DOCTOR OF Fine arts, ocad UNIVERSITY, spring convocation 2015

“Duke has a breadth of cultural knowledge and an established intellectual and creative practice who brings an Indigenous approach to art and design education.  Duke has become known in the academic world as a ’Path Breaker’, someone of great vision and experience who is both brave and cautious who can see far into the distance to lead, and who can also see very close up to the ground beneath his feet so that we don’t stumble.

His idealism and unshakable belief in the inherent goodness of people, and the inherent perils of the institutions that we all inhabit, helped lay the foundations for the Aboriginal programming now offered at OCADU.  His vision helped define a new way forward for the program that will serve it for many years to come.  This is what a Path Breaker does.  He brings knowledge, confidence and fearless hope either in the classroom or the studio or sitting across the table at a buffalo stew lunch.”

- Dr. Bonnie Devine, Founding Chair of Indigenous Visual Culture Program at OCADU