OTTAWA (Canada)— As Canada prepares to celebrate its 150th Anniversary in 2017, the National Arts Centre is partnering with Instagram in a special project that will feature beautiful photography of the architectural detail of the NAC and other leading Canadian arts institutions.

The NAC and Instragram will be welcoming the new Minister of Canadian Heritage, Mélanie Joly and more than 30 Ottawa based Instagrammers to the NAC early on November 18, 2015 to photograph the hidden spaces of the building. The event called #EmptyNAC is the first of a series of events that Instagram will be hosting across Canada on the road to 2017.

Other major arts institutions around the world have hosted similar events including #EmptyLouvre in Paris, #EmptyGuggenheim in New York, and #EmptyArtsandPortraits at the National Portrait Gallery in London.

The event takes on special significance as the NAC was a centennial project, designed by Canadian architect Fred Lebensold that opened in 1969, and will soon be renovated with a spectacular addition designed by Canadian architect Donald Schmitt that will open on Canada Day in 2017 to mark the countries’ 150th Anniversary.

Media are invited to attend this event that will capture the architectural details of the building before major renovations of the NAC begin in 2016.

     When:  Wednesday, November 18, 8:30 a.m.-10:00 a.m.

     Where: Meet in the lobby of the National Arts Centre, 53 Elgin Street

     What:   NAC/Instagram event to photograph Fred Lebensold’s building.

     Who:    The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, Peter Herrndorf, President and CEO of the NAC, Kevin Chan, Head of Public Policy,

                  Canada Facebook and Lilly Wyden, Manager of Public Policy Instagram

As part of Canada’s Road to 2017, Instagram is planning to work with several landmark institutions across Canada to host #empty events. The goal of the #empty events is to bring people together around photography and celebrate the beauty of Canada through the lens of the arts, culture, and digital media.