OCAD University hires five new Indigenous faculty members
This second cluster hire reflects the University's ongoing efforts to advance Indigenous Knowledge, research and visual culture
TORONTO, Aug. 10, 2021 /CNW/ - OCAD University is pleased to announce the hiring of five new Indigenous tenured/tenure-track faculty members in its Faculty of Design.
Matthew Hickey, Jason Lujan and Julia Rose Sutherland started on August 1, 2021 while Dr. Herman Pi'ikea Clark and Sadie Red Wing will join on January 1, 2022.
This second cluster hire is part of the University's ongoing commitment to advancing Indigenous Knowledge, the first priority identified in its Academic Plan 2017-2022: Transforming Student Experience.
"We are thrilled to welcome five new Indigenous members to the OCAD U community. These remarkable and inspiring scholars, artists, designers and educators will strengthen our efforts to reshape our University, making it a more inclusive environment for our Indigenous students. They will also contribute to the important work of indigenizing our institution, creating a community that recognizes and respects Indigenous histories, culture, knowledge and ways of knowing," said Ana Serrano, OCAD U President and Vice-Chancellor.
In addition to their teaching roles, research activities and service to the governance of the University, the new faculty members will be key contributors to the ongoing development and decolonization of OCAD U's undergraduate and graduate program curriculum, policies and initiatives. The hiring initiative is a special program under the Ontario Human Rights Code.
"As we welcome our new Indigenous colleagues, it's important to acknowledge the collective efforts of those who have contributed to this new moment in OCAD U's story and as we build IndigenousOCAD U," said Associate Professor Peter Morin, Special Advisor to the Provost, Indigenous Knowledge, Practices and Production.
He referred to the contributions of three individuals who have been instrumental in creating IndigenousOCAD U: Bonnie Devine, founding chair of the University's Indigenous Visual Culture program; curator, educator and artist Ryan Rice; and poet, journalist and artist Dr. Duke Redbird.
MEET THE NEW INDIGENOUS FACULTY MEMBERS
- Dr. Herman Pi'ikea Clark is a Kanaka Maoli/Indigenous Hawaiian from a family with deep ancestral roots across Hawaii and Polynesia. Over the last 30 years, he has gained international recognition as an artist, designer and scholar of Indigenous art and education. His artworks and design commissions are found in both private and public collections in Hawaii, the U.S. mainland and across the Pacific region.
- Matthew Hickey is Mohawk from the Six Nations First Nation and licensed architect with 15 years of experience working in an on-reserve architecture firm. His focus is on Universal Inclusivity, including regenerative design and encompassing ecological, cultural and economic principles. His research includes Indigenous history and the adaptation of traditional sustainable technologies to the modern North American climate. He also teaches at the Ontario Association of Architects, and is a member of the Waterfront Toronto Design Review Panel and Artscape Board of Directors.
- Jason Lujan, Chiricahua, is an artist who creates tools for understanding and interpreting the process of cultural diffusion and familiarization. He has contributed to, planned, constructed and managed productions and exhibitions at the Dia Art Foundation, Museum of Modern Art, Park Avenue Armory and Metropolitan Museum of Art, as well as implemented runway fashion installations for Chanel, Marc Jacobs, Balenciaga, Tommy Hilfiger, Y3 and Rihanna x Puma.
- Sadie Red Wing is a Lakota graphic designer and advocate from the Spirit Lake Nation of Fort Totten, North Dakota. Her research on cultural revitalization through design tools and strategies created a new demand for tribal competence in graphic design research. Red Wing urges Native American graphic designers to express visual sovereignty in their design work, as well as encourages academia to include an Indigenous perspective in design curriculum.
- Julia Rose Sutherland is a Mi'kmaq (Metepenagiag Nation)/settler artist and educator based out of Tkaronto (Toronto, Canada). Her interdisciplinary art practice employs photography, sculpture, textiles and performance. She has exhibited nationally and internationally, recently showing work at the Bemis Center for Contemporary Art where she was a summer 2021 Artist in Resident, MacKenzie Art Gallery, K Art Gallery, WAAP Gallery and 59 Rivoli Gallery in Paris, France.
ABOUT OCAD UNIVERSITY
OCAD University is Canada's oldest and largest university dedicated to art, design and digital media education, practice and research, and to knowledge and invention across a wide range of disciplines. OCAD U graduates work in all areas of the economy, including health care, environmental design, industrial design and animation.
SOURCE OCAD University
MEDIA CONTACT: Karen McCarthy, APR, Senior Manager of Communications and Media, OCAD University, [email protected], 437-779-0597
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