Local artist Whitney Lewis-Smith stands with her piece “Harbinger” at the Karsh-Masson Gallery. Kristine Lee, Centretown NewsThe Karsh-Masson Gallery’s new exhibit Souvenirs is open throughout this month and features 43 new local artworks that were acquired this year.
A preview took place on Nov. 3, and the exhibit will be open to the public until Nov. 27. The gallery is on the main floor of City Hall.
The pieces for the exhibit were drawn from the City of Ottawa Art Collection. This year, curators purchased 28 works by 28 different local artists, received nine donated pieces and commissioned six public artworks.
Whitney Lewis-Smith, a fine art photographer from Ottawa, shares her piece “Harbinger” in the exhibit. The image showcases dead animals reanimated in a living underwater environment, part of “a body of work that spoke about humanity turning a blind eye to the impact we’re having (on the environment),” she said.
Lewis-Smith emphasized the importance of displaying local art, specifically in the city’s own art collection. “For a long time Ottawa has fought with this idea that their art scene is somehow less relevant than our big city neighbours,” she said.
Julie DuPont, portfolio manager for the City of Ottawa’s public art program, said the collection enhances experiences in public spaces, promotes community relations and enriches the city’s cultural heritage.
The new exhibit showcases a variety of artists living in and producing their works in the Ottawa region, DuPont said.
The collection provides an opportunity for the capital’s professional artists and also represents work by First Nations, Inuit, Métis, Francophone and new Canadian artists. Items from the collection are on display at various public spaces across the city; over the past 30 years, it has grown to include some 2,600 artworks by more than 700 artists.
“A public art collection brings residents and tourists alike into vital everyday contact with original artworks created by professional artists,” DuPont said.
“There is plenty of inspired work going on that’s worth paying attention to,” Lewis-Smith added. “Showcasing local art is one of many ways we can encourage growth and give the public an opportunity to see all of the exciting work that’s happening right here at home.”
Lewis-Smith said she believes an artist’s work takes on its own life once it’s placed amongst other pieces. “Sometimes it’s far different than what they (the artists) have envisioned, which can be fascinating to see,” she said.
The Souvenirs exhibit includes artwork expressing themes of loss, memory and recollection and other emotions.
DuPont pointed to a piece by Sayward Johnson, a fibre artist based in Ottawa. Fibre artists typically employ natural or synthetic materials, including yarn or plant material, woven into a three-dimensional creation. Johnson’s “She Leaves Red Lichens in Her Wake” was made by weaving sections of copper wire around stones and oxidizing them.
“Following the sudden and devastating loss of her brother, Sayward stated that producing artwork was a cathartic method of transferring and coping with her grief,” said DuPont. “She Leaves Red Lichens in Her Wake” is one of the pieces Johnson finished during her grieving period.
DuPont said it’s important for these artworks to be displayed publicly at City Hall because they can offer an opportunity to discuss “difficult and complex subjects.”
Souvenirs, she added, “offers tangible resonance, quiet reflections and vivid keepsakes inspired by what is formed and remains in our consciousness.”