Part of 200+ Culture to the Core, a year-long cultural showcase bringing bold programming and events to Ottawa’s downtown
The Ottawa Art Gallery (OAG) is launching its spring and summer exhibitions exploring land and ecology through a feminist recovery lens, the intersection of art and science, relationality, and a critical re-examination of familiar Canadian symbols. Bringing together historical and contemporary works such as photography, beadwork, weaving, performance, and multimedia installation, the exhibitions span diverse forms and perspectives.
“As Ottawa marks its 200th, and as we imagine the next 200 years, OAG is proud to highlight the vital role of art and culture in shaping the city. These exhibitions, presented in partnership with Ingenium – Canada’s Museums of Science and Innovation and the National Gallery of Canada, reflect our region’s histories and culture through the voices and visions of its artists, while recognizing the Host Nation has cared for this land since time immemorial. I invite residents and visitors alike to immerse themselves in the cultural life of the capital through these powerful exhibitions.”
– Alexandra Badzak, Director and Chief Executive Officer, Ottawa Art Gallery
Faith Fyles: In Full Bloom, on view from March 7 to September 27, 2026, is a major collaboration with Ingenium – Canada’s Museums of Science and Innovation and the first retrospective dedicated to the Ottawa artist. Drawing on more than 40 works from Ingenium’s collection, the exhibition sheds new light on Faith Fyles (1875–1961), the first woman appointed to a scientific position with Canada’s Department of Agriculture who pursued dual careers at Ottawa’s Central Experimental Farm as both assistant botanist and artist. Fyles collected botanical specimens, conducted research on plant diseases, and rendered plants and fruits with remarkable precision and close observation, bridging scientific inquiry and artistic practice.
“Faith Fyles: In Full Bloom, celebrates the remarkable legacy of Ottawa’s first woman botanist and scientific illustrator, and the first woman to hold a scientific position in the Canadian government. This exhibition beautifully bridges science and art, showcasing Fyles’ work while highlighting the deep connection between methodical observation, creative expression, and scientific literacy. Ingenium was proud to contribute botanical artworks from our national collection, along with historical and scientific context. Through this collaboration with the Ottawa Art Gallery, we are excited to bring this story and collection to new audiences and to underscore the vital role art plays in scientific discovery.”
– Christina Tessier, President and CEO, Ingenium – Canada’s Museums of Science and Innovation
As part of the exhibition, Faith Fyles’ legacy is reinterpreted by contemporary artists Stephanie Tenasco, Deborah Margo, Marie-Jeanne Musiol, Barbara Brown, and Susan Geraldine Taylor. Their works expand and add complexity to Fyles’ legacy, revealing the many ways women continue to observe, document, and care for the natural world.
The exhibition becoming| un |becoming: deepening relations, presented on view from April 11, 2026 to August 23, 2026, offers a selection of artworks reflecting 20 years of critical artistic practice by white settler artist and scholar, Leah Decter. In her artworks, Decter enlists conceptual and material icons within the landscape of settler imagery in Canada that encourages careful reflection and consideration.
“Following an ethic of settler accountability and collaboration, Leah’s powerful artwork interrogates the structures of settler colonialism, without side-stepping the way she is implicated in them.”
– Rachelle Dickenson, Associate Curator, Indigenous Art, National Gallery of Canada, Co-Curator, becoming| un |becoming: deepening relations
With captivating textures and colours, Decter provides a lens through which we may see differently familiar national icons and everyday experiences of Canadiana. The National Gallery of Canada and the Ottawa Art Gallery are engaged in a unique partnership to support the self-determination and cultural sovereignty of Indigenous artists, cultural producers and communities. This exhibition is an extension of that partnership.
The public and media are invited to OAG’s Spring Exhibition Celebration on Thursday, April 16, 2026, from 6 PM to 8:30 PM. The event will include a conversation with artists and curators and celebrate several new OAG public installations, including Sàgàbigonì by Stephanie Tenasco, installed on the outside wall of OAG’s Mackenzie Bridge entrance; Threshold by Jennifer Macklem and Faezeh Maleki, in OAG’s Mackenzie lobby; Diatom Rose Window, on view on the window of OAG’s Daly Lobby; Flightpaths: Initiations by Jennifer Macklem on level 1; and the closing of the group exhibition Chroma in Galerie Annexe, on view until April 19.
Public can RSVP for the Spring Opening Reception HERE.
Working with local artists, cultural partners, and the City of Ottawa, OAG is animating Ottawa 200 with bold, inclusive experiences that reflect who we are and where we’re going, including exhibitions, events, and creative activations across the city. The ‘+’ in 200+ Culture to the Core honours the deep histories of this land that go far beyond 200 years, highlights the ongoing leadership and creativity of Indigenous artists, and asks: in what ways can the “+” help reimagine what comes next?
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