Since it started 10 years ago, ESA Portfolio Day has grown to become one of the largest events of its kind in North America. ESA’s tenth Portfolio Day (PDX) will include 74 solo exhibitions of grade 12 students representing five of ESA’s six arts majors. The primary purpose of PDX is to connect students with over 100 representatives from post-secondary arts schools in North American and Europe. ESA’s Portfolio Day also serves as an art exhibit for the public, drawing over 1000 visitors each year.
CONTACT is accepting submissions from artists and photographers with well-developed projects to participate in the 2015 Portfolio Reviews.
International experts in the field of photography are brought together for two days during CONTACT to review the work by those with a focus mainly on narrative, photo-based art practices, documentary, and photojournalism. This year CONTACT will present a series of related events, such as lectures, workshops and a performance, that focus on the photobook and the publishing industry.
This is an important program for artists and photographers with projects at advanced stages of development who are seeking opportunities for publishing and exhibiting--as well as for those looking for guidance on conceptual approaches or career development advice.
2015 Reviewers include: Bruno Ceschel, Self Publish, Be Happy, London; Joanne Junga Yang, Y&G Art, Seoul; Sophie Hackett, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto; Olivier Laurent, TIME LightBox, New York; Dewi Lewis, Dewi Lewis Publishing, London; Moritz Neumüller, PhotoIreland, Dublin; Susana Reisman & Claire Sykes, Circuit Gallery, Toronto; Bonnie Rubenstein, Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival, Toronto; Maarten Schilt, Schilt Publishing & Schilt Publishing Gallery, Amsterdam; Hannamari Shakya, Raw View Magazine, Helsinki; Jonathan Shaughnessy, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa
Supported by Ontario Arts Council and Vistek. This program was created to support and advance the careers of talented artists and photographers.
Community News:
Ryerson Image Centre Symposium
Photography Historians: A New Generation? highlights the most current research in the history of photography, bringing emerging scholars from universities worldwide to speak about their areas of study, their methods and their findings. This rising group of young photo-historians will engage in dialogue with prominent academics, revealing how contemporary historical inquiry sits within--and departs from--established traditions. The Symposium is organized by the Ryerson Image Centre with support from Ryerson University's School of Image Arts.
The Symposium is free to attend, and takes place March 26-28 at Ryerson University. For more information, visit the Ryerson website.
Film Screening
CONTACT is pleased to co-present a screening of the film "The Salt of the Earth" at the Human Rights Watch Film Festival. This film follows the photographer Sebastião Salgado across continents as he builds a new masterwork on climate change, one breath-taking image at a time. Salgado's eye as an artist is second to none in the world of photojournalism.
Our friends at Hot Docs are seeking volunteers for the upcoming festival, and are also hosting an information session on volunteering in Toronto's cultural sector on March 14. Volunteers have the opportunity to meet and become part of a growing network of filmmakers, students and film lovers and to develop their skills and gain experience through North America's largest documentary film festival. For more information, visit the Hot Docs website.
CONTACT fosters and celebrates the art and profession of photography with an annual festival in May and year-round programming in the CONTACT Gallery.
CONTACT, a not-for-profit organization founded in 1997 and granted charitable status in 2011, is generously supported by Scotiabank, Nikon Canada, Pattison Outdoor Advertising, La Fondation Emmanuelle Gattuso, Vistek, Torys LLP, Ernst & Young LLP, Toronto Image Works, Kronenbourg, The Gilder, Stratus Vineyards, Transcontinental PLM, 3M Canada, Four By Eight Signs, Beyond Digital Imaging, Hotel Le Germain, The Gladstone Hotel, The Globe and Mail, NOW Magazine, and BlogTO.
CONTACT gratefully acknowledges the support of Ontario Trillium Foundation, Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund, Celebrate Ontario, Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, Ontario Arts Council, The Government of Ontario, Partners in Art, Street Art Toronto, Canada Council for the Arts, the Hal Jackman Foundation, Istituto Italiano di Cultura, Goethe-Institut, the City of Toronto through the Toronto Arts Council, and all of our funders, donors, and programming partners.
