By Meagan Ellis
There is more to the arts scene in Ottawa than just the National Gallery of Canada.
That is the message gallery organizers have repeatedly tried to make clear to Ottawa art lovers.
But traditional advertising is too expensive for smaller, non-profit galleries, making it difficult for them to become known.
And, as Kitty Scott, assistant curator at the National Art Gallery notes, “It’s hard to have a healthy arts community without a public.”
Having had poor luck taking the art to the people, art organizers are going to try a new approach this Saturday: bringing the people to the art.
That’s where the ArtsBus comes in.
The Ottawa School of Art’s gallery committee initiated the ArtsBus project, which is meant to introduce more people to non-profit galleries in the Ottawa-Gatineau area.
Buses will take people, free of charge, to 10 different art galleries in Ottawa and Gatineau on Saturday, Oct. 26.
“We’re trying to bring more attention to local arts and artists,” says Jeff Stellick, director of the Ottawa School of Art. “It will open the eyes of Ottawa gallery goers to how rich Ottawa is in its arts scene.”
This is a welcome move for local artists like Danny Hassey, whose work is on display at the Ottawa City Hall Gallery, as part of the RBC Investments’ New Canadian Painting Competition. Hassey’s painting, “Jupiter” is a plywood checkerboard with everyday objects painted on it, like a lemon, a jar, and a drill; a white imprint of the planet Jupiter is superimposed over the entire board. In this work, he is trying to reveal the visual connections between what are usually considered unrelated objects.
“This should be very beneficial for all artists,” says Hassey, noting that the extra exposure to their art could mean a greater investment in their work. “I’m definitely excited about it.”
Out of the 10 galleries participating in the ArtBus tour, six will have the exhibiting artists on-hand to meet with visitors.
Some artists will even display their art techniques, such as Steven Spazuk, an artist who uses flame and soot to create his paintings, leaving a haunting shadow of an object behind. He will be presenting his work at the Galerie Montcalm.
The tour includes the Ottawa School of Art Gallery, the Ottawa Art Gallery, the SAW Gallery, the Carleton University Art Gallery, Gallery 101, the Ottawa City Hall Gallery, the Karsh-Masson Gallery, Galerie Montcalm, Centre d’artists Axe-Neo 7, and Centre d’exposition l’Imagier.
“It’s tying together 10 jewels,” says Stellick. “And it’s bringing art from both sides of the river together.”
“This is the first cross-cultural event of its kind in Ottawa, probably even in Canada,” says Annette Leung, one of the main organizers of this event.
Working with Heritage Canada and OC Transpo, ArtBus organizers arranged for five city buses, leaving every 15 minutes from the Ottawa School of Art, to take art enthusiasts to galleries in Ottawa and Gatineau.
“Transportation to a gallery can be a real problem,” said Annette Leung, “and not just with parking. Some people have no way of getting to a gallery, so with the ArtBus we’re giving them the means to go to 10 different galleries in one afternoon. And it’s free.”
As well as the artwork already mentioned, guests will also get to experience 25 beautiful portraits of local artists, as seen through the colourful paintbrush of Karole Marois, which is on display at the Karsh-Masson Gallery.
Centre d’artistes Axe-Neo 7 is presenting the intricate beauty of biology, as presented by artist Annie Thibeault.
Her exhibition, entitled “Lasivarasto,” features dozens of glass beakers and test tubes in the process of growing mushrooms, and the many diagrams and documents she used to research this project.
In her work, Thibeault is trying to tie science and art together, showing that the most suprising things (growing mushrooms in a lab), can also have a unique sense of beauty to it.
Adding to that is an equally interesting display at the Ottawa School of Art Gallery, entitled “An Eccentric Kiss.” Composed of four strips on the floor, the exhibition is actually thousands of chewed apples that have been turned into acrylic prints. It is an audience-participation project, with new visitors being asked to contribute their own apple bites to the work.
The other galleries will feature equally interesting artworks, including photographs, interactive video exhibits, robots, charcoal-based artwork, animation, and digital images.
The buses will be able to carry up to 1,000 art enthusiasts to the 10 galleries on Oct. 26. Leung says if the project proves popular, it could become an annual event.