Ottawa 
Events Description
This exhibition explores the intersection of art and science through the life and work of Faith Fyles (1875 – 1961), the first woman to be appointed as a botanist with Canada’s Department of Agriculture. The exhibition traces her distinctive dual careers at Ottawa’s Central Experimental Farm (CEF): first as a botanist and then as an artist, with both roles often merging in one project. Fyles collected botanical specimens, researched plant diseases and documented plants and fruits in several media and styles. Fyles navigated a gendered bureaucracy while creating and sharing knowledge about Canadian agriculture during its rapid expansion in the early twentieth century.
Fyles’ legacy is reinterpreted through lenses of land, labour, and scientific craft in contemporary works presented throughout the exhibition: Stephanie Tenasco celebrates Algonquin beadwork traditions and enduring relationships with the natural world; Deborah Margo’s dye experiments are based on the histories of women’s knowledge-making and deep connections to plant life; while Marie-Jeanne Musiol’s Kirlian photographs propose a new kind of herbarium; Barbara Brown brings visibility to the often-overlooked labour of women farmers engaged in sustainable practices across the region; and Susan Geraldine Taylor’s hand-coloured prints of the CEF highlight its centennial and advocate for the protection of its landscapes.
The works by these artists expand and add complexity to Fyles’ legacy. The works reveal the many ways women continue to observe, document and care for the natural world.
This exhibition is a unique collaboration between the Ottawa Art Gallery and Ingenium-Canada’s Museums of Science and Innovation. Drawing on Ingenium’s large horticultural art and artefacts collection, the exhibition team launched a research project that has shed new light on Faith Fyles’s life and career—and uncovered previously undocumented works.
Who is it for?
All ages
HOW MUCH
Tickets : Free
How to get tickets?
At the door: NO TICKETS NEEDED
WHEN & WHERE
Date: Saturday March 7, 2026 to Sunday September 27, 2026
March 7, 2026 – September 27, 2026
Closed: Monday
Tuesday: 10 AM – 6 PM
Wednesday: 10 AM – 9 PM
Thursday: 10 AM – 9 PM
Friday: 10 AM – 9 PM
Saturday: 10 AM – 9 PM
Sunday: 10 AM – 6 PM
Venue & Address
Ottawa Art Gallery, 50 Mackenzie King Bridge, Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 0C5, CANADA // Para Transpo drop-off entrance: 10 Daly Avenue, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6E2
Wheelchair accessible
Street Parking
Paid Parking
Street metered parking is available (check hourly limits) in the nearby Sandy Hill residential area. Other paid parking options include: Novotel (3 Daly Avenue); Rideau Centre (80 Nicholas Street or 5 Daly Avenue). // Bicycle racks are located near the gallery’s main entrance at 50 Mackenzie King Bridge.
Accessible by Public Transport
