I know I will get negative feedback for rating something that is free so low but neither myself nor my family enjoyed or found value or learning from this experience and we all love art and were initially excited to visit.

I saw the high ratings on maps when deciding where to spend our time in Ottawa and quickly realized the only reason the ratings were so high is because it was free. I also thought it would be incredibly busy being that it was free, highly rated, and located a couple blocks from a very busy street festival but we saw 4 other people visiting the Art Gallery on a long weekend in the summer.

The top 2 floors were mainly only photos and videos. There was an exhibit where we were supposed to imagine the experience of being on a certain ship which was a valuable concept for learning. However, the video of the ocean projected in the wall used to set the scene was taken from land and not open waters. I know it's a small detail but for such a large exhibit and a valuable lesson that tiny bit of effort can make a big difference.

Overall, the art was sparse and lacked diversity of thoughts, types of art, and artists, especially when considering the size and prime location of this building. Unfortunately, even though it was free and we all like saving money, it was not what was expected and not worth our time while visiting Ottawa.

Probably worth swinging through if you are already walking by but unfortunately for us it was not worth making a trip while visiting Ottawa unless there is an artist on display you want to see.