{"id":9401,"date":"2015-03-31T18:38:16","date_gmt":"2015-03-31T18:38:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cusjc.ca\/capitalarts\/?p=9401"},"modified":"2015-03-31T18:38:16","modified_gmt":"2015-03-31T18:38:16","slug":"last-brush-standing-the-rise-of-competitive-live-art","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cusjc.ca\/capitalarts\/?p=9401","title":{"rendered":"Last brush standing: the rise of competitive live art"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Art<\/a>
Thumbs up or thumbs down? While\u00a0painters, centre<\/em>, work against the clock,\u00a0an Art\u00a0Battle audience circulates\u00a0critically. [Photo courtesy of Art Battle Canada]<\/figcaption><\/figure>Across Canada, visual art is being taken to a new level, as artists are pitted against each\u00a0other in a public competition called Art Battle.\u00a0The goal:\u00a0to create a painting within 20 minutes. Typically the painters work standing in a circle, facing inward, while\u00a0audience members move around the room to take in each piece at various stages of completion. After\u00a020 minutes, the audience\u00a0votes on which painting or paintings are\u00a0best.<\/p>\n

The contests\u00a0form a\u00a0tournament,\u00a0ascending to a national paint-off in July.\u00a0First, from a citywide competition\u00a0of 12 artists, the\u00a0top four artists move on to a next round, which meanwhile is fed by other 12-artist\u00a0contests from the same city; eventually, one winner will go\u00a0to\u00a0the National Art Battle Competition. The\u00a0number\u00a0of\u00a0city competitions\u00a0per\u00a0year varies with population\u2014Ottawa normally holds 12\u2014but each participating Canadian city\u00a0winds up sending one\u00a0artist\u00a0to the national battle. Twenty contestants are\u00a0expected at\u00a0this coming summer\u2019s\u00a0national event\u00a0in P.E.I.<\/p>\n

Art Battle is\u00a0the brainchild of\u00a0Toronto-based artists Chris Pemberton and Simon Plashkes; it\u00a0emerged from\u00a0the Toronto art scene six years ago.\u00a0Pemberton says they were \u201clooking to create an ongoing event that showcased artists and had also a level of interactivity for the audience.\u201d They wanted\u00a0to build something exciting and new that could cater to an audience\u2019s\u00a0multisensory perspectives,\u00a0and their innovation has paid off. Since the first battle, in 2009, the competition has expanded across Canada to cities such as Vancouver, Kingston, Ottawa and even Red Deer.<\/p>\n

Pemberton says the tournament\u00a0has doubled\u00a0each year, with\u00a0more than 100 competitions\u00a0in\u00a02013\u2013<\/span>2014. Rapid growth has included\u00a0increased exposure and attendance: Art Battle now hosts over 300 artists, versus\u00a0about\u00a0100 in Year One.\u00a0 It provides a space\u00a0for established and emerging artists to showcase their talents, while giving attendees an inside look at\u00a0the creative process.<\/p>\n

Nurturing\u00a0confidence<\/h2>\n

Although painting a piece in 20 minutes may seem a daunting task, many competitors\u00a0enjoy the challenge.\u00a0Vancouver-based Yared Nigussu\u00a0has won the National Art Battle three years running.\u00a0\u201cIn the studio, it\u2019s more like you\u2019re a traditional artist,\u201d he says. \u201cI spend three or four days on it, depending on the mood of the piece.\u201d But the\u00a0pressure and exposure of Art Battle\u00a0have both been good for him, he explains: \u201cThree years ago I was just kind of a shy artist, painting in my own corner. Nobody heard about me.\u00a0 Now people have heard of Art Battle. I say I have been a winner for three years; then they give me some value.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nigussu\u2019s\u00a0experience has inspired him\u00a0to perform live for audiences on his own.\u00a0 And he estimates that his following of clients and fans\u00a0has grown\u00a050 percent\u00a0with\u00a0his involvement in Art Battle.<\/p>\n

\u2018You get to see someone\u2019s personality and how they paint.\u2019 \u2013 <\/span>Art Battle audience member Felice Miranda<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Ottawa artists too are using\u00a0Art Battle to showcase their work more widely and to\u00a0network with colleagues. \u201cI want to really help other artists get some recognition, get some publicity, because we do have some amazing, creative people in this city,\u201d says Art Battle Ottawa organizer Peter Purdy. He praises Art Battle\u2019s benefit to newer artists: \u201cUnless you\u2019re in that upper echelon, you\u2019re not going to get into galleries.\u201d<\/p>\n

Purdy, previously an Art Battle competitor,\u00a0became involved in administration only in the last year. He says that more often than not, his participation in Art Battle has resulted in a commissioned work and expanded his customer base.\u00a0\u201cArt galleries \u00a0aren\u2019t the most accessible for all members of the public,\u201d he \u00a0says, laughing. \u201cArt Battle really humanizes it. You get to see the artists: it\u2019s not just a painting on a wall, it\u2019s a part of them.\u201d He estimates that at least 50 percent\u00a0of the artists who competed in Ottawa\u2019s last Art Battle were approached about commissions.<\/p>\n

\"Each<\/a>
Ready, set…\u00a0Artists, each with\u00a0pallet and blank canvas, wait for the start\u00a0in the\u00a0crowded hall.\u00a0[Photo courtesy of Art Battle Canada]<\/figcaption><\/figure>But Peter Simpson,\u00a0arts-editor-at-large\u00a0for the Ottawa Citizen<\/em>, remains skeptical of\u00a0Art Battle as\u00a0a springboard for young talent. \u201cI\u2019m not sure it\u2019s the kind of thing that would directly get gallery directors interested in artists,\u201d he says. \u201cThe ability to create art very quickly, in the high-pressure position of being in front of a live audience, does\u00a0not typically involve skills one thinks of as essential for an artist.\u201d He\u00a0acknowledges, however, that Art Battle may help\u00a0new artists\u2019\u00a0personal development:\u00a0\u201cIf you decide\u00a0to make a career as a visual artist, you\u2019re going to be beset with obstacles.\u00a0\u00a0If Art Battle can be a lesson in overcoming challenges, it\u2019s got to be beneficial in that way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Patrick S. Greene, a finalist in Ottawa\u2019s Art Battle of October 18, 2014, agrees:\u00a0He cites\u00a0the benefits to\u00a0artists of being thrown outside their comfort zone. Part of the Ottawa arts community since 1989, Greene has often challenged his own\u00a0perceived limits,\u00a0even painting\u00a0a live exhibition blindfolded. Art Battle is unique, he\u00a0says, because it\u00a0allows\u00a0artists\u00a0to build\u00a0confidence while learning from fellow competitors. \u201cI like that it\u2019s a community.\u00a0If you\u2019re in the competition more than once, it\u2019s a good way to explore new ideas and learn to be very fast. It teaches you to use the full canvas rather than just teeter on one spot.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite its format of competition, Art Battle fosters growth.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Natalie Morrissett, at 16 the youngest competitor of the evening, says\u00a0that winning was not a major goal\u00a0for her. The ability to network with other artists and try something challenging was satisfaction enough. \u201cEven not making it into the next round, that\u2019s okay with me,\u201d she says. \u201cThose artworks were amazing! I\u2019m coming back next round.\u201d<\/p>\n

Drawing a crowd<\/h2>\n

Although Ottawa normally holds monthly battles, Purdy says organizers were unable to secure a venue for this year\u2019s November and January competitions\u2014thus reducing the possible number of artists who could compete for the second round.\u00a0Purdy says he knew there would be hiccups in his first year as\u00a0organizer:\u00a0\u201cI am dedicated and determined that next season will be our greatest showing ever!\u201d<\/p>\n

While the event\u2019s rise\u00a0in popularity is due\u00a0partly to word of mouth among\u00a0artists, co-founder Pemberton says that the returning audience has\u00a0been equally crucial. Although some are family or friends of the artists, showing their support, many venture in\u00a0to experience the unusual atmosphere of live, timed art. Felice Miranda attended her first Art Battle a few years ago as a birthday present to herself. \u201cIt\u2019s a competitive battle; it\u2019s really exciting!\u201d she said. \u201cYou get to see someone\u2019s personality and how they paint.\u201d Catherine Duveau, having been to battles in Ottawa and Toronto, says she continues to seek out the event because \u201cit\u2019s always different.\u201d She enjoys observing\u00a0the artists, she says:\u00a0\u201cI like seeing them do something they love. It\u2019s a good thing for Ottawa.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Like<\/a>
Ottawa artist Patrick S. Greene, foreground<\/em>, doing Art Battle. [Photo courtesy of Cat Hennessy]<\/figcaption><\/figure>Many\u00a0involved in Art Battle are veterans of the visual arts community,\u00a0well versed in the difficulties of breaking into a\u00a0local limelight.\u00a0They agree\u00a0the event\u00a0creates\u00a0opportunity in cities where\u00a0big names dominate\u00a0or\u00a0where arts communities are just emerging. Says Purdy, \u201cAfter owning a gallery and being a struggling artist to get my name out there, it\u2019s become a real passion to help up-and-coming artists.\u00a0This is a way that\u2019s helping artists get exposure who might be struggling to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite its format of competition,\u00a0Art Battle provides\u00a0an environment to foster\u00a0confidence and growth in local\u00a0art scenes. \u201cThough there is one winner at the end of the night, typically all the artists have a really great time,\u201d Pemberton says. \u201cWe consider all of our painters to be stars. We share all\u00a0information and work as widely as we can.\u201d<\/p>\n

[Front page photo courtesy of Art Battle Canada<\/i>]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Artists are finding creative expression in a new platform: public, timed painting competitions. But do the pressures of performance help or hinder their art?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":98,"featured_media":9616,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9401","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cusjc.ca\/capitalarts\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9401","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cusjc.ca\/capitalarts\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cusjc.ca\/capitalarts\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cusjc.ca\/capitalarts\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/98"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cusjc.ca\/capitalarts\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9401"}],"version-history":[{"count":107,"href":"https:\/\/www.cusjc.ca\/capitalarts\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9401\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10040,"href":"https:\/\/www.cusjc.ca\/capitalarts\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9401\/revisions\/10040"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cusjc.ca\/capitalarts\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9616"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cusjc.ca\/capitalarts\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9401"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cusjc.ca\/capitalarts\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9401"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cusjc.ca\/capitalarts\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9401"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}