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Notman Photographic Archives converge with the New Generation 

By Karen Herland

Photos provide a window into a time, a lifestyle or a community. The images lining the west side of McGill College just north of Ste. Catherine Street create a dialogue between figures from the turn of the 20th century and our students.

Inspirations – The Notman Photographic Archives converge with the New Generation reflects curator Hélène Samson’s desire to have “the collection exhibited in relation to the new generation’s creative process.”

Samson is responsible for the Notman archives of the McCord Museum. The thousands of images taken by William Notman, his sons and the photographers in his studio capture Montrealers’ lives and families at work and at play. Samson contacted the photography department in June 2007 to develop the exhibition’s concept.

The main theme of the show (the third show involving the archives in this venue, and the first to call on student participation) was identity. Since Marisa Portolese teaches courses that encourage students to explore this theme, she was immediately interested in the project. She thought the opportunity to exhibit in the paths of Montrealers and tourists alike should be extended beyond any single class.

“We wanted students whose work addressed the human condition, gender, identity, and race. And we wanted students who would not be overwhelmed by the project or the demands on them.”

Portolese contacted Geneviève Cadieux and the two professors identified 40 graduate and undergraduate photography students and asked them to submit portfolios. Samson worked with the students to identify images within the Notman Archives that echoed some of their motifs.

Through most of the 2008 winter semester, students worked with their professors and the curator to match photos they had taken with images selected from the archives or to take photos inspired by the archive’s material. The work went back and forth until all parties were satisfied. “It was a very collaborative process,” said Samson.

“What was important was that the dialogue between the students’ work and the Notman image be really strong,” Portolese added. That conversation could be graphic, emotional or psychological, she said. “Each of the students has their own voice.”

And the conversation is fascinating. Factory workers are lined up with a modern textile worker in her own studio; artistocrats’ formal poses are juxtaposed with the photographers’ self-conscious friends and family members. Nearly two dozen pairs of photographs illustrate changing styles of self-presentation and personal identity.

The exhibit will continue until Oct. 19. Go to the McCord Museum site to find out more about the show and a planned vernissage in the coming weeks.