Craig Morrison (BEd'95) did not have dreams of becoming a teacher, but since his time in the Faculty of Education Artist in Community Education program (ACE) he has started a one-of-a-kind alternate school model, has advised on groundbreaking art projects, and won the 2019 Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excellence.
On April 19, 2023, Craig Morrison gave the Barbara Crook (BAH'79, MA'83) Artist in Community Education Guest Lecture to students in the Artist in Community Education program as well as students from the new Arts & Learning class. Craig discussed his journey from his Arts & Social Change degree from the New College of California, through his time at the Faculty of Education, and up to retiring from his position as the founder of Oasis Skateboard Factory in Toronto.
Oasis Skateboard Factory began as a partnership with Oasis Alternative Secondary School in Toronto. Oasis offers three distinct programs at three different locations within the Toronto District School Board. The Skateboard Factory program provides courses with a skateboard and street art focus. Students earn credentials while also operating a socially responsible entrepreneurial business.
During his lecture, Craig shared insights about operating the "factory" and the unique educational opportunities that students partake in. At Oasis, students participate in every part of the business process, from making and designing physical skateboards, to promotion, merchandising, and even taking on custom requests. Since its inception, students at Oasis have worked on collaborations with outdoor clothing company Arcteryx, artist Chief Lady Bird, and even a set of skateboards for the Toronto stop of Justin Bieber’s 2016 World Tour.
One of the most valuable collaborations is in the form of a longstanding partnership with Roarockit Skateboard Company. Ted Hunter and Norah Jackson founded Roarockit in 2002 after teaching a teen woodshop class in Maui where the pair were windsurfing. Hunter is a retired furniture professor that taught at OCAD University in Toronto and Jackson owned a successful graphic design company. This combination allowed the pair to turn one woodshop class into a thriving business. Ted Hunter's expertise in the art of bending wood led him to develop a prototype for skateboard making that is lightweight, portable, and accessible. These skateboard kits are now available all over the world and this is why they are such an integral part of Oasis Skateboard Factory.
Craig Morrison uses the Roarockit kits to help students make boards in a quick and easy fashion. After Morrison’s lecture in April, the students at the Faculty of Education did the exact same thing.
With students clustered around a table in the drama room, Ted Hunter and Norah Jackson displayed the tools from the Roarockit kit and explained how each piece comes together.
Then, in a matter of minutes, the ACE and Arts & Learning students collaborated to build their own skateboard deck. Due to glue drying times, the entire process had to be completed in under 9 minutes and the students acted diligently to complete the task. From setting the timer, to spreading the glue, to encasing the deck in its vacuum sealed bag, the classes worked together and experienced how these kits can work as an educational tool.
Completed boards were displayed around the room, and with the lecture and workshop finished, students had the opportunity to speak with Craig and the Roarockit team and explore the creative possibilities that skateboard decks present.
Thank you to Craig Morrison and the Roarockit team for delivering such an engaging Barbara Crook lecture and thank you to Aynne Johnston for showcasing the possibilities of an ACE degree.
