Temporary exhibits
Tulip Legacy Exhibit
In May, learn more about the Tulip Story by visiting the Tulip Legacy Exhibit at Commissioners Park. You’ll find out about:
- Princess Juliana of the Netherlands’s stay in Ottawa,
- The birth of Princess Margriet at the Ottawa Civic Hospital,
- The role of Canadian soldiers in helping to liberate the Netherlands during the Second World War, and
- The Capital’s tulip tradition.
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 on the Steps New
In three locations across the Capital, vibrant artworks greet visitors accessing the steps of York Street, of the Corktown bridge, and the Plaza bridge. These works were inspired by the competition theme Call and Response, which asked artists to consider the conversation between artist and location, and viewer to artwork.
Morning Doves
Morning Doves (a play on "mourning doves") reflects the artist's memories of morning birdsong in Ottawa. Inspired by the coupling of these birds, the artist uses the dove as a symbol of enduring love and new life. The ourning doves are thoughtfully placed on York Street, a popular location often used by couples posing for photos. The lively spirit of the ByWard Market is also captured in the vibrancy of this richly patterned artwork. The bright colours symbolize spring, celebration and the soft call of the mourning dove.
Erin McCluskey is an Ottawa-born Toronto-based artist with a background in illustration and theatre. She enjoys creating large, colourful scenes inspired by nature and the city. Her work can be found @mcclusk on Instagram.
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.
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
"he(art)work” – Pedestrian Tunnel Exhibit
In the fall of 2024, Canadian Heritage and Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC) partnered to present an exhibition featuring eight large-scale reproduction artworks, curated by Franchesca Hebert-Spence. The exhibition, “he(art)work”, showcases selected works from CIRNAC’s Indigenous Art Collection. You can admire these works in the West Pedestrian Tunnel near the Portage Bridge until September 2026.
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.
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.