Barry Pottle, Katherine Takpannie and Annie Pootoogook (1961-2016) are among the artists included in the City of Ottawa Art Collection's recent acquisition. The four photographs by Pottle, three drawings by Pootoogook and three images by Takpannie purchased will be featured in the exhibition Kaleidoscope: 2018 Additions to the City of Ottawa Art Collection at the City Hall Art Gallery from December 6, 2018 to January 30, 2019.
In addition to the upcoming exhibition, artworks from the collection are regularly placed in over 160 public spaces and municipal buildings across Ottawa for the enjoyment of visitors and locals. In 2018, the city’s Public Art Program launched a project to encourage more applications from artists in the Algonquin, Métis and Inuit communities. This year, 30% of the works purchased are by Indigenous artists.
Each year, the Peer Assessment Committee selects artworks to add to the collection of almost 2,800 artworks by over 750 artists through purchase, donation, or commission. The 2018 committee was comprised of Ottawa-based artists curator and archivist Heather Campbell, originally from Rigolet, Nunatsiavut, NL, Director of Programming at SAW Video Media Art Centre Neven Lochhead, Coordinator and Professor at Algonquin College Natasha Mazurka, artist Carl Stewart and Partnership and Networks Officer at Canada Council Melanie Yugo.
The City of Ottawa Art Collection also holds works by Heather Campbell, Pitaloosie Saila and David Ruben Piqtoukun.
About the artists
Barry Pottle is an Inuk artist originally from Rigolet, Nunatsiavut, NL, now living in Ottawa, ON. Pottle uses photography as a means of exploring the world around him. Through the camera’s lens, Pottle showcases the uniqueness of the urban Inuit community based in Ottawa. Whether it is at a cultural gathering, family outings or the solitude of nature that photography allows, he captures the essence of Inuit life outside of Inuit Nunangat. Pottle’s work has been featured in exhibitions in Canada and in the United States and his photos have been published in a variety of books and magazines. He has also contributed images to a number of community initiatives.
Born in Montreal, Katherine Takpannie is an artist and writer currently based in Ottawa. She is a graduate of the Nunavut Sivuniksavut (NS) program, which is dedicated to providing Inuit youth with cultural and academic experience. Takpannie primarily uses photography to capture political gestures, often set against natural and built environments. In March 2018, she captured photos of NS students who staged a Pro-Seal Hunt Rally on Parliament Hill – a hybrid fashion show, dance performance and protest. Takpannie is also a graduate of the NS program.
Annie Pootoogook
was a renowned graphic artist from Kinngait (Cape Dorset), NU. Known for her frank depictions of contemporary life in the Arctic, Pootoogook first began working in 1997 and garnered national and international attention. In 2006, she was featured in a major solo show at the Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery in Toronto, later winning the Sobey Art Award that same year. Pootoogook’s work was included in both the Montreal Biennale and documenta 12 in Kassel, Germany in 2007. Her broad subject matter ranges from intimate topics to everyday domestic scenes.