The 5th annual Ottawa Art Expo was held at the St. Elias Centre across from Mooney’s Bay, October 27-28. The Expo, which was founded by artists Ross Rheaume and Judith Savic, has become quite the event in just a few short years.
“It’s very, very popular and it’s grown every year. We’re getting artists all the way from Toronto and Montreal now who’ve heard about it and [are] applying to get in. And sales are really good and the quality’s really good,” said Rheaume in an interview.
I spent my Sunday afternoon touring around the venue, amazed at the talent I saw. I made my way through the cleverly thought out “streets” (rows) which were named after sponsors of the event, such as Arabella Crescent and Wallack’s Way. There was every kind of art imaginable, from landscapes, water colour and mixed media, to stained glass, modern realism and photography.
This was a big year for the Expo as it marked the creation of the Arabella Award which was presented by the international art magazine of the same name. The award is presented to two artists who were successful in capturing a specific mood in their art. The winning artists will receive a write up about their art and their story in one of the magazine’s upcoming issues. This year, artist Miguel Freitas and Rheaume’s own brother Dave Rheaume were the recipients.
“That’ll be a huge boost to their careers because you’ve got thousands of people and galleries that will read about them, see their images, read their story, introduce them to the markets,” explained Rheaume on the benefits of the award.
Rheaume’s future plans for the expo is to target the youth demographic, and get them excited about starting a career in art. Through the combination of social media and an awards program that he plans to make national, he wants to make this dream come true.
“We don’t want to be your grandma’s art show,” he said. “The idea is to get young people excited about this. It’s the next generation. We want people who are starting their career in art to think of us as a place to come and get their start. It’s very important to reach that generation and say ‘look it’s possible.'”
For all aspiring artists, this is definitely an event you’ll want to check out next year; and who knows, if you take the chance and apply, you might have your own booth, or be the next winner who’s name appears in an international arts magazine! If you’re interested take some time to check out the Ottawa Art Expo website at http://ottawaartexpo.com/. You can do anything if you put your mind to it!