Our 30 Stories for 30 Years interview series continues, as we look back on 30 years in the Middle of Everywhere. We’ve been meeting with former Ottawa Visitors Center Board members, and some others who have been along for the ride. We’re reflecting on three decades of tourism and considering what the future may hold. Join us, as we look back on local tourism’s evolution, some Ottawa Visitors Center history, and a special guest’s unique perspectives.
Our special guest for this entry is Amanda Weygand Zehr, the owner of Open Space Art Gallery & Studios. Amanda opened Open Space in late 2018, and has been a prominent figure in Ottawa’s growing arts movement ever since. She got us started with some background on her time in Ottawa and running Open Space.
“I am born and raised here. I grew up in Naplate, so I’ve lived here my whole life. I left and went to Chicago for two years after high school and really missed it when I was there. So I came back, and I’ve lived here ever since. I opened the gallery because I just felt like we were missing something for artists here. And as an artist who went to Chicago for a few years, and then I commuted to ISU, I found like a tribe of people there, and I had a studio there, and it was just really great. Everything I wanted to bring back here. So yeah, opening the gallery was just kind of a way for me to create that community here,” Amanda said.
Ottawa’s community is truly one of its greatest strengths. Throughout this interview series, we’ve seen how strong the community can be, and what can be accomplished when we work together. We’ve explored the community created by the City of Ottawa, the atmosphere of the downtown community evolve throughout the years, the community cultivated by business owners, local historians, and more. Ottawa as ‘The Middle of Everywhere’ is truly growing into its own. That’s just one of the exciting things about tourism! The community has so much to share. To build on this, we asked Amanda what tourism means to her, especially coming from the art perspective.
“I think tourism is so important for all businesses, art especially. We’ve got so many people coming to the Starved Rock area. And they want something authentic, they want to come to towns that have authentic restaurants, experiences for them. I feel like tourism is really important for our entire community, because it feeds into what we can then offer our community,” Amanda explained.
“Having people come and get something authentic, have something fun to do, something that they can make with their hands is very important, but just coming to our town and seeing all the different… you know they don’t want chain restaurants, they want restaurants that invoke a feeling, trying to create experiences. Then in return, that builds and boosts our economy. And then we can offer more things to our local supporters,” she said.
Ottawa’s arts movement has truly taken off within the last couple years. New sculptures have gone up, last year saw the inaugural En Plein Aire Art Festival, and the Ottawa Center for the Arts recently opened. The arts have been here for some time though, as the town is also home to murals, other sculptures, other studios, and more. It seems as if the growing art movement in Ottawa is a natural path for the city (and tourism) to follow. We asked Amanda her thoughts on this, and the evolution of arts tourism.
“Yeah it really is. When I was little, I saw the murals start to go up, to the point where I was able to paint one of the murals with one of the artists. So, I’ve kind of had that perspective, from when they first started, to also being included in them. And I know that it’s always been a huge draw for people to come and see art in our town, and then make art, and be a part of that. But now we’ve got the arts committee, and a lot of the murals that were created back when I was in high school, are coming to the end of their life. So, it is that progression of ‘Well, now we’re getting new stuff, new sculptures, new murals,’ and I really feel like that wave of people coming to see these, the freshness of it, is gonna start all over again. It’s really gonna make a destination for art here again. And art is so important for tourism. It just gives you, again, that life experience, that authentic, ‘you can only see this here’ moment. So it drives people to our community to see that,” Amanda said.
From murals (a blend of local history and art) and sculptures, to a new arts committee and arts center, Ottawa’s artistic side has truly flourished. There’s a whole new side of the town to explore. As the Middle of the the Arts, Ottawa’s art scene is no stranger to events. The Third Friday Makers Market sees arts, culture, and entertainment take over Madison Street. Amanda shared an update on the 2026 Third Fridays, as well as the next En Plein Aire Art Festival.
“We start in May through September, 3rd Friday of the month. We’re really excited for it… I’m going to meet with a group of artists and work and be making sculptures for it,” she said.
“We’re working on [En Plein Aire] right now. Applications should be out hopefully soon… Last year, we did the first En Plein Aire Festival, attracted people from 5 different states, and it was a huge success. We had people that have been doing En Plein Aire festivals all over the country, and they said that ours was insanely organized and well put-together. So they said once that word gets out, it’ll be a different beast. So we’re rushing to get our application out, trying to get that so people can know about it. But we’re hoping that just continues to grow, and see what really cool paintings we get out of town, and what we can do with those paintings. Last year was so new… but we’re hoping some of the car dealerships, some of the restaurants, places in town could have the opportunity to buy these paintings. But that’ll be September 11th, 12th and 13th,”
Not only is Ottawa an evolving town, it’s one that grows and enriches what it already has. The development of the arts in Ottawa is so exciting, for tourists and locals alike. Events and attractions can tend to change throughout the years as well. We asked Amanda if she had a favorite attraction or event in town. We also just had to see if there were any former events/attractions that Amanda would like to see return.
“Riverfest was just… when I was little, it was like this big gathering of everyone. Everyone went to River Fest, and I think I tried to bring a lot of those fundamentals to 3rd Friday, to give people a place to just gather, and meet each other, and catch up. And River Fest was definitely that place. I was little, so we always went to the carnival. When I was a little older, I got to go to the carnival by myself and see my friends. When I was even older, I went to the music and enjoyed that part of it. It’s just always been like that staple growing up and now that we don’t have something… Third Fridays are great. Like I said, I’m trying to implement some of that community aspect of Riverfest into Third Friday, but it’s once a month. Riverfest was nice because it was like 2 weeks long or a week and a half long, so everybody [went] and you always made at least a day or two of it,” Amanda added, “I think a reimagined river fest would be cool.”
“But as for a non-event, the bridge sculptures by Mary Fanning, have always been my favorite attraction to Ottawa. I always look at them. They’re just… driving over the bridge and seeing them, they’re just staples. We use them as our logo in 3rd Friday because it’s just always been that beacon of art for our community and I love seeing that.”
There’s a lot to be excited about in Ottawa – both currently, and for what lies ahead. The Middle of Everywhere is the place to be. We asked Amanda if she had any final thoughts on the evolution and future of Ottawa tourism.
“When I grew up here, our town was… you know, I don’t feel like it was the greatest. The buildings were kind of run down. There wasn’t a whole lot here. My mom worked downtown, I’d always walk to her office and there were no shops, there was not much. And since I’ve been here, I’ve seen the revitalization of our downtown, storefronts being rebuilt, a lot of people putting effort into the garden beds, and the storefronts, and the businesses, and seeing that continue to grow,” she said.
And now in the arts, we have the gallery, but we also just got Grateful Clay and the Center for the Arts, and all of these spaces that are just really calling to people to come here for art, it’s it’s kind of like that idea that if there’s just one of something, it doesn’t really make it a destination for that. But if there’s more, I feel like the arts in our town, it’s really our time to shine. It’s growing. There’s more businesses and nonprofits related to it, and the arts committee is starting to add more art to our downtown. So just seeing all of that grow is so exciting. I know it’s just going to get bigger and better.”
Many thanks to Amanda! We certainly can’t wait to see how Ottawa evolves as an art tourism destination. Stay tuned for more updates and interviews on our Facebook and on the rest of our blog! Thank you for celebrating 30 years in the Middle of Everywhere with us.
