The Learning Zone

photo credit Aruvi Rajasingham

Looking for a perfect way to celebrate the New Year with us at the Learning Zone? Join us for some great workshops starting next week.

Marta Chudolinska, Learning Zone and Zine Librarian will be leading OCAD Zine Library Workshop Series: Publish It Your Self.

A fantastic line up of hands-on introductory workshops to get you started on the zine you’ve always wanted to make: Soft-Cover Bookbinding, January 15 & 16; Hard-Cover Bookbinding, January 17 & 22; Intro to Self-Publishing, January 23 & 24; Linocut Printing, February 12 & 13. Open to all OCAD U students.

grOCAD is sowing the New Year with a second hands-on seed propagation workshop lead by Sayeh Dastgheib-Beheshti who teaches Sustainable Practices in the Design Program. Last semester Sayeh shared tips and techniques and native plant seeds to get a jump on Spring. Save the date for January 30th at 2:30 pm, for another chance to get started on that wildflower garden. Open to all members of the OCAD U community.

Other great events, workshops, exhibitions will continue this semester. We will see the return of Career Development: Résumé/CV, Portfolio and Interview Skills Drop-In Clinics every Wednesdays and Thursdays, 3:30 – 4:30pm starting January 10. Open to OCAD U students and recent graduates.

Research Wednesdays returns January 24, 1-2pm with Lindsay Gibb, E-Reserves & Learning Zone Coordinator who will be presenting Researching Pop Culture. Lindsay will discuss the research she had undertaken on actor Nicolas Cage when writing her award winning book National Treasure: Nicolas Cage.

We always look forward to your visit.

What’s new at the Learning Zone for 2017?

The Learning Zone will be hosting upcoming exhibitions including a reading event, and awesome zine workshops exploring creative DIY approaches to zine-making. Career Development Résumé/CV, Portfolio and Interview Skills Drop-In Clinics returns this year, offering professional skill sets that will contribute to your long-term success. Writing Learning Centre (WLC) Drop-in Tutoring Sessions will also be available, providing useful skills for thesis writing, brainstorming, studying for essays to name a few.

Please, join us at the Learning Zone — we always look forward to your visits.

A call of submissions for TEXThibit : An Exhibition of Creative Writing by OCAD U Students has been extended to January 30. This exhibition will consist of an visual selection of writings by students at OCAD U, displayed as large format installations on the walls of the Learning Zone Gallery February 2017.  All writing styles are welcomed — submissions of short stories, poetry, non-fiction and anything in between.

grOCAD is having a plant sale. Join them Friday January 20, in the lobby of the Main Building. Baby spider plants, aloe and more from the plant propagation workshop held last November in the Learning Zone will be on sale.

 grOCAD is a community of OCAD U students, faculty and staff working together to integrate plant life into our everyday experience by cultivating areas in and around OCAD U’s campus.

Interested in seeing some of grOCAD’s on-going projects? Visit us at the Learning Zone and have a look at grOCAD’s Windowfarm and Aquafarm installations.

Connect with grOCAD’s at grOCAD Public Group | Facebook or email ocadgrows@gmail.com.

Are you looking for space to meet, host workshops or events? Contact us to discuss. The Learning Zone also accepts proposals for solo or group exhibitions. To learn more about our submissions guidelines contact Marta Chudolinska, Learning Zone Librarian, mchudolinska@ocadu.ca or visit http://bit.ly/2joAd3Y for more details.

Since January, Mondays at the Learning Zone have been all about the moolah. Bones, clams, dough, cash; whatever you call it, it’s money, and that’s what Money Mondays are all about!

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Love it or hate it, we all need money to live (barring some extreme cases!). Money management and financial planning are especially important when you don’t rely on a steady income — a situation sadly familiar to many artists. There’s no time like the present to learn about money because the longer you wait, the more of a mess you can get yourself into.

At this point, we’re already seven steps into the ten-step program, but don’t let that get in your way! You can still register for the last two sessions:

1 April — Step 8: Protect Yourself and Your Money
8 April — Steps 9 & 10: Get Help & Stay Financially Fit

For more information, visit the Financial Matters: Info Sessions page on the OCADU website.

Actually, it’d be a good idea to check out that web page anyway because Start Your Professional Practice Now! 2013 is coming up at the end of the month. With two days of presentations from artists, designers, and educators — like Budgeting for Artists & Designers (so you can catch up on what you missed at Money Mondays!), and Alumni Panel: From Classroom to Career — this is a great opportunity to learn from those who’ve been there. So take a well-earned break from studying, and study up on your future!

If you’re thinking of working this summer (or sooner!), then think about the Career Development office, because they’re all about helping OCADU students and grads “develop the skills and knowledge base required to be successful creative professionals” — pretty awesome, right!? And here at the Learning Zone we bring the office to you, in the form of a drop-in resumé clinic!

From 1 to 4:30pm next Tuesday (26 February), representatives from Career Development and Experiential Learning will be here at the Learning Zone. Stop by with your resumé, CV, and/or your cover letters for immediate, personalized, relevant feedback and advice. Discuss your future career options. Find out what else the Career Development office has to offer. Shake the slush from your boots, and get ready for summer!

CREATive Fund$ (the financial literacy program from Financial Aid & Awards) will be presenting, Do what you love: Free financial planning program for students/grads, every Monday 10 am – 12 pm until April 8, 2013 at the Learning Zone.

This is a free 10-step financial planning program designed to help you get the handle on your money so that you can do what you love. RSVP at http://tiny.cc/2pq9qw.