On the Shoulders of Giants:
Commemorating 20 years of SPAO

August 16 - October 19, 2025
OAG Galerie Annexe | 50 Mackenzie King Bridge, Ottawa
Reception: October 16, 2025 | 6:00PM - 8:30PM

On the Shoulders of Giants is an exhibition celebrating the 20th anniversary of the School of the Photographic Arts: Ottawa (SPAO), showcasing work by 58 artists who have either graduated from or played a significant role in SPAO’s Photographic Arts and Production Diploma program. The exhibition reflects a wide range of subjects and techniques including scanography, cyanotype, lith printing and photogravure– demonstrating the breadth and depth of lens-based practices at SPAO over two decades.

In 2005, Michael Tardioli and a group of dedicated students set out to build a new photographic arts college from the ground up, creating a production hub that foregrounded historic and analogue techniques. Just 43 days after signing a lease, the team had designed and built a fully equipped, functioning photography school.

Today, SPAO stands as one of Canada’s leading photographic arts centres. It offers the only two-year photographic arts diploma program in Canada, a range of recreational classes, an international artist residency, and operates the region’s only independent gallery dedicated to lens-based art.

Curators:
Michael Tardioli, Katie Lydiatt

Curatorial Coordination:
Meghan Ho

Fran Ages, Stéphane Alexis, Shane Armstrong, Alexandra Sofia Barlow, Glenn Bloodworth, S. Maria Brandt, Oliver Brown, Barbara Brown, Yu-Sheng Chiu, Kaya Comeau, Joyce Crago, Saman Deilamani, Magida El-Kassis, Alexander Finlay, Christine Fitzgerald, Abigail Gossage, Nicolai Gregory, John Healey, Josh Hotz, Leslie Hossack, Olivia Johnston, Joy Kardish, Adam Kennedy, Jocelyn Keays, Jamie Kronick, Victoria Laube, Ruth Less, Whitney Lewis-Smith, Ava Margueritte, Margo McDiarmid, Kelly McDonald, Julie Melaschenko, Santiago Molina, Leah Mowers, Lucia Mugica, Manfred Mueller, Tyler Nykilchyk, Kate Oakley, Marcela Ochman, The Observer, Neeko Paluzzi, Trish Parsons, Ann Piché, Dion Prints, Louise Radmore, Michael Ricco, Richard Robesco, Kathy Roussel, Chris Schmitt, Jennifer Stewart, Ruth Steinberg, Jon Stuart, Shaelynn Tredenick, Linh VH Nguyen, Steve West, Crystal Wiesner, Elsa Weibe, Nicholas Wojitas