Oct 27, 2014 - Peter Higdon Research Centre and Graduate Scholarship. Toronto ... Master's Degree student in the School
The Ryerson Image Centre announces the Peter Higdon Research Centre and Graduate Scholarship
Toronto, October 27, 2014 -‐-‐-‐ The Ryerson Image Centre (RIC) is pleased to announce the naming of its Research Centre in honour of Peter Higdon, founding Collections Curator, who is retiring after 35 years at Ryerson University. The Peter Higdon Research Centre will mark Peter’s instrumental role in shaping Ryerson’s photography collection into a world-‐class resource. To further recognize his commitment to students, Ryerson’s School of Image Arts is happy to announce the establishment of the Peter Higdon Graduate Scholarship. “It is difficult to imagine a longer, more sustained example of excellence than Peter’s patient, methodical transformation of a modest photography collection into a beacon for students, professors, and scholars and photographers from around the world,” says Paul Roth, Director of the Ryerson Image Centre. “Quite simply, his work laid the foundation for the Ryerson Image Centre and moved the University into the global elite of photo-‐based institutions. For that we are thankful and very grateful.” The Peter Higdon Research Centre will celebrate Peter’s foundational contributions to the Ryerson Image Centre, the School of Image Arts, and Ryerson University. His presence will continue to resonate in Ryerson’s collection, which he built from a modest resource centre in the School of Image Arts’ basement into one of the largest teaching and research collections of photography in Canada. Under Peter’s leadership and far-‐reaching vision, the RIC has acquired many significant donations of works and archival materials, setting the stage for the groundbreaking acquisition of the Black Star Collection in 2005—considered the largest donation of cultural property in history to a Canadian university—as well as others since. The Peter Higdon Graduate Scholarship will recognize academic excellence in a second-‐year Master’s Degree student in the School of Image Arts Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management (FPPCM) program. The creation of this annual award will honour Peter’s generosity of time and energy as an instructor, mentor and supervisor to students over three decades. It will recognize his dedication to giving students meaningful access to Ryerson’s rich photography collections and resources, and the doors he opened for students at other institutions around the world. As a tribute to Peter’s immeasurable contribution to Ryerson, support is being raised for both the naming of the RIC’s Research Centre in his honour and the creation of the scholarship fund. To contribute, please follow this link: https://ruonline.ryerson.ca/ccon/new_gift.do?action=newGift&giving_page_id=69
Ryerson Image Centre 33 Gould Street Toronto, Ontario, Canada ADMISSION IS FREE Free exhibition tours daily at 2:30pm www.ryerson.ca/ric 416-‐979-‐5164
[email protected] Follow us @RICgallery The Ryerson Image Centre (RIC) exists for the research, teaching and exhibition of photography and related media. We are an active partner within the academic fabric of Ryerson University, the cultural network of greater Toronto, and the national and international artistic community. We develop rigorous yet inclusive programs for students, faculty, artists, researchers and curators, as well as the general public. The RIC boasts three interrelated areas of activity. Our exhibition program addresses topics of social, cultural, aesthetic and historical concern from a variety of contemporary perspectives. Our research centre conducts and facilitates inquiry into primary resource materials and offers workshops, lectures, symposia and publication programs. Finally, we maintain a collection of photography spanning the medium’s history, as well as several artist and journalism archives—including the renowned Black Star Collection of twentieth century photoreportage. Ryerson University is Canada's leader in innovative, career-‐oriented education and a university clearly on the move. With a mission to serve societal need, and a long-‐standing commitment to engaging its community, Ryerson offers more than 100 undergraduate and graduate programs. Distinctly urban, culturally diverse and inclusive, the university is home to more than 38,000 students, including 2,300 master's and PhD students, nearly 2,700 faculty and staff, and more than 155,000 alumni worldwide. Research at Ryerson is on a trajectory of success and growth: externally funded research has doubled in the past four years. The G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education is Canada's leading provider of university-‐based adult education. For more information, visit www.ryerson.ca -‐ 30 -‐ Media contacts: Johanna VanderMaas Erin Warner Public Affairs Marketing and Communications Ryerson University Ryerson Image Centre
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