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The Image Centre

Canada’s leading institution dedicated to the exhibition, research and collecting of photography.

Two people looking at a wall in the gallery full of photographs and posters
Fig. 1

  Attica USA 1971: Images and Sounds of a Rebellion (installation view), Ryerson Image Centre, 2017 © Clifton Li, The Image Centre

About The Image Centre

Front exterior of The Image Centre featuring installation on rocks in pond adjacent
Fig. 2

The Image Centre, 2022 © Toni Hafkenscheid

The Image Centre (IMC) is Canada’s leading institution dedicated to the exhibition, research and collecting of photography. Established in 2012 at Toronto Metropolitan University, in the heart of the city, the IMC welcomes visitors to explore the intersection of photography and culture. Through compelling exhibitions and engaging public programming, the IMC showcases work by emerging, renowned, and anonymous photographers, past and present. With a growing collection of nearly 400,000 photographic objects and an innovative scholarly research program, the IMC is also a vibrant hub for the preservation and study of photography.

SPOTLIGHT ON CANADA

Corner of the gallery building featuring second floor window facade portraits of Canadians
Fig. 3

The Image Centre, 2022 © James Morley

FACES THAT SHAPED A NATION

Spanning The Image Centre’s west and north facade, this photographic mural highlights 14 key figures who contributed to the formation of Canadian national identity. The historical panorama was commemorated in 2017 on the occasion of Canada’s Sesquicentennial, a symbol of the diverse generations who have exemplified Canadian achievement through their endeavours and resilience.

Chief Dan George, ca. 1971 Wayne Gretzky, 1981
Margaret Atwood, ca. 1989 Viola Desmond, ca. 1945
Yousuf Karsh, 1971 Leonard Cohen, ca. 1990
Mary Pickford, ca. 1910 David Suzuki, ca. 1993
Pierre Elliott Trudeau, 1981 k.d. lang, ca. 1988
Buffy Sainte-Marie, ca. 1971 Oscar Peterson, 1977
John Candy, ca. 1983 Marshall McLuhan, ca. 1974

PHOTO CREDITS

North Facade (from left to right): Chester Higgins (American, born 1946); Sally Soames (British, dates unknown) for Camera Press Ltd.; Michael Evans (American, 1944–2005) for The New York Times. West Facade (from left to right): Unknown photographer for Museum of Modern Art Film Stills Archive; Eric Hayes (Canadian, born 1945) for Miller Services; Unknown photographer for United Press International; Unknown photographer; Robert Glass (nationality unknown, died 2011) for The New York Times; Unknown photographer; Andy Beard (nationality and dates unknown) for Camera Press Ltd.; Unknown photographer; Stuart Watson (nationality and dates unknown); Unknown photographer for The Associated Press; Pat Murphy (nationality and dates unknown).

The majority of the portraits are drawn from The Image Centre’s Rudolph P. Bratty Family Collection of 21,362 photographs of Canadian personalities and events from the 20th century, originally preserved in the New York Times Photo Archive. Additional photographs are from the Black Star Collection, The Image Centre, Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University); and the Wanda and Joe Robson Collection, Beaton Institute, Cape Breton University.

Design: Kelsey Blackwell and Ben Freedman

Fig. Unidentified photographer for Canadian Pacific Railway Company, [Swimmers at play in the pool at Château Lake Louise, Alberta], ca. 1928, gelatin silver print with editing marks. The Rudolph P. Bratty Family Collection, The Image Centre

The Image Centre launches digital access to collections

Jun. 28, 2024

TORONTO, ON – After securing a generous grant from the Department of Canadian Heritage in 2022, The Image Centre (IMC) at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) is pleased to announce significant advancements in public access to Canadian photography from our holdings. This funding supports the digitization of the Rudolph P. Bratty Family Collection, comprising more than 21,000 press photographs of Canadian news events and personalities from the New York Times Photo Archive.

Read more

Staff + Advisory Board

Gallery Staff & Volunteers

For general inquiries, please email: imagecentre.gallery@torontomu.ca

For collection inquiries or appointments for the Peter Higdon Research Centre, contact 416.979.5000 x 552376 or imagecentre.collects@torontomu.ca

For media inquiries, please email: Feven Tesfamariam ftesfamariam@torontomu.ca

Paul Roth
Director

Laura Boudreau
Director of Development, The Image Centre and Public Realm

Natalie Spagnol
Manager, Administration and Operations

Gaëlle Morel
Exhibitions Curator

Valérie Matteau
Manager, Exhibitions and Publications

Sidney Haqq
Curatorial Assistant, Poy Family Internship

Jennifer Park
Art Preparator

Feven Tesfamariam
Marketing, Communications and Public Relations Officer 

Nathan Flint
Marketing and Events Coordinator

Kathleen Lew
Visitor Engagement Coordinator

Sara Angelucci
Student Gallery Curatorial Coordinator

Kristen Gergely
Administration, Finance and Special Events Coordinator

Bryce Julien
Outreach and Program Coordinator, Youth in Focus

Jorge Ayala
New Media Programmer

Eric Glavin
Art Installer and Facility Technician

Kristen Dobbin
Marketing, Communications, and Public Relations Officer (Parental Leave) 

 

Visitor Services

Madison Chow
Gallery Attendant 

Caro Simon
Gallery Attendant

Sara Maclure
Gallery Attendant

Arshneer Khaira
Gallery Attendant

Susan Devins
Volunteer Docent

Miriam Kagan
Volunteer Docent

Paul Kay
Volunteer Docent

Toni Olshen
Volunteer Docent

 

Research Centre &
Collections Staff

For information on access to the collection, please email: imagecentre.collects@torontomu.ca

Denise Birkhofer
Collections Curator and Research Centre Manager

Sara Fleiszig
Digital Imaging Project Assistant, Rudolph P. Bratty Family Collection

Sasha Furlani
Assistant Museum Registrar

Thierry Gervais
Head of Research

Dr. Charlene Heath
Archivist and Research Specialist

Anna Jedrzejowski
Collection Cataloguer and Reference Specialist

Mina Markovic
Curatorial Assistant, Minna Keene and Violet Keene Perinchief Collection

Rachelle Sabourin
Research Program Coordinator

Andrew Savery-Whiteway
Digital Asset and Imaging Specialist

Luz Sierra
Collections Cataloguer, Poy Family Internship

Chantal Wilson
Manager, Collections and Registration

Advisory Board

Howard A. Tanenbaum, Acting Chair 
Acting Chair of The Image Centre Advisory Board; lawyer; financier; real estate developer; art collector; co-founder (with his wife, Carole Tanenbaum) of The Howard and Carole Tanenbaum Family Charitable Foundation.

Edward Burtynsky
Toronto Metropolitan University alumnus and one of Canada's most respected photographers; Burtynsky’s photographic depictions of global industrial landscapes are in the collections of more than fifty major museums around the world.

Atom Egoyan
One of the most celebrated contemporary filmmakers on the international scene; winner of the Grand Prix and International Critics Awards from the Cannes Film Festival; recipient of several Academy Award nominations.

Shabin Mohamed
Chartered Accountant; Trustee of the Board of the AGO; Board Member of the Institute of Contemporary Culture at the ROM.

Opportunities

Careers

Complete listings for employment opportunities at The Image Centre are shared through Toronto Metropolitan University's Human Resources department. Please visit torontomu.ca/careers or call (416) 979-5075 for more information. Student internship and work study positions also become available seasonally and may be posted on this page. To stay up to date, sign up for our e-newsletter via the website footer. 

 

Volunteer opportunities

At The Image Centre we rely on a diverse group of volunteers to help support our exhibitions, special events and public programmes. As a volunteer, you can gain valuable experience in a professional gallery setting. In exchange, we would be happy to provide a reference letter, or sign-off on your volunteer hours.

What can you expect as a Volunteer? Some of your duties include:

  • Interacting with visitors to offer information or answer questions about The Image Centre and our current programming
  • Assisting with events, including set-up and take-down
  • Supporting our front of house and docent team during exhibition tours, opening parties and school group visits

We ask for a minimum 4-month commitment, which includes on-site training. Volunteer shifts can range from 3-4 hours in length and take place on days, evenings and weekends. 

Volunteer recruitment is held annually late August / early September, but we encourage you to get in touch via email and introduce yourself when regular operations commence. Please direct all inquiries to imagecentre.gallery@torontomu.ca

Acknowledgements

Fig.

We would like to acknowledge funding support from the Ontario Arts Council and the Government of Ontario for their support.