Item - 2016.ED10.1
Tracking Status
- City Council adopted this item on March 31, 2016 without amendments.
- This item was considered by the Economic Development Committee on February 26, 2016 and adopted without amendment. It will be considered by City Council on March 31, 2016.
ED10.1 - Appointment of First City of Toronto Photo Laureate
- Decision Type:
- ACTION
- Status:
- Adopted
- Wards:
- All
City Council Decision
City Council on March 31 and April 1, 2016, adopted the following:
1. City Council appoint Geoffrey James, to the position of Photo Laureate for the City of Toronto, at pleasure of Council, for a term ending on March 31, 2019, and until a successor is appointed.
Confidential Attachment - Personal matters about an identifiable individual, including municipal or local board employees
Background Information (Committee)
https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2016/ed/bgrd/backgroundfile-90440.pdf
(February 1, 2016) Attachment 1 - Confidential Information - made public on February 26, 2016
https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2016/ed/bgrd/backgroundfile-90441.pdf
Motions (City Council)
Vote (Adopt Item) Apr-01-2016 10:03 AM
Result: Carried | Majority Required - ED10.1 - Adopt the item |
---|---|
Total members that voted Yes: 30 | Members that voted Yes are Paul Ainslie, Maria Augimeri, Ana Bailão, Jon Burnside, John Campbell, Christin Carmichael Greb, Shelley Carroll, Josh Colle, Gary Crawford, Janet Davis, Glenn De Baeremaeker, Justin J. Di Ciano, Frank Di Giorgio, Sarah Doucette, John Filion, Mary Fragedakis, Mark Grimes, Jim Karygiannis, Norman Kelly, Josh Matlow, Pam McConnell, Mary-Margaret McMahon, Joe Mihevc, Frances Nunziata (Chair), Cesar Palacio, James Pasternak, Gord Perks, David Shiner, Michael Thompson, John Tory |
Total members that voted No: 1 | Members that voted No are Stephen Holyday |
Total members that were Absent: 13 | Members that were absent are Raymond Cho, Joe Cressy, Vincent Crisanti, Paula Fletcher, Michelle Holland, Mike Layton, Chin Lee, Giorgio Mammoliti, Denzil Minnan-Wong, Ron Moeser, Anthony Perruzza, Jaye Robinson, Kristyn Wong-Tam |
ED10.1 - Appointment of First City of Toronto Photo Laureate
- Decision Type:
- ACTION
- Status:
- Adopted
- Wards:
- All
Confidential Attachment - Personal matters about an identifiable individual, including municipal or local board employees
Committee Recommendations
The Economic Development Committee recommends that:
1. City Council appoint Geoffrey James, to the position of Photo Laureate for the City of Toronto, at the pleasure of Council, for a term ending on March 31, 2019, and until a successor is appointed.
Decision Advice and Other Information
The Economic Development Committee:
1. Authorized the public release of the recommended candidate's name and biography contained in the Confidential Attachment 1 to the report (February 1, 2016) from the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture.
Candidate's Biography
Geoffrey James
Geoffrey James (b. 1942, St. Asaph, Wales) is a Toronto based photographer who is recognized internationally as a master of landscape and urban photography. James studied at Wellington College, Berkshire, and at Wadham College, Oxford and graduated with a degree in modern history in 1964. James worked as associate editor of Time magazine in Montreal from 1967-1975; as head of the Visual Arts, Film and Video section of the Canada Council for the Arts in Ottawa from 1975-1982; while pursuing photography.
Self-taught, James began making images in the early 1970s. In the 1980s, he produced a series on 17th and 18th century gardens, and the Roman Campagna. In the 1990s, his work shifted to North America. Under a project sponsored by the Canadian Centre for Architecture, Montreal, James spent several years photographing urban parks designed by F.L. Olmsted. His 1993 Asbestos Series examined impacts of the slag heaps left by the asbestos mines in Quebec. With a recent focus on the built environment- including urban and suburban landscapes-James has moved increasingly toward social commentary in his work. Now based in Toronto, his recent series include Lethbridge, Toronto, 905 and Inside Kingston Penitentiary.
Geoffrey James is a Fellow of the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts, Chicago, and the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation, New York. He was awarded the Victor Lynch Staunton Prize of the Canada Council, the Roloff Beny Foundation Photography Book Award and was the recipient of the Gershon Iskowitz Foundation Prize. James is a member of the Royal Canadian Academy. In 2012, James received the Governor General's Award for Visual and Media Arts.
Origin
Summary
The purpose of this report is to recommend the appointment of the first City of Toronto Photo Laureate. It recommends that City Council approve the candidate identified in Confidential Attachment 1 for a three-year term under the terms outlined in this report.
The position of The City of Toronto Photo Laureate honours a photographer recognized for excellent photography and whose work focuses on subjects that are relevant to the people who live in the city. Toronto’s Photo Laureate advocates for photography and the visual arts, and uses his or her unique perspective to create a dialogue on contemporary issues.
Background Information
https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2016/ed/bgrd/backgroundfile-90440.pdf
(February 1, 2016) Attachment 1 - Confidential Information - made public on February 26, 2016
https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2016/ed/bgrd/backgroundfile-90441.pdf