This text is part of the special section Museums

Ottawa’s museums are welcoming visitors again after the pandemic and protests. And if the calendars of temporary exhibitions have often been jumbled in the last two years, we can always count on the huge permanent exhibitions that can be seen in the capital.

Canada Museum of Science and Technology

“We forget how permanent exhibitions are the basis of our museums,” recalls Lisa Leblanc, executive director of the Science and Technology Museum in Ottawa. The museum offers nine permanent exhibitions, including the classic Steam: a world in motion, where visitors are invited to board a locomotive and discover the mechanism and history of this means of transport. Like a backbone within the museum, theArtifact Alley presents a selection of objects, from the smallest to the largest, and a demonstration scene.

Otherwise, strange kitchen + remains one of the most popular exhibits. The original kitchen from when the museum opened in 1967 has been retained, but a completely revamped exhibition explores different experiences that focus on perceptions and illusions. And to learn more about sound and all the technological innovations surrounding it, Shape the sound offers an immersive and interactive experience.

Canadian History Museum

With the size of the exhibition halls Canadian History Museum“Each room is a museum within a museum,” notes Chantal Amyot, Acting Director General. The Grand Hall houses the largest display of totem poles in the world, as well as facades of First Nations homes behind which are two exhibits about these peoples of western Canada. Visitors can also learn about Aboriginal history at the First Peoples Hall, while the Canadian History Hall explores the country’s great historical moments. Another must-see is the Canada Stamp Collection, which includes more than 3,000 stamps from 1851 to the present day and also includes works by postal-inspired artists such as B. a vintage dress made of letters.

The permanent exhibits are constantly changing, such as content related to boarding schools in the First Peoples Hall. “We want to make people aware that they are part of history,” summarizes M^me Amyot. The Ukrainian Church in the Canadian History Hall takes on full meaning with the events of the last few weeks. Very important to the Ukrainian community, this church usually hosts masses or ceremonies. Objects are also changed depending on the season.

Canadian War Museum

the Canadian War Museum presents four galleries on Canada and the ongoing conflicts. Each gallery explores a portion of Canada’s military history, from the early wars during the colony to the Cold War, including both world wars. 2017 added sections on the Battle of Vimy Ridge and Canada’s involvement in operations during the Gulf War, as well as in Somalia, Rwanda, the former Yugoslavia and Afghanistan.

The permanent spaces of the museum are constantly in motion, whether for practical reasons (loans of objects, fragile objects) or to make updates. The LeBreton Gallery, which includes a collection of military vehicles and artifacts, artillery pieces, and naval and air forces, will soon host two new acquisitions, an armored vehicle and a variant of the APC M113 that served in Afghanistan during the war. New animation was recently installed in the WWII Gallery at the Canadian War Museum and the gallery is undergoing further transformations The Last 100 Days of World War I.

National Gallery of Canada

The national collection of National Gallery of Canada can be seen in two permanent exhibitions. At the Indigenous and Canadian Art Galleries inaugurated in 2017, the series focuspresents four ephemeral installations from the permanent collections in collaboration with Library and Archives Canada: 19th Century Photographic Illustration^e century ; imagery ; The work of art/art at work ; Dog Teams in Indigenous and Canadian Art.

In the Rideau Chapel, Motet for forty voices is a sound sculpture by Canadian artist Janet Cardiff, who adapted a piece by Thomas Tallis, a 16th-century English composer^e Century. In this installation, brought to life in the neo-Gothic chapel rebuilt inside the museum, 40 separately recorded voices are transmitted through 40 loudspeakers distributed around the room.

From April 8th, the contemporary art galleries will also host a selection of works from the collection of LGBTQ2S+ artists. Videos, photographs, installations and ephemeral documents will highlight the creativity and strength of these artists Beyond the Rainbow.

To see in the video