The Ottawa Art Gallery

We're spending a few days looking at art, and I'm starting with night shots. The Ottawa Art Gallery is a municipal gallery that got its start inside Arts Court. From this view, Arts Court is at the left, housed in a 19th century courthouse that today hosts a variety of artistic ventures. At centre is the old Carleton County Gaol, now a traveler's hostel. The Ottawa Art Gallery is now housed in the lit up modern building at right, still linked to Arts Court. Some years ago the decision was made to expand onto the property behind Arts Court. A partnership was drawn up, allowing for the building of a hotel (the tall building behind the Gaol), the new building to house the Gallery, and space for the University of Ottawa's theatre program.

Here we have one of the entrances from further along the street.

I came back in the daytime for a proper visit.

Inside the lobby is a table with mirrors, tied to an exhibit upstairs. In the 19th century, novel photography included the multiphotograph- making creative use of mirrors. An exhibit upstairs that pays tribute to two trailblazing French artists includes a short film that incorporates mirrors in this way.

As always, I look thoroughly disreputable.

Here we have an interior feature. This staircase was once in a home in Rockcliffe Park. The Firestone family features into one of the gallery spaces here in the Gallery; their art collection forms the core of the Gallery's permanent collection. Now their staircase is part of the new building.

The area immediately around here includes art that you can buy. Here are some examples.

There's also a view of a lower level, which includes restaurant space.

I headed upstairs, pausing for this view out a window towards the University of Ottawa campus.

The OAG displays some of their collection on a permanent basis, but features other works on a rotating basis, as well as temporary exhibits. One of the gallery spaces at the moment features First Nations artists. I'm starting with this set of three large scale photographs by Meryl McMaster, a member of the Sikiska, a Plains Cree tribe. Murmur is a 2013 work that makes use of paper cut into starling forms. Those birds have a way of moving as if one organism. She photographed herself in the midst of the paper flock.