Director’s Message

Dear OAG Members, Friends, and Supporters,

We have always known the power of art to provide respite, provoke new thinking, and sometimes, create common ground, but as we close out the year and reflect on OAG’s role during the pandemic, several important lessons have emerged. We have learned that acting as a resource and working in partnership with our community yields profound results, and that building capacity within the digital sphere allows OAG to collaborate with artists on another level, providing the deep, rich content that people are looking for.

OAG developed a digital strategy to guide our efforts. This has resulted in the creation and  launch of a new website that brings all the exhibitions, programs, talks, interviews and events together. Our new, innovative virtual space includes a news feed; artist videos; an accessible collection database; and, in addition to being bilingual, will feature Anishinābemowin.

All our digital efforts this year are empowered by the support of the Canada Council for the Arts Digital Now fund. OAG received $100,000 towards building digital capacity and working with artists to produce online content that reflects the spirt of OAG as an aggregator—sharing  the art of our region with audiences across Canada and internationally.

This work also includes the continued growth of our Permanent Collection, a record of art from the Ottawa-Gatineau region. We are thrilled to announce that, with the addition of your generous support through our first-ever on-line acquisition fundraiser, we raised a total of $25,000 which will enable us to purchase Cara Tierney’s iconic they artwork! We have also been working, behind the scenes with the family of famed artist Kenneth Lochhead, to bring a substantial selection of artworks that present the depth and breadth of his oeuvre into our Permanent Collection. This valuable addition includes large abstract works from Lochhead’s Regina Five days in the 1960s to the later figurative and landscape paintings created while living right here in Ottawa.

With all this in mind, it is with great pride and reflection that we invite you to celebrate these accomplishments and to gear up for what we hope will be a safe, outstanding and inspired new year at OAG.

Ottawa, Your Art is HERE.

Sincerely;

Alexandra Badzak

Director and CEO