Stephen Bulger (born Toronto, 1964) engaged in photography as a hobby throughout his youth. Eventually studying at Ryerson University’s School of Image Arts, he became interested in the history of photography and began organizing exhibitions. He was asked to be the founding director of the Ryerson Gallery (located at 80 Spadina Ave., Toronto) where he sat on the exhibition review committee and managed over thirty exhibitions.
After graduating from Ryerson in 1991, he worked in the photography department of the Ontario College of Art and began working on the idea of opening a gallery of his own. While employed as a Technician at the Ontario College of Art and Design, he opened the Stephen Bulger Gallery (700 Queen St. West, Toronto) on March 23, 1995; moving to 1026 Queen Street West in 2004, and to 1356 Dundas Street West in the fall of 2018. Since that time he has curated over 200 exhibitions; been the representative for numerous Canadian and international photographers; published catalogues and books; and has participated in many North American and European art fairs.
He is a Member of the Advisory Board for the Ryerson Image Centre, Toronto; and he has served as: President of the Board for the Association of International Photography Art Dealers (AIPAD), Washington, D.C.; Member of the Board of the Canadian Cultural Property Review Board; and Chair of the Advisory Board for the Ryerson Image Centre, Toronto. He is also the instigator and co-founder of CONTACT, Toronto’s photography festival that celebrated its twenty third annual event in May, 2019.