Welcome to the launch of SITE-SPECIFIC, a space built to ignite, amplify and feed conversation that advances OCAD U and the wider community’s collective understanding of art & design, equity, and social justice. Through the Guest Blog Series, monthly themes will be touched on in blog entries by members of the OCAD U community – the dialogue is continued through comments by readers and their perspectives.

The theme for November is Understanding Equity– what do the terms equity and diversity entail, and what does thinking critically about the discourse around them look like? Also looked at is the importance of critical understandings of equity within the academic setting.

Guest Bloggers for this month are Richard Fung and David McIntosh, both Associate Professors at OCAD U as well as recent recipients of major Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) Insight grants; also being interviewed is Danielle Nicole Smith, a current OCAD U undergrad and the SITE-SPECIFIC blog coordinator.

Interviews are below this post. Thanks for joining in the dialogue. We look forward to a year of insightful interviews, compelling conversation, and community engagement!