Posted by Leighton Reid and Willis Rudy
“Our job is educating students for jobs that don’t yet exist.” So says Shawn Brixey, Dean, School of the Arts, Media, Performance and Design (AMPD)  at York University.
 
Dean Brixey spoke to us on January 5 as part of Vocational Services Month at Rotary.
 
 
He said that the intersection of fine arts with rapidly changing technology is forcing educators to become more creative in anticipating trends in the media market.
 
Dean Brixey is well qualified to speak about the new and emerging multi-media technologies having graduated from the Media Lab at MIT in design, media science, and engineering. Before coming to York University, he was a professor and Chair in Arts and Science at the University of Washington in Seattle. He was also a professor at the University of California Berkley, where he was a Founder and Chair of the Digital Media Program.
 
Dean Brixey spoke of the close partnership the School has established with Cinespace Film Studios  on Kipling Avenue. Cinespace is North America’s largest owner and operator of studio space for movies, TV and digital media. According to Etobicoke Guardian, a local newspaper, the new facility will enable AMPD students to explore the creation, convergence and application of next generation arts and entertainment media technologies, with a focus on moving image production including 3D stereoscopic cinema, virtual, augmented and mixed reality, interactive performance, gaming and interactive data visualization. In other words, all of the skills needed to support Canada’s world beating cinematic production industry. We hope to someday do a Rotary club tour of Cinespace Film Studios and York’s multi-media facilities.