Wednesday, July 6, 2011

The Courvoisier Collective




Have you noticed the silhouette of Napoleon incorporated into a scannable QR code around billboards in Downtown Toronto? For those of you oblivious to advertisements, please see the photo above (courtesy of Media in Canada).



While QR Codes are exciting at first, their novelty wears off pretty quickly. Wouldn't it be a lot more interesting to stare at a piece of art done by a local Torontonian, while stuck in traffic on Adelaide Street West?


I think it would and so do the masterminds behind The Courvoisier Collective, a contest for local artists to submit pieces that explore the theme of "renewal" in relation to the revolutionary role of art.

Artists can either explore the capacity of art to revolutionize its own content and form, or, they can express art's potential to challenge the status quo, something which Napoleon succeeded in.


Courvoisier, a cognac devoted to craftsmanship and innovation, has always prided itself on revolutionizing the art of making cognac without compromising its nature. You can bet that the judging panel expects to see the same passion and revolutionary spirit in the winning artwork.

Art can be submitted through http://www.courvoisiercollective.com/ and voted on to gain billboard or gallery status!


The public can vote online for their favourite pieces, begining on July 15th and ending on August 5th.

Here are some more important dates:


July 8th: Deadline for submissions in order to be considered for "Billboard showcase" and prizing.

July 15th: Deadline for "Gallery Award" submissions. Submissions chosen by the public and judging panel will be included in an exhibit at Gallery 1313

July 15th - August 5th: Online public voting for the "Gallery Award" submissions. Voting can be done by visiting http://www.courvoisiercollective.com/

August 1st - 26th: Three winning "Billboard showcase" submissions displayed on high traffic Toronto billboards

August 5th - 8th: "Gallery Award" winners selected for display at Gallery 1313 in Parkdale

August 11th - September 4th: "Gallery Award" Exhibition at Gallery 1313

Submitted artwork can use such media as photography, painting, mixed media and printmaking. Submissions can easily be made by uploading an image in digital JPG, GIF, TIF, or PNG format.


Below are a few of my favourite pieces so far.


Make sure to visit http://www.courvoisiercollective.com/ and vote for your favourites too!


Artwork by Rob Mclelland


Artwork by Justin Broadbent
Artwork by Lynn Soehner