Dynamic and contemporary, the works were given by 37 of the society's members. They include watercolours, oil and acrylic paintings, photographs and drawings representing a wide variety of subject matter and styles.

Above: A Harmony in Grey and Yellow, 1897 by Mary Augusta Hiester Reid, OSA. Oil on canvas, 34.3 x 90.2 centimetres. Government of Ontario Art Collection, Archives of Ontario 619739.

The OSA has a long and impressive history of encouraging, supporting and promoting the province’s visual arts community. Founded in Toronto in 1872 by seven artists, the society’s goal was to provide better public access to art and art education. Its first exhibition was held in 1873 and featured 252 works by 22 artists. More than 5,000 people attended the inaugural exhibition.

A strong link between the society and the provincial government was formed at the 1873 exhibition when the government made some of its first art purchases there. Well over 200 years later, works from the OSA are finding homes in the Government of Ontario Art Collection.

Gifted is curated by the Archives of Ontario’s Outreach Officer Stewart Boden, and runs until Oct. 12 in the Helen McClung Exhibit Area at the Archives of Ontario building on 91��ɫ's Keele campus.

Members of the 91��ɫ community are invited to view the exhibit. The Archives is open Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5pm, Tuesday and Thursday to 8pm, and Saturday, from 10am to 4pm.

For more information, visit the website.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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Jaime Angelopoulos’ large-format drawing, �ճ󾱱��,��and Julieta Maria’s four-minute digital video, Soil, are now part of this outstanding collection of works created by then-emerging artists, reflecting  the evolution of artistic sensibility, technology and expression over the past 35 years.

Right: "Thief" by Jaime Angelopoulos

Toronto philanthropist Samuel Sarick established the Purchase Award in1976 – just two years after 91��ɫ's Graduate Program in Visual Arts was established. Each year since then, one or more works have been selected for acquisition from the thesis exhibitions of students graduating from the program. In addition to serving as a showcase of the leading edge of contemporary work, the collection is an important component of the historical record of the visual arts department and its alumni.

(MFA ‘10) identifies herself as a sculptor who also works in installation and large-scale drawing.

“My drawings often depict aspects of my sculptural forms, while also informing the sculpture-making process,” she said. “My current drawings combine graphic geometric fragments and bright color hues with organic shapes and textures evocative of animals. To reconcile oppositional elements within a drawing is to discover a balance between contradictory ideas.”

Angelopoulos has an upcoming solo show May 4 to 21 at Toronto’s , located at 401 Richmond St. W. The opening reception takes place Friday, May 4 from 8 to 10pm.

Angelopoulos has presented her work across Canada and beyond. Her solo exhibitions and performances include venues such as Parisian Laundry in Montreal, Stride Gallery in Calgary, Anna Leonowens Gallery in Halifax, Meadows School of the Arts in Dallas, Texas, and at the Banff Centre for the Arts.

In contrast to Angelopoulos’ physical art-making, (BFA ‘04, MFA ‘10) is a new media artist working in a variety of media including video, interactive video installations and web. Soil is a prime example of her recent work, which centres on video documentation of staged actions.

Soil shows the artist’s face in profile, open-mouthed, lying horizontally against a white background. Soil starts pouring down from the upper side of the frame, gradually filling her mouth.

“Closeness to the earth implies being close to life and death, to the visceral,” said Maria.

Left: A scene from "Soil" by Julieta Maria

“In the video, I take the soil trying to engage in minimal movement or expression. The openness of the mouth, however, gives a sense of willingness to receive the dirt. It’s a situation that is not resolved, as the soil keeps falling and accumulating. The soil comes from above, as a kind of fate.”

Maria is a co-founder of in Toronto, where she currently serves as executive director. She has participated in several international screenings and exhibitions, including Scope Basel in Switzerland in 2010, the Hemispheric Institute of Performance and Politics in Colombia in 2009, and the Interactiva Biennale in Mexico 2009, among others.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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