TMU Frost, December 2, 2025 © Alyssa Faoro
Highlights of 2025
Dec. 18, 2025
As 2025 draws to a close, we’re taking a moment to reflect on another extraordinary year at The Image Centre—one filled with compelling exhibitions, meaningful community engagement, and significant advances in research and collections stewardship. None of this would have been possible without the enthusiasm and support of our visitors, artists, partners, and friends.
Before we look ahead to a promising 2026, we’re delighted to share some of the highlights that made this past year so memorable:
- We welcomed over 15,000 visitors and hosted more than 85 tour groups, including school and university classes, arts and culture organizations, community groups, and photography and creative clubs;
- We presented 19 exhibitions, including Michael Benson: Planetfall, which the Toronto Star called “astonishing” and “an ecstatic act of creative expression”; Scotiabank Photography Award: Clara Gutsche, featured in The Globe and Mail’s “10 best things about visual art in 2025”; and the North American premiere of Magnum’s First;
- Our exhibition, Lee Miller: A Photographer at Work, curated by Gaëlle Morel, opened to great acclaim at North Vancouver’s Polygon Gallery;
- Our newly published volume Richard Avedon Immortal was featured in several notable gift guides including The New York Times holiday book review, Indigo’s Heather Reisman’s Beautiful Book Picks, and Phaidon’s Creative People’s gift guide — a testament to the enduring power of Avedon’s portraiture;
- We organized over 20 public programs, including an open house highlighting LGBTQ+ photographs by legendary Village Voice photojournalist Fred W. McDarrah, as well as artist, curator, and collection talks—many of which are available to view on our YouTube channel;
- Our Peter Higdon Research Centre welcomed an inspiring cohort of four research fellows, with project themes ranging from Native American activism from the 1960s–1970s to early colour photography and the influence of synthetic dyes on biological research. Many other visiting scholars and students also took advantage of our wonderful research centre;
- We organized and hosted over 350 international speakers and attendees at our three-day academic symposium, Encoding the Image: How does AI affect the Future of Photo History? Explore the session recordings;
- Our Poy Family Youth in Focus program facilitated the five-session workshop REDO: Photography & Collage for seven youth from across Toronto;
- Our online database grew by more than 800 items digitized from our collections holdings;
- And finally, our building got a new look, courtesy of the great Eadweard J. Muybridge...
2026 is already shaping up to be an exciting year, with the return of our landmark exhibitions Magnum’s First and Chim’s Children of Europe; a career survey of Scotiabank Photography Award winner Dawit L. Petros; and a stunning new presentation of portraiture by Richard Avedon, among other exhibitions. We hope you’ll stay engaged with The Image Centre by visiting our galleries, attending our public programs, and sharing the work we do with your community.
I also invite you to consider making a donation to help us continue preserving, presenting, and exploring the art of photography. Your support ensures The Image Centre remains a vital space for learning, creativity, and connection.
Thank you for being an essential part of our community in 2025. From all of us at the IMC, warmest wishes for a joyful holiday season and a positive start to the year ahead.
Best wishes,
Paul Roth
Director