A group of about 40 people came out to celebrate Ottawa’s music scene at Major’s Hill Park to take a “class picture” together on Oct. 17. The group consisted of many members of the music community in Ottawa.
The idea was based on an event in Toronto that brought together musicians, promoters, and bloggers to take an annual group photo.
Jill Nicole, a writer for Apartment 613, was a coordinator for the event. “Rather than let Ottawa be known as the city that fun forgot, it is now a city that is surging with creative energy. We are at such a strong point right now that it was important to celebrate that,” Nicole said.
Photographer Rochelle Latinsky attended the event in Toronto. She took the group photo and individual portraits this Saturday in Ottawa.
“My friend Joel put together the event in the hopes of getting as many people out from the Toronto music community as possible,” Latinsky said about Toronto’s version of the event.
Matías Muñoz, developer of Ottawa Showbox, also assisted in coordinating the event. He said the photo is beneficial for networking.
“We joked around, shared stories about music in Ottawa, learned about new bands or artists making music in town. It was almost like a little networking event, except without all the nerves and expectation,” Muñoz said.
Muñoz said the event offered a chance to talk to some familiar faces outside of just bumping into them at shows.
“It’s always nice to see people you would normally catch at a show in another setting,” Muñoz said. “Having a little bit more face time with others that have similar interests and are part of the same community is a very positive thing for the community.”
According to Muñoz, the outcome was successful.
“Almost 40 people showed up, and there were a lot of new faces there, which was encouraging.Everyone had smiles on their faces and were very happy to be there. It was a beautiful, crisp fall day at the park,” Muñoz said.
Latinsky supports community building in Ottawa despite being a Toronto-based artist, and said she hopes to do this in other communities.
“I think it’s a wonderful social event within the community. It’s a way to network without going to a show. It’s also super low-key with every city’s individual coordinator having the flexibility and freedom to plan the event any way they like. I hope to travel across Canada to spark this conversation and event even in places as remote as Northern Canada,” Latinsky said.
According to Nicole, the goal of the event was to celebrate the creativity within Ottawa’s music community.
“Whether you’re playing a show or attending one, or writing about it, we all built this together. It is all a part of the picture that Ottawa is rising as a creative city,” Nicole said.
