Magnum Workshop Toronto at CONTACT

May 5th – 9th, 2008
Toronto, Canada

The Magnum Workshop Toronto is a five day intensive, practice oriented workshop that seeks to provide personal photographic growth in an intimate and intensive environment. Each of the 6 five-day workshops will be led by an accomplished Magnum Photographer, each with their distinctive style and approach to photography.

Students will select one of the following Magnum photographers as a workshop leader: Christopher Anderson, Chien-Chi Chang, Bruce Gilden, David Hurn, Alessandra Sanguinetti and Larry Towell.

The workshops will take place at the 381 Projects, a modern building designed by a leading Toronto based architect. Each facility will be fully equipped with wifi, a computer workstation, projectors and printers.

Produced in conjunction with CONTACT, The Magnum Workshop Toronto offers subject-specific seminars and lectures and ample informal time allowing for cross-pollination and networking between students and instructors.

The Masterclasses:

Participants will produce individual projects under the same constraints as a professional assignment, but with daily review and editing sessions within their groups. Focusing on story formation, visual literacy, and personal vision, these intimate, intensive masterclasses form the center of the Toronto Workshop. Prior to the workshop, each accepted applicant will be sent specific directives from their selected workshop leader.

As part of the workshops, students will participate in an exhibition produced by HP, featuring work produced over the week. Printed on HP’s large format inkjet printers, with state of the art print quality and color consistency, the work will be shown in a group exhibition and attended by photographic industry professionals during the CONTACT festival.

Requirements:

The Magnum Workshop Toronto is aimed at photographers who are dedicated to pushing their own personal photographic boundaries. This includes both professional and amateur photographers, but requires participants to arrive ready to work and to take their photography to a new level. This is not a workshop designed for beginning photographers, and students are required to submit samples of their work for review before being accepted. Due to high interest, there will be a multi-tiered admission process. The first deadline for acceptance is April 10th, and qualified applicants will be selected through a combination of the merit of their work and their personal statement, and the order of their application’s receipt. All applications received after April 15th will be reviewed space permitting. Due to the fast pace of the week, participants are expected to arrive prepared to produce and edit their projects digitally. Students must bring their own digital cameras. For those Students who would like to shoot film, they may do so but must have all film developed at their own cost and on the required deadlines.

Tuition: $1500 USD (does not include travel, accommodations or on the ground expenses) All fees must be paid upon acceptance. Refund policies will be emailed with acceptance emails.

Accomodations: Magnum will provide a list of lodging options upon request. All participants will receive a full welcome package before arrival including logistical details on the ground as well as a discount at Magnum’s bookstore.

The Festival:
CONTACT is an annual month long festival of photography which takes place at over 200 venues across the Greater Toronto Area from May 1 - 31. As the largest photography festival in the world, CONTACT has become a premiere cultural event in Toronto with a broad range of international programming. This includes exhibitions, public installations, films, lectures, seminars and workshops. CONTACT participants, whether acclaimed international artists or local emerging photographers, exhibit in a variety of venues, from major public museums to private galleries and many alternative spaces including subway stations, street billboards and the Toronto International Airport.

Scotiabank is proud to partner with two esteemed agencies, the CONTACT Toronto Photography Festival and Magnum Photos, supporting the advancement of photography. Scotia Bank is happy to enrich the Toronto experience through support of innovative artists and creative communities. They are committed to supporting the communities in which we live and work, both in Canada and abroad.

Scotiabank will be financing three scholarships for Canadian photography students to attend the Magnum Workshop Toronto at CONTACT. To get more information and to apply for this scholarship please email tara@contactphoto.com. Applying for this scholarship does not guarantee a space in the workshop. If you plan on applying for the workshop regardless of the scholarship, please apply using the link below.

At the end of the workshop, one workshop participant will be chosen to receive a $5,000 prize from Scotia Bank to help further develop their photographic vision. This award will be given at the student exhibition.

Apply: Submissions are now closed. To learn about future events and workshops please sign up for the Magnum Newsletter.