Every spring, Sheridan College celebrates the graduating students of its Honours Bachelor of Photography Program with a GRADWORK showcase. The year-end event recognizes the students becoming part of their new professional community. Usually, the night allows the graduates to not only display their work but also introduce themselves to their new peers – including photo editors, art buyers and fellow photographers – in person.
This year, the event moved online with an intimate Zoom party for the graduating class, associate dean, and full- and part-time faculty. Heather Morton and Anne Cibola, professors of photography at Sheridan College, coordinated the showcase. They worked with students on the Photography Student Council, who encouraged their classmates to “dress up from the waist up.”
“We still very much wanted to introduce the graduating class to the photography industry and celebrate their successes in a public space,” says Cibola. “It was also important to us to mark the end of their school year and, indeed, the end of their four years in the program. Their hard work and dedication deserved recognition.”
Ten awards were presented. Faculty announced the winners by passing envelopes between Zoom frames. Canon Canada proudly sponsored the Canon Awards for two deserving graduates.
This is the 13th consecutive year Canon Canada has supported the program with scholarships. In addition to the two graduate awards, Canon Canada annually presents $2,000 scholarships to the top students in Years 1, 2 and 3 of Sheridan College’s Honours Bachelor of Photography Program.
“Sheridan is very proud to have Canon as a long-time supporter of our Bachelor of Photography,” says Ronni Rosenberg, Dean, Faculty of Animation, Arts and Design. “Canon helps us provide students with the best equipment in the industry, allowing our students to flourish into talented photographers and visual storytellers. I’m very grateful for their support every year, but this year in particular. It means so much for our students to know that the industry continues to support their work during these difficult times.”