Headlight 2, by Patrick Turner, on display at SPAO

There won't be a shortage of vision at the School of Photographic Arts' first feature exhibition of graduating student work, aptly titled Exhibition #1. The recently founded school of photography at 168 Dalhousie Street, unique in Ontario, has completed its first season of courses, and it seems the students have passed with flying colours.

Khalia Scott and Michael Tardioli, two experienced photographers, educators and the directors of SPAO, run the school. They built it from the ground up with a group of students who literally know the place inside out, having pitched in volunteer time and effort to put walls up and paint. With the support of others in the community, such as equipment donations from established Ottawa photographers Michael Schreier and Tony Fouhse, the school began running its first year with a full-time curriculum developed in response to student needs.

Moving beyond the frame of traditional academic learning or technical excellence, the school urges students to pursue a personal vision. Many of them joined SPAO after studying elsewhere, keen to take advantage of its professional facilities and small class sizes.

One such student is Patrick Turner, whose unusual portrait images of figures with television heads are a humorous and eerie realization of his own dreams. Like all 20 of the students, Turner has put together a full portfolio during his studies at SPAO, including a box of archival black-and-white photographs, a book of colour images and a separate framed show for his individual five-foot-square exhibition space.

The students' talents have surprised even Tardioli and Scott, who liken their passion to a driving obsession. For some, this passion has paid off in international recognition in Applied Arts, a magazine dedicated to visual communication.

Exhibition #1 will transform the school's studios and workspaces to give each of the 20 students a space in which to show off the content of their craft. With 20 different visions vying for the eye, SPAO and its students promise to put on a stunning show and become a welcome addition to the local arts community.

 
 

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