By Joseph Gibson-King
This fall, the Ottawa Art Gallery’s Galerie Annexe becomes a space of reflection and return.
On the Shoulders of Giants, running Aug. 16 to Oct. 19, commemorates the 20th anniversary of SPAO (formerly School of the Photographic Arts: Ottawa). Featuring work from 58 artists who have either graduated from or significantly contributed to SPAO’s Photographic Arts and Production College Diploma program, the show is a living archive of a grassroots arts institution that has quietly but significantly influenced the landscape of photographic arts in Canada.
The story of SPAO began in 2005, when founding Directors, Michael Tardioli and Kahlia Scott, along with a handful of students set off to create an alternative to traditional photographic education. A lease was signed just 43 days before classes were set to begin, and together, both staff and students built a school from scratch.
“It was an act of faith,” Tardioli recalls. “We didn’t have time to second-guess ourselves. We had a vision of what was needed, a place where photography was taken seriously as an art form, and we built it.”
That spirit of collaboration became SPAO’s DNA. What began as a modest hub now stands as one of Canada’s foremost photographic arts centres. It houses the country’s only two-year photographic arts college diploma program, a diverse roster of recreational classes, a six-month international artist residency, and the region’s only critical and independent gallery dedicated to lens-based art. Through these programs, SPAO has cultivated an inclusive community of distinct artistic vision, critical dialogue, and technical expertise in the photographic arts
On the Shoulders of Giants brings SPAO’s mission into sharp focus. The works on view span cyanotype, photogravure, lith printing, scanography, and more, moving between intimate portraits and conceptual experiments.
Co-curator Katie Lydiatt explains how “Some pieces lean into historical processes that echo SPAO’s ongoing commitment to analogue and alternative techniques, while others embrace digital tools and conceptual frameworks. A digital photograph made using a scanner may sit beside a centuries-old printing method, yet all feel part of the same conversation: how photography can be used to question, reveal, and connect.”
Together, they demonstrate what happens when technical rigor meets personal vision, a diversity of approaches woven into a collective chorus.
For Tardioli, who co-curated the exhibition alongside SPAO’s in-house curator Katie Lydiatt, this anniversary is deeply personal. Every artist in the show, he notes, is someone he has tutored, collaborated with, or befriended.
“Every single piece in this exhibition has a story behind it,” he says. “I see the hours in the darkroom, the risks taken, the conversations that pushed someone a little further. To me, this exhibition is an archive of the people and relationships that have built SPAO.”
That human element—the slow work of mentorship, critique, and artistic growth—runs like an invisible thread through the exhibition. It reflects SPAO’s broader aim: to provide more than technical training, creating not only skilled photographers but also a culture of visual literacy, dialogue, and artistic bravery that extends far beyond the classroom.The title of the exhibition, On the Shoulders of Giants, speaks directly to this ethos.
Each generation of SPAO students learns from those who came before, and alumni often return as mentors or collaborators. The show’s 58 artists reflect that cycle: some now well established, others still emerging, all part of a lineage. Together, they form a kind of family portrait of SPAO’s first 20 years.
To walk through the exhibition is to feel not only the weight of individual artworks, but the presence of an overarching vision. SPAO has long aspired to be an internationally recognized photographic “school of thought,” and On the Shoulders of Giants demonstrates that it already is. That recognition, however, is not built in isolation, but through community: a network of artists, educators, and supporters who together have created something larger than themselves.
In October, the anniversary reception will welcome alumni, artists, and the public back into the fold—a moment to celebrate, but also to look ahead. As Tardioli puts it: “We started by building walls and installing sinks. Now, twenty years later, we’re standing on what we built, looking at what’s possible next. This exhibition is about honouring where we’ve been, but also about asking: where will we go?”
Under the strains of a collapsing photographic education community in Canada, SPAO has remained a stalwart presence, affirming that photographic education is not a luxury but a vital part of our cultural fabric. For anyone who has ever been moved by an image, the exhibition is a reminder of what is possible when vision, craft, and community come together – something worth protecting and strengthening now more than ever.
In the end, On the Shoulders of Giants is more than an anniversary exhibition. It is more than an opportunity to celebrate and reflect on the past two decades, it is an invitation to join the SPAO community in order to discover and nurture your own creative identity., Here’s to 20 more years.
On the Shoulders of Giants: Commemorating 20 years of SPAO | August 16 – October 19, 2025 | OAG Galerie Annexe (50 Mackenzie King Bridge, Ottawa)