MEDIA RELEASE
For immediate release
Feb. 9, 2007
(Toronto) - The art exhibition Human Rights in Focus showcases international photographs taken by past and present U of T Faculty of Law students and runs from February 12 to March 22, 2007, at the University of Toronto Art Centre, 15 King's College Circle. A special "meet the photographers" reception and a silent auction will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 28 from 7 to 9 p.m.
The photos, which were taken during students' international human rights internships over the past few years, feature citizens and landscapes from developing countries around the world including Zambia, Uganda, Nepal, and Chile.
The Faculty of Law's international human rights program (IHRP) sends approximately 25 students each summer to developing countries and provides students with the opportunity to work alongside international human rights practitioners at governmental, non-governmental, community and United Nations organizations. Since the program was founded in 1988, with funding from both the Faculty of Law and private firms, IHRP has placed more than 145 student interns with organizations in more than 30 different countries.
"The goal of the internship program is to train and develop the capacity of students in the promotion and protection of international human rights through advocacy, activism, research and education," says Sarah Perkins, acting director of the program. "This is a unique opportunity for the law school to invite the broader community to join our students in visiting the intersection between art, law and human rights."
Students will be present at the special "meet the photographers" reception and silent auction on Wednesday, Feb. 28 (7 to 9 p.m.) and will be available to answer questions and explain the significance of the photos and their work. All proceeds from the silent auction will go to support future internships for the international human rights program at the U of T Faculty of Law.
WHO: Students of the U of T Faculty of Law International Human Rights Program
WHAT: Inaugural Photo Exhibit - Human Rights in Focus
WHEN: Wednesday Feb. 28, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
WHERE: University of Toronto Art Centre, 15 King's College Circle (main floor of Laidlaw Wing)
University College, University of Toronto, (416) 978-1838
-30-
For more information, please contact:
Jane Kidner, Assistant Dean, External Relations, Faculty of Law, University of Toronto
(416) 978-6702 or j.kidner@utoronto.ca
About the University Art Centre
The University of Toronto Art Centre's provocative and stimulating roster of exhibitions and programs reflect the leading role the University of Toronto plays in Toronto's vibrant culture.
One of the university's five public art galleries, the U of T Art Centre also houses and manages three diverse collections, largely the result of the generosity of donors dating back some 150 years. The University of Toronto Art Collection is wide-ranging, comprising, for example, a magnificent J.M.W. Turner and an …douard Manet etching. It has particular strengths in contemporary Canadian art with works by Ronald Bloore, Jack Bush, Tony Scherman, Harold Town and Geoffrey James. The University College Art Collection of over 500 works contains significant paintings by the Group of Seven. The Malcove Collection of over 500 objects ranges from ancient pieces to 20th-century art, including drawings by Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse. It has a particular focus on Medieval art and Byzantine icons.
