The Ottawa Art Gallery is set to host its annual Give to Get Art Auction, and has officially announced its Critics’ Choice for the 2024 auction. Selected by a committee of jurors, the 5 pieces that were picked will be marked with a pink star in the auction and will be the centrepieces of the whole fundraiser.
The Give to Get Art auction is an annual fundraiser that is hosted by the Ottawa Art Gallery, featuring 94 works of art. The fundraiser supports local art, artists and the OAG’s public exhibitions, permanent collection and community programming. All the funds raised from this event go towards the local artists, maintaining the OAG’s free admission and supporting their mental health and educational initiatives. The attendees will be able to attend the auction on May 16th at 5:30 PM, in the Alma Duncan Salon. Along with being able to view and bid on all of the artworks, they can also enjoy food, drinks and live entertainment. The event will also have a henna station which will be available to the public. This coincides with their new addition of including photo portraits, tattoos and wearable art at the fundraiser. Consistent with last year’s theme, the theme of this year is “Paint the town Pink!”, encouraging attendees to wear pink clothes.
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This year’s jury was composed of Catherine Sinclair, Sarah Jasmine Hodgson and Brendan de Montigny.
- Catherine Sinclair is Director, Exhibitions, Conservation and Production at the National Gallery of Canada, where she oversees the management of exhibitions, conservation and restoration efforts. As a curator, she has organised over 50 exhibitions and previously worked at the OAG for 18 years.
- Sarah Jasmine Hodgson is a Project Director at Nosy Mag, a platform that highlights Ottawa-Gatineau arts and culture. Hodgson is also a curator and an artist who creates public installations.
- Brendan de Montigny is the owner of Studio Sixty Six Contemporary and founder of PDA Projects. He is an art dealer, curator, artist and creative strategist with over 15 years of experience in private and public cultural sectors.
This jury had to walk through the Alma Duncan Salon, seeing all 94 works submitted by local artists, to choose their 5 standout pieces. They noted the stunning colour palettes, hints of architecture, abstracted emotions and minimalistic characteristics that were present in many of the works. A lot of the Ottawa-Gatineau artists were inspired by pop culture, images from the media and sensationalism. On the other hand, other works had a very prevalent theme of the notion of home and the weight we all carry from day to day. Some pieces merged photography, performance art, video stills and printing, along with painting.
Though there were plenty of worthy pieces, in the end, the jurors decided on 5 standouts as well as giving a special mention to an artist featured on the Auction Youth Art Wall. This is the first time that this mention was given, and it could go on to become a tradition. Without further ado, the Critic’s Choices for 2024 were:
REST/RESIST, A Fine Discipline
REST/RESIST, A Fine Discipline
Invisible Within, Elle Chae
Free Souvenir Ticket, self-portrait at Main and Terminal, Vancouver BC, by Lorraine Gilbert
Free Souvenir Ticket, self-portrait at Main and Terminal, Vancouver BC, by Lorraine Gilbert
Study for “The Optimist”, Yomi Orimoloye
Study for “The Optimist”, Yomi Orimoloye
Bury Colonialism, Jobena Petonoquot
Bury Colonialism, Jobena Petonoquot
Special Mention: a wolf in blue, Tyler Nykilchyk
a wolf in blue, Tyler Nykilchyk
To see and be part of the auction, you can come down to the OAG on Thursday May 16th at 5:30 PM. Last year, the auction had over 450 attendees with 140,000$ being raised in support of local arts and culture development at the OAG, along with an additional 20,000$ for the featured artists. With a similar turnout expected this year, the auction will be an exciting event to attend, and a chance to own some cool local artwork! The auction will also be happening virtually, with no ticket required, and there will be free public viewings from 10 AM to 6PM on Wednesday May 15th and from 10Am until noon on Thursday May 16th.
The Give to Get Art Auction will take place at the Ottawa Art Gallery on May 16, at 5:30pm. Visit this link to view all 94 auctioned pieces and place bids.
The Ottawa Art Gallery is fully accessible. Free childcare is available during the exhibition receptions.
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