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News Release

May 13, 2010 For immediate release

Karsh: Image Maker receives top honour from Canadian Museums Association

Ottawa, ON, May 13, 2010—The Canada Science and Technology Museum and Library and Archives Canada’s Portrait Gallery program have jointly received the Canadian Museums Association (CMA) Award of Outstanding Achievement for the exhibition Karsh: Image Maker. The honour was received during the awards dinner held last night at the CMA’s 63rd annual national conference in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Each year, the CMA presents awards to celebrate and encourage excellence within the Canadian museum sector.

Exploring the making of Karsh’s signature style, the exhibition presents close to 100 of his most famous portraits, from Sir Winston Churchill to Audrey Hepburn. These images are drawn from the 350,000 items in the Karsh collection held at Library and Archives Canada. Also on display is Karsh’s iconic Calumet camera along with the brushes and dyes he used behind the scenes.

“We are very proud to receive this honour from the CMA. The collaboration with the Canada Science and Technology Museum is a great example of how Library and Archives Canada continues to make the national portrait collection accessible to Canadians,” said Daniel J. Caron, Librarian and Archivist of Canada. “This kind of innovation and collaboration is essential to ensuring that the national collection is proudly and prominently on display across the country.”

“The Canada Science and Technology Museum was very pleased with this innovative partnership which brought together technology and works of art, and opened up new avenues of collaboration to reach more Canadians. The Museum is the keeper of Karsh’s professional equipment including cameras, lights and darkroom tools,” said Denise Amyot, President and CEO of the Canada Science and Technology Museum. “Both the photographs from the Karsh fonds and the tools Karsh used to craft his images provide unique insights into the rich interplay between culture and technology that is such an important part of Canada today, allowing Canadians to discover how photographic technology has evolved and to experience Karsh’s studio.”

Karsh: Image Maker, which was first shown in Ottawa in 2009 as part of the Festival Karsh, is currently being shown at the Art Gallery of Alberta in Edmonton until May 30.

Portrait Gallery of Canada program

The Portrait Gallery of Canada, a program of Library and Archives Canada, engages Canadians in exploring their national portrait heritage. Through the Portrait Gallery of Canada program, Canadians discover the known and unknown faces and personalities from all walks of life who have shaped, and continue to shape, Canada’s history, culture and identity. http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/portraits/

Canada Science and Technology Museum

Sharing Canada’s rich collections of objects related to transportation, natural resources, communications, space, energy, manufacturing and industry, the Canada Science and Technology Museum helps Canadians explore the rich connections among science, technology, and culture. www.sciencetech.technomuses.ca

Contacts

Kelly Ray
Media and Public Relations Officer
Canada Science and Technology Museum
613-949-5732
kray@technomuses.ca

Isabelle Vigneault
Media Relations Officer
Library and Archives Canada
819-934-7530
isabelle.vignault@lac-bac.gc.ca
www.collectionscanada.gc.ca