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Medal Winners

Medal

Students from each program have been chosen as recipients of the OCAD University Medal in recognition for their creativity, innovation, mastery of technique and high academic achievement.

Donald Zhu
Donald Zhu

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Faculty of Design - Graphic Design

Donald Zhu

“VECTOR, SPIN, STROKE. is an ongoing project explores the role of tools within design investigations. To position design as an investigative activity is to favor a bottom-up approach. As such, a tool stands between oneself and their outputs—it sets... More

Gabrielle Schwartz
Gabrielle Schwartz

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Faculty of Design - Illustration

Gabrielle Schwartz aka. gl.schwartz

“Saccharine Living Things illustrates whimsical creatures pursuing a lifestyle among humans. This thesis describes their imagined range of contributions and their clashing residence in mundane situations. ”

Kim Luong
Kim Luong

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Faculty of Art - Experimental Animation

Kim Luong

“ I use fantastical elements in order to create a sense of whimsy while reflecting upon ideas related to the philosophy of humanity and the melancholy of life. More

Sayeh Ghahari
Sayeh Ghahari

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Faculty of Design - Environmental Design - Interior Design Specialization

Sayeh Ghahari

“Design is a reflection of my values and aspirations, expressing who I am and what I stand for through the things I create. ”

Miao Xuan Liu
Miao Xuan Liu

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Faculty of Design - Material Art & Design

Miao Xuan Liu

“/From the black gulf explores the trickster archetype as cope, as praxis, as spiritual surrogate. As an archetype defined by multiplicity, shapeshifting, and transformation, the trickster occupies a position between realms and physicalities, a flux... More

Erin MacGregor
Erin MacGregor

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Faculty of Design - Industrial Design

Erin MacGregor

“I am a dynamic and focused Industrial Designer with a background in Fine Art. It is with pride, that I am graduating from OCADU with distinction. I've worked hard in design school, I try to do something "big" and cool every year. Whether it's... More

Blaine Thornton
Blaine Thornton

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Faculty of Arts & Science - Creative Writing

Blaine Thornton aka. 2023 OCAD U Medal Winner // Writer of Poetic Memoir Here's To Letting Go

“Here’s to Letting Go is a fusion of creative non-fiction and poetry that delves into my personal experience of being queer while unsheltered. Along with the pain and fear of this circumstance, there are also themes of love and healing. Through a... More

Ella Taylor
Ella Taylor

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Faculty of Art - Criticism and Curatorial Practice

Ella Taylor

“Ella’s work engages with pedagogies of place, queer theory, community-based projects and gardening. Using auto-theory as a place to begin, Ella's writing finds space for critical theory in the scribbles on the margins of pages, interlaced within... More

Amir Abdolizadeh
Amir Abdolizadeh

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Faculty of Art - Photography

Amir Abdolizadeh

“I look for simplicity in photography, and I enjoy the process by which simplicity, through a poetic approach, can be transformed into unexpected meaning and expression. More

Brandon Latcham
Brandon Latcham

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Faculty of Art - Printmaking & Publications

Brandon Latcham

“Plasmatic Carnival More

Laura Arango
Laura Arango

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Faculty of Design - Advertising

Laura Arango

“Curiosity hasn't killed me yet. ”

Shannon Molenaar
Shannon Molenaar

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Faculty of Arts & Science - Visual and Critical Studies

Shannon Molenaar

“At OCADU, I developed my writing skills while thinking deeply about what art is doing today, and how this 'doing' connects to and reflects back our world. ”

Hayley Chiu
Hayley Chiu

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Faculty of Art - Drawing and Painting

Hayley Chiu

“My home is where I fall asleep and where I wake; not defined by place, but my being. I’m always where I need to be with what I need to thrive. “Snail’s Home”, or 「蝸居」, explores and celebrates this relationship with the self that gives me a feeling... More

Gustav Bulzgis
Gustav Bulzgis

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Faculty of Art - Sculpture/Installation

Gustav Bulzgis

“I construct sculptures whose logics stem from components of transportation and architecture. Each work is a specific material frame that seeks to highlight contours of the world that ordinarily fade into the background of perception. Through this... More

Grace Point
Grace Point

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Faculty of Arts & Science - Indigenous Visual Culture

Grace Point

Bridget Lu
Bridget Lu

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Faculty of Art - Cross-Disciplinary Art: Life Studies

Bridget Lu

Christina Chen
Christina Chen

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Faculty of Arts & Science - Digital Futures

Christina Chen

“I like 📊 and 🎨 ”