Artawa is a shared artistic community with the goal of breaking down barriers that many artists face. The core ideal is that we remain inclusive, that we always keep our doors open to anyone who wants to create. We range across all skill levels: from hobbyists to professionals. We strongly encourage collaboration and mutual support, be that in the form of sharing supplies, advice, etc.

We make a point to ensure we see each other face to face a few hours each month to network with and work among other creatives – this is colloquially referred to as the “Monthly Artawa Meetup”. We seek to help boost artists’ confidence when sharing ideas or displaying their work publicly. We get members from all walks of life, backgrounds and demographics. There is no requirement to be experienced in art.

In 2016, we initially created Artawa to become a collaboration space to coordinate various disconnected groups and to get everyone on the same page. We saw many different groups working independently but no one was really talking with each other to advance the arts within Ottawa and the greater National Capital Region. We saw barriers to entry into the arts here. We began by gathering other artists in the community at a cafe in the Byward Market area. We were few at first but slowly invited more people, making an effort to reach out to other prominent members within the art community and working with them to reach out to their own network to bring folks together. We called ourselves “Artawa”, a play on “art” and “Ottawa”.

The ability to be around like-minded people is often taken for granted after school years. Some people simply do not have access to be around other creatives without paying for art classes, for example. With our combined knowledge from regular members, we help each other to get the word out for their own shows, offer advice on how to price work, or simply offer technical help in the arts.

Artawa has grown from a small group of artists sketching together to a community of individuals who work alongside, share, and encourage others in their artistic practices, no matter their experience level or where they are coming from.

Artawa frequently meets on the 3rd or 4th Sundays of the month at the Ottawa Art Gallery , unless otherwise stated in the Events.