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A new Arts, Culture and Entertainment (ACE) District is opening in downtown Ottawa.
It houses outdoor art instillations, murals and musical performances to connect art galleries, schools and institutions in the ByWard Market and Centretown.
“The ACE District sets the stage for a more cohesive experience of arts, culture and entertainment in our downtown,” said Mayor Mark Sutcliffe.
Ottawa Art Gallery director and CEO Alexandra Badzak said this project emerged as the city was working on downtown revitalization.
“When you bring arts and culture into a downtown that requires some love, it makes a huge difference,” she said. “It shows that we care. It brings the eyes up, it celebrates space.”
Badzak said art also helps make people feel safer and makes the area more attractive for businesses.
“If we want a stronger Ottawa, we need a stronger ByWard market and a stronger downtown,” Sutcliffe said.
He was sounding a similar message to an April city report that argued tackling economic and social challenges downtown such as housing, mental health and remote work supports the city’s tax base, culture and confidence.
The district is funded by $600,000 from the wide-ranging 2024 Ottawa-Ontario deal that laid out hundreds of millions of dollars in possible projects.
3 showcases
The city announced three new cultural initiatives Wednesday to show the district “in action.”
The Arts Corridor: A curated public art route with about 10 works connecting the Ottawa Art Gallery, the National Arts Centre and the National Gallery of Canada.The Asphalt Art Initiative: A large street mural near the market’s Ottawa sign on York Street.SoundScape Festival: A summer event series in the corridor beneath the Plaza Bridge at Elgin and Rideau streets, with a continual ambient installation and three showcase events between Pride in late August and Ottawa’s 200th anniversary on Sept. 26.
Sam Loewen, a local interdisciplinary artist and graphic designer, made the new Country Queers number two mural outside of The Lookout Bar.
“The more spaces that we have that are informed by human creativity, that are about humans occupying space and seeing other’s lived experiences from other humans in those spaces, just enriches culture that champions diversity, ” he said.
Loewen said when he first moved to Ottawa, the Lookout Bar became a “home” for him and his friends.
“It’s very meaningful and personal to have my work on such an important and specific site for me.”