Join us at 7pm for three informative talks by recent graduates. Each talk will be 15 to 20 minutes in duration and the audience will have an opportunity to pose questions to the speakers.

Minerva Elliot’s Decorating Advice, 1925-1935

This talk will explore how Toronto decorator Minerva Elliot used her authority to professionalize interior decoration in the early 20th century. Elliot’s recommendations helped to shape notions of identity, class, and taste during Canada’s interwar period, while also reinforcing the belief that women’s domestic experience made them fittingly capable, it was reasoned, to work in home decoration.

Speaker: Nicola Krantz is a Master’s student in Art History at Carleton University. Her current research focuses on the professionalization of interior decoration in Ontario.

Welcome Home: The Revitalization of the Helliniko Olympic Kayaking Stadium

This interdisciplinary research topic focuses on the design of an earth-sheltered housing community within the abandoned Olympic kayaking stadium in Athens, Greece. The lecture will explore how innovative construction techniques and modern technology can be used to offset the negative impact the stadium—derelict since the 2004 Olympic games—has had on the ecosystem of Athens and the health of its local residents.

Speaker: Joel Gommer is a recent Honours graduate of the Bachelor of Interior Design program at Algonquin College. Joel was part of the winning team for the Kinetic Innovation Lab design competition in 2016.

Everybody Eats! Addressing Social Issues through Adaptive Reuse

This talk will present a hypothetical design for a café and community learning center at Somerset House, where homeless youth can obtain skills for life and employment, form connections, participate in dignified interactions, and access services that meet their basic physical and psychological needs.

Speaker: Merissa Reed is an Honours graduate in the Bachelor of Interior Design program at Algonquin College, where she focused on the needs of homeless youth in public spaces.

This lecture event is free and there is no need to pre-register. A cash bar will be available.