Satellite galleries popping up all over campus
PREPARED TO BE art attacked! Visual arts students at the University of Ottawa are preparing to add more art galleries across campus. Gallery 115 is the only art display area available for students en- rolled in a bachelor of fine arts or master’s of fine arts degree. However, according to Kristen See, fourth-year art history ma- jor, that will all change soon.
“[One of] the new galleries is called Epilogue Gallery,” explains See, who is working on creating and curating the new galleries with visual arts professor Celina Jefferey in her curating for con- temporary art class.
“It is an alternative art space located in the graduate reading room—previously known as the annex—on the sixth floor of Morisset Library.” The first show in the display, “Re:Collection,” will encompass many mediums, such as photographs, paint- ings, and light box transparencies. The exhibition will allow students to appreci- ate art in an unconventional space.
“We will be exhibiting [a] high cali- bre [of] contemporary work from both bachelor of fine arts and master’s of fine arts students who focus on … memory as [a] collection or memory as an infinite library,” says See.
Students can expect more than just one display to crop up on campus. A few new galleries will be making their debut this winter. The students involved will also work on all aspects of the exhibi- tions, such as fundraising, creating a theme, and marketing.
“There is a group curating the pilot lab in Colonel By; another group is working on transforming the dean’s corridor in Simard into a permanent art bank. There is also a group set to exhibit in Tabaret,” says See.
The vernissage for the Epilogue gallery will take place on Dec. 16 at 7 p.m. and will also be in conjunction with the Graduate Students’ Association’s Wine and Cheese night. The new galleries are a better way for students to become more aware about art on campus.
“Currently, visual arts students are more or less confined to the university gallery,” says See. “There is a definite need to expand our presence on campus through satellite galleries such as Epi- logue Gallery.”
It might seem like a difficult task for students to undertake on top of part- time jobs, extracurricular activities, and a full-time course load, but according to See, there is a need for more art on cam- pus.
“There is a noticeable lack of support and recognition for the visual arts on campus—especially for students in the history and theory of art program,” says See. “The goal of Epilogue Gallery is not only to promote student art, but also to democratize local art—that is, to make the visual arts accessible to everyone on campus.”
—Sofia Hashi
