Bergerson, Philip : Phil Bergerson (b. 1947 - ) is a prominent Canadian photographer, photo educator, and member of the Canadian photographic community.
Born and raised in Toronto, Phil Bergerson earned his Diploma (Honours) in the Photographic Arts from the Ryerson Polytechnical Institute (Toronto, Canada) in 1970, and a subsequent Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours), majoring in Painting and Printmaking, from York University (Toronto, Canada) in 1972. Following his graduation from York, Bergerson returned to Ryerson as an instructor in the Photographic Arts Program (Images Arts) and in 1988, he became the Program Director for the Media Arts program. Now Professor Emeritus, Bergerson taught at Ryerson for roughly 33 years, before retiring in 2007.
Exhibitions and Publications
Bergerson is credited with 40 solo exhibitions over the past 45 years, located both nationally (Ontario, Quebec, Alberta, New Brunswick, Saskatchewan) and internationally (United States, France, England, and Bermuda), as well as participated in over 70 group exhibitions worldwide. Bergerson's photographs have appeared in at least 54 publications and articles. Two of which are published selections of his own work, Shards of America (Quantuck Lane Press New York, NY, 2004) and American Artifacts (Black Dog Press, London England, 2014). The latter also includes text by Canadian author, Margaret Atwood and American photo historian, Nathan Lyons. These books are independent collections of photographs by Bergerson aimed at capturing relics and characteristics of the American culture, the American dream, and the first decade of the 21st century in the United States.
Workshops and Lectures/Symposiums
In 1974, Bergerson founded Ryerson's annual International Lecture Series on Photography. The initial event featured renowned photographers, historians, and curators, such as American photojournalist Eugene Smith, Hungarian photographer André Kertész, and German photo historian Helmut Gernsheim, among many others. The series continued successfully for many years, eventually changing its name to the Kodak Lecture Series.
In 1979, Bergerson organized Canadian Perspectives: a National Conference on Canadian Photography. The conference was hosted by Ryerson Polytechnical Institute and featured 23 presenters from across Canada. The roster of presenters included a number of prominent Canadians, such as Phyllis Lambert, Jane Corkin, Claudia Beck, Alain Desvergnes, Ann Thomas, and Penny Cousineau-Levine.
In 1983, Bergerson organized an international Symposium on Photographic Theory featuring lectures by Joel Snyder, Allan Sekula, Victor Burgin, and Hollis Frampton.
Grants and Awards
Bergerson has received 23 significant photo-based grants and scholarships since 1970, predominately from the Ontario Arts Council, Canada Council, and Ryerson. Bergerson is also a recipient of two awards in photography, including the Sahota Award for Distinguished Scholarly, Research, and Creative Activity in 2006. The award is presented "annually to one or more faculty members who have made an outstanding contribution to knowledge or artistic creativity in their area(s) of expertise while employed at Ryerson".
Collections
Bergerson's photographs are located in a number of collections across Canada and throughout the globe, including:
National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada
Bibliothéque Nationale, Paris, France
Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography, Ottawa, ON, Canada
ARTISANworks, Rochester, NY, USA
Portland Museum, Portland, OR, USA
The Nickle Arts Museum, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
Art Bank of Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada
Ryerson Image Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada
MacDonald Stewart Art Centre, University of Guelph, Guelph ON, Canada
MacLaren Art Centre, Barrie, ON, Canada
Southern Alberta Art Gallery, Lethbridge, AB, Canada
Shadai Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
Bank of Montreal Financial Group, Corporate Art Collection, Toronto, ON, Canada
The Photographers Gallery, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
Banff School of Fine Arts, Banff, AB, Canada
Dunlop Art Gallery, Regina, SK, Canada
Ontario Arts Council, Toronto, ON, Canada
Frederick Sommer Collection, Prescott, AZ, USA
Carlton University Collection, Ottawa, ON, Canada
Doris McCarthy Gallery, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
St. Mary's University Art Gallery, Halifax, NS, Canada
Algonquin College, Ottawa, ON, Canada
University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
White Mountain Academy of the Arts, Elliot Lake, ON, Canada
Elliot Lake Art Centre, Elliot Lake, ON, Canada
Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
Harry Ransom Centre, Austin, TX, USA
Center for Creative Photography, Tucson, AZ, USA
