Otis College Academic Programs & Events

We can't wait to have Darby English as our Fine Arts Critic-in-Residence this year! Join us on Thurs April 10 at 7pm! RSVP https://bit.ly/darbyotis25

English's lecture, "The Salad-Bar Theory of Art," discusses how the weirder salad bars get, the more useful they become for thinking about the art-people relation. It's sure to be an engaging and evocative!

Otis College Critic in Residence: Darby English Join Darby English for an engaging lecture “The Salad-Bar Theory of Art” where English will discuss the art-people relation.

RSVP NOW https://bit.ly/darbyotis25

Next week, Otis College Fine Arts welcomes Darby English as our Critic-in-Residence!

Join us for his evocative lecture, "The Salad-Bar Theory of Art," on Thursday, April 10, at 7pm in the Forum. RSVP on Eventbrite to secure your seat:

Otis College Critic in Residence: Darby English Join Darby English for an engaging lecture “The Salad-Bar Theory of Art” where English will discuss the art-people relation.

Our academic programs are enriched by thoughtful community events from our Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB). They have partnered with the Indigenous Community Committee on campus to present a free, special screening of Slash/Back!

Watch Slash/Back with us, and then hear Nyla Innuksuk, Film Director, in conversation with Pete Cruz, Otis Faculty, about indigeneity in the creative and entertainment spaces. Slash/Back is a movie set in Nunavut, where four girls who like horror and alien movies, love their phones, and even their poor elders who believe in shapeshifters because "they didn't have the internet" realize local disappearances are linked to a shapeshifting alien.

Light Snacks Provided

Movie IMDB link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9050310/

Remember to RSVP for the Darby English: Fine Arts Critic in Residence Lecture on April 10
https://bit.ly/darbyotis25

Darby English will deliver a Critic-in-Residence Lecture on Thursday, April 10, at 7:00 p.m.in the Forum. The lecture, “The Salad-Bar Theory of Art,” centers on the art-people relation as a privileged site where the otherness of art and people gets negotiated.

We are honored to promote events on behalf of the Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (DEIB) and the Indigenous Community Committee at Otis College. We know that student life is just as important as academic enrichment.

Come enjoy a free screening of the film Slash/Back and then hear Nyla Innuksuk, Film Director, in conversation with Pete Cruz, Otis Faculty about indigeneity in the creative and entertainment spaces. Slash/Back is a movie set in Nunavut, where four girls who like horror and alien movies, love their phones, and even their poor elders who believe in shapeshifters because "they didn't have the internet" realize local disappearances are linked to a shapeshifting alien.

Light Snacks Provided

Movie IMDB link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9050310/

Join us tonight at 6:30pm for a delightful reception and wonderful lecture by our Donghia Designer-in-Residence, Xu Tiantian.

Learn more at https://bit.ly/xtotis25
Parking is free and open to the public. No RSVP is required.

Xu Tiantian is the founder of DnA_Design and Architecture based in Beijing, China. Her work has engaged extensively with rural revitalizing processes, as well as architectural acupuncture to work with different contexts and heritage of village and rural regions. She received her Master of Architecture in Urban Design from Harvard Graduate School of Design, and her Baccalaureate in Architecture from Tsinghua University in Beijing. She has received the 2006 WA China Architecture Award and the 2008 Young Architects Award from The Architectural League New York.

The Donghia Designer-in-Residency, including the lecture and master class, is organized by the Environmental Design department at Otis College and is made possible through a generous grant from the Angelo Donghia Foundation, a privately-held, not-for-profit organization created under the will of the late Angelo Donghia. The Foundation supports two distinct fields: advancement of education in interior design and initiatives about discovering the causes of AIDS and its related diseases and their treatment methods.

Photography by Ziling Wang, Courtesy of DnA. Xu Tiantian’s portrait by Rujie Wang.
1 - Brown Sugar Factory, Lishui, China. 2016
2 - Jinyun Quarries, Zhejiang Province, China. 2022
3 - Bamboo Theater, HengKeng Village, Songyang, China. 2015
4 - Tofu Factory, Caizhai Village, China. 2020
5 - Tofu Factory, Caizhai Village, China. 2020
6 - Xu Tiantian, 2020

Join Environmental Design at Otis College of Art and Design on Thursday for a wonderful lecture and reception by Xu Tiantian. Parking is free and open to the public. No RSVP is required.
Learn more at https://bit.ly/xtotis25

Xu Tiantian is the founder of DnA_Design and Architecture based in Beijing, China. Her work has engaged extensively with rural revitalizing processes, as well as architectural acupuncture to work with different contexts and heritage of village and rural regions.

The Donghia Designer-in-Residency, including the lecture and master class, is organized by the Environmental Design department at Otis College and is made possible through a generous grant from the Angelo Donghia Foundation, a privately-held, not-for-profit organization created under the will of the late Angelo Donghia. The Foundation supports two distinct fields: advancement of education in interior design and initiatives about discovering the causes of AIDS and its related diseases and their treatment methods.

Images: Xu Tiantian - Courtesy of Holcim Foundation

Our 2025 Environmental Design Donghia Designer-in-Residence, Xu Tiantian, will work with our students on the Jinyun Quarries. Don't miss our special reception and lecture on Thursday, March 27, at 7pm. Learn more at https://bit.ly/xtotis25

Following her architectural acupuncture approach, Xu's DNA Design and Architecture firm proposed seeing the quarries not as an existing topography but as architecture that needed some delicate enhancements. That was a radically new approach to the matter and can also be seen as their contribution to the theme of quarry rehabilitation. Their project made the space accessible and safe and introduced an additional layer of domesticity and human scale, reviving the quarries and the collective memory of the place. More project information can be found at https://bit.ly/jinyunquarry8

The associated Donghia Master Class (March 22-26, 2025) and lecture with reception are made possible through a generous donation from the Angelo Donghia Foundation. The Angelo Donghia Foundation, a privately held not-for-profit organization created under the will of the late Angelo Donghia, provides support for two distinct fields: the advancement of education in the field of interior design and initiatives about the discovery of causes and AIDS and other related diseases, and their methods of treatment.
The Environmental Design program at Otis College of Art and Design organizes this event. Email ([email protected]) for more information.
Images - Jinyun Quarries, Zhejiang Province, China. Photos courtesy of DnA_Design and Architecture

Next week, Environmental Design at Otis College of Art and Design is hosting Xu Tiantian as this year's Dongia Designer-in-Residence! Xu's residency will culminate with a fantastic reception and lecture in the Forum on Thursday, March 27.

Learn more at https://bit.ly/xtotis25
Parking is free and open to the public. No RSVP is required.

Xu Tiantian is the founding principle of DnA_Design and Architecture in Beijing. She holds a Master of Architecture in Urban Design from Harvard GSD and a Bachelor's from Tsinghua University. Xu developed "Architectural Acupuncture," a strategy for rural revitalization in China that promotes minimal investments. Her work integrates architecture with social and economic renewal, emphasizing long-term resilience for rural communities. Before DnA, Xu worked in the U.S. and the Netherlands, gaining experience in her sensitive and adaptive design approach.

The associated Donghia Master Class (March 22-26, 2025) and lecture with reception are made possible through a generous donation from the Angelo Donghia Foundation.
The Angelo Donghia Foundation, a privately held not-for-profit organization created under the will of the late Angelo Donghia, provides support for two distinct fields: the advancement of education in the field of interior design and initiatives about the discovery of causes and AIDS and other related diseases, and their methods of treatment.

The Environmental Design program at Otis College of Art and Design organizes this event. Email ([email protected]) for more information.

Images - Jinyun Quarries, Zhejiang Province, China. Photo by Ziling Wang and courtesy of DnA_Design and Architecture.

Yesterday, we hosted Foundation Forward for our first-year students to learn more about the staff and departments on campus dedicated to student success. We are inspired and thrilled to support the class of 2029 through this important initiative!

Foundation Forward is a unique program at Otis College that allows first-year students to connect with academic departments, alumnx, career services, and academic advising before declaring their major. This program allows students to think critically about their academic and career journey at Otis and beyond.

Photos by Michele Jaquis, Kary Tran, and Mark Farina.

We are one month away from Environmental Design at Otis College of Art and Design Xu Tiantian: Donghia Designer-in-Residence Lecture with Reception! Learn more at https://bit.ly/xtotis25

Join us on Thursday, March 27, in the Forum for light refreshments at 6:30pm before enjoying a wonderful lecture with Q+A highlighting Xu's incredible work at 7:30pm. Parking is free and open to the public. No RSVP is required.

This lecture, with the preceding reception and the associated Donghia Master Class (*March 21-26,2025*), is made possible through a generous donation from the Angelo Donghia Foundation. The Angelo Donghia Foundation, a privately held not-for-profit organization created under the will of the late Angelo Donghia, provides support for two distinct fields: the advancement of education in the field of interior design and initiatives pertaining to the discovery of causes of AIDS and its related diseases, and their methods of treatment.

Images: Xu Tiantian - Courtesy of Holcim Foundation (top), Jinyun Quarries, Zhejiang Province, China - Courtesy of Ziling Wang (bottom)