OCAD University

OCAD University (OCAD U) has a long and storied history as the first school in Canada dedicated entirely to the education of professional artists in fine and commercial art. OCAD U runs a system of galleries that includes a 2,000 sf Professional “Onsite” Gallery that is to be relocated to an 8,000 sf space on the ground floor of a new condominium structure at 199 Richmond West. The gallery is to include a combination of exhibition, collections storage and other spaces and will continue to feature contemporary work by nationally and internationally significant artists and designers. There are also several existing galleries devoted to the showing of student or faculty works.

Lord Cultural Resources was engaged to develop a Facility and Business Plan for the new Professional Gallery and to advise on the gallery system as a whole. To meet the objectives of this study, Lord carried out market and comparables research, facilitated a visioning workshop with key stakeholders, and assessed the collection and storage spaces, leading to recommendations and the final Business and Facility Plan.