Ottawa Art Gallery facts for kids
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| Established | 1988 |
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| Location | Ottawa, Ontario, Canada |
| Type | Municipal gallery |
The Ottawa Art Gallery (OAG) is a cool art museum in Ottawa, Ontario. It first opened its doors in 1988 at a place called Arts Court. The OAG has a huge collection of over a thousand artworks. It also takes care of the City of Ottawa's special Firestone Collection of Canadian Art. The gallery offers fun programs for everyone, including educational activities and community events. The OAG loves to get, understand, and share art. It also acts as a cultural meeting place for people.
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History of the OAG
The Ottawa Art Gallery started because artists in the late 1980s wanted to show local art. "The Gallery at Arts Court" opened in 1988. It was located in the old County Courthouse building. In 1993, it officially became the Ottawa Art Gallery.
Before the gallery opened, there was a big art show in 1975. It was held at Lansdowne Park and featured over 300 artworks. Many artists, like Victor Tolgesy, helped organize this show. In 1985, the City Council supported a plan to make the Carleton County Courthouse an arts center. This building is on traditional Anishinābe Aki territory.
Mayo Graham became the first director of the gallery in 1989. By 1992, the OAG was officially named Ottawa's Municipal Gallery. This led to new exhibition spaces opening. The Firestone Gallery was also created to show the recently acquired Firestone Collection.
In 1993, the gallery became its own independent organization. Mela Constantinidi became the Director in 1993 and led the gallery for 17 years. She won an award in 2010 for her work in the arts. Alexandra Badzak has been the OAG's Director and CEO since 2010. She has helped the gallery grow a lot.
Building and Expansion
The Ottawa Art Gallery used to be in Arts Court with many other art groups. Arts Court was originally the Carleton County Courthouse. It was built in 1870 and was an important government building. In 1985, it became a space for the arts.
With help from the City of Ottawa and the province of Ontario, the OAG built a new, much bigger home. The new building is 55,000 square feet, which is more than three times its old size. The expanded OAG building opened on April 28, 2018.
With more funding, the Ottawa Art Gallery started many public programs in the mid-1990s. The Public, Educational and Community Programming department has grown. It now includes programs like ArtWise, Départ, Creative Sundays, Toddler Mornings, and Art Tent. The OAG also hosts special events for the local art community.
Art Collections
The OAG takes care of two main art collections. These are the City of Ottawa-owned Firestone Collection of Canadian Art and its own permanent collection.
Firestone Collection of Canadian Art
In 1992, the Ottawa Art Gallery became the home of the Firestone Collection of Canadian Art. Dr. O.J. (Jack) and Isobel Firestone started this collection in the 1950s. They collected many 20th-century Canadian artworks. Their home, Belmanor, was where they kept and showed their art.
In 1972, the Firestone family gave 1,200 artworks to the Ontario Heritage Foundation. They also donated their house and money to support the collection. Dr. Firestone's second wife, Barbara Firestone, helped the collection travel through Europe in the 1980s. They continued collecting art until about 1990.
By 1992, the collection had 1,600 artworks and needed a new home. The City of Ottawa and the OAG worked together to get the collection. The city now owns it, and the OAG takes care of it and shows it. This collection includes art by famous Canadian artists. Some of these are A. Y. Jackson, Lawren Harris, Arthur Lismer, and Emily Carr. These artists were part of the Group of Seven or other important art movements. The OAG shows these artworks in special exhibitions. Other museums also borrow them to display.
OAG Permanent Collection
Getting the Firestone Collection helped the OAG start its own collection of modern art. This collection was first called the Contemporary Collection. Its goal was to gather and record contemporary Ottawa-Gatineau Art.
Now, it is known as the Permanent Collection. It has over 1,000 artworks, both old and new, related to the Ottawa region. The OAG adds new artworks every year. These are either donated or bought. The OAG's Director and art staff choose the new pieces.
The Permanent Collection includes works by modern artists like Pat Durr, Barry Ace, Lynne Cohen, and Annie Pootoogook. Some artists' families have also given many of their works to the collection. For example, Max Dean donated 50 of his photographs and installations in 2016.
