OASIS SKATEBOARD FACTORY

OSF POP-UP SHOP @ The Baitshop

2012-01-19T22:03:00.000-08:00

Press Release/Invitation

OASIS SKATEBOARD FACTORY POP-UP SHOP @ The Baitshop
Opening Party: Friday, January 27, 7:00 - 9:00 PM

Come out and support the Oasis Skateboard Factory, Toronto’s first skateboard design and street art focused high school reengagement program. At the OSF students earn all their credits by running a community based entrepreneurial business where they learn hands-on to build skateboards, design original custom graphics, work with local artists and community partners, market and display their work and receive financial remuneration.

The OSF POP-UP SHOP is the culminating project in a semester-long business course developed by the OSF in partnership with The Baitshop, Toronto’s premiere screen-printing/skate shop and gallery. The innovative OSF/Baitshop Business Program is designed to help youth earn credits and develop transferable creative, employment and entrepreneurial skills.

At the opening party students will be selling their hand-made skateboards and longbords with custom graphics, as well as having a sample sale of their street wear logo T-shirts to launch their personal company brands. To give back to the community, a portion of the sales of Oasis Skateboard Factory merchandise will be donated to a local charity.
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The OSF POP_UP SHOP will be open for business at The Baitshop from Jan. 27 through Feb. 26, 2012 (Mon-Sat 12-6, Sun 12-5)
358 Dufferin, Suite 117 (Entrance off Milky Way Lane)
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For more info:
http://oasisskateboardfactory.blogspot.com
http://www.thebaitshop.ca/

Contact:
Craig Morrison (Founding Teacher), Oasis Skateboard Factory
Classroom: 416-393-0845
craig.morrison@tdsb.on.ca

Sponsor: The Grindhouse (Kensington Market)

2012-01-15T12:09:00.000-08:00

A stencil portrait of Jay Mandarino as a thank-you for the free skate days he gives OSF at CJ Skateboard Park!

2012-01-15T12:05:00.000-08:00

OSF Business Students pitch T-shirt brands to a panel of street-wear experts!

2012-01-15T11:58:00.001-08:00

Thanks to Steve at Well & Good and The Baitshop crew for all their feedback!

Stencil Self-Portraits (in process)...

2012-01-15T11:55:00.000-08:00

Artist Talk: John Marriot

2012-01-15T11:49:00.000-08:00

Curious City

2012-01-09T14:14:00.000-08:00

I am 16 years old turning 17 this January. I have been attending Oasis Skateboard Factory for about a full semester now. Before this school I attended Northern Secondary School. At my old school I did not feel motivated as much as I do at this school. The work that we do at OSF actually goes somewhere and I really think that is a good feature to this school.

My skateboard graphic is a monkey in the streets of Curious City ("curiosity"), the brand I have come up with. This monkey is spray painting a yellow hat with the stop sign logo on top of it. I wanted this to represent that the monkey wanted to be curious and say “screw the man in the yellow hat”. At the top of the deck the sky is an inverse pattern of skyscrapers.

Some of my inspirations are Banksy, Neckface, and John Kenn. I really like each artist’s style and way of drawing, and the messages each of them puts out. The message I am trying to convey through this board is to always be curious in the city and to always looks and search out new skate spots to skate; don’t let anyone stop that creativity that you have, that everyone has.

This board's 7 layers are made from 100% pure Canadian maple wood, pressed with a vacuum and whittled down by hand. I used 14 stencils for this board; it was sprayed with Montana and Belton paint sealed with a clear gloss.

I am super stoked that this is the first board I have ever made; I don’t plan on riding it since it’s kind of memorabilia for me. I feel that I could have done a better job on the graphic if I spent more time but I am pretty happy with what I have accomplished. Overall this was a really cool experience and I hope to keep making boards in the future.

Longboard Loft NYC: On winter break, OSF Teacher Craig Morrison gets a tour by Bustin Boards' Jeff Vyain

2012-01-08T19:20:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year: OSF back in business after the Winter Break on Monday, January 9th, 2012

2011-12-24T22:22:00.000-08:00

Screenprinting Workshop & Winter Feast at The Baitshop (Students get their Holiday Bonu$)

2011-12-24T22:14:00.000-08:00

Forget apples...what every teacher really wants is a gift wrapped burrito!

2011-12-24T22:09:00.000-08:00

KID SQWID x SLURG (pARTnership BOARD by OSF Student mentored by German Street Artist)

2011-12-19T18:38:00.000-08:00

Test Time (4EV3R brand custom prototype ready to ride)

2011-12-19T18:28:00.000-08:00

I am an artist (but I don’t consider myself one) and a skateboarder and scholar. I have always loved skateboarding and getting the opportunity to make boards for credits is amazing. This is my second semester at Oasis Skateboard Factory and this is my first board this year. Last year I started work on my company, brand and products and have a lot of things lined up for starting my company and getting it off the ground. So far I have a board graphic, button package and a t-shirt design; this board will be the newest edition to my brand. This board was built with me in mind, I wanted to make my dream skateboard.

The graphic is just a representation of my brand, I tried to incorporate all the graphics I had as well as anything else that represented my brand. The logo in the middle is my brand 4EV3R, that’s the focus, and then the Moai, or Eastern Island head, is on either side as well as the little skull. Both of these are also on the grip tape. Behind my brand logo and images is a border, the border is supposed to look like a Stonehenge arch. Stonehenge has stood the test of time, it’s been there 4EV3R. On top of the border is the head of the sphinx, which has also stood the test of time. Finally the background is just for show; the blue represents the sky, the yellow represents the pyramids and the black represents the earth or underground.

The board itself is a custom shape designed by me. I had to take a foam mold and shave it down to my desired dimensions as well as cut out the custom shape. I based the shape off a board I had a while back which was an old school Black Label deck: widest in the middle, a hexagon nose, and a square tail. I also had some inspiration from a skate video of Bobby Worrest, it was a video contest to win wheels and he was riding around this tennis court doing tricks on this cruizer. When I got the chance to make it I was thrilled.

There are a couple design flaws which I would change for the future, one of them being the tail of this board, it’s too long and does not have enough concave. This results in a lack of pop and even ollieing is made difficult, it tends to just roll over, but anything off the nose is fine. There is no flat part in the middle of the board, it’s completely concave. I would make less concave in the width. The wheel wells are perfect, with loose trucks and big wheels I didn’t get wheel bite in my test run.

Holiday Dim Sum helps warm the cold transition to winter skating...

2011-12-19T18:24:00.000-08:00

The first of a series of Free Skate Days this school year donated to us by our friends at CJ Skateboard Park

2011-12-19T18:11:00.000-08:00

OSF visits MOCCA

2011-12-19T18:09:00.001-08:00

Critique & Contemplation

2011-12-19T18:04:00.000-08:00

Student curates OSF boards for opening of new gallery as part of Hamilton's James Street North Art Walk

2011-12-19T18:00:00.000-08:00

In production...

2011-12-19T17:55:00.000-08:00

OSF Student earns Community Hours designing T-shirts with our new Community Partners

2011-12-19T17:49:00.000-08:00

"Get on Board" November Morning Attendance Awards (Bamboo SK8, Oceanside California)

2011-12-19T17:44:00.000-08:00

Hot Lunch thanks to OSF Grandma VIP!

2011-12-19T17:42:00.000-08:00

New TTC Seating!

2011-12-19T17:40:00.000-08:00

Lauren (our new Part-Time Teacher) in Action!

2011-12-19T17:37:00.000-08:00

Top: In the OSF classroom...
Bottom:...teaching teachers at our PD day.

Candy Coated Lips

2011-12-07T14:45:00.000-08:00

Hi there! This is my first semester at OSF and I finished this board on my 16th birthday, which is freak’n awesome!!!!

I’ve been to so many schools that after the 7th one I lost count. Every school was the same story, different place. Until I got to Oasis! This school has changed my view on life itself. I’ve been more successful in these short 3 months that I have in 13 years. So far I’ve come up with my own company and logo and have produced 2 boards.

For this board I decided to promote my company, Candy Coated Lips. My brand’s images consist of lips, pin-up girls and leopard print. I am a very girlie diva who loves fashion and vintage clothes, so I wanted my brand to represent me as a person. I believe that I have executed this very well.

Making this board was a very long and tiresome process. I had to press, carve and sand this board to perfection. I then sprayed layers of spray paint on my board starting with the hot pink background, followed by the light pink leopard print, then the white background of the 50’s pin up girl, and finally ending with the black detailed outlines of her body. In the end all the long, hard work resulted in a beautiful board --- pain is beauty!

I decided to make my pin-up black and white, because I wanted her to be the main focus. To finish it off I cut out my brand name in the grip tape, which I’d like to say is extremely hard. In the end it gave a nice touch by showing the hot pink spray paint under the grip tape.

All in all, I’d have to say that finishing my board on my birthday was a very rewarding gift! Making this board has not only given me this wonderful experience of school, but it has showed me ways of perfecting my art work. I can’t wait to expand my brand and produce more boards in this life-changing program.

Another "Lost Toyz" brand board Sold!

2011-12-07T14:44:00.000-08:00

The Skeleton King

2011-12-07T14:39:00.000-08:00

This is my first board at Oasis Skateboard Factory. Before coming to Oasis I was enrolled at Malvern Collegiate. When I was at Malvern I didn’t quite feel like I belonged there. Now that I am at Oasis I have never felt more at home than I do now. I get along really well with everyone in my class and we all have common interests in art. I feel that I am now reaching my full artistic potential at Oasis because of the large emphasis on doing art as part of the program.

The theme of my board is ghosts, skeletons and Halloween type stuff. It depicts a skeleton king holding a sword with an arm in a bun surrounded by ghosts. The board itself is made of seven separate veneers of 100% Canadian maple wood air pressed together. To get all of the thick layers, I stencilled the design and spray painted the colours on. I then used paint markers to get the thin lines on to the skull. I used a lot of thick blacks and thin lines to give the effect of shading. My major influences for my style of art are mostly comic book artists such as Jim Lee and Dave Gibbons. I really enjoy flat colours, thin lines and crosshatching to give detailed effects in my art. I think my personal drawing style is translated to my board very well because of the graphic I chose.

I am very proud of the work I did on my first board. The graphic design I put on really reflects the style of drawings I do. I am very happy with my first board and I am really excited to make many more here at Oasis.

Watevski – Cain (for I have created)

2011-12-05T19:34:00.000-08:00

What up ya’ll, this is TRNE TRKS all caps, Creator of Watevski! I’m a new comer to OSF and honestly, I think I’ve learned more in these past 4 months then I ever had in my 11 years of being in school. Of course my board shows all the skills I have learned and put to use. My graphic actually has two meanings. The first is the simple fact of the future being monitored and every move being caught on camera---> “you know who’s watching”; the G20 cameras that where suppose to come down after the riots….yup, there still up. And the second meaning well, I’ll let you figure that out.

As the other students have mentioned, we buy our wood from ROAROCKIT, the grandparents of longboarding in Toronto <3. Then after the vacuum bag process, and some intense tears from sanding and scrapping, you end up with a board that feels smooth like baby’s buttocks and a half. My board was the only one in class to be made with camber (a pop, like the boards curved up) and this was made by using two books in the middle of the board and pressure on the ends while it was getting pumped in the vacuum bag. Then comes the DOPEST part… spray painting! I made my layers with a colour coordinated template and strategically taping off my board with green tape and sometimes a more clear tape. Cut and spray: I used Belton because I think it’s the sexiest paint ever produced next to the new Montana Gold. My graphic has a lot of rhythm and flow thanks to the colouring scheme which Craig helped me pick and some of the objects are 1-layered to give a sick flat effect. The drips at the tail of the board really ties it all together because it reflects me and the end of anything.

Personally, I hate writing, but being in this school writing has become like another art. Especially when I can talk about something I love. I really impressed myself with the results of this board and what I’m capable of doing. I’m hoping to bust off like 10 more Watevski boards in the future! So watch out world, TRNE TRKS is coming at cha!

And oh yeah… since this is going on the internet and people might see this, you should call the school and I'll make you a clutch board ^-^!

Hooligan?

2011-12-03T19:12:00.000-08:00

Howdy. I currently attend the school Oasis Skateboard Factory and I just made my first longboard. This is my first year attending this school and I can already tell you that it's one of the greatest learning experiences you could imagine. Before I moved here, I lived in a small suburban area where you could literally walk from one side of town to the other in 5 minutes. My previous school (in my eyes) was horrible and actually ruined my learning experience through high school; I got suspended for the stupidest reasons! When I found OSF, I thought finally I could pass high school for once.

The graphic on my board represents my own life and the big struggle of moving from the countryside to right downtown in the big city. The images on my board are of a redneck holding a spear fighting a green hooligan holding spray paint. This represents my life because the redneck is me when I lived back at home. The vibrant colours on the redneck also represent how I had many ideas and creative thoughts, but they were all held in because of my surroundings and peers. The green hooligan is me now, after I moved to the city. He is represented by my favourite colour green. Green also means success, money, and nature.

My creativity is finally being used, I’m doing well in school in all my subjects, and this struggle with school isn’t a struggle after all.

OAEA's new website launches featuring OSF Founding Teacher Craig Morrison

2011-12-03T19:09:00.000-08:00

Longboard 4 Kids: Outreach Project

2011-12-03T19:01:00.000-08:00

For my custom deck I did a drop deck longboard for Longboard 4 Kids charity. For the graphic I wanted to stay really simple of course and have the charity name on the board considering I’m donating it to their charity. Instead of doing a heavy layer of paint I did light misting so you could still see the grain of the wood through the paint. I drew this idea from a board that my friend gave to me after he was done skating it. I left some exposed wood because I wanted to reflect the natural aspect of longboarding in general.

Ted Hunter was my mentor for this project and he took me step by step on what exactly needs to be done to make a custom board. The first step was to choose 7 layers of Canadian maple and the middle veneer for me was stained purple. I had to make a mold by sanding and shaping a piece of Styrofoam. After that I put clear packing tape on the mold and glued and pressed the board in a Roarockit plastic vacuum bag like how we make all our boards. After that I cut out the shape of my board and started the shaving and sanding process. After that I lightly sprayed the board. For the font on the graphic side I printed off the writing and did a graphite transfer then cut out the letters and sprayed with black paint. On the side there is my company name, EXTRADITE written in black paint marker.

I strongly believe in donating to charity. I thought this would be a great way to donate by making a completely 100% custom drop deck longboard for the charity’s prizes at the end. This project doesn’t look anything like what my usual graphics are because I had to stick to a more G rating that every age would find enjoyable. I really hope that when someone wins this they really enjoy the deck I made!

Harley Quinn

2011-12-03T18:54:00.000-08:00

So here we are. My second board this year. My CUSTOM board. It’s beautiful. It’s my hand made Canadian maple drop deck. IT’S THE FIRST IN THE WORLD! (and with the cut away diamond area the first like it in this program). This design was inspired by my second FAVORITE character in the world, Harley Quinn. She is one of my idols. She constantly surprises me and makes me laugh. She seems to think a lot like me; I feel like we could talk about most anything. She takes after Harlequins, Jester figures who are always about the comic relief. No matter how dull of a moment they are always ready to make a joke. There is a Harley Quinn in everyone I think.

I cut the top veneer on the side of the board into a diamond shape to show the coloured veneer underneath. I glued two separate 1cm veneers to finish the pop up diamond shape, with the bright red veneer showing through. I also spray panted a layer of black along the side of the board to resemble her pants. I left the other side with the wood showing through because I really wanted the colour veneers to catch your eye and pop.

I surprised myself finishing this board. I proved to myself taking a chance on a idea really can be a GREAT investment. GET’ER DONE! In the end it turned out wonderful. I love my drop deck and I approve this message: P

Students take their Brands to the Street: Marketing, Posters & Promotions Workshop at The Baitshop

2011-12-03T18:46:00.000-08:00

Hey Holiday Shoppers: Pick up an OSF Board at the Longboard Living retail display in the Creatures Creating shop on Queen Street

2011-12-03T11:17:00.000-08:00

***Dec. 6 Update: All Remaining Boards now back on display at Longboard Living in Kensington Market, or available by calling the OSF Classroom 416-393-0845.

Toronto the Better presents film and talk at OISE about Youth-Engaged Social Enterprises featuring a presentation by the OSF Team

2011-12-03T11:10:00.000-08:00

"Heels on Wheels" Leadership Students get $1000 Change the World grant to launch girl's empowerment project with TDSB middle school students!

2011-12-03T11:04:00.000-08:00

No Pain No Gain

2011-12-03T11:02:00.000-08:00

OSF Animal Behaviour Research Institute

2011-11-21T14:25:00.000-08:00

Scully

2011-11-21T14:23:00.000-08:00

Hello, I’m a first year student at OSF. I can say for any girl or boy, whether you skateboard or not, a love for street art and marketing is what surrounds this program. I myself am not an avid skateboarder or longboarder, but I love the culture; I’m starting to learn now because of my amazing peers and family at Oasis Skateboard Factory. I was an art major at my last school which was an awesome school, very open and warm environment, but I didn’t feel like I was reaching my potential academically or artistically. I was skipping school and flunking my classes, which pointed me to the direction of looking into alternative schools; I landed with OSF because of the exposure, and the chance to do some amazing art and to push myself and realize my potential.

My longboard has a graphic of a god-like being against an empty but bold backdrop. This board has a rich red paint, brought out by the black fringes, and a background of black grey and purple, with a bold skull and body graphic completed with paint marker. I drew this character as a more intense version of one of my brand’s characters, bringing out the raw back story of my character.

My board was pressed in our classroom with Roarockit’s vacuum press technology and maple wood. There are 7 layers in my board. To apply different types of spray paint, I used tape as a stencil. Waiting for the paint to dry takes about a day. It took me about 3 weeks of shaping, sanding, planning and painting to finish my board.

This is my first big solo project; it was a bit intimidating at first, to think about making a whole board by yourself, but overall this project was really empowering. It was a lot easier than it looks, though still time consuming, and a need for teacher and peer mentoring is defiantly a must in the process. This is one of the first big OSF projects that leaves me prepared and stoked to keep going.

KID SKWID

2011-11-20T19:38:00.000-08:00

I moved from Brampton to Toronto for the Oasis Skateboard Factory. My grades, as well as my life, were not looking too great in Brampton; since moving here things have seriously turned around. My marks are no longer the same as room temperature. My work has been complemented. And not buffed off of walls. My favourite part of my day is walking into my classroom, not walking out of it.

The graphic on my board is of an angry squid, bursting through the tides of the daily grind. Squids are my calling card. The squid obsession is the result of an inside joke with my friends: “Life sucks, but at least you’re not a squid.”

The board is a pintail with a slight kick pressed from 7 layers of Canadian maple. After a lot of sanding and a lot of shaping, I started to lay down my graphic. I used contrasting colours of orange and blue to make the image pop off the board. I got to practice my spray paint skills with the orange gradient shading. As a final touch I filled in the black lines and added stippling with paint marker, a technique I picked up from street artist Slurg.

“Angry skwid” is a sampler for my new brand, Kid Skwid. Overall it was a good learning experience, but I’m looking forward to furthering my skills as an artist. I’ve picked up a few skills this year such as my method of splatter fading I’m hoping to make a common thing in my brand.

This is just the first of many from “KID SKWID”!

Dragon

2011-11-20T19:32:00.000-08:00

This is my first year at OSF and my first board that I have built here at the factory and I'm very proud of it so far. It was inspired by my love of dragons. Since I was a kid, I would always draw these beastly monsters. I decided to switch it up a little and make it a little more self-reflecting. I wanted it to be a bit of an ironic design, because dragons are known as jagged and frightening creatures. My design has a dragon that’s friendly looking and has a bubbly personality.

The materials I used to make my pintail longboard were 8 layers of maple hard wood and I vacuumed pressed them to seal everything to a nice tight finish. The board features both unique designs and bright colours that blend across the board. My inspiration for my board was a board I kept seeing everywhere in stores that sold skateboards and longboards: an image of Bob Marley and a lion head intertwined. I used some of my favorite colours and negative space in my longboard graphic design. I thought that the infamous red, yellow, and green would look nice with my simple graphic and it created a nice contrast with the black creating an oblique crisp design for my board. I think my board is unique because I worked backwards on the colours; unlike most stenciled boards I put the colour on first and then placed my stencil on and covered the rest of the board with black spray paint.

This board is a design I'm very proud of because all the lines turned out clean and the board overall came out the way I had planned it to from the beginning. Personally I think that this was a great board for my first creation because it was simple yet intriguing. I think that this is the first stepping-stone for future boards where I can work on making my designs more complex and creative.

A new look for Extradite Skateboard Company...

2011-11-20T19:30:00.000-08:00

Students tour our V.P., Superintendent and Principal around the Factory

2011-11-20T19:28:00.000-08:00

To our OSF VIP Grandma: Thanks for lunch!

2011-11-20T19:26:00.000-08:00

OSF explores ART on OSS.

2011-11-20T19:23:00.000-08:00

A visit and talk about being a young entrepreneur by Daniel from EVOLVE Tours.

2011-11-20T19:19:00.000-08:00

Michael Brooke, publisher of Concrete Wave gives the students a talk to inspire the writing of a class article for the magazine

2011-11-20T19:17:00.001-08:00

THUMPER

2011-11-12T15:44:00.000-08:00

Hello. I’m 17 years old and I guess you can say I love skateboarding and the culture of it.

The theme of my board is a Robot/Bunny (Thumper). My inspiration for making this board is based on my experience in grade 7; I’d tap my foot a lot and drove the teacher crazy, ha-ha, and people would tell me “STOP THUMPER” and from there it just became my Alter-Ego.

The materials I used in this board were 7 layers of maple hard wood and I vacuumed pressed them to seal everything nice and tight. I stained it for a natural look. I stencilled it and then gave it two layers of spray paint in black and white. What I thought I could have done better in making this board is to be more patient and slow down and to fill in more of the negative spaces.

I’m proud of the first board I every made and what this experience can do for me in the near future. I’m going to put this board on my wall, not riding it or thrashing it, because to me this first board is a piece of art!

Marketing Workshop at The Baitshop: Students pitch their personal brands (Button Design & Packaging Project)

2011-11-12T15:36:00.000-08:00

English class at the Zine Library (OCADU)

2011-11-12T15:33:00.000-08:00

Leadership student setting up Baitshop boards

2011-11-12T15:31:00.000-08:00

October "Get on Board" Morning Attendance Awards: Grandeur Skateshop (Oceanside,California)

2011-11-12T15:28:00.000-08:00

OSF SK8 Mascot Head in BlogTO Post

2011-11-12T14:58:00.000-08:00

Night of Dread!

2011-11-12T14:53:00.000-08:00

OSF SK8 MASCOTS

2011-11-12T14:39:00.000-08:00

workin' in the warehouse...

2011-11-12T14:32:00.000-08:00

Another OSF Alumnus Graduates High School!

2011-11-12T14:31:00.001-08:00

OSF Open House & First Community Council Meeting

2011-11-12T14:21:00.000-08:00

Pho-mazing!

2011-11-12T14:15:00.000-08:00

Custom OSF Grip by TRNE TRKS

2011-11-12T14:14:00.000-08:00

Pics from Longboard Launch in Kensington Market

2011-11-12T14:05:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to our friends at Longboard Living for winning "Best Skate Shop" in NOW: OSF Longboards will be on display at this event!

2011-11-03T17:34:00.000-07:00

Ready to Ride: OSF Longboards featured on the TDSB's website splash page today!

2011-11-01T17:43:00.000-07:00

On Sale & Ready to Ride!

2011-10-23T17:52:00.000-07:00

OSF Prototype Longboards (hand-shaped & painted) now On Sale & Ready to Ride as complete set-ups with custom griptape, trucks/wheels for $250 at Longboard Living (202 Augusta & 86.5 Nassau in Kensington Market)!

"workin' all day in paper-mache..."

2011-10-23T17:46:00.001-07:00

Stencil Mystery Revealed!!!

2011-10-23T17:43:00.000-07:00

Ryan, Joe and Craig teach students how to do a complete set-up...

2011-10-23T17:38:00.000-07:00

A workshop on how to interview a professional in the SK8 industry with Lindsay Westfall informs our Zine project

2011-10-23T17:33:00.000-07:00

Spread the Stoke Longboard Launch Product Sheet

2011-10-22T13:37:00.000-07:00

INVITATION to our Supporters!

2011-10-16T13:14:00.001-07:00

OSF featured on Radio Canada

2011-10-16T11:03:00.000-07:00

Caroline Cretien talks about the OSF at 2:00pm on Friday, October 7, 2011. "Cest ca la vie": http://www.radio-canada.ca/emissions/c_est_ca_la_vie/2011-2012/

Craig, OSF Students and Norah of Roarockit present a workshop to teachers at the Ontario Art Educator Association (OAEA) provincial conference.

2011-10-16T09:33:00.000-07:00

Skateboard Innovation, Entrepreneurship & Social Change

This two-hour presentation and hands-on workshop is offered as an introduction to skateboard/longboard culture and production by community partners Roarockit Skateboard Company, who have inspired thousands of skateboard builders around the world, and Oasis Skateboard Factory, called the “#1 Coolest School in the GTA” by the Toronto Star. Using Roarockit as an example of innovation in accessible, do-it-yourself design technology and the OSF as an example of innovation in education, participants will explore creative art and business opportunities to re/engage youth in the classroom and community.

Update: Congrats to students for making $80 off their merch table!

OSF student stickers and Nuit Blanche contribution featured in art conference workshop by Andreas Musta

2011-10-16T09:29:00.000-07:00

Entrepreneurship Workshop launches the OSF/Baitshop Business Course Partnership that will help students develop and market their own brands this year!

2011-10-16T09:14:00.000-07:00

OSF starts to work on Night of Dread with David Anderson and Clay & Paper Theatre

2011-10-16T09:05:00.000-07:00

Returning Students learn the skills needed to carve their own molds to create their "Dream Deck" with design mentor Ted Hunter at Roarockit

2011-10-11T19:36:00.000-07:00

Previewing the new Longboard Living shop drop-deck and getting feedback on 4 original OSF prototype Longboards from Escarpment Surfer Chris Alvarado

2011-10-10T19:54:00.000-07:00

At OSF we work hard and play hard (then Craig has a lot of marking to do...ha!)

2011-10-10T19:47:00.000-07:00

Skills Ontario Workshop on Apprenticeships & Trades

2011-10-10T18:47:00.001-07:00

Youth & the Vote Workshop

2011-10-10T18:42:00.000-07:00

"Get on Board" September Morning Attendance Award: Bamboo SK8 (Oceanside, California)

2011-10-10T18:40:00.001-07:00

The OSF Posse on Queen St...

2011-10-01T06:15:00.000-07:00

The Longboard Market Seminar & Design Consultation with Ryan Rubin of Longboard Living

2011-10-01T06:11:00.000-07:00

OSF on the TDSB's web splash page today: "Oasis Alternative Secondary School teams up with Nuit Blanche"

2011-09-29T19:09:00.000-07:00

http://www.tdsb.on.ca/about_us/media_room/Room.asp?show=allNews&view=detailed&self=31249

Stick Up Nuit Blanche

2011-09-25T17:52:00.000-07:00

Oasis Arts & Social Justice Program and Oasis Skateboard Factory Stick Up Nuit Blanche:

Sat. Oct 1st marks the 6th annual Nuit Blanche, a free all night contemporary art event that turns Toronto's streets into an art gallery from 7pm to 7am. It also marks Oasis Alternative's Arts & Social Justice Program and Oasis Skateboard Factory's first exhibit as an offical Nuit Blanche event. Students will be creating an installation and displaying their work alongside world renowned street artists as part of the International Adhesive Arts Expo. Visitors will have the opporunity to create stickers, swap with famous artists and Oasis students and see Oasis student sticker series based on the theme of education reform. The event is free and open to all ages, hosted by print studio The Baitshop, 358 Dufferin St, Suite 117.

For more information visit:
http://www.scotiabanknuitblanche.ca/
thebaitshop.ca

SK8STICK4CAVESK8

2011-09-21T20:19:00.000-07:00

Interactive Sculpture by Craig Morrison, 2011
(found objects, tree "re-barked" with custom griptape)

Spraycan Techniques & Safety Workshop with guest artist ROCK

2011-09-21T18:26:00.000-07:00

Doing some R&D at Longboard Living

2011-09-21T18:22:00.001-07:00

building boards and more boards...

2011-09-21T18:18:00.000-07:00

OSF Leadership Students received a standing ovation after presenting an Artist Talk with Craig at Hart House, (U of T)!

2011-09-17T09:45:00.000-07:00

Ryan Rubin of Longboard Living helps launch our "Spread the Stoke" Intensive with a talk about being a young entrepreneur.

2011-09-17T09:38:00.000-07:00

Inspired by our visit to Roarockit, students start pressing their first boards in our classroom...

2011-09-17T09:33:00.000-07:00

Roarockit hosts a pizza lunch and inspires a new crew of OSF board-builders by demonstrating their invention of "Thin Air Press Technology"!

2011-09-17T09:17:00.001-07:00

OSF Students making stickers for the Toronto International Adhesive Arts Expo with Guest Artist SLURG from Germany

2011-09-17T09:08:00.001-07:00

The OSF welcomes our New & Returning Students: Year 3 of our exciting, expanded Oasis Skateboard Factory program starts September 6!

2011-09-04T15:05:00.000-07:00

Follow the "Student Calendar Link" to see the first week schedule and important dates.

OSF in California

2011-08-30T15:29:00.001-07:00

Top: Board by OSF student being hung by Mark at the Bamboo SK8 headquarters.
Bottom: Craig picks up the latest copy of Concrete Wave with an article by OSF students at a magazine stand at the beach!

In Memory of Billy Jamieson...

2011-07-21T09:57:00.000-07:00

Billy Jamieson, friend, supporter and sponsor of the Oasis Skateboard Factory, passed on July 3. On numerous occasions he opened his home to our students to explore his collections of tribal art, curiosities and shrunken heads. A big-hearted, generous and inspiring individual, he would always make time in his busy schedule to welcome our youth and relate his own struggles in school and how he followed his passion and became successful. Past students often reflected that trips to his loft were some of their most memorable experiences in school. We will truly miss you Billy!

Slidin' into Summer...See ya' in September!

2011-06-28T16:07:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to all our active Semester 2 Students who passed all their credits (100% course completion rate) and are moving on to new school and life opportunities!

The OSF classroom has been packed and locked up for the summer, but we are looking forward to starting back on September 6th for Year 3 of the expanded Oasis Skateboard Factory high school program with a new crew of students.

Program Coordinator & Teacher Craig Morrison will be reachable sporadically in July and August at craig.morrison@tdsb.on.ca . If you need to reach Oasis Alternative S.S., want to speak to someone or leave a message, please call the Main Office of the school at 416-393-9830.

Article by OSF Students on "Skateboard Charities" published in the 10th Anniversary issue of CONCRETE WAVE magazine (on newsstands NOW!)

2011-06-28T16:01:00.000-07:00

slo_skate zine #4 ($4 or $5 with Button)

2011-06-28T15:58:00.000-07:00