Oakville Museum and Sheridan College bring student creativity to life

Student designers and artists turn local history into fresh visual experiences

A partnership between Oakville Museum and Sheridan College is bringing student-created art, design and storytelling to Museum programs, events and visitor experiences this fall. 

Throughout spring and summer 2026, Sheridan students worked alongside Oakville Museum staff on projects blending art, design, history and place, helping to shape how visitors experience the Museum and the Erchless Estate grounds.

Designing the seasons at Oakville Museum

Visual Communication Studio students Fangming Zhou, Laetitia Wong, Yuhan Tao, and Huiyun Zhang developed two seasonal campaigns with distinct, cohesive visual identities:

• For Haunted Happenings, the Museum’s fall Halloween series, students designed a sticker passport, colouring sheets, postcards and an interactive graffiti wall, to create a playful, immersive experience for children and families this October.
• For Roots Through the Season, a new collection of visual assets inspired by the Museum’s historic gardens and natural surroundings, students created custom visuals, bookmarks and stamp designs that encourage visitors to explore the grounds, connect with nature and get creative.

Taking history beyond the Museum walls

Visual Communication Studio students Emma Nicole Meredith, Will Liu, Tiffany Yeung, and Arthur Booker worked with Oakville Museum Curator and Collections Coordinator Chris Selman to bring outdoor storytelling to life. 

The students created an interpretive panel and short video connecting the story of Oakville’s first museum, the Old Post Office, to the landscape where it now sits in Lakeside Park. Their History in the Landscape project uses photographs, archival material, contemporary imagery and illustration to turn the Museum grounds into a place for year-round storytelling.

An artist’s perspective on the Museum

For the past three years, the Museum has also hosted an Illustration Internship and Artist-in-Residence. 

This year, Sheridan student Grace Tanton-Nuxoll worked with Museum Programmer Preeya Nayee to explore how contemporary illustration can offer new pathways into local history. Their work has explored Oakville’s strawberry-growing history, architecture, gardens, immigration and early communities, Black history, innovation and seasonal traditions.

Behind the scenes, Tanton-Nuxoll is also learning about collections, conservation, interpretation and exhibition development, while creating an original body of work inspired by the Museum and its collections. Their residency will culminate during Culture Days on Saturday, October 3, when Tanton-Nuxoll will present work developed through their experience at the Museum.

The Museum’s partnership with Sheridan gives emerging artists and designers a platform to develop their craft while offering visitors a fresh perspective on Oakville’s history. Visitors will begin seeing the students’ work across Oakville Museum’s programs and activities this fall and beyond.

For more information about what’s coming up at the Oakville Museum, visit the Programs and Events and Exhibits pages.

About Oakville Museum

Oakville Museum connects people to Oakville’s shared heritage through exhibitions, programs, collections and experiences that explore the people, places and stories that have shaped the community.

About Sheridan College

Founded in 1967, Sheridan has grown from a local college of 400 students to one of Ontario's leading postsecondary institutions, educating more than 27,000 full-time and 4,000 part-time studies students every year. Its three diverse campus communities in Brampton, Mississauga and Oakville are a short commute to downtown Toronto. As a trailblazer in unique arts, technology and health care programs, Sheridan has always been on the leading edge of innovation, ensuring students learn job-ready, practical skills and develop the confidence, empathy and problem-solving savvy that allows them to push boundaries in an ever-changing world. Sheridan's 250,000 alumni play a critical role in shaping the future of our society in the fields of arts, business, community service, health, technology, and the skilled trades.