2020 Wins

The year 2020 is one that we will remember for a long time. Apart from adapting to our new (and cautious) lifestyles, VCAD has some great accomplishments and success stories!

• We featured two gallery events at the Calgary campus: Hugh Rookwood and Rawry & Pohly;
• It was the first-time ever that the TÉLIO scholarship was awarded to first-year Fashion Design student: Triptych;
• We hosted our first-ever VCAD Virtual Graduate Exhibition Spring 2020, VCAD Virtual Graduate Exhibition Summer 2020 and VCAD Virtual Graduate Exhibition Fall 2020;
• Interior Design students from Vancouver campus entered into the LafargeHolcim Awards Competition (award to come out next year);
• Our Academic Director of Visual Arts and Design, Trevor Van den Eijnden displays his very own art exhibition at the Reach Gallery Museum in Abbotsford;
• We graduated our first round of Architecture Design and Technology program students, as well our first round of graduates from the Calgary campus;
• VCAD forged a partnership with Emily Carr University for continued studies in Graphic Design, Game Development & Design, and 3D Modeling Animation Art & Design;
• VCAD “goes green” with new sustainable initiatives executed this 2020;
• We launched our first-ever virtual workshop for the Fashion Design program;
• And, VCAD diplomas can now be accessed digitally through a partnership with Open Source University (OSU).

COVID-19 affected everyone this year, however, at VCAD, we strived to respond to the best of our abilities by making the transition to a remote learning environment as smooth as possible, for both students and faculty. Safety protocols and distancing measures were put into place at our campuses, and several online initiatives were created to support the mental health and wellbeing of our students and VCAD community.

Fashion Design students added mask-making to the curriculum, and two of our graduates started their own business ventures in creating, donating, and selling these to the community. In addition, the fashion industry embraced the growing support of local designers, production companies, and manufacturers. The changes faced by our Fashion Design students and graduates can be read about here.

As the year is coming to an end, we’re grateful for the many milestones accomplished and we are hopeful for a bright and promising 2021!