2026 Events at the IMC
What
Date + Time
Type
Location
Winter 2026
Winter Opening Reception
Join us to celebrate the opening of the winter exhibition season at The Image Centre. Enjoy guided tours, light refreshments and a cash bar. Free and all are welcome!
Four exhibitions on view:
Magnum's First
Revisit Magnum Photos’ 1955 debut exhibition, Face of Time, rediscovered in 2006 after decades unseen.
Chim's Children of Europe
Discover photographs by Magnum Photos co-founder David “Chim” Seymour documenting the lives of children across post-war Europe.
Mark Igloliorte: Tuvak Akkusinialuk Siaggijâk (Ice-Road Skating)
Follow four Indigenous skateboarders traveling the frozen Dettah Ice Road in the Northwest Territories.
Staging Celia Franca
Explore the off-stage wardrobe of Celia Franca, founder and Artistic Director of the National Ballet of Canada.
Wednesday, January 14, 2026
6–8 pm
Reception
The Image Centre
33 Gould Street, Toronto
Curator Tour: Magnum's First + Chim's Children of Europe
Explore the world of documentary photography at mid-century on a special exhibition tour with curator Gaëlle Morel:
Magnum’s First revisits the agency’s 1955 debut exhibition Gesicht der Zeit (Face of Time)—rediscovered in 2006 after being lost for decades. Featuring 83 original prints by early Magnum members, it reveals the agency’s formative vision and global reach.
Chim’s Children of Europe presents original prints and objects revealing Magnum Photos co-founder David “Chim” Seymour’s compassionate lens and enduring humanitarian vision as he documented children’s lives across war-torn Europe for UNESCO’s 1949 publication.
Wednesday, January 28, 2026
6–7 pm
Exhibition Tour
The Image Centre
33 Gould Street, Toronto
Tanenbaum Lecture: Kristen Lubben, Executive Director of the Magnum Foundation
Join us for a special lecture by Kristen Lubben, Executive Director of the Magnum Foundation and author of Magnum Contact Sheets. Lubben will explore the role of photography, archives, and public memory, and discuss the work of the Magnum Foundation, a New York City–based organization that supports creativity and innovation in documentary photography. Presented in conjunction with Magnum's First, on view at The Image Centre through April 4, 2026.
* Requires Eventbrite registration. Register now
This event is now sold out, but you can still join the waitlist! A limited number of rush tickets may also be released at the door on a first-come, first-served basis. We recommend arriving early—admission is not guaranteed.
Speaker Bio
Kristen Lubben is a curator, writer and editor whose work explores the intersections of photography, art and politics. Prior to joining the Magnum Foundation as its first Executive Director in 2016, she was Curator at the International Center of Photography (ICP) in New York. She has curated numerous exhibitions, including triennials of contemporary photography and video, monographic surveys of socially engaged artists, and installations drawn from her research in historical archives, including the ICP’s collections of the work of Robert Capa and Gerda Taro. She is the author of several publications, including Magnum Contact Sheets and Susan Meiselas: In History.
The Tanenbaum Lecture Series is the most established and distinguished lecture series on photography and media arts in Canada. Launched in 1975 within Toronto Metropolitan University's (formerly Ryerson University) School of Image Arts with a talk by W. Eugene Smith, the series has invited hundreds of leading photographers, video artists, filmmakers, curators and theorists to speak about their work to Toronto's rich audience for image arts. Among the speakers have been Berenice Abbott, Vince Aletti, Dawoud Bey, Stan Brakhage, William Eggleston, Robert Frank, Lee Friedlander, Alfredo Jaar, Sally Mann, Martha Rosler, Jamel Shabazz, Michael Snow, Thomas Struth, and John Szarkowski, among many others. This lecture series was made possible by a generous gift from Howard & Carole Tanenbaum.
Wednesday, February 4, 2026
7–8:30 pm
Exhibition Talk
IMA-307
Enter via The Image Centre
33 Gould St.
Student Gallery Opening
Nytha Oronga: What If We Walked Like Birds Fly
Celebrate the opening of Nytha Oronga: What If We Walked Like Birds Fly in the Student Gallery. Light refreshments and cash bar.
The exhibition explores intercultural tensions around how humans understand and relate to the natural world, focusing on Toronto as a historically layered, contested space. Drawing on animist, Indigenous, and Western paradigms, Oronga creates an interactive multimedia installation using recycled materials, soundscapes, and imagery. The work invites visitors to inhabit a non-hierarchical space where diverse perspectives on nature, coexistence, and collective responsibility can meet and converse.
Wednesday, March 4, 2026
6–8 pm
Opening Reception
The Image Centre
33 Gould Street, Toronto
Chim's Photojournalism: The Power of Empathy
Join us for a special talk with Ben Shneiderman, nephew of renowned photojournalist and Magnum Photos co-founder David “Chim” Seymour. Shneiderman will explore Chim’s life and career, with a particular focus on his landmark UNESCO commission Children of Europe. Created in the aftermath of World War II, the project documented the lives of displaced children across Europe, bringing international attention to their humanitarian needs. Drawing on historical and personal insights, Shneiderman will illuminate the enduring significance of Children of Europe and share reflections on his uncle's legacy.
Presented in conjunction with Chim's Children of Europe (1949), on view at The Image Centre through April 4, 2026.
* Requires Eventbrite registration >
Speaker Bio
Ben Shneiderman is an Emeritus Distinguished University Professor of Computer Science and Founding Director (1983–2000) of the Human-Computer Interaction Laboratory at the University of Maryland. He is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering and recipient of six honorary doctorates for his user interface design contributions, which have made information technologies widely accessible.
Wednesday, March 11, 2026
7–8:30 pm
Exhibition Talk
IMA-307
Enter via The Image Centre
33 Gould St.