Special exhibition and collection showcase 3rd-year student work
Article by: Lindsey Craig
For most students, a class project ends when the semester does.
But for some TMU photography students, their work becomes part of the university’s permanent record — preserving not only their artistic and creative development, but also a snapshot of the issues, experiences and ideas shaping a generation of emerging artists.
A collection a decade in the making
Since 2015, TMU Libraries has teamed up with the Image Arts program and the Photographic Historical Society of Canada, as donor partner, to build a unique collection of student photobooks.
The work comes from MPS507 – The Photographic Book, a third-year course in which students conceive, design and produce original photobooks using their own photography.
Each January, the books are displayed in an exhibition at Artspace TMU. A panel of professors, artists and industry professionals then selects five or six standout works, which are purchased from the students and added to TMU Libraries Special Collections.
The initiative gives students the chance to have their work recognized, exhibited and – for the award winners, whose work is selected for the collection– preserved in a growing archive available to the TMU community and the public.
“The award provides incentive for students to achieve early recognition that will have a lasting legacy in a collection,” said Alison Skyrme, special collections librarian and The Creative School liaison librarian at TMU Libraries.
Read the full article by Lindsey Craig