What Is The York Lane Art Collective?

6:45 PM

York Lane Art Collective is a volunteer-run, creative art space for artists to express themselves, collaborate with others, and fuel inspiration. Sometimes a gallery, sometimes a concert, YLAC is an ever-evolving space where disciplines are practised, experienced and expressed. This place thrives on sustaining an artistic community. We emphasize on collaboration, where individual skill sets are exchanged to expand horizons and grow artistic visions. We respect and encourage all forms of art and creativity. Located in the alley of York Lane behind Ontario street, you will be intrigued to discover Stratford’s vibrant, inspirational, local art scene. After our first full year open, we have curated 12 gallery exhibitions, screened local artists’ films, hosted local theatre productions, play-readings, book readings, poetry nights, a ton of live music and concerts, held classes and given opportunities to artists to sell work. ​​

by Claire Scott, Operator of York Lane Art Collective

A Look into the Creativity Behind La Osa

7:00 PM

La Osa, heading into it's second year as a brick and mortar shop, WASN'T born overnight. La Osa has evolved into a dreamy place filled with carefully curated vintage goods, hand-picked treasures and beautifully crafted jewellery, including Pamela's own jewelry line, created on site. She believes in and supports the slow-fashion movement, encourages the appreciation of vintage and handcrafted items and promotes the environmental benefits of wearing and buying second-hand clothing.

Hear about her creative journey from hobby to side hustle to full-time business, developing a business plan, making the most of the resources available to you and building community around your brand. Community involvement is a big part of her business - she is the co-founder of Perth Pop-Up market series, on the organizing committee for Stratford Trashion Week and the board of directors for Stratford's City Centre BIA.

by Pamela Coneybeare, Owner of La Osa Jewelry + Vintage

BRIDGE - How Do Other Satellite Campuses Do It?

7:15 PM

BRIDGE Centre for Architecture and Design is an independent, student-run initiative at the University of Waterloo’s School of Architecture that supports student art and design initiatives and connects the school to the community.

Our talk is broken down into three parts that explain the digital and physical platforms of BRIDGE Centre for Architecture and Design: the website, the storefront and special events. Our website is a hub for students at the University of Waterloo School of Architecture to share their opinions, travels, academic work and extra-curricular projects. The storefront, which has a very public presence in downtown Galt hosts a variety of community events, such as exhibitions, talks and performances. Our special events sections include the Future School workshops, where BRIDGE collaborated with local public schools on a design project, as well as "Common Waters", an upcoming community initiative that consists of art exhibitions, walks, lectures and other mixed-media events centred around the large topic of water. Common Waters is being curated in collaboration with Cambridge Art Galleries.

by Julia Nakanishi, Tony Kogan, Nicholas Frayne & Omar Ferwati

from the School of Architecture

Introduction to AR/VR/XR: How to Become an XR Enthusiast

7:30 PM

My adventure into to world of VR & AR development and how to design the experience of the future.

by Seyitan Oke, GBDA Alumni '18

Disruption & Innovation in Rigid Industries

7:45 PM

How do you spark big ideas in rigid industries? How do you innovate systems in places not prone to change?

Hear from Cailin Younger, a Digital UX & Product Designer with experience designing exceptional experiences to challenge real-world problems in areas such as education, government and banking.

by Cailin Younger, Fourth Year GBDA Student

Trusting the Process

8:00 PM

Opportunities can present themselves in unexpected ways. For me, it was as Design Manager for a leadership organization. Having no major Graphic Design experience, I fell a little too deep with work and responsibilities, but stuck with it nonetheless. As someone who has consistently sought after the happiness of pursuit, being in this role made me rethink what I’m capable of. It made me rethink my skills; if others can believe in my skills, why shouldn’t I believe in myself? Instead of doubting our craft, we should take pride in how far we’ve come already, rethink our capabilities, and trust in the future we’ll write for ourselves.

by Noah Pratt​, Second Year GBDA Student

The Power of Pitching

8:15 PM

What drives me to create is my passion for problem solving and taking creative approaches to present these ideas in a business setting. Any revolutionary idea can be easily overlooked if you don't have the means to articulate it to the people who can help make it happen. I want to share what I've learned with other creators and help them develop their pitch ideas to be captivating and allow them to grow within their industry.

by Jacquelyn McColl, Second Year GBDA Student

Well Being & Taking on a Side Hustle

8:30 PM

Why take on a new side hustle? How do you find work-life balance? Aleena is tackling these challenges through her lightning talk.

by Aleena Singh, GBDA Fourth Year & Creators Collective Partnership Coordinator