Ottawa Explosion Weekend at SAW Gallery. Photo: Andrew Carver
Originally posted in the Centretown Buzz
by Sarah Gelbard
October 11, 2013
Being a national capital is both a blessing and a curse to the creative community. Venues like the National Gallery and National Arts Centre are able to attract world-class exhibits and performances. Between our two universities and countless national organizations and institutions, conferences and lecturers of international repute abound. The big festivals – jazz, blues, folk – bring the big names right into our backyard.
The world-class “Big City” image that is easy to paint in one’s mind doesn’t always live up to expectation on the ground. My move to Ottawa from London (. . . yes, Ontario) wasn’t the big cultural shift I had imagined.
I’m not the first to say it: “Ottawa is not Toronto, Montreal, or Vancouver.” It may compete in terms of its national and international attractions but its local scene is much more modest. And that’s perfectly fair and realistic given the context.
But Ottawa isn’t boring. It just takes a bit more conscious effort and active participation to make stuff happen and to find the stuff that is happening. In the past few years, we seem to have finally hit a critical mass of people complaining of Ottawa’s seeming lack of creativity, and more importantly, people willing to start doing something about it.
The shift, I think, reflects my own; from big city envy and wishing someone would make something happen, to trying to build and connect to a community that can make it happen here.
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