Barry Avrich donates life's work collection to Ryerson University
Film director Barry Avrich with Ryerson F&PPCM students
TORONTO, March 9, 2017 --- Renowned film director and producer Barry Avrich has selected Ryerson University’s Faculty of Communication and Design (FCAD) as the home for his documentary film archive. The Barry Avrich Collection includes the original masters of films and thousands of hours of interviews and footage, in addition to historical documents, magazines, newspaper clippings and other archival materials related to his documentary films. The collection will be managed, studied and used for research purposes by faculty and students across the university, including the schools of Image Arts, Creative Industries, Performance and RTA School of Media.
Many of Avrich’s films are nuanced studies of influential media moguls, entertainment executives, celebrities and politicians of the 20th century, and they offer insight into the evolution of cultural industries in Canada and the United States. Avrich’s gift was made to the Masters program for Film and Photographic Preservation and Collections Management (F&PPCM), with support from the Ryerson University Library & Archives.
“Through this gift, students in F&PPCM will have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience documenting and maintaining a film archive. They will learn how to properly catalogue, preserve and curate the content for future use—including the curation of films and materials for public showing,” says Marta Braun, director of the graduate program in the School of Image Arts.
“I came to Ryerson as a student from Montreal, and it was here that I picked up my first film camera. Today, Ryerson is home to some of Canada’s leading programs in film and photography preservation, documentary media, and media production,” said Barry Avrich, Distinguished Visiting Professor at Ryerson. “My hope is that this collection will be used by students and researchers across campus for many years to come.”
“This is a priceless collection for us, consisting of contemporary Canadian films and materials that can be used in all aspects of student work and research. The opportunities are endless for this collection and the interviews, articles and footage will become assets for journals, documentaries and performances,” explains Charles Falzon, Dean of FCAD.
About FCAD: The Faculty of Communication and Design is the cultural and creative hub at Ryerson University. With its nine prestigious schools in media and creative industries, FCAD’s interdisciplinary innovation and education are shaping the future of the creative industries.
Ryerson University is Canada's leader in innovative, career-oriented education. Urban, culturally diverse and inclusive, the university is home to more than 41,500 students, including 2,400 master's and PhD students, 3,200 faculty and staff, and nearly 170,000 alumni worldwide. For more information, visit https://www.torontomu.ca
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