Explore the art that adds warmth and vibrancy to the streets, parks and plazas of Ottawa–Gatineau. Temporary exhibits in Canada’s Capital Region showcase artistic achievements from across the country, celebrate our diversity and highlight significant milestones in Canadian history.
Château Laurier Terrace Exhibit
The 2024 outdoor photo exhibit on the Château Laurier Terrace, located at 1 Wellington Street in downtown Ottawa, highlights Canadian Olympic and Paralympic athletes at the Summer Games. The exhibit will be on display from May until November, 2024.
Canadian athletes have competed at the Summer Olympics since 1900 and the Summer Paralympics since 1968. Along the way, they have set world records and proven themselves on the world stage, time and again.
The Olympics and Paralympics are a display of skill, athleticism and personal achievement. Yet, the journey to the podium has not been easy for many of Canada’s top athletes. From record-breaking performances to emotional personal struggles, the Canadian Olympians and Paralympians featured in this exhibit have challenged limitations to fulfill their potential.
Plaza Bridge Outdoor Exhibit
Spanning the Rideau Canal, near the National War Memorial, Plaza Bridge is the site of A Century of Service, an outdoor exhibit on display until November 2024. This exhibit is a partnership between Canadian Heritage and the Royal Canadian Air Force.
A Century of Service
The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) centennial in 2024 is a milestone in Canadian aviation. Since its formation in 1924, the RCAF has defended Canadian skies and supported international peacekeeping and humanitarian efforts. The RCAF has also helped Canadians in need, playing a key role in search and rescue missions, assisting communities when natural disasters strike, and, on the global stage, contributing to advances in aerospace technology.
The centennial is an opportunity to recognize the dedication of past and present Air Force personnel. It is also a time to look toward the exciting possibilities that the next one hundred years may offer to inspire a future generation of aviators.
Art in the Capital
Many factors contribute to shaping an impressive capital region and public art is one of them. The Art in the Capital program showcases public artworks created by Canadian artists. These exhibits are temporary and change regularly.
A number of thought-provoking, evocative and fun installations are exhibited in Ottawa and Gatineau in 2024.
Call and Response Steps 2024 Competition Winners New
In spring 2024, Canadian Heritage sent out a call for proposals seeking dynamic and impactful images that convey the theme “Call and Response”. A term best known for its use in music, “Call and Response” refers to two phrases that reply to each other, as in spoken conversation. This theme asks artists to consider the conversation between artist and location, and viewer to artwork. These three winning artworks presented below were inspired by the competition theme of “Call and Response”.
Let’s Bloom
Let’s Bloom celebrates the beauty and vitality of nature as it renews and flourishes each summer. Birds and flowers flow through an open door that connects the lower and upper staircases, symbolizing the dialogue between humans and nature that exists within urban spaces. This vibrant depiction of harmonious coexistence invites us to reflect upon the richness of our relationship with nature, our shared responsibility towards the environment, and the possibility of a sustainable future.
Émilie Proulx is an artist and illustrator based in the lower Laurentians region of Quebec. Her work is influenced by shapes and textures found in nature, with an aim of bringing colour and softness to the world around her. Her work can be found @emilieproulxillustration on Instagram.
Chickadee Calls
The black-capped chickadee, pictured here, is celebrated for its resilience and distinctive song-like calls, which can be heard across the changing seasons. Situated within an urban setting, this artwork connects us to the natural world amid city life. It is an invitation to pause, listen, and respond to the environment, much like the birds that inspire its creation. In doing so, the artwork also calls upon us to recognize and preserve the beauty of these creatures and the natural chorus around us on this unceded Algonquin territory.
This work is a collaboration between two multidisciplinary Algonquin Anishinaabe artists, Mairi Brascoupé and Claire Brascoupé, whose individual works share a focus on promoting Algonquin culture and traditional knowledge. Their work can be found @mairibrascoupe and @clairebrascoupe.art on Instagram.
Fins to Feathers
Fins to Feathers is a pair of illustrations linking each side of the Corktown Footbridge through the representation of water and wildlife. As you descend the steps on the west side of the Rideau Canal, you follow the path of the vibrant bass fish into the water below. On the east side, you ascend with the kingfisher bird from the water to the sky above. The hands evoke the relationship between people and nature and the chance encounters that can occur.
Meegan Lim is an illustrator and arts facilitator based in Brampton, Ontario. Her work can be found @meeganlim on Instagram.
ByWard Market Courtyards Exhibit
The Sussex Courtyards are a sequence of five courtyards located in the ByWard Market in Ottawa. They are popular during the summer season and offer an oasis of tranquility and shade for visitors and locals, as well as providing seating areas, café terraces and boutiques. The Courtyards also provide the setting for outdoor exhibits of Canadian art across a range of themes.
“Untitled” (from the “Dodge Away” series) circa 1975, by Kan Azuma
Canadian Heritage (PCH) developed the 2024 edition of this program in partnership with the National Gallery of Canada (NGC). This exhibit, titled Kan Azuma: Dodge Away, features twelve artworks selected from artist’s series of works by the same title. The exhibit will be on display in the Clarendon and York Courtyards from March 1st, 2024-March 31st, 2025.
We Are Seeds
We Are Seeds is an outdoor mural created in August 2021 by Claudia Gutierrez and presented by Canadian Heritage in collaboration with Zibi. Gutierrez, a Latin-Canadian artist, draws inspiration from the Mexican proverb: “They tried to bury us. They didn’t know we were seeds.” The mural responds to this time of crisis by celebrating the restorative power of perseverance and resilience. Two nurturing hands grasp a vase with foliage abundantly growing from its top and roots breaking free from its bottom. As we cautiously look forward to a time of reactivation and regeneration, the single falling leaf reminds us of the fragility that will always persist.
Claudia Gutierrez is an Ottawa-based artist who has specialized in painting and printmaking. More recently, she has pivoted to textile-based work to challenge the boundaries between art and craft. We Are Seeds was created with the assistance of Kiana Meness and Jose Palacios.
The mural is located at the intersection of Eddy Street and Alexandre-Taché Boulevard in Gatineau and will be on display for the next several years.
Our Shepherds
Our Shepherds depicts two shepherds standing face-to-face atop two sheep. The figures are notably connected by a long Pinocchio-like nose, a seeming indication of their deceitful intentions. The playful blue colour and simple, symmetrical structure of the sculpture act as an enticement to consider deeper meanings. Our Shepherds speaks of those who take power and those who are led, inviting viewers to question who are the shepherds and who are the sheep.
Our Shepherds was created by Montreal artist, Patrick
Bérubé. It will be displayed at the Tin House Courtyard in the ByWard Market in Ottawa until October 2025.
