Barrucco, a master’s student in the Department of Visual Arts (Faculty of Arts) will receive $2,000 from the University for her artwork, which will grace the cover of this season’s greeting card.
Her photographic composite is a 24-image chemigram created by placing a bar of soap used for handwashing on expired and fogged 4x5 inch photographic black-and-white sheet film. The artist developed the film using darkroom chemistry, then scanned it to create the final image. Each sheet of film represents one day of handwashing over a 24-day period during the pandemic.
“Resourcefulness, tenacity and a sense of purpose are what drove me,” says the artist, whose artwork evokes the echoes and scars of the pandemic. “Innovation to me is about how we respond to change in a creative way.”
The selection committee also awarded an honourable mention to visual arts student Natalie Bruvels.
A special thank you to our contest judges from the Ottawa Art Gallery and the University’s Department of Visual Arts for their time and invaluable contribution, as well as to all participating students who shared their artistic vision of innovation in this year’s contest.
