The SAW Prize for New Works was created as an emergency response to the pandemic, offering critical support to regional artists through the commissioning of new works. In total, SAW has contributed more than $100,000 in financial, production and exhibition support to 30 artists, musicians, writers and performers from Ottawa-Gatineau and the surrounding First Nations.

The exhibition showcases 17 never-before-seen works and installations by artists spanning many generations and working in a remarkable array of disciplines. In a sprawling format that will reverberate beyond the gallery walls, the exhibition engages in themes of identity and place, and highlights some of the most vital voices in our region’s contemporary art scene.

The exhibition opening will feature a program of world premieres by SAW Prize laureates in music and performance, presented live in our multidisciplinary venue Club SAW and outdoor courtyard throughout the evening.

As SAW approaches its 50th-anniversary celebrations in 2023, we hope to reexamine its role as a public institution committed to the advancement of artist-run culture and the development of new artistic practices. The SAW Prize for New Works strengthens our centre's commitment to regional artists, who forever remain at the core of our mandate.