More than 150 students will expose themselves this weekend. Thursday’s opening gala at The Gladstone Hotel will initiate Maximum Exposure, Ryerson’s School of Image Arts’ annual four-day exhibition showcasing student works in photography, film and new media.
“It’s a fabulous thing for the city, but it’s also a wonderful opportunity for students to get their work outside the classroom and into the world,” says Robert Burley, photography professor at the School of Image Arts.
“It’s a fabulous part of our program. The students are very engaged. It’s a shift from doing the work as a course assignment to doing the work for their exhibition,” says Burley. Like many of the faculty, he acts as an adviser for the otherwise student-run show. “The students raise the money, book the venues and do all the promotions. It’s another kind of learning experience. It’s become a very important part of the exhibition.”
Finding a place to showcase work can be difficult for students, says Talia Eylon, a fourth-year photography student and one of Maximum Exposure’s four co-ordinators. While she and her peers are the driving force behind the festival, she credits Ryerson for encouraging its students to get out into the community. “The faculty are active as artists and photographers. What they share with us is very pertinent and helpful to the real world.”
The Gladstone will feature the work of all fourth-year students while the Lennox Contemporary will showcase first-, second- and third-year works selected by the show’s curators, alumni Daniel Garcia and Robyn McCallum.
Visit www.maxex.ca for more.
