Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography, Art museum on Sussex Drive, Ontario, Canada
The Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography is an art museum in Ottawa, Ontario, dedicated to photography by Canadian and international artists. Most of its galleries are located underground and accessed through a glass pavilion beside the Rideau Canal.
The museum was founded in 1985 as part of the National Film Board of Canada, then moved in 1992 to a purpose-built underground space beside the Rideau Canal. In 2009, its collection was merged into the National Gallery of Canada.
For many years, this was one of the few places in Canada dedicated entirely to photography as an art form. Visitors could find works that showed everyday life, landscapes, and social realities across the country.
Entry is through a glass pavilion on the Rideau Canal, which leads directly down into the underground spaces. Because the galleries are below ground, the temperature stays even year-round, making a visit comfortable regardless of the weather outside.
The underground location was chosen partly to avoid blocking the view of the Rideau Canal, not only to protect the photographs. This means the museum sits literally beneath one of Ottawa's most-visited waterways.
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