Emily Carr University is thrilled to announce a visionary new partnership with Capture Photography Festival, which brings Capture executive director Emmy Lee Wall together with artist and ECU faculty member Birthe Piontek to deliver mentorship to ECU students.

Students will also benefit from mentorship throughout the term by other outstanding curators engaged with Capture, and will have the opportunity to exhibit their works in a public exhibition in 2022, as part of Capture’s prestigious annual festival.

“So many artists that participate in Capture are graduates of ECU, so it’s particularly meaningful for us to be entering into this educational partnership,” Emmy says.

“I’m looking forward to engaging with students as they develop their practice during the final stages of their degree, and offering them the opportunity to learn from the diverse artists and curators who are current or past participants in the festival.”

Led by the Audain Faculty of Art and Shumka Centre for Creative Entrepreneurship at ECU, the year-long partnership aligns squarely with ECU’s tradition of connecting students with a world-class network of creative practitioners and industry leaders.

“This partnership demonstrates what is possible when we recognize existing connections — and create new connections — between Emily Carr and the vibrant arts ecosystem that surrounds us,” Kate Armstrong, director of Living Labs and the Shumka Centre, says.

“By building additional ways for our students to engage with Capture, we are creating an applied context for their learning and achievement in the world outside the institution.”

Eligible students can sign up for the course now, online. The program is funded in part by the Co-op and Work Integrated Learning Initiative of the Ministry of Advanced Education, Skills and Training, the Government of Canada’s Innovative Work-Integrated Learning program and CEWIL Canada’s iHUB, as well as by a generous donation from Wesgroup. The exhibition at Capture Photography Festival is made possible partly through sponsorship by Tricera Imaging Solutions.

“We are super excited to offer this amazing opportunity for our students, thanks to the support of Capture, as well as our partners in government and industry,” Kyla Mallett, dean of the Audain Faculty of Art at ECU, says.

“Working with Birthe and Emmy toward a featured exhibition with Capture represents a unique chance for students to experience the full arc of developing work for professional public exhibition — a truly exciting step for students on their journey to launching their careers as exhibiting artists!”

Visit Capture Photography Festival online now to learn more about their programming. Visit ecuad.ca to find out more about ECU’s photography program including some of Birthe’s other classes, as well as about past collaborations between the university and Capture.