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Welcome to the Ottawa Art Gallery.  As a public art gallery, the OAG is a space for reflection and respectful dialogue. We believe that art plays an important role in addressing and helping us to better understand the complex, global challenges of our time. To that end, we prioritize care in all we do and we condemn all forms of hate.

OTTAWA ART GALLERY IS SITUATED ON TRADITIONAL ANISHINĀBE AKI.Odāwā ojichigan-wābandahidiwigamig ate Anishinābe-akìng egā wìkād kā pagidinigādegOttawa Art Gallery is situated on Traditional Anishinābe Akìx

Photo: Simone Dicosta

Plan your visit

The Ottawa Art Gallery is home to the Art and Artists of the Ottawa-Gatineau region; where you can experience the collections, exhibits and events that link us, and where connection happens between Art and City. Ottawa, YOUR ART IS HERE.

Admission to the OAG is always FREE.

LEED 2022 Bilingual SILVER

The Ottawa Art Gallery is LEED® Certified®, LEED® Silver®. The LEED® certification trademark is licensed in Canada to the Canada Green Building Council® and is used with permission.

Storytelling invites us to sit with and within another’s experiences. Island of Listeners presents stories crafted through the collaboration of palliative care patients, care partners, and healthcare providers at Bruyère who shared their time and words with storyteller Kim Kilpatrick, shaping 21 stories through interchange, connection, and care.  

Find great, local gifts for everyone on your list (and maybe something for yourself as well), while supporting Canadian artists and the Ottawa Art Gallery.

In this exhibition we explore the critical and creative practices of Jeff Thomas, Urban-Iroquois photographer, curator, activist, and cultural theorist.

Dialogue between contemporary and historical art can provide us with new ways to consider the past. Here, South-Asian Canadian artist Rachel Kalpana JAMES' immersive contemporary installation highlights a moment of East-West interaction in the early 20th century.

This work delves into the beauty of flowers and their Fibonacci connections, as well as cosmic fascination and intertwining Earth and lunar rhythms.

Through the Ground Glass is a dialogue between the work of historical Ottawa photographer William James Topley and six contemporary artists: Lori Blondeau, Chun Hua Catherine Dong, Anique Jordan, Neeko Paluzzi, Adrian Stimson and Geneviève Thauvette. These artists engage with image manipulation, hauntology, costumes and theatricality to subvert narratives and reclaim power through portraiture.

The Firestone Collection of Canadian Art is a significant art collection that spans the modern period and includes work from a wide range of Canadian art styles, geographical regions, and periods. The two largest themes represented in the collection are landscape and abstraction.

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Join the OAG and get access to exclusive events, programming and talks.

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Join us on November 26th for the third module of our new 3x3 Workshop Series with Saivani! 🎉 Learn to create multimedia sculptures! ✨

👀👉 Register today with the link 🔗 in bio. Registration deadline is Friday, November 22.

“At the Ottawa Art Gallery I’m a part of it, I feel really connected to it and it’s a space that’s accessible” - Lisa, Creative Space Participant

This #GivingTuesday on December 3, consider donating to the OAG! Your support will strengthen wellness programs that provide a safe ...space for self-expression. 💗

#givingtuesdayca

« La Galerie d'art d'Ottawa ? J'en fais partie, je me sens vraiment en lien avec cet espace que je trouve accessible. » Lisa, artiste d'Espace créatif

Le 3 décembre, c’est #mardijedonne. Avez-vous pensé à faire un don à la GAO ? Votre contribution aidera à soutenir nos programmes de bien-être qui offrent un lieu sûr pour l'expression de soi. 💗

The exhibition Island of Listeners is on view now in the Sky Lounge on level 3 until December 15th.

The exhibition presents stories crafted through the collaboration of palliative care patients, care partners, and healthcare providers at Bruyère who shared their time and words with ...storyteller Kim Kilpatrick, shaping 21 stories through interchange, connection, and care.

The film presents some of these stories recited by Kim Kilpatrick with oil painting animation by visual artist Rachel Gray @r.gray.art.

Learn more at oaggao.ca

@radicalconnections.ca
@bruyerehealth

We were saddened to hear of the recent passing of artist Duncan de Kergommeaux. Born in 1927 in northern B.C., de Kergommeaux moved to Ottawa in the early 1950s and became a significant artist, teacher, and member of the regional arts community. He founded the Blue Barn Gallery in the 1960s and ...established the permanent art collection at the Carleton University Art Gallery.

Renowned for his abstract explorations, de Kergommeaux's lifelong pursuit was to uncover the unseen. Through painting, he delved beneath the surface of materials, seeking the sublime in process and meaning making. His retrospective exhibition These are the Marks I Make was held at the Ottawa Art Gallery (OAG) in 2010. The OAG’s Permanent Collection holds 69 of his works, and he was honoured at OAG’s first annual Artist Investiture Ceremony in 2023.

Duncan de Kergommeaux will be deeply missed.

C’est avec tristesse que nous avons appris le décès de l’artiste Duncan de Kergommeaux. Né en 1927 dans le nord de la Colombie-Britannique, de Kergommeaux s’installe à Ottawa au début des années 1950 et devient artiste, enseignant et membre important de la communauté artistique de la région. Il fonde dans les années 1960 la Blue Barn Gallery et met en place la collection permanente de CUAG (Carleton University Art Gallery).

Reconnu pour ses abstractions, Duncan de Kergommeaux consacre sa vie à révéler l’invisible. À travers sa peinture, il creuse sous la surface des matériaux, recherchant le sublime dans le processus et la formation de sens. Son exposition rétrospective Ces marques que je fais a lieu à la Galerie d’art d’Ottawa (GAO) en 2010. La collection permanente de la GAO comprend 69 de ses œuvres. Duncan de Kergommeaux a été honoré lors de la toute première cérémonie d’investiture d’artistes de la GAO en 2023.

Duncan de Kergommeaux nous manquera profondément.

This #GivingTuesday on December 3, consider donating to the OAG! Your support will help send kids to Art Camp, where creativity and imagination is nurtured. 💗

“Every year they’re developing something different, they’re learning new skills, the activities are always changing and ...so they certainly get a lot out of that and we as parents get a lot out of seeing our kids grow in this really wonderful way” - Laura, parent of OAG Art Campers

#GivingTuesdayCA #lovetheoag

Le 3 décembre, c’est #mardijedonne. Avez-vous pensé à faire un don à la GAO ? Votre soutien aidera des enfants à participer à une semaine de camps à la GAO, où la créativité et l'imagination sont cultivées.💗

« Chaque année, les enfants développent quelque chose de nouveau et apprennent de nouvelles compétences. Les activités changent constamment et donnent de beaux résultats. Comme parents, nous éprouvons une immense joie à voir nos enfants grandir et s’épanouir d’une si belle façon. » - Laura, dont les enfants ont participé aux camps d'art de la GAO

#MardiJeDonneCA #LaGAOJadore

Artist Jeff Thomas @jmthomas56 and Curator Rachelle Dickenson @curatecarecrit spoke to @ctvottawamorninglive's @roseyedeh about OAG's current exhibition Stories My Father Couldn’t Tell Me: Jeff Thomas Origin in partnership with @natgallerycan. The segment will air soon! 📺

L’équipe de la GAO croit fermement que l’art et la culture sont essentiels au sentiment d’appartenance et constituent les fondements de la société que nous désirons.

Le 3 décembre, c’est #MardiJeDonne. Avez-vous pensé à faire un don à la GAO ? Votre soutien contribuera à ...la longévité de la Galerie, garantissant un espace inclusif et accessible, où l'entrée est toujours gratuite. 💗

#MardijedonneCA #LaGAOJadore

At the OAG, we believe art and culture are essential parts of belonging and are the building blocks for the society we want.

This #GivingTuesday on December 3, consider donating to the OAG! Your support will impact the overall sustainability of the gallery, ensuring an accessible and inclusive space where admission is always free. 💗

#GivingTuesdayCA #LovetheOAG

Dear Friends and Supporters of the Ottawa Art Gallery,

As we approach Giving Tuesday, we invite you to join us for a special month of giving at the OAG—a time to reflect on the power of art and the incredible impact of your support. Throughout this month, we’ll be highlighting the ways... in which the Ottawa Art Gallery enriches our community, from inspiring young minds at art camps, to providing creative wellness programs, to keeping art accessible for all.

Your contributions help fuel the gallery's diverse initiatives, including:

💕 Sending kids to art camps, where creativity and imagination are nurtured.

💕 Supporting wellness programs that provide a safe space for self-expression.

💕 Enabling the development of new exhibitions and acquisitions that engage and challenge us all.

💕 Ensuring free admission so everyone can experience the transformative power of art.

💕 Empowering emerging artists and arts professionals, from curators to creatives, to thrive in their careers.

💕 Contributing to the revitalization of downtown Ottawa through the vibrancy of the arts.

Together, we are making a lasting impact—your support helps us keep art alive and accessible to everyone in our community. Thank you for being a part of this incredible journey.

With heartfelt gratitude,
The Ottawa Art Gallery Team 💗

Aux gens qui soutiennent la Galerie d’art d’Ottawa, de près ou de loin,

Alors que Mardi je donne approche, nous souhaitons au cours de ce mois des dons réfléchir au pouvoir de l'art et à l'impact profond de votre soutien. Dans les prochaines, nous mettrons en lumière les façons dont la Galerie d'art d'Ottawa enrichit notre communauté, qu'il s'agisse d'inspirer les jeunes esprits lors des camps d'art, de proposer des programmes de bien-être créatif ou de rendre l'art accessible.

Vos contributions alimentent les diverses initiatives de la GAO, et permettent notamment :

Last Chance to See Olivia Johnston: Saints and Madonnas (Project X Award 2024). The exhibition wraps up on November 10th! 👀

In her series Saints and Madonnas, Olivia Johnston engages with photographic portraiture and found objects to explore ideas of holiness in contemporary life.
...
À ne pas manquer : Olivia Johnston | Saints and Madonnas [Saintes et madones] Le Prix Projet X 2024. Cette exposition ferme le 10 novembre ! 👀

Dans sa série Saints and Madonnas [Saintes et madones], Olivia Johnston explore, par le biais du portrait photographique et des objets trouvés, le thème de la sainteté dans la vie de tous les jours.

📸 Artist/artiste Olivia Johnston @olijohn. Photo : @lindsayralph

@spaocentre
@artsottawa
@centre_daimon

OAG hosted the Canadian Art Museum Directors Organization today for a tour of the exhibition Stories My Father Couldn’t Tell Me: Jeff Thomas Origin. Thank you to Jeff Thomas @jmthomas56 for the great tour!

L’Organisation des directeurs des musées d'art canadiens a passé du temps... à la GAO aujourd’hui. L’artiste Jeff Thomas a offert au groupe une excellente visite commentée de son exposition Les histoires que mon père n’a pu me conter. L’origine de Jeff Thomas.

Inuit artist Silas Qayaqjuaq, from Sanirajak, Nunavut, learned to carve at a young age by watching his family members. He moved to Ottawa in the late 1980s where he flourished in both local and international art markets with works that were easy to travel with and popular among tourists.

...In 2021, OAG commissioned Qayaqjuaq to create the work River Crossing, which depicts a scene from his knowledge of living and hunting on the land: a group of caribou crossing a river. Half submerged with heads held high, the parents and their babies forge through the water, evoking a strong sense of balance and movement – a hallmark of Qayaqjuaq’s style.

OAG was saddened to hear of the passing of Silas Tagornak Qayaqjuaq (1956 – 2024) earlier this year. He will be greatly missed.

River Crossing, 2021, Caribou antler, dimensions variable. Collection of the Ottawa Art Gallery: purchased with the support of the Stonecroft Foundation, 2021. Photos: OAG

L'artiste inuit Silas Qayaqjuaq, de Sanirajak au Nunavut, apprend à sculpter dès son plus jeune âge en observant les membres de sa famille. Il s’installe à Ottawa à la fin des années 80 où il crée des œuvres qui se transportent facilement, et qui sont populaires auprès des touristes, ce qui lui apporte du succès tant dans la région qu’au niveau international.

L’artiste réalise River Crossing [Traversée de rivière], une commande de la GAO en 2021, qui dépeint un groupe de caribous traversant une rivière, scène inspirée de la connaissance qu’il a de la vie et de la chasse sur la terre. La tête haute et à moitié submergée, les parents et leurs bébés se frayent un chemin dans l'eau, évoquant un sens prononcé de l'équilibre et du mouvement caractéristique du style de Qayaqjuaq.
C'est avec tristesse que notre équipe a appris le décès de Silas Tagornak Qayaqjuaq (1956 – 2024) plus tôt cette année. La GAO est touchée par cette perte.

River Crossing [Traversée de rivière], 2021, andouiller de caribou, dimensions variables. Collection de la Galerie d'art d'Ottawa : achat avec le soutien financier de la Fondation Stonecroft, 2021. Photos : OAG

Join us on Friday, November 8th for PA Day Camp at the OAG! 🎨
Kids ages 6 to 12 will explore the Gallery and directly engage with current exhibitions at this fun, friendly and bilingual day camp.
Register 🙂👉 link in bio

Soyez des nôtres le vendredi 8 novembre ! 🎨
... La GAO offre des camps de jour artistiques bilingues lors de journées pédagogiques. Ces journées, pour les 6 à 12 ans, feront découvrir la Galerie et ses expositions de manière amusante et avec entrain. Inscriptions 🙂👉 suivez le lien dans notre bio.

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OAG is Open from 10 AM to 6 PM Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday | from 10 AM to 9 PM on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Admission is always FREE. Shop Art + Parcel: A Holiday Sale!