Student Zone, a fan-favourite returns
Dear Friend of TOAF,
TOAF63 is brimming with talent as well as exciting returning and new partnerships that highlight the next generation of Canadian contemporary artists.
New this year, you will have the chance to experience the feature exhibition Emerging Artists by Emerging Curator Award during the Fair. We welcome the Indigenous Curatorial Collective (ICCA) as our new programming partner, who will bring their unique perspective and curatorial vision to TOAF this year for this award.
For this opportunity award, curator Jesse King has curated a feature exhibition of TOAF63 artists titled Blushing Bodies. This showcase is generously supported by the Barry & Laurie Green Family Charitable Trust and ICCA.
Our fan-favourite Student Zone is bustling with independent student artists, recipients of OCAD University’s RBC Centre for Emerging Artists & Designers (CEAD) Toronto Outdoor Art Fair Career Launchers prize and OCAD U GradEx pop-up. York University, the Visual Art & Art History Department, will be at the Fair for the first time showcasing the innovative works of their students.
Some of our favourite stories from the Fair include collectors who collect an artist very early in their career and can go on to support them as they gain momentum and critical acclaim. At TOAF, you get to say, “I collected them before they took off!”
Such palpable energy is in the air. Please take a moment to familiarise yourself with our new partners, feature exhibitions, and emerging artists to get the best out of your visit in July.
Finally, We are rolling out our Digital Programming. Please follow us on Instagram. Don’t miss the upcoming Studio Visit with Rebekah Miller, an Exclusively Online artist from Yellowknife.
See you very soon!
anahita
Executive & Creative Director
OCAD U Career Launcher
Left to right: Window, Lu Zhang, 2024, Digital; Clovis Stella Obedi, 2024, Acrylic, Collaged Images on Canvas.
GradEx Pop Up
This year’s GradEx pop-up features a curated exhibition of five thought-provoking young artists—Vicki Ying Shi, Byori Seo, Grace Vali, Tusharika Arora and Rylee Hollis. This showcase is a result of a collaboration with a curatorial collective of OCAD U students, who participated in an experiential learning initiative under the mentorship of TOAF and OCAD U’s CEAD, Zev Farber.
Left to right: Whispers of Light, Vicki Ying Shi, 2024, Silver foil and oil on wooden board.; Is it all you imagined, Byori Seo, 2024, Stoneware & copper.
New this Year: York U
Left to right: Artist Conk, Sarah Hancock, 2024, Ganoderma applanatum; Never Coming Home, Colin Arthurs, 2024, Oil on Canvas.
