Faith Fyles: In Full Bloom

This exhibition explores the intersection of art and science through the life and work of Faith Fyles (1875 – 1961), the first woman to be appointed as a botanist with Canada’s Department of Agriculture. The exhibition traces her distinctive dual careers at Ottawa’s Central Experimental Farm (CEF): first as a botanist and then as an artist, with both roles often merging in one project. Fyles collected botanical specimens, researched plant diseases and documented plants and fruits in several media and styles. Fyles navigated a gendered bureaucracy while creating and sharing knowledge about Canadian agriculture during its rapid expansion in the early twentieth century. 

Fyles’ legacy is reinterpreted through lenses of land, labour, and scientific craft in contemporary works presented throughout the exhibition: Stephanie Tenasco celebrates Algonquin beadwork traditions and enduring relationships with the natural world; Deborah Margo’s dye experiments are based on the histories of women’s knowledge-making and deep connections to plant life; while Marie-Jeanne Musiol’s Kirlian photographs propose a new kind of herbarium; Barbara Brown brings visibility to the often-overlooked labour of women farmers engaged in sustainable practices across the region; and Susan Geraldine Taylor’s hand-coloured prints of the CEF highlight its centennial and advocate for the protection of its landscapes.  

The works by these artists expand and add complexity to Fyles’ legacy. The works reveal the many ways women continue to observe, document and care for the natural world. 

This exhibition is a unique collaboration between the Ottawa Art Gallery and Ingenium-Canada’s Museums of Science and Innovation. Drawing on Ingenium’s large horticultural art and artefacts collection, the exhibition team launched a research project that has shed new light on Faith Fyles’s life and career—and uncovered previously undocumented works.

Curators: Rebecca Basciano, Meghan Ho, Dr. William Knight, Dr. Cindy Stelmackowich
Curatorial Coordination: Erin Bruce
Curatorial Research Assistant: Casarina Hocevar
Exhibition Design: Barbara Suhr
Graphic Design: Leah Ross and Mathieu Kirchmayer
Technical Team: Stephanie Germano, Dan Austin, Rob Keefe, Mark Garland, Neil Hossack, Fen Weston, Esma Gardner Jones, Sabrina Ferrari, and Evalyn Shields. 
Editors: Matt Harrison, Véronique Couillard
French Translation: Marie-Camille Lalande 
Photo Documentation: House of Common Studio

Institutional Lenders and Partners:
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Government of Canada
Canadian Agriculture Library
Canadian Museum of Nature
Ingenium – Canada's Museums of Science and Innovation
Library and Archives Canada
National Film Board of Canada
Royal Botanical Gardens (Canada)
University of Guelph  

Sponsored by:

This exhibition was also realized with the support of the City of Ottawa, the Ontario Arts Council and the Canada Council for the Arts.