FULL-CIRCLE PHOTOGRAPHY
Protégé takes charge at Ottawa’s School of the Photographic Arts
Ex-students return to help school take next step
About a dozen years ago Michael Tardioli was teaching photography at Algonquin College when he was introduced to an epiphany.
The professional portraitist and teacher was guiding a group of talented and driven students who were looking for more from their education in the photographic arts.
They pressed him to help them get a place to study during the summer. And so the gang of 20 found a spot, slapped up some drywall and made some spaces where some magic could happen.
And over the next decade and a bit, that small space has turned into the School of the Photographic Arts: Ottawa. Dozens of talented photographers have graduated from SPAO and gone on to win international awards and exhibit nationally and internationally.
The space they rented — and still occupy — was a small slice of a nondescript building on the corner of Dalhousie and Bruyere, just a couple of blocks from the ByWard Market. If you look closely enough, you’ll spot the SPAO logo on a window.
This diamond in the rough has reached a critical mass and SPAO is about to begin a new chapter in its history. To do that, some of Tardioli’s old students have returned to help their mentor’s school take that next step.
“What Michael and those students recognized was that there was a need in the city for a place for photographic arts to exist. They realized that they needed to start a new school.
“And they also recognized Michael was an exceptional mentor,” says Jonathan Hobin, one of Tardioli’s former protégés who is now taking charge at SPAO.
The Ottawa-born Hobin is one of those who has succeeded internationally and nationally. His exhibition In The Playroom, a series of images that placed children in reenactments of infamous tragedies, certainly attracted a lot of conversation. Now after many years he’s returned to his hometown to set up his own studio and assume a post as the creative and executive director of SPAO.
Hobin was not among that original group of students. He worked for a year in Tardioli’s studio learning his craft before heading to Ryerson to study further.
“I’ve known Michael for 19 years. There are a few key people in the growth of an artistic career, and Michael, for me, was a key person in that. He guided me toward what photography could be and this is a shining example of what can happen with mentorship. From that I’ve gone on to an international art career with exhibitions in museums and galleries.”
Hobin, who has settled into Little Italy, says he’s excited about the possibilities the school can offer.
Also coming back to teach and work at SPAO are a couple of other talented Ottawa-based photographers: Whitney Lewis-Smith — whose work now belongs in the collection of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau — and Olivia Johnston.
The injection of new staff members will allow the school’s founder to concentrate on what he likes best — and that’s teaching.
Tardioli says he always hoped that the school and the culture around it would become selfsustaining. And, he says, he hoped that graduates would eventually become teachers and leaders in that community.
“Now you are seeing it: A generation of students has emerged,” Hobin says.
This is also just the beginning. SPAO is looking to expand its board of directors to bring in the kind of expertise that will help the school grow. They are actively cultivating partnerships with corporations and relationships with other arts organizations.
“We are this little diamond here that no one knows about,” Hobin says. “We don’t have world-class facilities, but we are producing world class artists.
“We’ve had students go on to work at the New York Times, to be editors in Paris. We’ve had students exhibiting in national museums and in photo festivals.
“We offer one of best photographic programs in North America and people don’t realize it is right here in Ottawa.”
For the first decade, the school, which is a private career college under the Ministry of Education, has survived on tuition. It offers a two-year diploma and takes in up to 12 students each year. (This year’s class is almost full, by the way.) Tuition is $7,300, Hobin says. They also offer a wide range of parttime courses that help pay a lot of the bills.
And unlike many programs that are moving away from the old ways, SPAO still puts students into the darkroom.
The staff expansion, though, is just a first step, Hobin intimates. There are definite discussions about opening a gallery focusing on photographic and video arts. There is also muttering about a bigger building, but that remains a dream at this point. No matter, more announcements about SPAO are planned for 2017, he says.
For Hobin, this is turning out to be a commitment, perhaps of a lifetime, to help usher in the next generation of “what this school is going to be.”
“I just started working quietly with the school about three months ago. There will be a year of transition. We want to expand and grow the board and will seek other help.
“People ask me often why I have come back to Ottawa even though I have lived in Toronto for eight years and travelled overseas after that. When I look at it, all of my best opportunities in my career have happened here.
“It is a unique place with national institutions that inspire us. We have access to the international community here and moreover, it’s a nurturing environment for risktakers. It’s not Vancouver, Toronto or Montreal, we can do what want to do here.
“When you go overseas, they don’t care if you’re from Toronto or Montreal or Ottawa.
“All they know is you are Canadian.”