The Crucible/Épreuve art exhibition adjacent to the SAW Gallery in Arts Court portrays a little-known episode in Ottawa’s cultural history. It is a true story of how a burning cigarette ultimately led, after many twists and turns, to the creation of a valuable cooperative organization: the SAW Gallery. This uniquely-Ottawan story involves artist Arthur II, the Lafayette Hotel, Le Hibou Coffeehouse, nudity, fire, a jail cell and finally, redemption.
The show is the inaugural exhibition of the SAW Project Space and continues until April 6. It was commissioned by SAW to help celebrate its fiftieth anniversary in 2023.
Twelve large paintings with explanatory text capture the sequence of events that took place on March 9, 1973. Black, red, and white are the predominant colours of the acrylic paintings, which include imaginative montages as well as stark depictions of the fire and its aftermath. A firefighter’s jacket helps to recreate the scene, while some humorous touches make the images more appealing. The exhibition reveals a partly cautionary tale that concludes with a phoenix of sorts rising out of the ashes.
On the first day on the job at a fish market, Arthur II put his back out loading ice and went to the hospital. “I was given opioids for the pain and told not to operate heavy machinery, never thinking that that might mean me,” reads the text for the first painting. It shows a man carrying a large block of ice, encasing a fish. The piece also includes this definition of Carpe Diem: “Used as an admonition to seize the pleasures of the moment without concern for the future.”
New Job. Photo: Arthur II.
Unable to work that day, Arthur II partied while under the influence of painkillers (don’t try this at home, kids). He went for a beer at the Lafayette House, watched a friend perform at Le Hibou Coffeehouse, and eventually went to the studio at 537 Sussex Drive that he shared with other artists.
Tom See. Photo: Joyce MacPhee.
Arthur II lit a cigarette, fell asleep, and awoke to find the studio on fire. Unable to extinguish the blaze, he ran down naked to the second floor. He broke into an office, grabbed a seat cover to fashion a loincloth of sorts and raced to the Commissionaire in a nearby building for assistance. The fire department was dispatched to extinguish the flames.
The Fire. Photo: Joyce MacPhee.
The misadventure continued as Arthur II was brought by police to the Salvation Army where he was provided with clothes, and then put in a jail cell for a few hours and interrogated. After convincing the authorities that he had not set the fire purposely, Arthur II was released.
The Commissionaire and the Officer. Photo: Joyce MacPhee.
Six months later, Arthur II and fellow artists Peter Lamb, Brenda Lamb, John Garner, and Alex Jones, along with Le Hibou Coffeehouse owner Pierre Paul Lafrenière, launched a cooperative gallery space on the floor above Le Hibou. They named it Sussex Annex Works (SAW) and the rest is history.
Window Dressing. Photo: Joyce MacPhee.
“As you might imagine, it was a very emotional show to put together,” said Arthur II. “The memories are vivid and have been gathered with the paintings. It was all quite surrealistic, I was in shock and it was all happening extremely fast. For decades, I carried guilt and shame with me. My friends and I all lost years of creative work and I had destroyed an Ottawa landmark.” He remained involved with the gallery for a few years, including a move to 72 Rideau St.
Sussex Drive Standstill. Photo: Joyce MacPhee.
SAW Gallery has greatly enriched the cultural life of Ottawa since it opened in 1973 and eventually relocated to the Arts Court in 1989. In 2019, the space tripled to 15,000 square feet and includes expanded exhibition spaces, a live performance venue, and an outdoor courtyard. The venue welcomes 30,000 visitors a year.
“Throughout the last five decades, this artist-run gallery has provided a space where thousands of artists and community groups have been able to connect and flourish,” said Arthur II. “I am so grateful to all the volunteers over the years who have given their time and energy to keep this creative oasis going. I feel blessed to have been part of the SAW Gallery story.”
For more information, visit the SAW website. You can also listen to an interview with Arthur II by Nathanael Newton that was broadcast on Special Blend on CKCU-FM on Feb. 19.
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