CONTACT inspires communities through the power of photography
Established in 1997, CONTACT is a not-for-profit organization celebrating the art and profession of photography. Committed to cultivating an inclusive and accessible approach to the medium, CONTACT builds community by providing a platform for dynamic collaborations and productive engagement between Canadian and international photographers, curators, partner organizations, and audiences, locally and globally. In both its annual Festival and in its year-round programming, CONTACT recognizes the significance of photography within all aspects of contemporary life, and the creative possibilities it envisions for the past, present, and future.
THE FESTIVAL
CORE PROGRAM
Showcasing exceptional projects by Canadian and international photographers and lens-based artists, the Festival’s Core Program critically and creatively frames the social, cultural, and political events of our times. Exhibitions produced in collaboration with major museums, leading galleries, and artist-run centres are presented throughout Greater Toronto alongside a slate of commissioned, site-specific Outdoor Installations that activate the city in unique ways.
PUBLIC PROGRAMS
Including photobook initiatives, lectures, artist talks, panel discussions, workshops, and more, the Festival’s Public Programs are online and in-person events complementing the Core Program. They generate critical dialogue and educational opportunities around contemporary photographic practices and photography’s many applications and effects. Programs are developed and presented in collaboration with CONTACT’s partner organizations.
OPEN CALL EXHIBITIONS
Spotlighting submissions of work by emerging to experienced photographers, the Festival’s Open Call Exhibitions embody a broad range of lens-based practices, and bring together the photographic community with innovative presentations at galleries and alternative spaces across the city.
Collectively, these foundational components of the Festival generate a vast, immersive experience of photography for communities across Toronto, Canada, and internationally. All of the Festival’s exhibitions and programs are free of charge and open to the public (with some exceptions at major museums). CONTACT endeavours to make the Festival inclusive and accessible to all, however, due to the community-generated nature of some elements of the Festival, not all venues are able to accommodate specific accessibility needs. Contact us or specific venues for any enquiries.
THE GALLERY
CONTACT Gallery
CONTACT’s headquarters is a community hub promoting critical photographic enquiry and appreciation. Festival and off-season programming in the Gallery includes curated exhibitions featuring work by leading Canadian and international contemporary and historical photographers; public programs examining timely and innovative photographic topics; and a new reading room, which features a curated selection of photobooks by artists from across the globe, available to the public for onsite viewing.
Past Gallery exhibitions and programs have featured internationally renowned artists, such as Carrie Mae Weems (2019), Felicity Hammond (2018), Brendan George Ko (2018), Petra Collins (2017), Ana Mendieta (2016), Gregory Crewdson (2011), Harun Farocki (2010) among many more. Stay tuned for the upcoming complete list of past CONTACT Gallery exhibitions, to be posted on the website spring/summer 2022.
The Gallery will be open to the public Wednesday–Saturday, 12–5pm for the duration of the exhibition Tyler Mitchell | Cultural Turns, on view April 28–June 30.
See “Make CONTACT” section for more info on how to find us.
Make CONTACT
CONTACT Gallery
80 Spadina Ave, Suite 205
Toronto, ON, Canada M5V2J4
[email protected]
416 539 9595
The gallery is wheelchair accessible at street level via the Spadina Ave entrance, and then by taking the elevator to the 2nd floor.
CONTACT is an open forum for the promotion and discussion of photography, and thus some exhibitions or materials may be offensive, upsetting, or disturbing to some members of the public. CONTACT is not responsible for the specific content or subject matter of any work displayed or advertised.
PRESS INQUIRIES
Bow Bridge Communications, LLC
240 West 102nd St, Suite 53, New York, NY 10025
[email protected]
bow-bridge.com
Libby Mark, New York
917 968 5567
Heather Meltzer, Toronto
647 544 8441
Download the CONTACT logo here.
TEAM
INSTALLATION PROJECT MANAGER
Bahar Kamali
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Darcy Killeen
EXHIBITIONS COORDINATOR & RESEARCH
sol Legault
SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR
Carmina Miana
PROGRAMS DIRECTOR
Tara Smith
FESTIVAL MANAGER
Brian St. Denis
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DESIGN
Small
Bartosz Gawdzik & Andrew Di Rosa
smallprojectstudio.com
WEBSITE
Yarek Waszul
COPY EDITING & WRITING
Shannon Anderson
COMMUNICATIONS & PR
Bow Bridge Communications LLC
bow-bridge.com
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BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Edward Burtynsky
Sarah Dinnick, Chair
Erin Iles
Olga Korper
David Lavin
Sally Lee
Elizabeth Levitt
Felicia Mings
Maia-Mari Sutnik
Drew Thompson
ADVISORY BOARD
Stephen Bulger
William Ewing
Sarah Milroy
Kenneth Montague
Penny Rubinoff
Lisa Steele
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR EMERITUS
Bonnie Rubenstein
FOUNDERS
Darren Alexander
Linda Book
Stephen Bulger
Judith Tatar