Congratulations to Rawan Ahmed, the winner of the inaugural Blair Sharpe Memorial Scholarship. Rawan’s work was selected by the jury for her exceptional handling of paint in a series of food still lifes. Rawan is a former law student who has decided to pursue art, which she describes as “the most essential form of expression—for humans are always on a quest to create meaning, and art allows for that process to take place.”

The Blair Sharpe Scholarship Endowment Fund at the Ottawa School of Art

Two years ago, a group of artists contacted the Ottawa Community Foundation. They wanted to start a scholarship in the name of their dying friend and former instructor. Time was of the essence.

Photo Credit: Ottawa School of Art

Susan Cartwright, Shawn Flynn, and Susan Robertson were part of the B Sharpes, an informal group of students who had studied with abstract painter Blair Sharpe at the Ottawa School of Art. Blair—an accomplished Canadian artist with paintings held in public and private collections across Canada and internationally—taught at the School for more than 40 years, helping adults and diploma students develop their artistic voice.

Blair was seriously ill. He received a double lung transplant in 2017, after which he had to take strong immunosuppression drugs to prevent rejection. Sadly, he was then diagnosed with a terminal blood cancer. By mid-2019, Blair was in palliative care and was pragmatic about his life coming to a close. His former students spoke to him just days before he died about their idea to start a scholarship in his name, and he was deeply honoured by the initiative.

The plan was finalized and the three B Sharpes got to work. They partnered with the Ottawa Community Foundation to establish an online giving page with donations building an endowment at the OCF. 

They set a target of $12,000, and more than 60 friends, family, and former students contributed generously, allowing them to surpass their goal and raise more than $20,000. 

Those donations are invested by the Ottawa Community Foundation in order to generate a substantial annual scholarship for diploma students at the Ottawa School of Art, keeping the memory of a respected and much loved instructor alive. 

Untitled 1984, acrylic on canvas, 48” x 72”, by permission of The Estate of Blair Sharpe

Blair will be remembered not only for his own artistic ability and his steadfast convictions about the importance of art to society and of artists being able to make a living from their art, but also for his wry sense of humour and dry wit. He was also an avid fly fisherman, guitar player, devoted husband to Brenda Sharpe, and a cat lover.

The Blair Sharpe Memorial Scholarship is a testament to his talent, his contributions as an artist, art activist, and teacher, and to his views on life. The launch of the scholarship marks the start of a new lifelong partnership between members of the community and the Ottawa Community Foundation. This perpetual award exemplifies the phrase “Invested for Good,” which appears on the wall at the Ottawa Community Foundation and which drives the work of the foundation and inspires its staff on a daily basis. The establishment of the Blair Sharpe Scholarship is also a story of community–people coming together to make change and realize new initiatives. 

Thank you to everyone who supported the creation of this scholarship.

Learn more about funds at the Ottawa Community Foundation and about ways to give.