EMBASSY CULTURAL HOUSE
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Roland Schubert

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Roland Schubert was raised and has lived in the London, Ontario, area for most of his life. He studied photography and photo printing at Fanshawe College in the early 1970s and, on graduation, worked in the professional photo industry as a photographer and custom printer for ten years. In May 1982, he and his wife Myra opened Colour by Schubert. Their first location was at Talbot and Fullarton Street, where they offered custom photo finishing for both commercial and amateur photographers. Starting out with only one enlarger and a 24" processor, they soon became known not only for their commitment to quality but also their devotion to their customers. As a testament to this devotion, they can proudly say that some of the first clients to walk through their doors are still with them today.

Not too long after those first days, it was time to expand. One enlarger just wasn't enough to handle the workload, so they expanded and hired two more staff. Eventually, the Talbot location was sold, and they moved to their current and much larger location at 121 King Street, on April 1, 1987. Colour by Schubert added a larger capacity colour processor, a commercial grade black-and-white processor, and bumped the enlarger count to nine. The writing was on the wall, however. Things were being shaken up in the world of photography. The price of digital cameras and computers was plummeting, and they were skyrocketing in quality. With the advent of consumer-priced digital cameras, computer equipment, and the likes of Photoshop, Colour by Schubert had to adapt. And adapt they did. A quick tour of their shop now shows only remnants of a darkroom, and neither a processor nor an enlarger can be seen (all of it was recycled where possible).
 
Roland's exceptional skills as a colour printer were recognized by numerous professional artists and the regional art museums and galleries as he became the colour lab for many of London's contemporary photographers and artists working in photography. Having successfully made the transition to digital photography, Colour by Schubert continues to be the premier custom photo lab in the city. A significant feature of Roland's work is working with archival paper and archival inks—creating high-quality art prints for artists. His professional photography has been featured in photo journals and online media. Colour by Schubert has contributed to the community as a business and Roland as a photographer, donating his work to notable art fundraisers and not-for-profit organizations, including UPwithART, in support of the Unity Project for relief of Homelessness and Museum London's education program. Colour by Schubert is one of the Embassy Cultural House's community supporters and partners. 

​Photographs

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“Don Blair,” 1985, black & white photography
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“The Card,” 2015, digital photo
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“Jazz Trombone, Munich,” 1968, photograph
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“Signs of London, Richmond Street, London, Ontario”
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“Dundas Street, London,” 1974, photograph
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“Smokin’,” 2015, digital photo
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“Watching the flock,” 2018, digital photo


EDITORIAL TEAM

ONLINE FOUNDER
Tariq Hassan Gordon

COFOUNDERS & CURATORIAL ADVISORS 
 
Jamelie Hassan 
& Ron Benner

ADVISORY CIRCLE
Samer Abdelnour, Marnie Fleming, Wyn Geleynse, Fern Helfand, S F Ho, Lorraine Klaasen, Judith Rodger, Ruth Skinner, Mary Lou Smoke, and Lucas Stenning 

COORDINATING EDITORS
Tariq Hassan Gordon & 
Olivia Mossuto

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
Blessy Augustine, Anahí González, Jared Hendricks-Polack, Jessica Irene Joyce, Ira Kazi, 
Shelley Kopp, Jenna Rose Sands, Mireya Seymour, Venus Tsao, Diana Tamblyn, and Michelle Wilson. 

VIRTUAL TOUR
Andreas Buchwaldt

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OUR STORY
Artists Jamelie Hassan and Ron Benner and jazz musician Eric Stach founded the Embassy Cultural House (1983-1990) located in the restaurant portion of the Embassy Hotel at 732 Dundas Street in East London. In 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Embassy Cultural House was re-envisioned as a virtual artist-run space and website. 

The Embassy Cultural House gratefully acknowledges the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council and the London Arts Council through the City of London's Community Arts Investment Program.
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The Embassy Cultural House is thankful for the mentorship program established by Western University's Visual Arts department and the continued support of the students and Faculty of Arts & Humanities.
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Our Partners

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E M B A S S Y  C U L T U R A L  H O U S E . C A

The Embassy Cultural House (ECH) is located on the traditional lands of the Anishinaabek, Haudenosaunee, Lūnaapéewak, and Chonnonton peoples, at the forks of Deshkan Ziibi (Antler River), an area subject to the Dish with One Spoon Covenant Wampum and other treaties, colonized as London, Ontario. The ECH strives to create meaningful relationships between the Indigenous Peoples of Turtle Island and our contributors. The ECH honours the stewardship of the many Indigenous peoples who have resided on these lands since time immemorial.

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  • Home
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  • Community
    • Advisors & Editorial Team
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    • Governor General Laureates
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  • Exhibitions
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    • Past Programming >
      • Exhibitions 1983-1990 >
        • Index of Curators
        • Index of Photographers
        • Index of Visual Artists
      • Film 1983-1990
      • Music 1983-1990 >
        • Index of Musicians
      • Performances 1983-1990 >
        • Index of Performers
    • Embassy Hotel History
  • About