Join the Ottawa Art Gallery this Saturday, Feb. 11, to welcome its newest exhibit, Visions and Views, with a day full of activities and discussion.
The new exhibit juxtaposes landscape views with abstract visions by Canadian artists, documenting Canadian art history through the Firestone Collection of Canadian Art (FCCA).
At 10am, celebrate the Year of the Dragon with the Winterlude edition of Creative Sundays: at 12:30pm, learn about one of the artists, Takao Tanabe, in a discussion with exhibit curator Meghan Ho; at 1pm, have a cup of tea while listening to a photographic analysis of the Firestone Collection.
The Firestones were a family of Ottawa-based art collectors, who collected more than 1,600 works from across the country since the early 1950s—40 per cent of which are from the famous artist collective The Group of Seven. The Firestones donated their collection to the Ontario Heritage Foundation in 1972, which then transferred ownership of the collection to the City of Ottawa and the Ottawa Art Gallery in 1992.
Since then, the OAG regularly presents the artworks in exhibitions that highlight particular artists, unknown stories, art historical themes, and art movements from the collection.
“The amazing gift of Canadian art from the Firestone family continues to inspire us to find innovative ways to connect art and people, as they used to do in their Ottawa home,” OAG director and CEO Alexandra Badzak wrote in a press release. “The OAG has built a home for everyone to enjoy this world-class collection that uniquely shows the breadth of Canada’s art history, and we invite everyone to come celebrate, discover, and engage with this national treasure and its amazing artists.”
Visions and Views features the work of Franklin Carmichael, Emily Carr, A.J. Casson, Peter Aspell, Maxwell Bates, and many more.
“From vibrant scenes that reflect the ever-changing landscape to swirling abstractions that capture the imagination and everything in between, diving into the FCCA is always so much fun,” Ho writes about Visions and Views. “It’s a pleasure to draw out and highlight a wide variety of works within the frame of landscape and abstraction this year, and to showcase the ways these genres are represented within the collection.”
Visions and Views is on display inside the Firestone Gallery at the OAG until Jan. 5, 2025.
While the 1pm tea time panel is sold out, join the OAG for the rest of the exhibit opening at 12:30pm in the Firestone Gallery on the first floor.
The OAG is fully accessible, with multi-user washrooms, and admission is always free. The accessible entrance is at 10 Daly Ave. Free childcare is available during exhibition opening receptions.
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