As the weather turns colder, I am very thankful that so many arts, design and cultural opportunities have returned to the halls of AMPD and the York University Keele campus. Throughout the fall exhibits have rotated through our galleries, aspiring designers and artists queued up for national portfolio day in our studios, and the performing arts and student film festivals returned. You can read about many of these and prior events in our most recent annual report.

Amid this re-opening, I have had the chance to meet with some of our amazing students and alumni, some of whom are featured here. When I attend different arts and cultural events, it is always a pleasure to see AMPD and York University listed in the biographies of our alumni. Publicly listing affiliation with our School and York not only builds connections to current and past students, but also increases the attention and opportunities for all of our emerging graduates. I hope that you will join me in proudly identifying with the great programs in AMPD and York. As was recently highlighted in Maclean’s Magazine, our School is one of the areas that is internationally renowned at York. You — our faculty, alumni, students and staff — are the reason for this reputation and success.

Those of you outside the University community can also connect with our students by becoming a mentor through the “ Connecting YU” network. This new online network builds community and offers our students the benefit of your experience and knowledge. Thanks to everyone who has already signed up to mentor. For those who have not yet joined, signing up is easy and you can set the degree of involvement that fits your schedule as we connect a global network of artists, scholars, designers, creators and leaders across our disciplines.…


And what amazing company to keep! In just the last few weeks, award-winning musician and current MA student, Sarah Slean, gloriously performed at our annual alumni awards event as did the Oscar Peterson Scholarship Trio, led by Prof. Mike Cadó. The accomplished designer, Deborah Lau-Yu continues to communicate through her elegant designs, while Corey Ross has literally immersed us in art. Across the city, Toronto theatres are led by Theatre@York alumni moving live arts back from the pandemic. Film and Media Arts students continue to define their industries and the future of entertainment for us all. Uniting these disciplines, we were honoured to recognize the music producer, philanthropist and OVO co-founder, Noah ‘40’ Shebib with an honorary doctorate for his many contributions and accomplishments in music and culture.

We are also delighted to celebrate the ground-breaking for the new Joan and Martin Goldfarb Gallery of York University. Located in the heart of AMPD and the Keele campus, the ceremony itself was accompanied by the delighted sounds of students moving through the nearby passageways. It was an excellent reminder that it is the students and the dynamic, bustling interactions among faculty members, students and staff who create a great University that is enriched and enlivened through its commitment to the arts.

Of course, challenges remain. The School of AMPD, its students, faculty and staff continue to work through the effects of the pandemic. We know that students who have experienced the worst of lockdowns and lack of arts access in secondary schools can find it more challenging to navigate the rigors of university arts programs. Our international students may experience these transitions even more intensely, especially when in the midst of global turmoil.

Thankfully, we have a dedicated community that continues to unite to support each other and all our students through these transitions. Contributions from supporters like you have created emergency scholarship funds to assist students in need and to enable a supportive peer network of students who are helping each other. Your contributions to AMPD go directly to our students through scholarships, equipment replacements, new experiential education opportunities and facility upgrades.

Thank you for your continued support and enthusiasm for the arts at York and I look forward to welcoming you to campus again soon.

Warmly,
Sarah
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