Renewed generosity propels Concordia fine arts students
Margot Lande, BA 70, loves photography.
“For me it all began in my father’s darkroom, with the smell of chemicals and the magic of the images appearing in the developer trays,” Lande said at the November 17 announcement of a donation she made to Concordia.
The grad’s affinity motivated her to support the next generation of photographers with a $200,000 gift.
The new Lande Award in Photography will support one graduate student per year at the university’s Faculty of Fine Arts.
From left to right: Rebecca Duclos, dean, Faculty of Fine Arts; Margot Lande, BA 70; Matthew Brooks, BFA 16, first recipient of the Lande Award in Photography; Miriam Roland, Concordia governor emerita; Marcel Dupuis, associate vice-president, development, Advancement and Alumni Relations | Photo credit: Concordia University
About 35 guests gathered at the Engineering, Computer Science and Visual Arts Integrated Complex to celebrate her donation.
“I found my passion and commitment in opening a custom lab,” said Lande, who ran the photo studio Dafo Éclair in Montreal from 1978 to 2009. “My commitment and belief inspired me to establish this award.”
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The graduate of Loyola College — one of Concordia’s two founding institutions — is a repeat donor. She established the Mildred Lande and Margot Lande Graduate Scholarship in Photography with her mother in 2000.
“We are honoured by Margot Lande’s support. It’s a pleasure to welcome her back,” said Marcel Dupuis, associate vice-president of development at Concordia’s Advancement and Alumni Relations.
“It’s always a pleasure to see a Concordia graduate give back to their university,” said Rebecca Duclos, dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts. “Steadfastness and generosity have characterized Margot’s commitment to our university.”
The first recipient of the Lande Award in Photography is graduate student Matthew Brooks, BFA 16. He said the gift will prove a turning point for those who receive it.
“Behind every great art student is a group of people,” said Brooks. “Without support, we couldn’t navigate the particularities of this profession.”
Matthew Brooks. La Salle Hotel. Digital C-print, 101.6 x 127cm. 2016.