Ottawa School of Art is a non-profit visual arts school in Ottawa, Ontario, offering art courses and diploma programs.
The Ottawa School of Art (OSA), also known as École d'art d'Ottawa, is a private non-profit organization. It is administered by a volunteer board of directors elected by its membership. The OSA's mission is to be the leading centre for visual arts education and creative expression in the Ottawa region, and its vision is to be a major centre in Canada for developing excellence in the visual arts.
In 1879, a group of prominent local citizens formed an association for the encouragement and advancement of the fine arts throughout Canada. The Art Association of Ottawa ran the Ottawa Art School for almost twenty years. In 1953, the art school was reborn as the Municipal Art Centre under the auspices of the City of Ottawa, in a two-room schoolhouse at Billings Bridge. In 1977, the school was renamed the Ottawa School of Art Ecole d art d Ottawa (OSA) and incorporated as a non-profit organization. In 1983, the OSA moved back to downtown Ottawa, taking up its current location in a heritage building at 35 George Street.
The OSA offers a non-credit Visual Art Fundamentals program, a one-year Portfolio Development Program, and a 3-year Diploma Program. Its course offerings include lifedrawing, landscape painting, photography, ceramics, sculpture, lithography, watercolour, etching, and printmaking.
The OSA Downtown Campus is located at 35 George St, Ottawa, ON K1N 8W5, and the Orleans campus is located at 245 Centrum Boulevard, Orleans, ON K1E 0A1. The Downtown Campus has a concrete ramp at the main entrance and an elevator serving all floors. The Shenkman Arts Centre is a fully accessible facility with automatic doors, elevators, and designated accessible parking. Listed facilities include a ceramic studio, darkroom, printmaking studio, regular studios for rental, and wireless internet access.