As part of the Canada Council for the Art’s change agenda, the organization is aiming for a new level of public interactivity, starting with a more public space. Alongside new offices for the Council, an exhibition hall featuring work from the Council’s Art Bank has opened at 150 Elgin Street in Ottawa.

This new public space has been named “Âjagemô”, an Algonquin word signifying “crossroads”. Appropriately titled, the 3000 square-foot exhibition hall is freely accessible by the public, and is situated on Algonquin land. The new hall will feature exhibitions from the Canada Council Art Bank collection, shining new light on selections of the 17,000 piece collection as the exhibitions rotate.

While no craft-specific exhibitions have been announced as of yet, the Art Bank Collection includes work from some of the most noted craft artists from across the country, including Paul Mathieu, Kai Chan, Sheila Alexandrovich, Mary Anne Barkhouse, John Chalke, Katrina Chaytor, Diana Dabinett, Neil Forrest, Leopold Foulem, Steve Heinemann, Susan Lowbeer and many more. The potential for a grand exhibition of fine craft is something the CCF/FCMA is excited about, and we will definitely be encouraging a craft presence for this high profile space in the future. To read more about the exhibition space please click here.