Emily Carr University announces $400,000 donation from the RBC Emerging Artists Project

VANCOUVER, May 27, 2014 /CNW/ - Emily Carr University gratefully announces a milestone donation of $400,000 from the RBC Emerging Artists Project. This gift brings RBC's total contribution to Emily Carr University's THE BIG IDEA capital campaign to $500,000. This is the largest investment that a financial institution has ever made in support of the University.

The RBC Emerging Artists Project supports programs that bridge the gap from academic excellence to professional careers in all art forms. Emily Carr University will use this generous gift to establish a creative grant program for students and will recognize this commitment by naming the media gallery space at Emily Carr's new campus at Great Northern Way.

"We believe in the power of art to enrich our lives and enhance our communities," says John Montalbano, CEO of RBC Global Asset Management. "The RBC Emerging Artists Grant Program and the RBC Media Gallery will support emerging digital artists while enhancing awareness and accessibility to the art form."

The RBC Emerging Artists Grant Program at Emily Carr will be an adjudicated process through which fourth year and Masters-level media students will submit designs, proposals and concepts. More than an award, this will be an investment in the most important piece of work in a student's academic career. Successful projects and associated events will be showcased at the annual graduation show in the RBC Media Gallery for Emerging Artists.

Equipped with state-of-the-art technologies, the new RBC Media Gallery for Emerging Artists will be a public venue, which demonstrates how digital technologies allow for new forms of artistic expression and public exhibition. The gallery will serve two main purposes: providing students with an opportunity to present work in a public exhibition context; and facilitating workshops, exhibition talks and stakeholder events that promote the diversity and complexity of contemporary art practices.

"The RBC Emerging Artists Project recognizes Emily Carr University as a digital media innovator," says Broek Bosma, Associate Vice President, Advancement + Alumni Affairs, "both the RBC Media Gallery and the RBC Emerging Artists Grant Program will benefit our students, our community and the public."

The establishment of the RBC Emerging Artists Grant Program and the RBC Media Gallery for Emerging Artists at Emily Carr will build on the University's tradition of excellence in film, video and integrated media, and will empower the next generation of film makers, media practitioners and digital artists. The RBC Media Gallery is expected to open within Emily Carr's new campus in 2017.

Access eMedia Kit online at http://thebigideaecuad.ca/rbc-donation/

About Emily Carr University of Art + Design
Emily Carr University of Art + Design, established in 1925, is a world leader in education and research. Encouraging experimentation at the intersection of art, design, media and technology, our learning community merges research, critical theory and studio practice in an interdisciplinary environment. Alumni and faculty are internationally recognized as award-winning creators and thought leaders who have enormous impact on both the cultural sector and economy. We engage students, industry, and society to continuously explore and think differently about creativity and how it shapes our world.  Emily Carr is building a state-of-the art campus for 21st century learning at Great Northern Way. The University will be at the centre of a new social, cultural, educational, and economic engine for British Columbia. Find out more at ecuad.ca.

About RBC's Commitment to Community and Sustainability
Royal Bank of Canada is Canada's largest bank and one of the largest banks in the world, based on market capitalization. For more information, please visit rbc.com. RBC is recognized among the world's financial, social, and environmental leaders and is listed on the 2014 Dow Jones Sustainability World Index, the DJSI North American Index, the Jantzi Social Index, and the FTSE4Good Index. RBC is one of Canada's Greenest Employers, and one of Canada's 50 Most Socially Responsible Corporations.

RBC supports a broad range of community initiatives through donations, sponsorships, and employee volunteer activities. In 2013, RBC contributed more than $104 million to causes worldwide, including donations and community investments of more than $69 million and $35 million in sponsorships. Learn more at rbc.com/community-sustainability.

SOURCE: Emily Carr University of Art + Design

Karin Watson, Media Relations
Emily Carr University of Art + Design
[email protected] | 604-630-4566

Connie Soave
RBC Global Asset Management
[email protected] | 416-955-0577