The Grange Prize Transforms Into The Aimia | Ago Photography Prize

One of Canada’s largest and most innovative art prize programs to expand

TORONTO, May 27, 2013 /CNW Telbec/ – The Grange Prize for contemporary
photography will now be known as the Aimia | AGO Photography Prize with a greater international focus and a new national scholarship
program fostering the development of photographers across the country. Today Matthew Teitelbaum, Director and CEO of the Art Gallery of
Ontario, and Vince Timpano, President and CEO of Aimia in Canada,
announced the expansion of Canada’s largest and most innovative art
prize program. The expanded Prize will feature a new national
scholarship program that will recognize and develop the next generation
of Canadian photographers. The Aimia | AGO Photography Prize will grant
more than C$85,000 annually in cash prizes to photographers through the
new scholarship and the prizes for the winner and three runners-up.

“The Prize will honour the core mission of the original Grange Prize,
which is to engage the public in a dialogue about contemporary
photography by connecting people with extraordinary Canadian and
international talent, allowing the public to choose the winner,” said
Matthew Teitelbaum. “The Prize will also continue to foster the growth
of photography in Canada by providing all four shortlisted artists
fully-funded residencies and exhibition programs.”

“After five groundbreaking years working together with the AGO on the
Grange Prize, we wanted to take this important Prize to new heights by
making several enhancements to build on its success,” said Vince
Timpano. “We are particularly proud to be introducing the national
scholarship program, granting more than $20,000 CDN each year to
students whose artwork displays extraordinary potential in the field of
photography.”

The scholarship program, valued at more than $20,000 CDN, is intended
for full-time students—Canadian or international—who are entering their
final year of study toward a bachelor’s degree of fine arts in
photography. Eight respected and established visual arts institutions
from across the country will participate this year with the hope of
expanding the roster of participating schools in the future. This
year’s partner schools are OCAD University, Ryerson University,
Concordia University, Emily Carr University of Art + Design, Nova
Scotia College of Art and Design University (NSCAD), Alberta College of
Art and Design (ACAD), Université du Québec and the University of
Manitoba. Each school will select one student via an internal
competition for submission to the Aimia | AGO Photography Prize
Scholarship Jury. The Jury will then select three students who will be
awarded a scholarship to cover their final year’s tuition, and their
schools will each receive a $1,000 honorarium.

Another addition to the new Prize is a shift to a fully international
model, including a worldwide nomination process. In previous years a
nominating jury from Canada and one partner country would be assembled
to nominate artists for the Prize. The new Prize will invite a group of
eight leading Canadian and international experts in photography
(critics, curators or artists) to each nominate two artists for the
Prize—one international and one from their home country/region of
expertise, forming an international long list for the Prize. From
there, a jury of three experts led by the Lead Juror (an AGO curator)
will select a shortlist of four, including at least one Canadian
artist. This year the Lead Juror is Elizabeth Smith, the AGO’s
Executive Director of Curatorial Affairs.

The evolution of the name to the Aimia l AGO Photography Prize reflects
the shift from the previous presenting company, Aeroplan, to its
international parent company, Aimia, as presenting partner of the Prize
going forward. This name change mirrors the exciting development of the
Prize into a more international platform while remaining strongly based
in Canada. The Grange Prize was built as a unique collaboration between
the corporate and culture sectors displaying a new model of an
innovative business/art partnership, and the Aimia | AGO Photography
Prize will continue this legacy. Aimia is also the proud Signature
Partner of the Photography Collection Program at the Art Gallery of
Ontario.

Please watch for the long-list announcement in July 2013 along with
programming highlights for the 2013 Aimia | AGO Photography Prize.

For updates on the prize and additional information please visit: http://www.AimiaAGOPhotographyPrize.com.

ABOUT AIMIA
Aimia, a global leader in loyalty management, has unique capabilities
and proven expertise in delivering proprietary loyalty services,
launching and managing coalition loyalty programs, creating value
through loyalty analytics and driving innovation in the emerging
digital and mobile spaces. In Canada, Aimia owns and operates Aeroplan,
Canada’s premier coalition loyalty program, as well as a proprietary
loyalty division that designs, launches and operates new client
programs. Aimia also offers world-class data analytics through its
Intelligent Shoppers Solutions suite of tools and has a minority
position in Cardlytics, a pioneer of transaction-driven marketing in
banking. For more information, please visit: www.aimia.com.

ABOUT THE AGO
With a collection of more than 80,000 works of art, the Art Gallery of Ontario is among the most distinguished art museums in North America. From the
vast body of Group of Seven and signature Canadian works to the African
art gallery, from the cutting-edge contemporary art to Peter Paul
Rubens
‘ masterpiece The Massacre of The Innocents, the AGO offers an incredible art experience with each visit. In 2002
Kenneth Thomson’s generous gift of 2,000 remarkable works of Canadian
and European art inspired Transformation AGO, an innovative
architectural expansion by world-renowned architect Frank Gehry that in
2008 resulted in one of the most critically acclaimed architectural
achievements in North America. Highlights include Galleria Italia, a
gleaming showcase of wood and glass running the length of an entire
city block, and the often-photographed spiral staircase, beckoning
visitors to explore. The AGO has an active membership program offering
great value, and the AGO’s Weston Family Learning Centre offers
engaging art and creative programs for children, families, youth and
adults. Visit ago.net to find out more about upcoming special exhibitions, to learn about
eating and shopping at the AGO, to register for programs and to buy
tickets or memberships. 

The Art Gallery of Ontario is funded in part by the Ontario Ministry of
Tourism, Culture and Sport. Additional operating support is received
from the City of Toronto, the Canada Council for the Arts and generous
contributions from AGO members, donors and private-sector partners.

The AGO acknowledges the generous support of Aimia, Signature Partner of the Photography Collection Program.

SOURCE: AIMIA

 

Contact:

For media inquires or interview requests, please contact:

Talvi Kuld
Arts & Communications
tkuld@artscom.ca
416.966.3421 x 204

JoAnne Hayes
Aimia
JoAnne.Hayes@aimia.com
416.352.3706

Caitlin Coull
Art Gallery of Ontario
Caitlin_Coull@ago.net
416.979.6660 x364

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