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Press Release
Ottawa ON, March 15th, 2021 – The Ottawa Art Gallery (OAG) is delighted to announce the opening of its spring and summer 2021 exhibitions Sheltered In Place: Portraits of Self, Family and Community as well as Filtered; and Galerie Annexe’s Gillian King: As Above, So Below featuring local, national and international artists who look at portraiture, data, filters, relationships, fashion and society through different lenses. The public is invited to take part in the virtual vernissage on March 24 for a video walk-through of the exhibitions and a live artist panel discussion.
The message is clear: Ottawa, Your Art is HERE.
“Through a tumultuous time, art helps us find community and relevance to navigate complex societal change. These new exhibitions explore unique ways we view ourselves and the ones around us through various frames and filters. OAG is here to amplify the work of artists in our region; to support hard hit segments of our society, and to celebrate the incredible art right HERE in Ottawa. Throughout 2021, you are going to see the compelling ways we are fulfilling our mission.”
– Alexandra Badzak, Director and Chief Executive Officer, Ottawa Art Gallery
OAG’s 2021 programming exemplifies the continued evolving dialogues with members of the community over this unbelievable year as well as the Gallery’s 2021 movement to engage our region in embracing their direct connection to the exhibitions—Ottawa, Your Artists; Your Collection; Your Community Meeting Place; Your Art is HERE.
OAG’s Board of Directors have adopted an inclusive, equity-seeking and anti-racism lens as a main pillar of the Gallery’s strategic plan. As such, OAG and the Ottawa Black Arts Kollective (OBAK) have developed an exciting partnership on several joint initiatives, and OAG has become an ICCA Star Ally with the Indigenous Curatorial Collective/Collectif des commissaires autochtones (IC/CA). As a direct result of community consultations, OAG has also launched a mentorship and exhibition support production program and has prioritized the purchasing of emerging artists work including new acquisitions by artists Faisa Omer and Kosisochukwu Nnebe. The Gallery is also committed to continue being accessible and free for all.
“Equity and access to arts and culture is vital to a city. The role of the public cultural institutions, such as our public municipal gallery, is to insure that all feel welcomed, valued and engaged. The Ottawa Art Gallery is listening and making great progress concerning equity, diversity and inclusion. I am pleased to see the wide engagement with local BIPOC artists, the Indigenous Curatorial Collective and with artists living with disabilities and within the LGTBQ2+ community.”
-Rawlson King, Ottawa City Councillor, Rideau-Rockcliffe Ward, and Ottawa Council’s appointed liaison for anti-racism and ethnocultural relations
Exhibitions:
The OAG produced group exhibition Sheltered in Place: Portraits of Self, Family and Community (February 20 to August 15, 2021) featuring the work of artists such as internationally renowned Inuk artist Annie Pootoogook (1969 – 2016), Ottawa’s senior filmmaker Patrice James, Martha Kayak, the designer behind the fashion line InukChic and multimedia artist Max Dean, offers an expanded definition of portraiture and raises important questions about who we are, and how the past months have evoked new feelings in us all.
On level 4, the group exhibition Filtered presents art that looks at the way we absorb information and communicate with one another to reveal the strengths and weakness of media such as radio, television and internet. Artists include Craig Commanda, a filmmaker from Kitigan Zibi First Nation, Iraqi-born Canadian artist Farouk Kaspaules, and Deaf artist Peter Owusu-Ansah. The exhibition will run from March 5 to December 19, 2021.
Gallery Annexe, OAG’s commercial exhibition space, presents Gillian King: As Above, So Below from 4 March to 18 April 2021. King is a painter, art educator, artist mentor and art therapist-in-training from Treaty One Territory in Winnipeg, who collaborates with materials to create pieces bubbling with stories of life. OAG also extended dates for its exhibition (Re)Collecting the Group of Seven: Celebrating 100 Years(now running until November 7th, 2021). During the pandemic closure, some of the sketches and large-scale paintings were rotated to offer a fresh look on both the Firestone Family collecting practices and the artistic process of the artists.
Admission to OAG remains free, but everyone is asked to pre-book a time slot to visit the Gallery either online or by phone. Measures are in place in order to keep visitors and staff healthy and safe. Media and the public is invited to visit this page to view other important information to plan their visit.
Listing information:
Ottawa Art Gallery, 10 Daly Avenue, ON, K1N 6E2
613.233.8699, info@oaggao.ca
Exhibition Details:
Sheltered In Place: Portraits of Self, Family and Community
Exhibition Dates: February 20 – August 15, 2021
Artists: Chantal Dahan, Max Dean, Christopher Lea Dunning, Robert S. Hyndman, Patrice James, Martha Kyak, Kosisochukwu Nnebe, Ron Noganosh, Faisa Omer, Jessie Oonark, Annie Pootoogook
Curated by Catherine Sinclair, Rebecca Basciano, and Michelle Gewurtz
Filtered
Exhibition Dates: March 5 – December 19, 2021
Artists: Craig Commanda, AM Dumouchel, Greta Grip, Lee Jones, Farouk Kaspaules, Peter Owusu-Ansah, Christos Pantieras, and Art Price
Curators: Rebecca Basciano and Catherine Sinclair
Galerie Annexe:
Gillian King: As Above, So Below
Exhibition Dates: 4 March – 18 April 2021
Members of the public can view the exhibition for free during Gallery opening hours.
Book your free visit here.
Safety measures information OAG Reopening | Ottawa Art Gallery (oaggao.ca).
Virtual Opening Reception for OAG Spring Exhibitions 2021:
Wednesday, March 24, 2021 – 4:00pm to 5:30pm
Join us for opening remarks, a virtual walk-through and a live artist panel to celebrate the opening of OAG’s spring exhibitions, including: Sheltered In Place: Portraits of Self, Family and Community as well as Filtered; plus Galerie Annexe’s Gillian King: As Above, So Below
Register for free to the Zoom event: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_pHHZmIyrRiKjCWQRA_vw9g
Press images
Sheltered in Place: Portraits of Self, Family and Community:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/2tbniqr12mqc60n/AADg6vuWmmJOuSXnjhqDzduXa?dl=0
Filtered:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/54l15m4h1u6xppy/AACkFJvTlAzgBOXF8H2leIuNa?dl=0
(Re)Collecting the Group of Seven: Celebrating 100 Years artworks and captions:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/1tuqh3mm2aqj35i/AAA8xU5-EA8MAu8m1FO_TIyOa?dl=0
Gillian King: As Above, So Below:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/vmsh3rax5rmexfa/AAD_DQ67qAwnqDfImSrjJo0Qa?dl=0
OAG location and contact
10 Daly Avenue, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6E2, CANADA | 613.233.8699 | info@oaggao.ca
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For media enquiries, to book an interview or a tour, please contact:
Véronique Couillard
Officer, Media, Public and Francophone Relations
vcouillard@oaggao.ca
613-291-1358
About the Ottawa Art Gallery (OAG)
OAG is Ottawa’s municipal art gallery and cultural hub. Located in Ottawa’s downtown core, the expanded Gallery is a contemporary luminous cube designed by KPMB Architects and Régis Côté et associés. Ottawa Art Gallery is situated on traditional Anishinābe Aki.
OAG receives funding from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council and the City of Ottawa.
50 Mackenzie King Bridge, Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 0C5, CANADA
Mailing Address: 10 Daly Avenue, Ottawa, ON K1N 6E2 | Rideau O-Train Station
OAG is Open from 10 AM to 6 PM Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday | from 10 AM to 9 PM on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Admission is always FREE. Shop the Art + Parcel Holiday Sale!