New public gallery to open in the heart of Toronto's downtown core

Ryerson Image Centre grand opening Saturday, September 29, 2012

TORONTO, Aug. 14, 2012 /CNW/ - Ryerson University is transforming downtown Toronto. The opening of the Ryerson Image Centre (RIC), a new public gallery in the heart of the city, heralds the transformation of Gould Street into a public cultural destination and a pedestrian-friendly environment, complete with the Ryerson Image Centre art gallery, adjacent park with pond and rock garden, Balzac's café, outdoor patio, trees, and a car-free street. The RIC is part of Ryerson University's major city-building initiative in the core of downtown Toronto - Canada's economic, academic, research and cultural capital.

The RIC is located in the new Image Arts Building, designed by Toronto-based Diamond Schmitt Architects, one of the world's top ten design firms for the cultural building sector. The Image Arts Building is a rare example of a building that is digitally programmable, making the structure itself a work of art as the public and artists can program the illuminated glass walls transforming Toronto's night time skyline. The building also features the Salah J. Bachir New Media Wall, a unique grid of arts-dedicated LED screens that are visible from the street.

"The Ryerson Image Centre is an international academic facility for teaching, research and exhibitions, but it is also a terrific opportunity to make so many of Ryerson's holdings - amazing images and works of art -  accessible to the public," said Sheldon Levy, President of Ryerson University. "We are thrilled to be opening this new gallery in the heart of our campus, in the heart of our city."

The Ryerson Image Centre public grand opening will take place September 29, 2012 (7 p.m.-7 a.m.) as part of Scotiabank Nuit Blanche. The inaugural exhibition, Archival Dialogues: Reading the Black Star Collection, co-curated by Doina Popescu, Director of the Ryerson Image Centre, and Peggy Gale, features new work by eight of Canada's foremost artists. Internationally-renowned Canadian contemporary artists Stephen Andrews, Christina Battle, Marie-Hélène Cousineau, Stan Douglas, Vera Frenkel, Vid Ingelevics, David Rokeby and Michael Snow have each created new work, commissioned for the grand opening of the Ryerson Image Centre and inspired by the Black Star Collection at Ryerson University. The RIC grand opening also features an exhibition of works by current students and recent alumni of the School of Image Arts, entitled The Art of the Archive, curated by Gaëlle Morel, Exhibitions Curator at the Ryerson Image Centre.

The Ryerson Image Centre brings an exciting new voice to the arts dialogue in Toronto and across the country. Exhibitions and public programs that reflect highly relevant contemporary themes speak to and welcome people from many different walks of life, part of a growing trend toward creative inclusion and openness that will bring the world to Toronto.

Archival Dialogues: Reading the Black Star Collection is made possible through the generous support of the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund, Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, Toronto Arts Council, Ryerson University, the Goethe-Institut Toronto, Partners in Art, The Howard and Carole Tanenbaum Family Charitable Foundation, and The Paul J. Ruhnke Memorial Fund. 

Ryerson Image Centre Grand Opening
Saturday, September 29, 2012 7 p.m. to Sunday, September 30, 2012 7 a.m.
Part of Scotiabank Nuit Blanche

Archival Dialogues: Reading the Black Star Collection
New works by Stephen Andrews, Christina Battle, Marie-Hélène Cousineau,
Stan Douglas, Vera Frenkel, Vid Ingelevics, David Rokeby and Michael Snow
inspired by the Black Star Collection at Ryerson University.
Curated by Doina Popescu and Peggy Gale.
September 29 - December 16, 2012

Admission is free.

Ryerson Image Centre:
33 Gould Street (one block northeast of Yonge and Dundas),
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
www.ryerson.ca/ric

The Ryerson Image Centre (RIC), Toronto's newest cultural destination, is an international centre of excellence for the exhibition, research, study and teaching of photography and related disciplines, including new media, installation art and film. The new museum-standard facility consists of approximately 4,500 square feet of exhibition space; a Great Hall for lectures, conferences, screenings and receptions; a glassed-in entrance colonnade with the Salah J. Bachir New Media Wall, a 16-foot new media wall visible from the street; a temperature and moisture controlled vault for our growing collection; and a state of the art, professionally staffed research centre. International in scope, the Ryerson Image Centre features three interrelated areas of activity: an exciting program of public exhibitions where innovative work by professional Canadian and international artists addresses social, cultural, historical and aesthetic issues; a world-class research centre that conducts research into the history of photography and documentary media, and offers an array of workshops, conferences and publication programs; and the collection, which is home to the famous Black Star Collection of black and white photojournalistic prints, as well as important fine art photographic holdings and artist archives. The public can find more details, and subscribe to the Ryerson Image Centre email newsletter, at www.ryerson.ca/ric. 

Ryerson University is Canada's leader in innovative, career-oriented education and a university clearly on the move. With a mission to serve societal need, and a long-standing commitment to engaging its community, Ryerson offers more than 100 undergraduate and graduate programs. Distinctly urban, culturally diverse and inclusive, the university is home to more than 28,000 students, including 2,300 master's and PhD students, nearly 2,700 faculty and staff, and more than 140,000 alumni worldwide. Research at Ryerson is on a trajectory of success and growth: externally funded research has doubled in the past four years. The G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education is Canada's leading provider of university-based adult education. For more information, visit www.ryerson.ca

SOURCE: Ryerson Image Centre

MEDIA CONTACTS: 

Heather Kelly
Director of Marketing and Communications, Ryerson Image Centre
Ryerson University
416-364-5701
[email protected]

Johanna VanderMaas
Public Affairs
Ryerson University
416-979-5000 x 4630
[email protected]

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