The Dennis Tourbin Members Gallery was created in 1996. It was named after a founding member of NAC, renowned for his charisma, wit, and energy.
After playing a key role in the establishment of NAC and in the successes of early NAC projects like the Johnny Canuck Miniature Show and the Twelve Mile Creek publications, Dennis Tourbin went on to help found Art Space in Peterborough and later became a key figure at the SAW Gallery in Ottawa. His work has been collected by the National Gallery of Canada.
Hours
Wed - Fri 12 pm - 5 pm
Sat 12pm - 4 pm
or often by chance
black and blue: pottery and poetry by martina doom
Wed 10 Dec 2025 – Sat 17 Jan 2026
Opening Reception Sat 13 Dec 2025 7PM-9PM
black and blue is a project born through life’s most transformative experiences - love, loss, everything that comes in between and after. Through poetry and sculpture, I’ve reflected on these moments of connection we carry with others and the self.
Written over the course of two years, these poems explore the softness of what lingers underneath the surface, when we’re left to sit with discomfort.
Each sculpture is built by hand, coil by coil, and assembled in a spiral motion until they reach completion. This slow and intentional process mimics the pace of digesting our own behavioural patterns and attachment wounds.
black and blue is divided into 3 elements - black, blue and after. Each embodied by 3 sculptures with a corresponding poem. In spiritual teachings, the number 3 represents harmony, wisdom and spiritual growth. Together, they compose an integrated journey of the self.
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Wed 12 Nov 2025
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Sat 4 Oct 2025
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Sat 20 Sept 2025
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Sat 9 Aug 2025
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Sat 19 July 2025
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Sat 21 June 2025
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Sat 31 May 2025
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Fri 2 May 2025
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Thurs 3 April 2025
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Sat 25 Jan 2025
The DTMG is available for exhibits, installations, performances and screenings by NAC members in good standing. Work in the space can also be made for sale. NAC takes a commission of 15% to help defray costs related to gallery upkeep. It is a do-it-yourself space and all presentations are produced, promoted, and installed by the featured NAC member artist.
NAC is a collective of working artists and arts supporters. It is governed by a Board of Directors comprised of a majority of artists. NAC is mandated to support and advance contemporary art practices. The following criteria will be followed in selecting exhibitions:
- The proposal’s use of the venue
- The development of the work to assure follow-through on the part of the member artist in meeting their commitment to using the space
- The ability of the work to communicate in the dialogue of developing, emerging, or established contemporary art practices
- The ability of the work to meet NAC community standards
- As the DTMG is not part of the publicly funded NAC programme, no artist or exhibition fees are paid. All DTMG presentations are listed and documented by NAC as ancillary programming
Members in good standing intending to make use of the DTMG will submit a formal proposal to the NAC Selection Committee, a standing committee of the Board of Directors.
Submissions will be reviewed on a quarterly basis and will include:
- Ten images (digital), video, or other appropriate documentation
- A description of the proposed show (one page or less)
- A statement about the work (one page or less)
- A resume and/or bio of the artist (three pages or less)
Please email your submission to artists@nac.org with Dennis Tourbin Members Gallery in the subject line.
DTMG bookings will be approximately two weeks in duration. Arrangements must be made with NAC staff for installing and striking.