The Pinecrest-Queensway Community Health Centre, in Ottawa, Ontario, provides health and social services to some 45,000 people annually.
What do works of art by renowned artists Jeff Thomas, Zinnia Naqvi and Brandon Hoax have in common? Well, they are all on display at the Pinecrest-Queensway Community Health Centre, in Ottawa, Ontario. If you’re wondering how they got there, read on to learn all about the Canada Council Art Bank’s art rental program and how you, too, can elevate your organization’s walls with contemporary art from Canada.
Serving a diverse and varied community
The Pinecrest-Queensway Community Health Centre is “an innovative, community-based multi-service centre” that aims to “build a safe, just and healthy community for all.” It provides health and social services to everyone in the community, with special attention paid to vulnerable and at-risk individuals, who often face barriers accessing healthcare.
The Centre’s clientele is as diverse as it is broad—from seniors to people dealing with mental illness or addiction, to newcomers and low-income earners. Hoping to brighten up its premises with artwork, the Centre contacted the Art Bank. They requested to see artwork that would make their spaces more vibrant, inclusive and reflective of their clients, community, families and health—art that would visually communicate their values. The Centre chose to rent 13 works, all of which are displayed in public-facing areas of the premises.
Serving newcomers and locals alike
Zinnia Naqvi’s The Wanderers – Niagara Falls, 1988 is part of her Yours to Discover series. This complex and layered commentary on “what it means to be an acceptable Canadian citizen” seeks to re-examine and understand “commonly accepted ideals of Canadian culture.”
Zinnia Naqvi, The Wanderers – Niagara Falls, 1988, 2019, digital inkjet print.
Displayed in the Centre’s second floor speech therapy area, the work may speak to newcomers, as the sentiments it evokes would be familiar to them and may bring them comfort. But it might also speak to people born in Canada, providing a different perspective on their country and on the often-unspoken adversity involved in immigration journeys.
Serving a resilient and diverse clientele
The Centre offers care to a wide range of people, including those new to Canada and Indigenous people, who have lived on this land since time immemorial. The two works below—Returning the Gaze: Kevin Haywahe (2003), by Jeff Thomas, and Eritrea, Canada (2007), by Daniel Embaye—speak to the role culture plays in community and mental health outcomes. “Art is medicine. As a community health centre focused on ensuring that children, youth, families, adults and seniors across diverse cultures and backgrounds get the care they need when they need it, making sure we have a warm and welcoming environment that reflects the communities we serve is paramount. Grateful for our collaboration with the Art Bank for support in creating an inspiring space through art that is not only playful, but reflective and intentional,” says Tamara Chipperfield, the Centre’s Chief Executive Officer. As such, these works emphasize that everyone is welcome at the Centre, no matter their ethnicity, culture, background, beliefs or circumstances.
Jeff Thomas, Returning the Gaze: Kevin Haywahe - Assiniboine, 2003, colour photograph.
Daniel Embaye, Eritrea, Canada, 2007, black-and-white photograph.
Serving people at the intersection of various communities
And circumstances do play a role in people’s levels of vulnerability and safety, often due to factors they have no control over, such as stigma, racism, prejudice and ignorance, especially where various aspects of people’s identities intersect. With MOVEMARROW Full Suite, Brandon Hoax “explores the performance of Indigenous sexual sovereignty through pow-wow materialities,” using ribbons arranged into a series of harnesses to probe the intersection of queer and Indigenous identities.
Brandon Hoax, MOVEMARROW Full Suite, 2022, digital photographs.
In many Indigenous cultures, ribbons are symbols that carry meaning and message—the sacredness of life, identity, cultural connection, community, reclamation, and so much more. In queer culture, especially that of gay men, harnesses—usually made from leather—symbolize confidence, sexuality and identity. “Using conflicting imagery to create works that entice and seduce, unnerve and separate,” Hoax challenges the viewers’ preconceptions around queerness and Indigeneity. Including MOVEMARROW Full Suite in one of its reception areas is one way for the Pinecrest-Queensway Community Health Centre to communicate to all queer and Indigenous people that they are safe and welcome there. “We accept people without judgment and support them where they are at in their life,” affirms the Centre’s website.
Serving your community with art
As a non-profit organization, the Pinecrest-Queensway Community Health Centre had limited resources for artwork. That’s why inquiring about the Art Bank’s rental program made sense for the Centre—and may make sense for your organization as well. The Art Bank’s art rental and installation services are scalable to all budgets and fully turnkey, with quick turnaround times.
Three works of art by Benoît Desjardins, Vole au vent (1979), Chu pas vraiment barrée (1980) and Un trou dans la cuisse (1980), are on display near medical exam rooms at the Pinecrest-Queensway Community Health Centre, in Ottawa, Ontario.
“Going to the Art Bank was such an inspiring experience. We had the opportunity to view incredible pieces created by Canadian artists. [Art Rental Manager] Rebecca did a wonderful job guiding us through the collection and curating works that really spoke to themes of diversity, equity and inclusion. Now, seeing those pieces up on the walls at [the Centre] feels so powerful. They not only draw people in but also reflect who we are and the values we stand for,” says Manager of Early Years and Childcare Services Erica Selschotter.
If you, like the Centre, are unsure of where to begin when it comes to selecting artwork for your organization, contact an Art Bank consultant. Consultants can help guide you each step of the way, identifying priority locations and suggesting themes and artists that might align with your objectives.
What’s more, the rental program enables organizations not only to communicate their values through art, but also to exchange current rentals for new works, should they want a fresh start or to communicate something different. No matter your budget or circumstances, the Art Bank—just like the Pinecrest-Queensway Community Health Centre—welcomes you as you are.