About Us

An artist-run centre like no other in Canada

From its inception in 1973, the artist-run centre SAW has supported politically and socially engaged art, focusing on the performance and media arts. Many of the world’s best-known artists have exhibited at SAW in the early stages of their careers. Begun by a group of local artists, the centre was originally part of the legendary café Le Hibou on Sussex Drive, hence the name SAW, an acronym for Sussex Annex Works. In 1981, the centre founded the SAW Video cooperative to support independent video artists and documentarists. During this time, the centre also initiated Club SAW, which has become the most important multidisciplinary space in the region. In 1989, SAW Gallery, SAW Video and Club SAW moved into the historic Arts Court building. Since 2001, SAW Video, now called the Digital Arts Resource Centre, has operated as a distinct organization no longer legally affiliated with SAW, although both share a home at Arts Court and continue to collaborate on many projects.

In 2019, as part of the City of Ottawa’s Arts Court Redevelopment project, SAW expanded over two levels within Arts Court and tripled its space to 15,000 square feet. In addition to expanded exhibition spaces, the new SAW features a state-of-the-art live performance venue, a new circumpolar artistic research space called the Nordic Lab and an outdoor courtyard completely renovated for the presentation of summer festivals and events.

SAW aims to become a premier artist-run centre in Canada and the world, engaging in innovative programming, outreach and exchange initiatives. With over 30,000 visitors each year, SAW is a prime destination in the Ottawa-Gatineau region for contemporary art.

Mandate

Cultural diversity at the core of our mandate

SAW promotes contemporary Canadian and international artists, both emerging and established, from diverse cultural backgrounds; presents a contemporary art program with a strong focus on Canadian performance and media art, with bilingual interpretative material produced for each exhibition; adapts to the changing nature of the contemporary arts by maintaining an evolving interdisciplinary presentation space comprised of its exhibitions spaces, the Nordic Lab, Club SAW and the SAW outdoor courtyard; serves the needs of diverse communities through audience development initiatives; engages in collaborations with other arts organizations to increase opportunities for exhibiting artists and to outreach to new audiences; and commits to paying artist fees above CARFAC recommendations.

Project proposals

Artists and curators can propose projects on an ongoing basis. Submissions should include: a current CV, support material and a clear and concise project description. Please e-mail your proposal to programming@saw-centre.com.

Team

Tam-Ca Vo-Van
Director
tam-ca@saw-centre.com
(613) 236-6181, extension 5

Jason St-Laurent
Curator
jason@saw-centre.com
(613) 236-6181, extension 4

Rachel Weldon
Programmer
rachel@saw-centre.com

Éloïse Mutombo
Events Coordinator
club@saw-centre.com
(613) 236-6181, extension 3

Nick Schofield
Technical Director
nick@saw-centre.com

Cheri-jae McCalla
Interim Bar Manager
bar@saw-centre.com

Inès Mastellotto-Lesny
Communications and Outreach Coordinator
ines@saw-centre.com

Stefan St-Laurent
Artistic Associate, 50th Anniversary Program
stefan@saw-centre.com

Kurt Wendler
Bookkeeper
accounting@saw-centre.com

Board of Trustees

Malika Burelle (Chair)
Nic Cooper (Secretary)
Dave Cooper 
Michelle Gewurtz
Christine Lalonde
Charlene Lau Ahier

Honorary Chair