When art and football collide outside the lines
Argo Owusu-Ansah turns off-field passion into project supporting emerging artists
It was getting warm inside the Super Wonder Gallery, on Bloor Street West, and Akwasi Owusu-Ansah, a professional football player, was sweating. It was his first show, and he had been on his feet for10 hours: “It’s all part of being a curator, which I didn’t know.”
He was standing in the middle of the room as a slow parade of artists, Toronto Argonauts teammates and curious passersby moved around him. Owusu-Ansah had not only scouted the venue and connected with the local artists, but he had also helped hang the two dozen paintings and drawings on display.
“When you’re getting your feet wet, it’s like, ‘yo, this is actually a lot of work,’ ” he said.
Owusu-Ansah is a defensive back and an amateur photographer. The show was part of an effort to launch a new website designed to connect emerging artists with art fans. The site — LiveAbstract — will be completely free both to artists and to anyone looking to buy art. “To say it’s going to be the Facebook of art is a strong statement,” Owusu-Ansah said with a smile. “And I don’t want to say that and jinx myself.”
His return on investment will likely be small. Since he is not charging a membership fee, Owusu-Ansah will only generate revenue through advertising and, eventually, by selling items such as sketchbooks. Passion, though, seemed to trump the business case long ago.
The plight of an old college room- mate prompted him to develop the site. Owusu-Ansah lived with Ceasar Westbrook for two years when they were members of the football team at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, about an hour outside Pittsburgh.
Westbrook was also an aspiring artist who struggled to reach a broader audience. He now lives in Erie, Pa., working at a Lowe’s Home Improvement store and also as a barber. He is hoping to become a full-time artist. The new site, he said, would help. “You’re only going to be on there for one thing, and that’s art,” Westbrook said. “There’s nothing else in the way. You know what you’re going there for.”
The gallery show was held on one of the final mild nights of autumn, a few doors east of the Ossington subway station, in a neighbourhood that can generate foot traffic even on a school night. The front door was propped open, and music spilled out onto the sidewalk.
“This is probably the last thing I would expect to come from a professional football player,” artist Reynold Thomas said with a laugh. “I played a lot sports in high school, so I thought I was the only sort of artist/athlete who was running around in the area.”
Ana Golja, a Toronto singer and actor who has appeared in Degrassi: Next Class, spent time wandering the gallery. She did not know the organizer was a professional athlete.
“I think that’s absolutely amazing,” Golja said. “Good for him, that he has a platform where he can do something like this and really make a difference in people’s lives, and share in something he’s so passionate about.”
Owusu-Ansah is not the first football player to develop an interest in art. Aaron Maybin, a former firstround National Football League draft pick who spent part of a season with the Argos, is an artist. He sells everything from prints to duvet covers on his website.
“As a professional athlete, that’s one thing I haven’t conquered yet, is being able to do art,” Owusu-Ansah said. “Because when you reach the highest level as an athlete, you kind of develop this ego that you can do anything — and that’s one thing that I haven’t been able to conquer yet.”
Almost a dozen teammates stopped by the show, including safety Matt Black, who said his sister recently graduated from OCAD University, a school based on art and design.
“This is a good opportunity for fans to see that, you know, guys are a lot more than what they know us as, as football players,” Black said. “(Owusu-Ansah), he’s on the cutting edge of fashion. He’s always coming into the locker room with new coats. Guys are telling me he owns every kind of coat there is.”
Black was interested in a couple of pieces on display, including a portrait of the late U.S. rapper Eazy-E, which was available for $1,500. That can be expensive, on a CFL salary.
“Something in my price range,” Black said with a smile, “maybe I’ll make a purchase.”