The Ottawa Art Gallery is 'your' gallery, and you can visit for free

The Ottawa Art Gallery (Photo courtesy: www.oaggao.ca)

OTTAWA — If you feel like your walls are closing in, maybe make some time to explore the art collection at the Ottawa Art Gallery.

The OAG is your gallery. It’s open and it’s free.

Art can provide that escape from reality, or interpretation of reality. It can make you forget about the dark days of November, or the heavy days of 2020, for that matter.

The gallery shines like a beacon of creativity.

“From the outside is a big white cube and at night it’s illuminated with different colours. You can’t miss it!” says Véronique Couillard.

Couillard looks after OAG communications, and the most important message right now, and always, is that everyone is welcome to explore and enjoy the gallery.

The new OAG opened just two years ago at 50 MacKenzie King Bridge.

“We have four stories of art to visit a different exhibit on each floor,” says Couillard.

That includes the immense and impressive Firestone Collection, containing 1600 works by influential Canadian artists.  The collection was donated by O.J. and Isobel Firestone in 1973.

The OAG is open from Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m until 6 p.m.

“It’s always free. We just ask the people book online so they can book a time slot to come and visit in the gallery, then you’re free to roam as you wish,” says Couillard.

If you wish to purchase art created by an artist in the Ottawa-Gatineau Region, you can do that at the Galerie Annexe within the Ottawa Art Gallery.

And if you like to give a gift of an original work, you can participate in an on-line art auction.

To learn more, visit the auction website here.