IGNITION 4

IGNITION 4: Hamilton Artists Inc.'s Award for Distinction in the McMaster Studio Art Program

Opening Reception and Awards Presentation: Saturday, February 6, 2:00-4:00 pm

Hamilton Artists Inc. would like to thank and acknowledge it's exhibition partners: McMaster University School of the Arts and the Cotton Factory

Hamilton Artists Inc. is pleased to announce the winners of the 4th annual Ignition Award for Distinction in McMaster's Studio Art Program. Congratulations to this year's recipients on their outstanding work, Abedar Kamgari, DB Kellam and Lydia Santia. Ignition is an awards exhibition providing a launchpad to ignite emerging artists' careers. In addition to a professional exhibition, the selected graduating students are awarded a cash honorarium, certificate of distinction and studio space generously donated by the Cotton Factory at 270 Sherman for a year following the completion of their studies.

Click HERE to download catalogue (623 kb)

Abedar Kamgari has lived in three countries, five cities, and seventeen different houses. She now resides in Hamilton while pursuing a BFA in Studio Art at McMaster University with an interest in critical writing. An emerging interdisciplinary artist, Abedar’s art has been exhibited in Hamilton, Toronto, and in the United States, and is owned in private collections in both countries.

DB Kellam (born Douglas Bryan Kellam) is currently studying for his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at McMaster University and is expected to graduate in 2016. Born in Brantford Ontario, he has spent the remainder of his life residing across Southern Ontario and regularly travels to his hometown in Haldimand County. There, the local surroundings, rural landscapes, rivers, and Lake Erie provide DB with the imagery and inspiration for his prevailing practice in painting.

Lydia Santia spends her adult life challenging her typical upbringing in a comfortable home in a suburban neighborhood. She currently lives in Hamilton, Ontario and is completing her BFA degree at McMaster University. Lydia has exhibited her work in Toronto and Hamilton and her work is owned in several private collections.

About the Award:

One of Hamilton Artists Inc.’s primary objectives as an artist-run centre is to support artists at all levels of their careers, and to empower their artistic expression and research. The exhibition space becomes the point from which each of these emerging artists can begin to launch their professional practice, the presentation of their work acting as the vehicle through which audiences can engage with the idea of activating or igniting the imagination, within a critical, multi-layered experience. Established in 2013 by former staff member and McMaster graduate, Reg Gilmore, in association with the Studio Art Program at McMaster University, the IGNITION award honours exceptional graduating students with the opportunity of a professional exhibition at Hamilton Artists Inc.

The Hamilton Artists Inc. award for Distinction in the Studio Art Program provides a perfect setting for McMaster University to celebrate its commitment to community engaged learning by involving young, talented, emerging artists within the greater Hamilton art community. McMaster University is historically tied to Hamilton Artists Inc. with art graduates from the University being among the founding members of the gallery some forty years ago. The gallery’s purpose built exhibition facilities on James Street North offer a highly professional exhibition experience for the recipients and provides an opportunity for sustained connections.

The Cotton Factory at 270 Sherman Ave. N. The current use of this former industrial building is a fine example of adaptive reuse. In the heart of lower Hamilton, the facilities at 270 Sherman Avenue North have been transformed into a creative industries complex, with space for workshops and small manufacturing, office space for creative professionals, and studios for artists. The Cotton Factory at 270 Sherman Ave. N. has developed a permanent home for the Ignition Award within their complex, wherein the recipients of the annual award are provided with a studio space for one year immediately following graduation.