While that’s on par with other temporary exhibitions, Gallery officials say they only forecasted 45,000 visitors, adding the strong turnout is “encouraging.”
“For a gallery known for exhibitions on renaissance artists of the Group of Seven, to take a contemporary art show … was a bit of a risk for the gallery in the summertime slot,” says Jonathan Shaughnessy, assistant curator of contemporary art at the National Gallery and the show’s coordinating curator.
The exhibit was “front and centre” in tourism marketing materials this summer, says Jantine Van Kregten, director of communications at Ottawa Tourism.
It was featured in ads appearing in print publications such as the New Yorker, Toronto Star and Montreal Gazette, as well as in broadcast media.
A minute-and-a-half video was also uploaded to Ottawa Tourism’s YouTube channel, garnering more than 1,200 views in English and French.
And the exhibit was the impetus for a Washington Post travel writer to visit Ottawa, a trip that led to an article titled, “Discovering Canada’s cool capital.”
“When I read that this summer, the National Gallery of Canada would be the only North American stop for the Tate Modern's blockbuster “Pop Life” show … I did a double take. Was it possible that the parochial Ottawa of my childhood had actually become hip?” Michael Kaminer wrote in July.
The gallery also sponsored the Bluesfest stage in the ByWard Market, a partnership Mr. Shaughnessy calls “unprecedented.”
From the Gallery’s perspective, Mr. Shaughnessy says print advertising for Pop Life was down compared to past exhibits as more resources were spent on marketing through social media platforms.
Exact figures on the percentage of out-of-town guests are not yet available. However, Mr. Shaughnessy says almost half of the visitors were between the ages of 18 and 34. For many, it was their first time at the Gallery, he adds.
“We hope they come back,” he says.
Ms. Van Kregten says she hopes the Pop Life exhibit raises the profile of the Gallery’s diverse offerings, as well as the abundance of smaller galleries and studios throughout the city.
“There is a very vibrant scene here,” she says.
