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May-June 2005 The Portrait Gallery of Canada
Opening late in 2007, the Portrait Gallery's exhibitions and public programming will be housed in a graceful Beaux-arts heritage structure at 100 Wellington Street opposite the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa. Formerly the American embassy, the building will be transformed into a gallery welcoming some 250,000 visitors annually through a major restoration and the addition of a state-of-the-art modern wing, as designed by the partnership of Dixon.Jones/Teeple/Cole Architects. The Portrait Gallery of Canada is a programme of Library and Archives Canada (LAC), and the major portrait collection gathered by LAC over more than one hundred years will form the foundation for the activities of the Gallery. The Gallery itself has a unique mandate to focus on the men and women from all walks of life who have helped to build our country and who continue to build it. Hence, in addition to the great names from our history books, it will represent all Canadians from all parts of society, because these individuals, too, have made uniquely diverse and irreplaceable contributions to our country. Happily, the breadth of the LAC collection ranges, for example, from 17th-century paintings through 21st-century photographs, and from the Aboriginal peoples to the founding fathers of our nation and the unnamed immigrants who helped people the west.
The challenge of the Portrait Gallery building will be to provide a nationally and internationally recognized location for the display and interpretation of this exciting collection, as well as for the presentation of frequent travelling or temporary exhibitions. Its design, combining both heritage and modern components which contrast and complement each other, speaks symbolically to Canadians about past lives and personalities, as well as about a present and future which offer new opportunities for belonging and achievement.
The design will ensure the optimum possible environmental and security conditions for the works, while also providing a welcoming space for visitors. The unique inclusion of natural daylight in many galleries (controlled, of course!) will give the spaces a fresh and intimate atmosphere. There will also be a new outdoor courtyard with sculpture and video projections, and even a boutique and coffee bar, for a little relaxation! Before the opening, there will be more news from the Portrait Gallery and LAC. Watch for our special events here!
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