Projects by Master of Visual Studies graduates—both in studio art and curatorial studies—at the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design and the Art Museum at the University of Toronto, have been recognized at the 48th Annual GOG Awards.

The juried OGO awards celebrate outstanding achievement, artistic merit, and excellence of arts institutions and professionals in the public art gallery sector.  

"I am thrilled to congratulate our alumni and faculty whose impact has been recognized by Galleries Ontario," said Professor Gareth Long, visual studies program director. "In an awards year defined by the theme, 'Make Your Mark,' your achievements affirm the arts as a public good and remind us why art is essential."

City of Markham’s Public Art Curator Yan Wu (MVS 2015), a graduate of the Master of Visual Studies in curatorial studies and a current PhD student at the Daniels Faculty, received the Changemaker BIPOC Award.

The award celebrates arts leaders who identify as Black, Indigenous, or People of Colour for their exceptional contributions to BIPOC communities and Ontario’s public art gallery sector, who amplify voices from diverse social and political backgrounds and foster unique relationships with the land.

Wu was recognized for her curatorial work, including Lost and Found at Rouge Valley Trail and the Varley Art Gallery of Markham by artists Holly Ward and Kevin R. Schmidt (MVS 2022), a graduate of the Master of Visual Studies in studio art. The project also received an Impact Award for sustainable public art from the Creative City Network of Canada (CCNC).

Curator Darryn Doull (MVS 2018) and artist Miles Rufelds (MVS 2019) were recognized in the Exhibition Design and Installation category for Miles Rufelds: Salvage Archives.

Curator Ingrid A. Jones (MVS 2024) was recognized for Curatorial Writing: Major Text for Labour, an exhibition produced by U of T's Art Museum.

Architecture undergraduate Mark Bennett (BAAS 2027), who works professionally in the arts as a graphic designer, was recognized in the Identity Renewal Design category for his work on the Joan and Martin Goldfarb Gallery of York University identity.

Art Museum was recognized for Exhibition of the Year (budget over $20,000 monographic) for Otherworld curated by the gallery’s Executive Director and Chief Curator, Barbara Fischer, an associate professor, teaching stream in curatorial studies in the Daniels Faculty, with artist Camille Turner, a provost’s postdoctoral fellow in the Daniels Faculty (2022-24).

Art Museum was also recognized for its public program, “A Journey through Otherworld,” curated by Bushra Junaid in collaboration with Drea Asibey. Contributors included U of T faculty members: 

• Seika Boye, an assistant professor at the Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies;  
• Melanie J. Newton, a professor in the department of history in the Faculty of Arts & Science;
• SA Smythe, an associate professor of Black Studies and the archive at the Faculty of Information and an affiliate faculty member of the Women & Gender Studies Institute (WGSI);
• Alissa Trotz, a professor of Caribbean Studies at New College and the director of WGSI; and
• Karina Vernon, an associate professor in the department of English at the University of Toronto Scarborough. 

Visual studies alumni Erika DeFreitas (HBA 2003 UTSC, MVS 2008), Samantha Lance (MVS 2024, Curatorial Studies), Katie Lawson (MA 2015, MVS 2018, Curatorial Studies) and Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream Morris Lum (HBA 2006) were shortlisted for GOG awards. Yuluo Wei (MVS 2021, Curatorial Studies) served as a member of the GOG jury.

The 48th Annual GOG Awards were held Dec. 1 in Toronto, ON.