The Shenkman Arts Centre is closed to the public until further notice. There are, however, a reduced number of specialized summer camps available through City partners. Please note that registration for camps is online only.
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Gallery Calendar
Shenkman Arts Centre is home to six visual arts exhibition spaces as well as public art installations. Works by a diverse set of local, regional and national artists are exhibited throughout the Centre. Admission to all of the galleries is free. Meet the artists at monthly receptions. Consult our Events Calendar for details.
The Exhibition Space at Arts Network Ottawa showcases visual art by emerging and professional artists who are members with Arts Network Ottawa. The office space doubles as a gallery and is equally suitable for readings, gatherings, meetings and presentations. Individual, duo, and artist collectives show their work here in 2D and 3D mediums. Arts Network Ottawa provides the space to local artists so they can add to their exhibition experience, to sell their work and have conversations with the community.
Open Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5 pm
Open on select Sundays for Meet the Artist, 1 pm to 3 pm
Owned and operated by the City of Ottawa, the Trinity Art Gallery features the works of local and regional artists in two exhibition salons. Artists are selected through an annual peer assessment process. For submission information go to ottawa.ca. Trinity Art Gallery Salons A and B are located on the Lower Level of the Shenkman Arts Centre.
Cancelled - Young at Art 2020: East Ottawa Exhibition
April 23 to May 17, 2020
Young at Art is an exceptional opportunity for Ottawa visual artists between the ages of 12 and 20 years to reach out to their communities – and beyond – through the experience of a citywide, juried art exhibition.
April 23 to May 17, 2020
Young at Art is an exceptional opportunity for Ottawa visual artists between the ages of 12 and 20 years to reach out to their communities – and beyond – through the experience of a citywide, juried art exhibition.
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Postponed - Sophie Lemieux: Sugar Rush
May 21 to June 16, 2020
New date to be determined
Sugar is known to stimulate the feel-good chemicals in the brain. To echo the feeling, this collection is depicted in rich, vibrant colours. Its subjects include natural sources of sugar, carefully crafted man-made treats and figurative interpretations of the sugar rush.
May 21 to June 16, 2020
New date to be determined
Sugar is known to stimulate the feel-good chemicals in the brain. To echo the feeling, this collection is depicted in rich, vibrant colours. Its subjects include natural sources of sugar, carefully crafted man-made treats and figurative interpretations of the sugar rush.
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Postponed - Peter Coffman, Diane Laundy, Lorna Crozier: The House the Spirit Builds
June 18 to July 21, 2020
New date to be determined
This exhibition is a meditation on place through photography and poetry. The poems and photos speak to one another in a language that is timeless, lucid and precise, revealing the wisdom and peace gained from the simple act of being still and looking closely at what surrounds us.
June 18 to July 21, 2020
New date to be determined
This exhibition is a meditation on place through photography and poetry. The poems and photos speak to one another in a language that is timeless, lucid and precise, revealing the wisdom and peace gained from the simple act of being still and looking closely at what surrounds us.
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Raymond Warren: Ici et là
July 23 to August 25, 2020
Here, the concourse of a train station, where ordinary people rub shoulders with one another, travelling for now inside themselves, their thoughts elsewhere, some wandering, some resting. There, in the background, turned away at the borders, are those for whom the destination and destiny are interwoven.
July 23 to August 25, 2020
Here, the concourse of a train station, where ordinary people rub shoulders with one another, travelling for now inside themselves, their thoughts elsewhere, some wandering, some resting. There, in the background, turned away at the borders, are those for whom the destination and destiny are interwoven.
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Sanjay Sundram: The Artist as a Meat-Eating Coal Company
August 27 to September 22, 2020
I heard about climate change 25 years ago. Along with many other artists, architects, designers and filmmakers of that time, I set out to spread awareness and make things right. This exhibition is an acknowledgement of our influence… a moody celebration of failure.
August 27 to September 22, 2020
I heard about climate change 25 years ago. Along with many other artists, architects, designers and filmmakers of that time, I set out to spread awareness and make things right. This exhibition is an acknowledgement of our influence… a moody celebration of failure.
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Shirley Yik: It’s the Economy
September 24 to October 20, 2020
This series examines the prevailing narratives of economic growth, fuelled by the cycle of mass production and consumption, in the context of the Anthropocene, and the impact they have on our relations with each other and with nature.
September 24 to October 20, 2020
This series examines the prevailing narratives of economic growth, fuelled by the cycle of mass production and consumption, in the context of the Anthropocene, and the impact they have on our relations with each other and with nature.
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Lissa Rachelle: Goose Bumps: The Nature of Birds
October 22 to November 24, 2020
Creatures of habit, humour and opportunity. Beings of fragility, strength and beauty. Spirits of music, myth and magic. Descendants of dinosaurs. This is the nature of birds.
October 22 to November 24, 2020
Creatures of habit, humour and opportunity. Beings of fragility, strength and beauty. Spirits of music, myth and magic. Descendants of dinosaurs. This is the nature of birds.
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David Glover: Hiding in Plain Sight
November 26, 2020 to January 5, 2021
David Glover's photographs reveal the abstract forms and hidden beauty in everyday scenes. These images, from as far away as Bhutan and as near as our own backyard, will inspire the viewer to look at the world in a new way.
November 26, 2020 to January 5, 2021
David Glover's photographs reveal the abstract forms and hidden beauty in everyday scenes. These images, from as far away as Bhutan and as near as our own backyard, will inspire the viewer to look at the world in a new way.
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Artventurers: Big Impressions: An Abstract Artventure
January 7 to February 9, 2021
A group show of large scale contemporary abstract paintings from different artists, each with their own unique artistic style and cultural background. These works will tantalise the viewer with their richness and creative diversity.
January 7 to February 9, 2021
A group show of large scale contemporary abstract paintings from different artists, each with their own unique artistic style and cultural background. These works will tantalise the viewer with their richness and creative diversity.
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Arteast: Mosaic
February 11 to March 16, 2021
"Mosaic" is Arteast Ottawa’s major annual juried exhibition for two- and three-dimensional art works. This prominent event showcases the richness of the artistic talent of Arteast members.
February 11 to March 16, 2021
"Mosaic" is Arteast Ottawa’s major annual juried exhibition for two- and three-dimensional art works. This prominent event showcases the richness of the artistic talent of Arteast members.
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Cancelled - Young at Art 2020: East Ottawa Exhibition
April 23 to May 17, 2020
Young at Art is an exceptional opportunity for Ottawa visual artists between the ages of 12 and 20 years to reach out to their communities – and beyond – through the experience of a citywide, juried art exhibition.
April 23 to May 17, 2020
Young at Art is an exceptional opportunity for Ottawa visual artists between the ages of 12 and 20 years to reach out to their communities – and beyond – through the experience of a citywide, juried art exhibition.
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Postponed - Karen Bell: Woven Light
May 21 to June 16, 2020
New date to be determined
As wind bends the grass, and waves dance on the beach, we see and feel movement in nature. Come explore our world seen through the lens of photographer Karen Bell, using the Intentional Camera Movement technique, as she exhibits impressions left on us by light and colour.
May 21 to June 16, 2020
New date to be determined
As wind bends the grass, and waves dance on the beach, we see and feel movement in nature. Come explore our world seen through the lens of photographer Karen Bell, using the Intentional Camera Movement technique, as she exhibits impressions left on us by light and colour.
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Postponed - Helen Nhan: Colour in Conversation
June 18 to July 21, 2020
New date to be determined
Colour in Conversation is an exhibition to tell a story with colours as the narrators and canvas their prompt. Piece by piece a story unfolds—abstracted by form, colour and texture—to expose and reflect upon our lives.
June 18 to July 21, 2020
New date to be determined
Colour in Conversation is an exhibition to tell a story with colours as the narrators and canvas their prompt. Piece by piece a story unfolds—abstracted by form, colour and texture—to expose and reflect upon our lives.
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Irma Gutierrez: Guardian of Unspoken Lives
July 23 to August 25, 2020
23 pieces that explore my interest in giving a voice to those species - their echoes, reflections and shadows - impacted by climate change. At which moment do our thoughts take form, and when do we get lost in them?
July 23 to August 25, 2020
23 pieces that explore my interest in giving a voice to those species - their echoes, reflections and shadows - impacted by climate change. At which moment do our thoughts take form, and when do we get lost in them?
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Wendy Feldberg: Contained/Uncontained
August 27 to September 22, 2020
The natural art materials I create with local plants and minerals communicate meanings to me beyond their substance. My work exploits their time-sensitive properties to allude to transient human experiences of integration and disintegration, loss and recuperation, freedom and restraint.
August 27 to September 22, 2020
The natural art materials I create with local plants and minerals communicate meanings to me beyond their substance. My work exploits their time-sensitive properties to allude to transient human experiences of integration and disintegration, loss and recuperation, freedom and restraint.
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Lynda Cronin: Thinking through drawing and objects
September 24 to October 20, 2020
Large scale drawings (and perhaps sculptural objects) investigate and expand upon the language of contemporary drawing and communicate this practice to the viewer.
September 24 to October 20, 2020
Large scale drawings (and perhaps sculptural objects) investigate and expand upon the language of contemporary drawing and communicate this practice to the viewer.
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An Nguyen and Kina Forney: A Big Universe
October 22 to November 24, 2020
This exhibition features a series of paintings of global cityscapes and skies that are beyond human reach. Kina Forney and An Nguyen illustrate the beauty of civilisation, and point us towards a futuristic connection between earth’s atmosphere and galaxies beyond.
October 22 to November 24, 2020
This exhibition features a series of paintings of global cityscapes and skies that are beyond human reach. Kina Forney and An Nguyen illustrate the beauty of civilisation, and point us towards a futuristic connection between earth’s atmosphere and galaxies beyond.
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Kate Green: Introperspective
November 26, 2020 to January 5, 2021
Kate’s introverted nature strongly influences her perspective on society and what she chooses to paint. In this series, Kate utilizes the artistic tool of perspective to lead the eye of the viewer to various viewpoints of the world she records.
November 26, 2020 to January 5, 2021
Kate’s introverted nature strongly influences her perspective on society and what she chooses to paint. In this series, Kate utilizes the artistic tool of perspective to lead the eye of the viewer to various viewpoints of the world she records.
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Yu Ruirong: The Feeling of Being Together
January 7 to February 9, 2021
Depicting ordinary people and things makes us all art lovers. We use lines to portray, and colour to express, the beautiful things in our hearts and the people around us. Art created in this manner often brings us pleasant surprises.
January 7 to February 9, 2021
Depicting ordinary people and things makes us all art lovers. We use lines to portray, and colour to express, the beautiful things in our hearts and the people around us. Art created in this manner often brings us pleasant surprises.
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Arteast: Mosaic
February 11 to March 16, 2021
"Mosaic" is Arteast Ottawa’s major annual juried exhibition for two- and three-dimensional art works. This prominent event showcases the richness of the artistic talent of Arteast members.
February 11 to March 16, 2021
"Mosaic" is Arteast Ottawa’s major annual juried exhibition for two- and three-dimensional art works. This prominent event showcases the richness of the artistic talent of Arteast members.
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The Dust Evans Gallery, located on the lower lobby of the Shenkman Arts Centre, is operated by the Gloucester Pottery School. Each year the work of six professional artists who sculpt in clay is featured. Most exhibiting artists also give workshops in the school’s studio.
Upcoming exhibitions
Bill Reddick
June 12, 2020 to August 12, 2020
Mike Doxey
August 14, 2020 to October 14, 2020
Michelle Mendlowitz
October 16, 2020 to December 9, 2020
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On the Centrum Level of the Shenkman Arts Centre, Ottawa School of Art-Orléans Campus Gallery features a broad range of works by local, national and international artists. Please note that this gallery is closed on Sundays.
The City of Ottawa and community arts organizations own visual arts spaces for exhibiting artwork. They are operated and programmed by the community arts organizations. Promenade Arteast features works by members of Arteast on the lower level of Shenkman Arts Centre.
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