Last week when I was in Ottawa, I decided to get out of the heat and cool off in the National Gallery of Canada. With stunning views of Parliament Hill, this spacious gallery is the perfect spot to wander through years and years of exceptional Canadian art. Boasting a large rotating permanent collection of Canadian and Indigenous Art, the National Gallery of Canada celebrates Canada’s rich cultural history. The Canadian collection includes famous work from Emily Carr, The Group of Seven, Christopher Pratt and many more in the world’s most comprehensive collection of Canadian art. The Indigenous Art collection celebrates the work of historic and contemporary Aboriginal artists from Canada and around the world. The National Gallery of Canada also has a European and American Art and Contemporary Art collection that is part of their permanent display which celebrates artists from around the globe and transporting you through the decades within the gallery walls.
Want to learn more about the art on display? The National Gallery of Canada offers a variety of guided tours for children, structured thematically as well as a visual description tour for the visually impaired. Visit their events section online to better help you plan your visit.
Travelling with children? Have them explore the gallery with the Artissimo kiosk that provided children with an interactive way to wander through the exhibitions and learn about the paintings with a variety of activities.
What’s On? In addition to their various permanent collections, this summer stop by and be amazed at the special exhibitions that the National Gallery of Canada has brought in.
- Until September 7, 2015, 250 paintings, studies, sketches and prints by Alex Colville will on display. Colville is renown for his iconic paintings that present everyday Canadian life and has resulted in his influence in the arts community at larger.
- An exquisite collection of Chagall’s lithographs titled Daphins & Chloe will be showcased in the upper gallery until September 13, 2015. This collection of illustrations articulates exactly why Chagall was a pioneer of modernism in his time creating a unique style that set him apart from his contemporaries at that time.
- Geoffrey Farmer: Leaves of Grass (until September 2015) will trace fived decades of Canadian social history thought 22,000 illustrations cut out of Life
- On until September 13, 2015, Luminous and True: The Photographs of Frederick H. Evans showcases his great mastery in photography to create complex and thought provoking prints.
So You Want To Be An Artist? Are you a Canadian teenager between 16 and 19 and aspire to be an artist? The National Gallery of Canada is hosting the fifth edition of the contest So You Want To Be An Artist? Where teens can enter to win the opportunity of a lifetime. The finalists’ artworks will be displayed in the Artissimo Gallery and the first-place winner will receive an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of the Gallery, a portfolio review by an NGC curator and a gift certificate for art supplies. Enter here by October 5, 2015. 
