Our Mission

The Ottawa School of Art (OSA) has been this city's premier visual arts institution since 1879, and continues to be a leading centre for visual arts education and creative expression in the Ottawa region. With two locations in the National Capital region, our main Campus, located in the ByWard Market and our Orleans Campus, situated in the new Shenkman Arts Centre, the OSA continues to provide the community with the opportunity for artistic exploration, development and growth.

About THE OTTAWA SCHOOL OF ART

The OSA is a key contributor to the culturally rich, diverse and vibrant community of the National Capital Region. As a non-profit, charitable organization, the school offers a full range of specialized art courses for all ages. In addition to general art courses, the OSA offers three post secondary programs: a one-year Portfolio Development Certificate, a one-year Contemporary Crafts Certificate, and a three-year Fine Arts Diploma.

The OSA’s fully accessible building gets a lot of use; having grown from 3 to 7 core programs within 20 years as well as reaching out to the Ottawa community working with 7 different community centres across the capital for youth at risk, new Canadians and homeless young adults  to receive arts education in a safe environment. The OSA Community Outreach program running consecutively over 12 years has shaped the lives of thousands of students some of which who have gone into fashion design, graphic design as well as owning their own business.