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The third issue of the @opencollegearts Creative Writing online magazine Bookmarked - Glow of Midnight – is going live on the 5th December.

Join the team for a live reading event to celebrate the launch at 7pm GMT tomorrow, Thursday! We would love to see you there! Events link in our bio.

Here's a snippet of what to expect.

#WeAreOCA #OCAStudentAssociation #OnlineLearning #OCAFriends #Degree #CreativeWriting #OnlineMagazine #Fiction #Prose #Books #Literary #Creativity

We invite you to come along, experiment with whatever materials you have at hand, and don't forget to kick back and relax in this 2 hour session of life drawing. Join @2bornot2bcollective and @eliana.orquidea tomorrow - Wednesday evening. Who's coming?

#WeAreOCA #OCAStudentAssociation #OnlineLearning #Degree #LifeDrawing #Creativity #ArtAndDesign #OCAFriends #Collaboration

Issue 13 our zine - edge - will be live on 19 December. The theme is Home.

We were in awe with both the fantastic responses and the volume of submissions which gave the selection team of five student volunteers a very tricky job indeed to whittle it down. Well done and thank you to them!

Unfortunately not all submissions could be included but here is a selection of those responses, a sneak peek of what is to come.

Congratulations to everyone involved!

@artroger23 , @trinemw_art , @fayebardo , @fishbits , @absyflabsy , @the_genuine_g ,

#WeAreOCA #OCAStudentAssociation #OCAFriends #Zine #OCAedgezine #Home #OnlineLearning #Creativity #Degree

Happy National Illustration Day - today 29 November!

Showcased here is some of our fabulous @opencollegearts Illustration students' work;
@Njc_illustration, @absyflabsy, @colour_vision_designs, @yourartistfriendizz, @jennyh_illustration, @catsavina.art and @tiffanyscattergoodillustration

Join us and @qbcentre and fill social media with a celebration of illustration!

#NationalIllustrationDay2024 #WeAreOCA #OCAStudentAssociation #OnlineLearning #Degree #OCAIllustration #Illustration #Creativity

In a recent blog post @opencollegearts Creative Arts tutor Rachel Smith shared their trip to The Small Publishers Fair - an annual gathering of books by writers, artists, poets, musicians, book designers and their publishers. Link in our bio to the blog.

This video is of Rachel's amazing work;

"My hand-made loose leaf bookwork 'stopping. Or' explores the material possibilities of the full stop as an interval or break in the process of reading and writing. A moment to take breath. The function of a full stop is to close, consequently also to open. To curtail and to expand.

'The Logic of Sense' by Gilles Deleuze offered source material to parse. By extracting the closing and opening words either side of a full stop, the newly fragmented text offers further gaps for the inherent potential of the as-yet-unthought. Scaled fullstops are printed, embossed, and cut from the page surface to reveal elements of text and image beneath. Some cut textual elements are stitched back into the page space to offer moveable and tangential connections across existing fragmented phrases."

#WeAreOCA #OCAFriends #OCACreativeArts #OCAStudentAssociation #Books #ArtistBooks #HandmadeBooks #SmallPublishers #BookFair #Creativity

@opencollegearts Fine Art student @sunnybraestudio submitted this work for our Summer of Sustainability 2024.

“I try to recycle materials that might have been used for other purposes whenever possible, and give them new life. Ailsa Craig is a needle felt piece made from local wool that comes from farms that might normally dump the wool as it often costs more to sheer the sheep than it does to sell the wool. A local textile artist buys it and turns much of it into rugs. Another local artist dyes it and sells it in her felting shop, so it allows this wonderful material to be used by many local people, including myself.

Mandala is an ink and lino print artwork which incorporates mother nature and the environment with hints of wind, water, earth and space. The golden running hare shines a light on their numbers declining in the UK.

The Moth picture is titled 'The (Not So) Common Garden Tiger Moth' and is a lino print with gold ink. It is printed on recycled silk, made from Indian sarees. I have aimed to make the moth look transparent, signifying it's another species that is disappearing in the U.K. due to the use of insecticides used on our pet dogs and cats.”

Thanks for sharing Lyndsey!

#WeAreOCA #OCAStudentAssociation #OnlineLearning #OCAFriends #Degree #ArtsAndEnvironment #Sustainability #FineArt #Creativity #Recycle #Upcycle

Today, November 20, is Transgender Day of Remembrance, a day to memorialise those who have been murdered as a result of transphobia.

This work was submitted for our 2024 EDI Calendar and depicts Marsha P Johnson. Johnson was an American gay liberation activist and self-identified drag queen. Known as an outspoken advocate for gay rights, Johnson was one of the prominent figures in the Stonewall uprising of 1969.

#WeAreOCA #Equity #Diversity #Inclusion #TransRights #TDoR #LGBTQIA+ #OCAStudentAssociation #OCAFriends #OnlineLearning #Degree #Creativity

@opencollegearts & @ocastudentassociation believe in building an inclusive and respectful community and we want your help in putting together an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion calendar for 2025.

Check out our 2024 edition in the video. View submission guidelines and further information on the link in our bio. We welcome submissions from across our OCA community of students, tutors, HQ staff and alumni. We'd love for you to get involved.

#WeAreOCA #OCAStudentAssociation #OnlineLearning #Degree #OCAFriends #Community #Collaboration #EDI #Equity #Diversity #Inclusion #Calendar #Art #Design #Music #CreativeWriting

Today, November 13, is World Kindness Day.

'This day serves as a reminder of the positive impact that kindness can have on individuals, communities, and the world at large. It encourages people to perform intentional acts of kindness and foster a culture of compassion and generosity.'

#WeAreOCA #OCAStudentAssociation #OCAFriends #Kindness #BeKind #WorldKindnessDay #Compassion #Empathy #Creativity #OnlineLearning #Degree

"When I became a mum I focused on my family and put my art tools away. Once my children grew up I felt I needed to reconnect with my real self, art was what was missing in me. I researched different courses and OCA fitted in with all my needs. I realised I could work as well as study and manage my time accordingly. I also have a silent disability so OCA and their team have been very supportive."

Read about @opencollegearts textiles student @artpuffalump learning journey on our blog - link in our bio.

#WeAreOCA #OCAStudentAssociation #OnlineLearning #OCATextiles #OCAFriends #Textiles #Degree #Creativity

This work by @slowunravelling was submitted as part of our Summer of Sustainability 2024.

“I am interested in materiality and how it expresses our human experiences. I am currently working with cloth and natural materials such as earth, ochre and stone to explore our relationship with the broader natural world and bring about a closer understanding of how we can coexist more harmoniously and sustainably.”

Thanks for sharing Julie!

Remember as an @opencollegearts student you can access our Arts, Environment and Sustainability online resource on OCA Learn.

#WeAreOCA #OCAStudentAssociation #SummerOfSustainability #Sustainable #ClimateChange #Environment #NaturalMaterials #Degree #OnlineLearning #Creativity

"Drawing in a technical or expressive way has been introduced to me through studying graphic design somewhat thirty years ago, where I received my Diploma of Higher Education. Although I decided to follow a different creative career after that, drawing mainly and less painting, the activities where I can withdraw from everything and have quality time with myself have remained. Which is more often and more important to me as I grow older. Going into a drawing degree was a no-brainer for me. I realised that I needed a different stimulus than just my local library books or those short online courses. I wanted a challenge and to explore what drawing can be, as it sits at the core of many disciplines. A degree in drawing has the potential to lead you to various creative pathways. I have an open mind for the outcome, as I am realising project after project, new concepts cascading from my creative activity, and my thought process is developing alongside."

@opencollegearts Drawing student Konstantinos Efthymiou in conversation with Programme Leader Emma Drye, find it on our WeAreOCA blog. Link in our bio.

#WeAreOCA #OCAStudentAssociation #OCAFriends #OnlineLearning #Drawing #Creativity #SustainingPractice #Degree

It’s World Mental Health Day today 10 October.

@opencollegearts Painting student Lindsay Servian submitted this image as part of our EDI calendar callout.

“The viewer is asked to consider the mental health of the marginalised figure within the inner picture; and not just gloss over to the bright horizon.

My original inspiration came when I was jogging and found refuge from a heavy downpour in a (traditional red) phone box. I was reminded of attitudes when I was young to any form of depression and wishing to "get away" being viewed as an indulgence compared to the hell and loss of my parent's generation from the war. And whether that attitude was a balanced view (the mental health of both sides), a real disinterest, or an inability to know how to handle the situation.”

From @mindcharity - We’re in the middle of a mental health crisis. 2 million people are currently stuck on waiting lists for NHS mental health services. And on top of this, mental health stigma is still a significant issue. Real people, being left behind by a broken mental health system.

#WeAreOCA #OnlineLearning #OCAStudentAssociation #MentalHealthAwareness #Equity #Diversity #Inclusion #Wellbeing #MentalHealth #WorldMentalHealthDay

@opencollegearts BA (Hons) Creative Arts Stage Two student, Brindusa Burrows, recently delivered a TEDx talk in Geneva, Switzerland, titled 'What Have I Learnt from Making Art?'.

In her talk, Brindusa shared her personal journey as an artist, reflecting on the invaluable lessons she has learnt through the creative process and how these insights have influenced her approach to art-making, teaching, and advocating for sustainability.

Watch the video and find out more about Brindusa's work on our WeAreOCA blog site - link in our bio.

Congratulations @brindusaf

#WeAreOCA #OnlineLearning #Degree #Creativity #CreativeArts #OCAStudentAssociation #OCACreativeArts #OCAFriends #Sustainability #SustainingPractice #TedTalk #Art #Teaching

Farewell to @opencollegearts tutor Simon Manfield

"As a Programme Leader, it is always with mixed feelings that I hear a tutor is leaving to go and do something exciting with the practice. I am of course pleased, as one artist to another, that drawing tutor Simon Manfield has taken that bold step to focus on his own practice, but we will all miss him dreadfully. The balance of the drawing department will take time to resettle without his calm and generous presence. I took the time before he leaves to have a conversation with him about his time with us and his plans."

Read Emma Drye, Programme Leader for Drawing and Painting, blog post on WeAreOCA - Link in our bio.

Image: Simon Manfield: Narrabeen Lagoon A Walk with my Brother.

#WeAreOCA #OnlineLearning #Drawing #Artist #OCAStudentAssociation #OCAFriends #SustainingPractice

@opencollegearts online lunchtime concert series begins on Tuesday 24 September at 12.30 BST, with Tony Roberts performing on guitar. The concerts will be open to all of OCA, staff and students, and will be an informal opportunity to share performances with a supportive audience.

Everyone is Welcome!

#WeAreOCA #OCAStudentAssociation #OCAMusic #OCAFriends #Music #Concert #OnlineLearning #Degree #Composition #Studying #Guitar

@opencollegearts Photography student Jane Robb made this video on decomposition for their Project 3 of 1.1 Approaching Photography for the response to sustainability.

“An aspect of my work involves found natural materials which I layer to make new interpretations of the world around me. In this project, I collected partially decomposed foodstuffs from the compost pile I made at the back of the garden during lockdown. I have a background in geology, and I have always loved images of rocks and minerals through a polarising microscope. I wanted to capture the experience of viewing the world in this way by creatively visualising the rich mineralogical changes that are happening in the soil all the time, a process that is often hidden and unknown. My understanding of chemical and physical processes helps me to connect to a more sustainable mindset, recognising the roles of time and transformation. I also relate the concept of decomposition to where I am in my creative journey now, taking time to enrich the soil of my practice before I find the energy and right nutrients to grow.”

Thank you Jane for submitting your work for our Summer of Sustainability!

#WeAreOCA #OCAStudentAssociation #OCAFriends #OnlineLearning #Degree #SummerOfSustainability #Sustainability #ClimateChange #Environment #EcoAwareness #Photography #Design #Video #Decomposition

“I'm Evie, a Freelance Illustrator and Creative based in Yorkshire, I'm currently studying BA Visual Communications with @opencollegearts.

I'm passionate about lived experience and a lot of my illustration work is through an LGBTQIA+ lens, or with a focus on mental health.

I'm also really committed to living as eco-friendly as I can and think it's important to keep learning and educating myself on how I can live a more sustainable lifestyle. Therefore, I decided to start a self-initiated project whereby I'm creating a series of illustrated posters about different topics within the realm of the environment and sustainability- in relation to the Climate Crisis. This project is designed to be striking and to get people thinking about little ways they can be more climate-friendly.”

Thank you @art_byeves for submitting your fabulous work for our Summer of Sustainability 2024!

#WeAreOCA #OCAStudentAssociation #OCAFriends #OnlineLearning #Degree #SummerOfSustainability #Sustainability #ClimateChange #Environment #EcoAwareness #VisualCommunications #Design #Illustration

MA Private View: Igneous -

Members of the @opencollegearts community are invited to join in the contemplative and reflective spaces of this MA group exhibition, which naturally appears as a journey across physical and temporal barriers. We are all living in challenging times, facing environmental, ecological, political and humanitarian discourse, which drives a longing for a more humanistic and spiritual connection and a sustainable future and way of living.

Find the link in our bio. Congratulations to everyone involved!

#OCAStudentAssociation #WeAreOCA #OCAFriends #OnlineLearning #MAFineArt #FineArt #Exhibition #GraduateShowcase

@opencollegearts Visual Communications student Bethany Gale submitted this work ‘Diversity in Sport’ during our EDI calendar callout.

“I made this artwork celebrating the opening of the Paralympic Games 2024 in Paris. The games will begin on the 28 August and will last until the 8 September. To me the Paralympic games are a celebration of the strength of human spirit, and a celebration of diversity and inclusion in sport. I wanted to create an artwork that looks colourful and fun that focuses on the diversity the games celebrate.”

Thanks for sharing Bethany and we hope everyone tunes in to support the Paralympic Games from today.

#WeAreOCA #OCAStudentAssociation #OCAFriends #EquityDiversityInclusion #Paralympics #DiversityInSport #Inclusion #VisualCommunications #Design #Illustration

Some of our @opencollegearts Visual Communications graduates exhibited their work in our Degree Show Showcase.

1. Elizabeth Vessey
"I am inspired by graphic designers and illustrators conceptually and stylistically, who combine their visual work with communicating a narrative.

I am interested in ways I can use mark-making, colour and typography to communicate my ideas clearly and be understood, focusing on how to influence audiences and change behaviours to create positive change."

2. Heather Turner
"After forty-plus years of working as a psychologist, coach and facilitator I am proud to announce that I have added another string to my bow - a first class honours degree in Visual Communications (following nine full, long, hard years of study!)

Knowledge of business together with my abilities to ask pertinent questions, to listen intently and to generate ideas, enables me to get close to clients and produce exciting logos and branding to promote their businesses."

View their work and more on our online gallery - link in our bio.
#WeAreOCA #OCAStudentAssociation #OnlineLearning #Degree #OCAFriends #OCAVisualCommunication #VisualCommunications #Exhibition #Creativity #DegreeShow #Alumni #GraphicDesign #Illustration #Design

This post features the final contributors from our @opencollegearts Photography Degree Show Showcase participants. View their work and more via the link in our bio.

1. Keith Harness
Determined to overcome personal boundaries and break away from the stereotype perspective of disability, Keith’s interest in photography has become his greatest achievement. Taking the belief that photography holds no boundaries in terms of disability. Regardless of his visual impairment and poor mobility, over time he has developed a unique high contrast black and white style, which not only provides the viewer with an insight into how he views his surroundings but his emotions and connection with nature.

2. Lynda Kuit
Shuswap Lake Tales explores some of the latent histories of original homesteaders around Shuswap Lake in British Columbia, Canada. The project is influenced by memory and heteroglossia (different voices expressing different points of view) through anecdotes and family photographs shared with me by descendants of these homesteaders.

3. Susan Greenfield
"During the Covid-19 Lockdown I discovered my walks followed part of the nightly treks made by Portsmouth people across their city seeking safety from World War Two bombing raids in shelters inside Portsdown Hill. This chance occurrence, those treks, my walks imbued with a sense of threat and need for refuge, led me to create this series."

#WeAreOCA #OCAStudentAssociation #OnlineLearning #Degree #OCAFriends #OCAPhotography #Photography #Exhibition #Creativity #DegreeShow #Alumni

Featured today some of our amazing @opencollegearts Photography graduates who participated in our Degree Show Showcase.

1. Anna Dranitzke
"Childhood Dreams is an exploration into children’s identity formation and the influence of the immediate environment. Set in the early, malleable stages of a child’s development, in the intimacy of the childhood bedroom, it looks at how the self forms in the intersection between internal longings and external influences."

2. Blas González
"I understand photography as a dialogue and I approach each project as an opportunity to explore this dimension of the photographic medium, as an excuse to turn the visible surface of the image into a plural and dialectical space that transforms the individual artistic act into a collective creative encounter."

3. Ian Shaw
Ian's practice explores journey, pilgrimage and psychogeography. He is interested in the spiritual, emotional and physical relationships we establish with our environment. Ian uses both digital and film along with AV and the written word.

4. Jack Delmonte
"I am a socially engaged photographer delivering collaborative community-based workshops. The workshop at the core of degree response aimed to bring photography's creativity and the image's power to initiate consideration of and conversations about issues regarding flooding on Canvey Island, South Essex."

Find the link to our Degree Show Showcase in our linktree on our bio.

#WeAreOCA #OCAStudentAssociation #OnlineLearning #Degree #OCAFriends #OCAPhotography #Photography #Exhibition #Creativity #DegreeShow #Alumni

View the work here of the other amazing @opencollegearts Painting alumni who participated in our Degree Show Showcase. Find more of their work and links to their websites etc within the Showcase website - link in our bio.

1. @artmat0807 "My fascination lies in documenting abandoned spaces, particularly building interiors, and the impact that the passing of time has had on these built environments and their contents."

2. @neilcramond Neil's practice is based on a sound drawing practice whether it is achieving highly representative refined drawing, or bold expressive mark making, realism and representation are at the heart of what he produces.

3. @nadaveyartist "It is humble things that interest me, and chairs found around churches are such ordinary objects, synonymous with the presence of people, there is a presence even when there is an absence. These are indicative of the humble Christian message in the ‘Beatitudes’ reinforcing the connectedness between paintings, place, and faith."

4. @paulbutterworthart "My paintings are dramas. I am the writer and director, and the painting is my film. The shapes are my script, and the colours are my actors. They are joyful comedies where colours dance across the canvas."

5. @ocean_art_muc "My work in progress doesn’t claim to provide explanations, but are investigations of my lines of thought. I want to present content in a sensuous way and invite the viewer to immerse themselves in the beauty of that fragile underwater world."

6. @sueparrart Sue Parr is a British visual artist whose work honours and celebrates the modes of exchange between human and non-human ‘peoples’ via ritual encounters and slow making practices. Her work has developed from painting into an expanded practice incorporating moving image, textiles, drawing and printmaking.

#WeAreOCA #OCAStudentAssociation #OnlineLearning #Degree #OCAFriends #OCAPainting #Painting #Exhibition #Creativity #DegreeShow #Alumni

Showcased today, some of our fabulous @opencollegearts Painting graduates;

1. @alessandraalexandroff_art "In the making of my exhibition I investigated the half-forgotten superstitions which gave the ash its magical heritage while researching the only too real effects of species loss on the environment. The knowledge acquired was rolled out as a visual elegy to mourn the ash tree."

2. @catherine.levey Her interest in people is reflected in her practice. Her process involves immersing herself in stories from biographies and archives and painting her emotional response which is naturally self-referential and ever changing.

3. Celia Trezzini - My work is inspired by positions in art and science that address the human condition and its relationship to nature, questioning common concepts of nature and culture and the boundaries between the human body and the outside.

4. @david_rodford_art I bring to my practice the experience of a working life spent in industrial design and manufacture which informs my relationship with materials and processes.

5. Margaret Borthwick - Margaret Borthwick is fascinated by the development of a sense of place in the local landscape by repeated visits in all seasons, times of day and weather.

View their work and more in our Degree Show Showcase, link in our bio. Congratulations All!

#WeAreOCA #OCAStudentAssociation #OnlineLearning #Degree #OCAFriends #OCAPainting #Painting #Exhibition #Creativity #DegreeShow #Alumni

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Upcoming Events

Thu, 05 Dec
Bookmarked Reading Event.
Online Event
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05 Dec 2024, 19:00 – 20:00
Online Event
Join the Bookmarked team for the launch of the third issue.
Mon, 09 Dec
Women Artists Through Their Words - 4. Leonora Carrington
Online Event
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09 Dec 2024, 18:00 – 20:00
Online Event
Join writer, editor and curator Anna McNay to learn about a selection of better- and lesser-well known women artists, from across the ages and working in different mediums, by listening to them talk about their art - and their lives more generally - in their own words.
Tue, 10 Dec
OCA North - In person study event
Sheffield City Centre
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10 Dec 2024, 12:00 – 15:00
Sheffield City Centre, Persistence Works, 21 Brown St, Sheffield City Centre, Sheffield S1 2BS, UK
Join tutor Joanna Whittle and the OCA North group in Sheffield - Everyone Welcome!
Tue, 10 Dec
The 12 - Jonathan Barnbrook
Online event
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10 Dec 2024, 18:00 – 19:00
Online event
Join us for our fourth lecture in the 12 series featuring graphic designer Jonathan Barnbrook.
Wed, 11 Dec
Student event: Designing Music for Emotion
Online discussion
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11 Dec 2024, 18:00 – 20:00
Online discussion
Have You Ever Wondered Why Music Moves You? Music Level 3 student Carlos Amador invites you to join an immersive exploration of music’s power to move us! This event will feature a captivating blend of emotional film music and discussions on the art and science of evoking emotion through music.
Wed, 11 Dec
Photography Social Group - Curator Dr Susan Bright
Online Discussion
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11 Dec 2024, 18:30 – 20:00
Online Discussion
For our last online event of the year are very happy to welcome curator Dr Susan Bright to share her expertise in working with photographers to curate exhibitions.
Wed, 11 Dec
Speed Portrait Drawing to Music
Online Event
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11 Dec 2024, 19:00 – 20:00
Online Event
Join Kirsty Lockhart, an artist and illustrator from Dundee, for an OCA x Pencils4Tea collaboration hour of speed portrait drawing to music.
Tue, 17 Dec
Illustrate your favourite building
Online Workshop
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17 Dec 2024, 18:00 – 20:00
Online Workshop
Draw and paint your favourite cafe, shop, pub or restaurant in this relaxing evening workshop with illustrator Lucia Vinti.
Mon, 06 Jan
Women Artists Through Their Words - 5. Tracey Emin
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06 Jan 2025, 18:00 – 20:00
Online Event
Join writer, editor and curator Anna McNay to learn about a selection of better- and lesser-well known women artists, from across the ages and working in different mediums, by listening to them talk about their art - and their lives more generally - in their own words.
Thu, 09 Jan
Intro to handmade film with sound
Online Workshop
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09 Jan 2025, 18:00 – 20:00
Online Workshop
In this workshop we will be introduced to handmade film with sound - what is the advantage to this method of work - do still images have any potential to become a film?
Fri, 17 Jan
Aspirations 10: In person study event
Doncaster
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17 Jan 2025, 10:00 – 15:00
Doncaster, The Point, S Parade, Doncaster DN1 2DR, UK
Join tutor Les Monaghan in Doncaster to view his exhibition and hear him speak about freelance practice, collaboration and funding.
Date and time is TBD
Arts, the Environment & Sustainability Resource Hub
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OCA Staff and students are invited to browse our new Arts, the Environment & Sustainability hub on our Virtual Learning Environment.
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OCA's Big Draw 2023 - Ongoing & Open
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Online Activity
Drawing With Senses online short course,
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OCA Technology Support Workshops
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Technology Workshops