is on pause.

But I also think this moment is an opportunity

to start rethinking some of the structures

in our society that were dysfunctional

before this crisis began,

and how we as creative people

can reimagine some of the ways

that we live and work,

at least on a small scale.

Now I'm not saying that art and design alone

can save the world,

because I don't think they can.

We need doctors, scientists and social workers.

But I do think that creative people

have a unique advantage in uncertain times.

We also have a responsibility.

We all have the skills and talent

to deploy the languages of art and design

to sell t-shirts, condos and vacations,

although those types of things

aren't circulating much these days.

The galleries are all closed,

and who knows when we'll get

our next commission or contract?

We could be waiting for months,

maybe even a year.

No one knows.

So I propose instead of waiting indefinitely

for a job, a client or an opportunity for exposure,

we start thinking about what is

that we really want to say, make and do every day.

We should ask ourselves how we want to work,

and who we want to work with.

We should put on our own exhibitions,

write and print our own books,

make our own websites,

start our own studios.

And I think we should all begin right away

because it's going to take a lot of practice.

Thank you.

- Hello everyone.

I'm Craig Rodmore.

I'm honored to be receiving

the Governor General's gold academic medal.

I'd like to begin by congratulating everyone

who is graduating today,

and by thanking the administration of OCAD University

and her excellence, Julie Payette,

the Governor General of Canada

for this award.

I'd also like to thank everyone

who's worked so hard over the past couple of months

to keep this thing going.

It's hard work, more than anything else,

that's characterized the past two years here for me.

Not only because it was a lot of work

being full time graduate student

with a full time job,

doing freelance work on the side,

but because it was through continual work

that things were figured out.

And (mumbles) instructions for teachers and students

in Ms. Cunningham's studio,

John Cage wrote that the only rule is work.

If you work, it will lead to something.

It's the people who do all the work all the time

who eventually catch on to things.

I think a lot of what we've been doing here,

if we were doing it right,

is figuring out how to work

and doing it by working,

now and again, catching on to things.

Among the people at OCAD,

two of them I'm personally indebted

to making this work possible

are my thesis advisors, Derek Sullivan and Ally Cadiere,

IM deep program director, Martha Ladly

and program coordinator Julien Higuerey Nunez,

professors Michelle Gade,

Michael Prokopow, and Jessica Wyman.

And my friends and constant collaborators,

Aiesha (mumbles).

I also want to recognize a much greater debt,

and acknowledge that the land

that all this work was undertaken on

is the traditional territory of many nations,

including the Mississaugas of the Credit,

Anishnabeg,

the Chippewa,

the Haudenosaunee

and the Wendat peoples,

and remains the home of many first nations Inuit

and Metis people.

And that is a privilege to work here.

In this connection,

I'd like to thank Professors Peter Morin

and Melanie Hope

for their wisdom, generosity and hospitality

in guiding us as we navigated this territory

and these relations.

And my peer and friend, Laura Greer,

who over the past two years

has given and withheld equal artistry

and who's rigorous insistence

on taking the work of decolonizating seriously

has been stunning.

We're graduating at a moment

that a Canadian elected official

has called a great time

to be building a pipeline

because you can't have protests

more than 15 people

in which big tech is treating

as a golden opportunity

to turn everything from schools to health care into assets.

So as graduates,

we have a lot of work to do

and it needs to be done yesterday.

So please enjoy the day.

Get some well deserved rest.

And then let's all of us get to work.

Thank you.

- Hello everyone.

My name's Stephen Foster.

I'm the Dean in Faculty of Art.

My congratulations to you all

on this great achievement.

I'll be reading the names

of our graduates in Faculty of Art

along with Linda Carreiro

our Associate Dean

of Academic Affairs.

We will begin with BFA

in Criticism in Curatorial Practice.

Alessia Dowhaniuk.

Avery Geboers.

Gunrett Kaur Gill.

Matthew Warren Grimm.

Erin Hartman.

Sabrina Iacono, with distinction.

Leaf Watson.

Meredith Wood.

And that concludes our BFA

in Criticism and Curatorial practice.

- And now, BFA in Cross Disciplinary Art

with a specialization in Life Studies.

Elim Araya.

Fiona Barry.

Emma Beiko.

Sarah Juliet Nadler, with distinction.

Emma Russell.

Teresa Williams, with distinction.

And that concludes Cross Disciplinary Art Life Studies.

And now a BFA in Cross Disciplinary Art

with a specialization in Publications.

Jercy David.

Venuri Liyange.

And that concludes Cross Disciplinary Art

with a specialization in Publications.

For the BFA in Drawing and Painting.

Mithira Anthony.

Kerim Armagan.

Maximillian Arndt-Perris.

Lianna Basciano.

Daniella Basciano.

Jerad Michael Beauregard.

Brianna Bruce.

Rocio Tupac Yupanqui Cardosa.

Tristian Valasquez Coloma.

Tania Costa.

Craig Torin, with distinction.

Bethany Davis.

Callie Dewees.

Haille Dockery.

Elena Dokoska, with distinction.

Zoe Rachel Eisenstat.

Sarah McCrorie Fairbank.

Max Faulkner.

Kayla Ferreira.

Alyssa Franklin.

Emily Gillies.

Aynsley Grealis, with distinction.

Helen Grivas.

Emily Grybas.

Stuart Hall.

Juo-Yo Hwang.

Bronwyn Jenkins.

Kate Kilty, with distinction.

Hanna Kim.

Jina Kim.

Zhiwei Lou.

Sheri Lyne MacFadyen, with distinction.

Juda Fin Mamaraj.

Alexandra Marcuzzi.

Noel McArthur.

Dana McCool.

Jesilyn McDougall.

Malik McCoy.

Jordan Monck.

Behrad Motekallem.

Parvathy Nair, with distinction.

Neil Padaly.

Kais Padamshi.

Kristin Palombo.

Jenna Perkins.

Leah Probst, with distinction.

Devon Pryce.

Habiba Raouf.

Alysha Rocca.

Maddie Rose.

Madelyn Rotella.

Alondra Ruiz-Hernandez, with distinction.

Kathleen Anne Neil Rumney.

James E. Russell.

Kristen Sali.

Alena Savitskaya.

Samantha Serrano.

Heejae Shin.

Chelsea Smith, with distinction.

Sarah Stephens.

Madison Rudin.

Ryan Taylor

Yuetong Wang.

Kalie Ward, with distinction.

Zachary Warne.

Sarah Weiler.

Ani Armani Yaghubian.

Chenxi Ye.

Chenjun Zhu.

And that concludes the BFA in Drawing and Painting.

And now the BFA in Drawing and Painting

with a specialization in digital painting

and expanded animation.

Alison Chilson.

Kristian Carl Telemaya Consolacion.

Eric Gregory Daniels.

Menanie Ens

Jie Guan.

Hanchen Han.

Parez Kadir.

Nataly Kais.

Young Joo Kim.

Noah Lasci.

Alexia Chanel Lewin.

Bo Lin.

Yifan Liu.

Annalisa McConville.

Safia Unser Qureshi.

Margarete Salonga, with distinction.

Nicholas James Schofield.

Zohar Shachak, with distinction.

Gayoung Shon.

Alyssa Solitario, with distinction.

Hongrun Yu.

And that concludes the BFA in Drawing and Painting

with a specialization in digital painting

and expanded animation.

Now for a diploma in fine arts.

Gillaine Lalonde.

And that concludes the diploma in fine arts.

- And now BFA in Integrated Media.

Liam Baker.

Stephanie Calderia.

Felix Chow.

Cedric Gerard.

Kasra Goodarznezhad.

Joanne Ivanovic.

Dominique Larraguibel.

Zong Li.

Elizabeth Kahn.

Madeline Claire Link.

Rory Mackinnon.

Kiki Zuckerman Scure.

And that concludes our BFA in integrated media.

And now for our BFA

in integrated media with a specialization

in expanded animation.

Anne Brewer.

Thomas Dang.

Isabella Graham.

Yangju Kang.

Minhaj Ali Khan, with distinction.

Yuki Nakayama.

And that concludes our BFA

in integrated media

with a specialization

in expanded animation.

- And now BFA in photography.

Shlomi Amiga.

Adrian Armenti.

Jingwen Cao.

Kiana Rochelle Chartrand.

Yingqi Chu.

Victoria Dayes.

Malik Dieleman, with distinction.

Zhiying Hu.

Gurveer Kathuria.

Siu Hin Lau.

Tamara Leger.

Monica Leung.

Edan Maxam.

Puniha Mugimba.

Hailey Newport.

Bidemi Oloyede.

Tirth Parekh.

Evan J. Prosser.

Jessann Dana Reece.

Jeremiah Sacdalan.

Peter Stankiewicz.

Sebastian Rodriguez Vasti.

Alex Velderman.

Huaijun Wen.

Andrew Wu.

That concludes BFA in photography.

And now the BFA in print making.

Isabel Bedard.

Daniel Cardoso.

And that concludes the BFA in print making.

- And now for the BFA

in sculpture and installation.

Jenessa Avila.

Stoyan Barakov.

Tamar Bresge, with distinction.

Sanda Callander.

Holly Jo Horner, with distinction.

Liza Konovalov.

Ante Benedict Kurilic.

Eija Loponen-Stephenson, with distinction.

Junaid Noorah.

Tatjana Isabella Reithofer.

Shaheen Salehi, with distinction.

Astrid Salmon.

Ju Yeon Shin, with distinction.

And that concludes our BFA

in sculpture and installation.

Congratulations to all graduates.

- Hello everyone.

I am Dori Tunstall, Dean of the Faculty of Design.

My congratulations to you on this great achievement.

I am so proud of you.

I will be reading the names

of the graduates in the Faculty of Design.

Joining me will be Jana Macalik,

Associate Dean of Academic Affairs.

We'll begin with the advertising program.

Tamara Al Khatib.

Saieda Dornaz Ayatollahi.

Simran Badwal.

Marta Bielak.

Finlay Christoforidis.

Loren Cohen.

Karissa De Bono.

Jai Yeon Eum.

Richie Francisco.

Noah Ganhao.

Darian Ghaznavi.

Emily Gilmore.

Zubair.

Ali Khan.

Lada Kysla.

Audrey Laliberte.

Wai Yan Lam.

Chantal Lamont.

William Gian Lau.

Francisco Ledesma.

Haesu Lee.

Jessie Lee.

Jonland Liu.

Lauren McCartan.

Lean Meddaoui.

Sergev Opher.

Maxwell Campbell Carlo Perone.

Hayley Polidoro.

Alejandra Ruiz.

Emily Shimanuki.

Alexia Vaccaro.

Kaitlin Wells.

Matthew Wicks, with distinction.

Now concludes advertising.

- And now for environmental design.

Shaista Amjad.

Mary Anibijuwon.

Naziha Asad.

Lukas Chan.

Rachel Cheung.

Carlos Chin.

Callan Convery.

Declan Costa.

Juliana Constanzo.

Hailey Deklerck.

Kiran Dharni.

Paul Doherty.

Elif Elal Efe.

Jonathan Andre Espana.

Emem Essien.

Sahar Fallahian.

Monzer Ferawana.

Ching Nen Nicole Gao.

Daniella Glasgow.

Gurleen Kar Gosal.

Curtis Harrison.

Zahrasadat Hashemi.

Yuen Ping Yvonne Huang.

Evin Jennings.

Kadianna Letisha Johnson.

Maya Kanana.

David Kim, with distinction.

Kristian Lebitania.

Sam Liu.

Bingyue Liu.

Carley Vitory MacAdam-Thompson.

Laura Matar.

Priscilla McIntosh.

Andrew Mojarrab.

Alexander Moses.

Naaz Mubarak.

Robert Oleksiak, with distinction.

Yamir Ortega.

Aurora Paplekaj.

Lydia Sobe Park.

Gabrielle Pelletier.

Thomas Phillips.

Jan Radde.

Salum Rajabu.

Nadira Annisha Ramlall.

Ahmad El Sarraff.

Anna Sliwka.

John Son.

Elizabeth Kaitlin Sullivan, with distinction.

Daniel Francisco Lugo Travieso.

Lima Urya.

Marco Luko Vokovic.

Lydia Whyte-Fagundes.

Chu Fangshou Xu.

Yufan Yang.

Percy Yeung.

Luxin Xhang.

And that concludes environmental design.

And now the graduates

from environmental design

with a specialization in interior design.

Yasmina Chami.

Ingrid Moreno Chaves.

Adam Scott Curren.

Leyi Deng.

Xinyu Fu.

Ruo Jiang, with distinction.

Celena Kwan, with distinction.

Luann Lyu.

Dantong Niu.

Yixin Peng.

Lan Pioa.

Negar Shakori.

Kimeeko Tamargo.

Tamar Tokmak.

Wang Haory.

Xiatong Wang.

Fanming Wang.

Yiduo Xu.

Lijing Yu.

Xexin Zeng.

Zeng Zhang.

Yuwin Zhang.

Yuksho Zhang.

Yiquin Zhou.

And that concludes the environmental design graduates

with a specialization in interior design.

- We now begin with graphic design.

Angelo Mark Acosta.

Romel Keith.

Natasha Antonellis.

Marina Arzanova.

Sarah Beamish.

Matthew Beaubien.

Mike Bednarz.

Isabelle Belanger.

Alyssa May Bernando.

Zaiah Briscoe.

Emily Bristow-Owen.

Carly Bruce.

Michael Caballero.

Octavio Caceres.

Xintong Cai.

Chris Cannataro.

Wincy Chan.

Claudia Chau.

Lurong Chen.

Wayron Chen.

Elisabetta Costa.

Wuzheng Cui.

Jessica Cvilo.

Diego De La Torre.

Tara De Vries.

Mrinal Dhase.

Gregory Donato.

Alyshea Cara D'Souza.

Charlotte Tess Dunn.

Jocelyn Escamillan.

Dennis Espino Maravilla.

Halina Fehr.

Bingshe Feng.

Luciana Ferreira Santos.

Tara Garcia.

Erin Ha.

Aini Haider, with distinction.

Justune Harendorf-Fisher, with distinction.

Veronica Henriques.

Francis Ho.

Zeqing Hu.

Siyuan Huang.

Yejin Huang.

Michael Internicola.

Jack Allen Irwin.

Michelle Ji.

Anson Pei Jun Jiang.

Xiju Jiang.

Hyun Ji Jung.

Jooeun Kim.

Tony Kong.

Helen Kurnevich, with distinction.

Jessica Kwan.

Nhan Le.

Vivien Lee.

Ruizhou Li.

Mengyuan Li.

Jeffrey Ling Chi Fe.

Yuwei Liu.

Yong Xian Lu.

Patricia Luk.

Chen Luo.

Almira Masangcay.

Rosalind McCormack-Willians.

Rachel McCormick.

China Melrose, with distinction.

Mi Xinze.

Nikhil Mitra.

Meoka Miwa.

Alyssa Miju Nam.

Stephanie Nguy.

Yueyin Ni.

Serlie Parnakoglu.

Thomas Peng.

Shiho Ran.

Fatima Riaz.

Shorouk Saker.

Alyana Sawh.

Yoona Seo.

Chen Shang.

Paul Daniel Sing Dhillon.

Alex Siniavine.

Emily Soldano.

Emma Susan Stobo.

Emi Takahashi, with distinction.

Matthew Christopher Taylor.

Winlu Ti.

Cheryl Xiqu Tong.

Connie Tung.

Christian Urroz.

Denise Velasco.

Haibo Wang.

Xinran Wang.

Galen Ward.

Cole Wielgosz.

Yuting Wu.

Christine Xia, with distinction.

Ruoya Xiong.

Xiua Xu.

Hikari Yara.

Christopher Yue.

Jasmine Zang.

Jason Zante.

Mingyao Zeng.

Ting Zhang.

Xi Zhou.

Krystal Zhou.

That concludes graphic design.

We now begin illustration.

Dayla Abdel Rahman.

Mason Barnes-Crouse.

Erin Callegari.

Nicholas Capretta.

Xiu Chen.

Linda Chen.

Xi Chen.

Hongnan Chen.

Christine Chua.

Hailey Cook.

Olivia Di Gregorio.

Xuefei Gao.

William Gibbons.

Guillaume Goder.

Teresa Hasigaowa.

Xang He.

Lucie Hoca.

Yin Ning Hu.

Xinchen Jiang.

Xien Jin.

Catherine Kerr-Cresswell.

Olivia Kim.

Xuan Li.

Meng Li.

Enin Liang.

Dominque Lin.

Fengu Lo.

Jessica Loya.

Cassandra Lokyin Lui.

Joshua Middleton.

Ashlyn Mundy, with distinction.

Christine Makana Njagi.

Stephen O'Donnel.

Brayden Pawlik.

Chrisian Piasentin, with distinction.

Riley Pineros.

Danielle Poitras.

Zhiya Qian.

Harlie Reiss.

Chris Remmi.

Wynne Rodgers.

Nabila Roshd.

Monica Schlumberger.

Xi Shen.

Elma Shen.

Nan Shi.

Meredith Anne Hope Smallwood.

Anna Sokyrka.

Alexadra Francesca Solorzano-Caruso.

Anastasia Tarkhanova.

Qiao Wang.

Elijah White.

Melissa Willcott.

Chengzi Yan.

Dui Yang.

Melody Yuan.

Ben Zhang.

Elain Zhao.

Xinu Zhao.

Jiaqi Zheng.

That concludes illustration.

- And now the graduates from industrial design.

Adam Albini.

Shaun Alfonso.

Daniel Antonucci.

Ethan Morgan Arff.

Victoria Beck.

Patrick Ivan Canete.

Sam Chaaya.

Xu Ying Winnie Chen.

Cindy Cheng.

Mu Gion Greg Choi.

Sung Young Chung.

Tyrone Davidson.

Gregoire Dechaine.

Auditi Dutta.

Sylin Erzurumluoglu.

Nash Escalada, with distinction.

Brian Quan Que Fan.

Raymond Fong.

Maria Vieira Fresco.

Gabriel Tevian Goldstein.

Samson Graham.

Montserrat De Grau-Amezcua.

Avery Guerin.

Jacob Hoang.

Jin Pio Hong.

Ahmad Ibrahim.

Nadim Ismail.

Zongqi Jiang.

Eyun Kim.

Yun Yong Kim.

Kim Lam Curtis Kwok.

Dominic Ray Lagman.

Sing Yu Lam.

Tae Ho Lee.

Priscilla Lee.

Jonathan Ma.

Xijaxi Nie.

Christopher Panneflek.

Phillip Payne.

Damon Pfaff.

Mustafa Shabir Rashid.

Daniel Rosero.

Farzad Rafsanjani Sadeghi.

Bong Yun Chi.

Kamil Shebli.

Jonathan Stowe.

Hongyin Sun.

Zijie Wang.

Pe Peidi Wang.

Allen Wang, with distinction.

Zoe Yuan.

Claire Zhang.

Bella Zhang.

And that concludes the graduates from industrial design.

And now for material art and design.

Khadija Aziz.

Emma Enright.

Akash Inbakumar.

Nomi Juhasz.

Alessia Latina.

Madeleine Leblanc.

Yung Xina Liang.

Kendra Martyn.

Jingwen Niu.

Nicole O'Brien.

Rachel Ormshaw.

Kate Ritchie.

Elle Sandbacka.

Madeline Simpson.

Xueqi Wang.

Kye-Cha Yang.

Xiaorui Yang.

Chang Yao.

Tianyu Chu.

And that concludes the graduates

of material art and design.

And that concludes the graduates

from the Faculty of Design.

Congratulations graduates.

- Congratulations graduates.

I look forward to how you will bring the ethos

of respectful design

into responding to the COVID 19 pandemic,

and redesigning the worlds that you want to live in

with respect for other ways of being

and in harmony with the environment.

I'm so proud of you.

Congratulations.

- Hello everyone.

My congratulations to all of you

on this great achievement.

I'm Dr. Alia Weston,

the Associate Dean

in the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Sciences

and the School of Interdisciplinary Studies.

I'll be reading the names of the graduates

from our faculty today.

I'll begin with the digital futures program.

Jerez Bain.

Tianchang Feng.

Vivian Fu.

Anesha Sarah Gosine.

Mika Hirata, with distinction.

Ardy Doctor Llantino.

Pandy Ma.

Do Park.

Zi Wang.

Vivian Wong, with distinction.

And that concludes the names

of the graduates

in the digital futures program.

And now from the indigenous visual culture program.

Kaya Dacosta.

And that concludes the graduates

from the indigenous visual culture program.

And now from the visual and critical studies program.

Keira Charbonneau.

Sienlang Hsu.

Sonnam Richard Luong.

Kara Marcinkoski.

Karla Karena Roman Justo.

Nikole Maria Turrer, with distinction.

Yimeng Zhu.

And that concludes the graduates

from the visual and critical studies program.

And that concludes the graduates

from the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Sciences

and the School of Interdisciplinary Studies.

Congratulations everyone.

- Hello and greetings to our OCAD University

graduate studies masters graduates

of the class of 2020.

And welcome to your families and your friends.

I'm Dr. Martha Ladly

and I'm the graduate program director

of the Interdisciplinary Masters

in Art, Media and Design.

Completion of your graduate studies

is a tremendous achievement.

And today's convocation

is a truly meaningful day in your lives.

I'm very proud and very happy to share your joys

and share your successes on this important day.

Joining me will be Dr. Ashok Mather,

the Dean of Graduate Studies at OCAD University.

- Hello everyone.

My name is Ashok Mather.

I'm the Dean of Graduate Studies,

and it gives me great pleasure

to begin by introducing to you

the graduating class of 2020

beginning with the program inclusive design.

Erman Akyol.

Dana Shalab Alsham.

Hi Wan Han.

Grace Mendez.

Alis Panjatevakupt.

Nahin