Culture, craft and community converge at Lansdowne’s Expo Mexico Mujer
For one weekend, Lansdowne Park became a meeting place between Mexico and Canada as artists, entrepreneurs and artisans gathered for Expo Mexico Mujer to celebrate culture, community and commerce. Held June 5-7 at the Horticulture Building, the event featured exhibitors in gastronomy, fashion, tourism and visual arts, while highlighting the contributions of Mexican women entrepreneurs and creators. Organized in partnership...
‘Everyone has their Ottawaism’: Anonymous trio builds community out of ‘boring’ city’s lovable quirks
“Ottawaisms” began as a collection of complaints sitting in Mira’s notes app. “I initially just started noting down silly, little funny things, and I was going to make a zine about how much I hated Ottawa,” said Mira, one of three anonymous creators of the @ottawaisms X and Instagram accounts. She designed the zine and kept noting observations about the...
Industry shines light on city’s music talent with 2026 award nominations
Dozens of nominees were honoured last week as the finalists for this year’s Capital Music Awards were announced during a ceremony at the National Arts Centre. The awards, organized by the Ottawa Music Industry Coalition, will cap the annual Capital Music Week celebration in October. The 2026 nominees, unveiled May 20 at the NAC’s Peter A. Herrndorf Place, recognize the...
Fair brings showcase for creative, accessible ‘artist books’ to the capital
An exhibition at Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre in downtown Ottawa was brimming with creative energy on May 8 as the second Object/Project Art Book Fair, hosted by Possible Worlds, showcased the work of 62 artists and publishers. Two rooms at the centre were set up like a flea market of artists’ tables, while a third was reserved for artist and panel...
Collaboration and improv key to Ottawa’s only hip hop jam sessions
The booming sound of live music fills Red Bird on Bank Street where Ottawa’s only hip-hop jam session takes place.
Living the dream: Ottawa songwriter keeps a promise to himself with release of new track and video
Ottawa-based musician Victor Gabriel-Hanson, also known as Victa, has kept a promise he made to himself, releasing a new track early in the new year, followed by a music video. The track, “Promises,” was released Jan. 6, while the video came out on March 13. “The vision behind it was just to create a fun dance song,” Gabriel-Hanson said. He...
Annual Ottawa music event bans AI-assisted songwriting
Organizers of a music event that’s been held in Ottawa for more than 30 years have issued a statement to local songwriters prohibiting the use of artificial intelligence in composing their tunes. The Great Canadian Song-Along, taking place until April 12 at Moose McGuire’s pub in Ottawa’s Hunt Club neighbourhood, is a songwriting challenge for new compositions that incorporate one...
Ottawa secondhand bookstore starts a second chapter
Ray and Trish Tropiano have opened a second location of Re-Read Used Books in Riverside South.
Creating space to move: A dancer’s mission to make dance accessible in Ottawa
A Carleton University student is bringing affordable, pay-what-you-can dance classes to Ottawa focused on accessibility and community.
City rebuffs owner, grants heritage status to ‘rare’ Orléans farmhouse
Over the objections of the building’s owner, Ottawa city council has granted heritage status to a “rare and unusual remaining example” of a century-old farmhouse in Orléans. Located at 6654 Notre-Dame St. in the east-end suburb, Lauzon House is described by city heritage experts as an important link to the history of the early Franco-Ontarian farming community while exhibiting “a...
Famed fossil marking ocean-land shift grabs spotlight in new Museum of Nature exhibit
More than 20 years after its discovery, a 375-million-year-old fossil creature called “tiktaalik” has crawled into public view at the Canadian Museum of Nature in downtown Ottawa. Tiktaalik roseae is a well-preserved fossil discovered in 2004 by a team of American paleontologists on Ellesmere Island in Nunavut and is a highlight in the McLeod Street museum’s new exhibit “Life Onto...
More than murals: Paint It Up! builds youth skills and neighbourhood pride in Ottawa
Tucked away on Wellington Street West, a vibrant peafowl fans its feathers across the side of a barbershop, a splash of colour that serves as a point of pride for area residents. Since its completion last year, “The Proudest Plumage” has drawn visitors, sparked conversations and helped community members see themselves reflected in the public space around them. The mural...
Grassroots art collective marking 10-year milestone with November exhibition
Ten years of community-based art will be celebrated with a special show later this year. Artawa, a grassroots collective run by Kina Forney, is marking its 10th anniversary in November with the group’s biggest exhibition yet. The event’s theme has not been decided. Forney said she wants to get input from the Artawa members before she makes any final decisions...
Adventure film showcases ice climbing in Rockies as climate-change sentinel
Ottawa audiences got a front-row seat to the thrill of extreme ice climbing at the Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival World Tour, recently screened at the ByTowne Cinema. Hosted by Trailhead Paddle Shack, the 50th edition of the festival paired athletic feats with climate-focused documentaries, showing how high-altitude adventure offers a window on our warming world. “That mix of spectacle and awareness...
Carleton gallery fosters close-knit feeling with textile exhibit, fibre-art workshops
The Carleton University Art Gallery recently welcomed students with an interest in fibre arts – knitting, crochet, visible mending and more – to come together to create and celebrate its new exhibition, Material Journeys. The gallery held a third installment of its “Art + Friends” series Feb. 8, this time with a focus on textiles. Around 50 students sat around...
‘Don’t shut down the program:’ Students, industry fight to save Algonquin College music training
The sound of guitar solos, drums, bass lines and vocals fill room N124 at Algonquin College. The music recording lab class is covering a song with added elements of creativity to showcase their learning over the term. But next year, room N124 may be silent because the Music Industry Arts program is one of dozens that could be on the...
Eligibility for arts awards revamped in nod to wider circle of ‘creatives’
Arts Ottawa has revamped its eligibility criteria for the capital’s annual awards, a move organizers say, widens the circle of recognition and reflects changes affecting the local arts scene. The awards also acknowledge the impact artists and arts leaders have on the community. “The Arts Ottawa Awards celebrate the artists, cultural workers, organizations and community builders who make Ottawa’s arts...
Brass Monkey closure may be a bad sign, but Ottawa’s live music scene is ‘strong,’ says venue owner
The closure of the Brass Monkey in Nepean may be an ominous sign for Ottawa's live music industry but one popular venue owner is sounding an optimistic note.
Heritage Ottawa talk highlights Indigenous influence at Kìwekì Point
A recent Heritage Ottawa lecture on Kìwekì Point — the National Capital Commission’s reimagining of what was once called Nepean Point in downtown Ottawa — showcased the central role of reconciliation-oriented design and Indigenous collaboration in the $45-million project. Garry Meus, a senior landscape architect with the NCC, guided attendees through the vision for the landmark during his Jan. 21...
Agreement aims to keep artists working in Gladstone high-rise development
A high-rise development appears set to proceed on Gladstone Avenue west of Preston Street, a project that will see the renovation of the historic Standard Bread Company building while maintaining a place for the artists who work there. The building, constructed in 1924 and designated as a heritage property in 2020, is home to the Enriched Bread Artists collective of...
Technology and inclusive storytelling driving growth of Canadian museums
Interest in Canadian museums has grown rapidly thanks to the adoption of digital technologies and inclusive storytelling.
The Arctic is alive and some rare extinct rhino fossils tell us how
It has four toes, rather than the usual three. It is around one metre tall, small, like a carnival pony. And it has no horn. Some 23 million years ago, the creature roamed the High Arctic, crossing between North America and Eurasia — a feat researchers previously thought impossible. “It” is a recently discovered, extinct rhino. Epiatheracerium itjilik, the Arctic...
AI and GLAM: Emerging tech is changing museums and libraries
Pressure to apply AI tools to museum and gallery work is making professionals worry about how to preserve information they’ve been entrusted to protect.
Ontario’s $7M arts funding promise ‘using scotch tape to fix a leak,’ writers say
A recent $7 million pledge from the Ontario government has left some in the literary sector divided on whether it will meaningfully address the realities facing the arts.
From local bars to national TV, Karamilk has championed Ottawa’s drag scene
After stepping onto the stage at Ottawa’s Lookout Bar for her very first drag performance two years ago, Carleton graduate Karamilk has made her national debut on the sixth season of Canada’s Drag Race.
Turning a page? Bookworms taking stock because of rising prices
Rising cost of paper and shipping is forcing up prices for books.
“Why not?” Ottawa musicians intrigued by allure of Eurovision
The federal government’s budget includes $150 million to modernise CBC's mandate and explore participating in Eurovision.
BookTok turns a page in Ottawa’s literary scene
What began as a niche online community for book lovers has evolved in just a few years into one of the most influential forces in publishing, and Ottawa’s bookstores are feeling the effects.
Double Experience’s Brock Tinsley inspires Ottawa creatives to ‘level up’
Brock Tinsley, the nerd rock guitarist, has spent a decade performing videogame-inspired music internationally and uses his experience to help artists reach the next level in their own career.
Restaurant critic Peter Hum has an appetite for food, jazz, travel and family history
Capital Current introduces people who have had an impact on the city. Who is he? Peter Hum is the Ottawa Citizen’s restaurant critic. He will serve an eight-week stint as resident chef at 1 Elgin restaurant early in 2026. From Vienna to Peru, then from Hong Kong to mainland China, Hum is travelling this month, eating and writing about food along...
Kemptville nights: Goldwyn’s injects some new life into growing community
On Sept. 27, a country-style bar opened in Kemptville's downtown core.
Rosey Edeh powers on from Olympian to on-air role model
The co-host of CTV Your Morning Ottawa since 2020, she is a familiar face in the local arts, sports, music and technology communities.
Geoff Cass brings music to the neighbourhood with Red Bird Live
What is Red Bird Live? Its founder says it's a place to bring everyone together for the love of music.
The man behind the queen: Eric Vance brings ‘sunshine’ to Ottawa drag
In the Ottawa drag scene, Eric Vance is better known as Sunshine Glitterchild, the queen he's performed as for nearly five years.
Sharing plates and conversation: Revello Williamson fuels connection through food reviews
Learn more about an Ottawa-based food reviewer who spreads laughter and joy one review at a time.
Melanie Brulée has grown from singer-songwriter to music industry champion
Melanie Brulée has moved from folk-rock country artist to a leader of Ottawa's music industry coalition.
New Ottawa event series creates safe space for Black rave culture and artists
Plantains&Caviar is a new series in Ottawa focused on spotlighting newer Djs and Black rave culture.
Building a bass line: Hip-hop showcase introduces emerging talent to a hungry Ottawa audience
The music collective 808s Creative State held a showcase in an Ottawa barbershop recently to introduce performers to a local audience.
Stitches and soil: Ottawa artists support Palestine through their work
How is the Ottawa art community showing solidarity for Palestine?
‘Special’ Nepean bookstore closing after 50 years
After 50 years of business, The Book Market Nepean will close it's doors soon.
‘We need to unearth these stories’: Ottawa’s first all-Chinese hockey team showcased in new Glebe mural
Tia Wong, artist and long-time Glebe resident, turned the story of Ottawa's first all-Chinese hockey team into a mural celebrating local history and diversity.
Ottawa crime writers gather grim tales in new anthology set in the capital
Capital Crime Writers is releasing an anthology called A Capital Mystery, available Oct. 15. The group has supported and fostered a community of crime fiction writers since the '90s.
Rising popularity of K-pop and K-dramas a sign of shifting perceptions of Korean identity and culture
Nukes. Bombs. War. North Korea. These are words Jenny Kwak, a 22-year-old Korean-Canadian, often heard when people discussed her heritage. Growing up in Toronto, she always felt like she stood out. Her food was different. Her features didn’t fit in. When she met people who weren’t from her community, she learned to steel herself for the stereotyping. Then came 2012,...
Here comes the night: Mathieu Grondin aims to bring new energy to Ottawa after dark
Mathieu Grondin became Ottawa's Nightlife Commissioner 15 months ago. His mandate in Ottawa includes implementing the city’s Nightlife Economy Action Plan and leading the newly created Ottawa Nightlife Office.
Althia Raj balances politics and community in Ottawa
Althia Raj has spent years reporting and providing analysis of the happenings at Parliament Hill. She is also active in Ottawa's arts scene.
Ashley Fraser captures Ottawa through her camera lens
Ashley Fraser's camera has captured Freedom Convoy protests, Snoop Dogg's Ottawa visit and many more Ottawa events.
Bytown is “the best” for We Were Sharks guitarist Colin Jacques
We Were Sharks guitarist Colin Jacques explores his connection to Ottawa after performing in the city's biggest music festival.
Jessica Traina curates what Ottawa has to offer
Jessica Traina has turned a way to explore Ottawa into a career as an local content creator, sharing guides and tips with thousands of followers.
Bestselling author Katie Tallo sets mystery thrillers in Ottawa
Katie Tallo is an international bestselling author of mystery thrillers, who finds inspiration and sets novels in Ottawa neighbourhoods and businesses.
Review: Father John Misty delivers dramatic, enigmatic set at Bluesfest
While the opening night of Bluesfest saw country music tearing it up on the RBC Stage, those who spent the late evening at the River Stage were treated to a performance by one of the most enigmatic songwriters working today. The Father John Misty persona is a creation of American musician Josh Tillman, who rose to prominence as the drummer...