• Patrick O’Keefe is a former “Little”, Toronto-born, Los Angeles-based illustrator and art director. He began his artistic pursuit while attending Northern Secondary School in Toronto. At the behest of his high school art teacher, Mr. Steve MacNaughton, and in preparation for his post-secondary studies, Patrick enrolled in the Animation Portfolio Workshop (APW). After working with APW directors Gerard Sternik and Vincent Peets, Patrick soon discovered that this program would become the beginning of a lifelong pursuit of art, hard work, and mentorship that would lay the foundation of discipline for a career as a commercial artist.
• After completing the APW program, Patrick studied illustration at Sheridan College before transferring to the Emily Carr University of Art and Design, where he received his Bachelor of Media Arts in Film and Animation Design.
• Most recently, Patrick served as an art director on Sony Pictures Oscar winning animation feature film Spider-Man™: Into the Spider-Verse, which was released in December 2018.
• The scholarship arose from Patrick’s desire to give back to the community that gave so much to him. As a teenager, Patrick had the drive to pursue his craft, but not necessarily the means. The goal of the O’Keefe Scholarship is to provide an opportunity for youth that have the power and potential to pursue their craft, and empower them with the means to ignite their full potential.

The idea for the scholarship arose from Patrick’s desire to give back to the community that gave so much to him. As a teenager, Patrick had the drive to pursue his craft but not necessarily the means. The goal of the O’Keefe Art Scholarship is to support those in a similar position and alleviate some of the financial barriers that could possibly prevent a rising artist from achieving their goals, as well as to create an ongoing mentorship to open up a dialogue between emerging and establishing artists.

• Complete the online form by the deadline of March 31, 2023 at 12pm ET.
• Applicants who meet the eligibility criteria in phase 1 of the application process will be contacted directly by the Animation Portfolio Workshop (APW) team for phase 2 and will be provided with instructions around submitting a 1-page written component, as well as 5-10 pieces of original art in any medium.
• Phase 2 of the application process requires candidates to submit 5-10 pieces of original artwork in a digital file format and a one-page description of their artistic goals and aspirations by the April deadline provided by APW.
• The successful candidate chosen from phase 2 applicants will be contacted and will then be required to submit all of the previously tendered art in its original form.
• The successful applicant will be contacted directly by APW and awarded the scholarship.
• Applicants may not contact APW during the adjudication process to obtain information on the status of their application.

• Must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada
• 16 to 18 years of age (if you will turn 16 by April, you can still apply!)
• Be registered as a current youth mentor or mentee within any Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada agency.
• Must not be enrolled in or have completed a full-time visual arts program
• Complete phase 1 of the application process through the “Apply Now” section by the deadline of March 31, 2023 at 12pm ET.
• Applicants who meet the eligibility criteria in phase 1 of the application process will be contacted directly by the Animation Portfolio Workshop (APW) team for phase 2 of the process and will be required to:
  • Submit a one-page written component describing their artistic aspirations
  • Submit 5 (minimum) to 10 (maximum) pieces of original art in any medium.
• Submit all application material by the scholarship application deadlines to be considered

• The O’Keefe Art Scholarship covers the full tuition of the 2022/2023 Online Session I of the Animation Portfolio Workshop (Spring Session: April 16, 2023-February 2024).
• Patrick O’Keefe will also provide a private virtual mentoring component for the scholarship recipient three times over the duration of the course.
• Spring Session classes, April 2023-Feb 2024, will be provided on weekends. The successful applicant will need to have access to a laptop and cell phone in order to participate in the online sessions.
• Gwartzman’s Art Supplies will supply the successful applicant with all required art materials free of charge for the duration of the APW Session
• The scholarship covers the full tuition fee for regular 38-week online session is $4,700.00 CDN. The Scholarship is not transferable to another year and can only be used for the Spring 2022/2023 Workshop that falls within the same calendar year in which the scholarship recipient has been chosen.