Concordia University announces Christopher Boyne as winner of 2010 Dick and
Gretchen Evans Fellowship

MONTREAL, Oct. 14 /CNW Telbec/ - Concordia University announced today that Christopher Boyne is the first recipient of the Dick and Gretchen Evans Fellowship. The fellowship, worth $17,000, is awarded to an outstanding photography student in his or her final year of the graduate program in the university's Faculty of Fine Arts.

In June 2010, Concordia announced Dick and Gretchen Evans's gift of $51,000 to create the Dick and Gretchen Evans Fellowship, which will be awarded annually for three years. To supplement the fellowship, Mr. Evans will also donate half of the profits from In Transit Images, an electronic gallery he recently created with founding partner and photographer, Bob Hendriks, to promote the work of established and emerging photographers.

Also in June, the university awarded the $6,000 Dick and Gretchen Evans Prize for Photography to Aydin Matlabi, who was in his final year of the Master of Fine Arts in Studio Arts program at Concordia. In addition, Dick and Gretchen Evans are sponsoring "The After Image (Into the Cold)," a photo-based work by Fiona Annis on display at Concordia's FOFA Gallery.

Dick Evans, former chief executive of Rio Tinto Alcan, and his wife, Gretchen, have for many years generously donated both time and funding to support education at a number of institutions across North America.

"Dick and Gretchen Evans's ongoing support affirms their conviction that our photography students and, indeed, Concordia's Faculty of Fine Arts, are among the best in Canada," says Judith Woodsworth, Concordia President and Vice-Chancellor. "The contribution by the Evans to create this fellowship and other awards will enhance our efforts to attract outstanding students to photography and other studio arts programs."

"Gretchen and I are strong believers in the benefits and importance of higher education across a spectrum of subjects, including the arts," says Dick Evans. "It has been proven that investments in education contribute to economic growth, as well as social and political well-being. We believe photography and other visual arts are a crucial element of a society's identity."

About the Faculty of Fine Arts at Concordia University
Concordia University's Faculty of Fine Arts enjoys a longstanding reputation as one of Canada's foremost institutions for the study and creation of visual and performing arts. Nine departments and three research centres provide the country's most comprehensive range of fine arts programs and research. The Faculty's role is to champion the arts as a vital and strategic activity that shapes and reflects contemporary culture. Faculty members and alumni are among Canada's most celebrated contemporary artists. Located in Montreal and benefiting from the vibrant culture that this offers, the Faculty of Fine Arts continues to attract the best and the brightest in fine arts in Canada and beyond.

About In Transit Images
In Transit Images is a recently launched online gallery created by photographers for photographers to showcase and sell their images. The founders are Dick Evans, former Rio Tinto Alcan chief executive and an avid amateur photographer, and professional Montreal photographer Bob Hendriks. The company's goal is to introduce new artists to a broader audience by providing them with an established commercial platform and enhanced global reach. Half of In Transit Images' profits will go to supplementing funds already committed by Dick and Gretchen Evans to create the Dick and Gretchen Evans Fellowship for Photography at Concordia University.

About Christopher Boyne
Christopher Boyne is a third-year student in Concordia University's MFA in Photography program. The Halifax, N.S., native has participated in four solo exhibitions and several group exhibitions in Toronto and Montreal. Christopher won an Omer DeSerres Award for Excellent Achievement in Visual Arts in 2008 and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours) in Photography from Ryerson University in Toronto in 2006.

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