I.A.T.S.E. OffCamera July 7 – 28

Amidst Mass Film Industry Layoffs, Artists Take Their Work Online With a Virtual Art Exhibition

With the ongoing state of emergency in effect across Ontario, Toronto artists have been challenged to seek new outlets for sharing their art with the public. Toronto Film union IATSE Local 873 is thrilled to announce OffCamera 2020 Virtual Art Exhibition, featuring works of over 50 visual artists working in the film industry. Hosted by Gallery 1313, the online exhibition will be live from July 7th – 28th 2020 with a virtual live reception on July 16th from 6-9pm. To sign up for the reception or for any other inquiries. please contact offcamera2020@gmail.com

 With the temporary closure of nearly every art gallery in the city, this year’s OffCamera will offer artists from IATSE 873 to show their work digitally and interact with the audience through a virtual reception.

On March 17th with an order to shelter in place, film and television productions in Canada came to an abrupt halt leaving thousands of people across Ontario unemployed. Many industries have been forced to pivot for survival, the Ontario film industry which brought $2.6 billion dollars in direct sales in 2019, has come to a complete standstill. 

As film workers are still waiting to see the result of planning from industry leaders to provide guidelines for a safe return to work, the AFC charity foundation (formerly the Actors Fund of Canada)  have provided financial relief to those who have lost their jobs. The AFC has been helping entertainment professionals maintain their health, dignity and ability to work when they find themselves most vulnerable from illness, injury or personal hardship. This year, OffCamera is excited to be working with the AFC  and  donating a portion of art sales directly to the foundation.

The community of visual artists members of IATSE 873 are the creatives behind numerous Hollywood film productions such as Oscar-winning film The Shape of Water , as well as major TV series Emmy award-winning, The Handmaids Tale, and superhero hits: The Boys, Titans and Umbrella Academy.

OffCamera exhibition series began in 2007, initiated by late Patricia Chard (scenic member of IATSE 873) as a way to showcase the creative talent who are behind the scenes but instrumental to the success of a project. Her tradition remains in the same spirit for the OffCamera 2020 exhibition and is digitally adapted in the wake of COVID-19 by the artists who are eager to creatively collaborate again.

About

IATSE 873 (The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 873) is Toronto’s largest Film and Television production  Union. www.iatse873.com. OffCamera is the ongoing visual art exhibition series that has been produced by its members since 2007 in Toronto.

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