In this edition of the Weekender, a new exhibit at the Canadian Museum of Nature, a closing party, and five other things to do in Ottawa this weekend.

H.P. Lovecraft-inspired (FREE!)
SPAO (School of Photographic Arts) presents a multi-disciplinary show by Dante Penman. Disturbed by nightmares since youth, Penman found solace in the tortured imagination of American horror-fiction author, H.P. Lovecraft. Liebe Handwerk (or “love craft” in German), the title of his show, features his experimental photogram images, linocut relief prints, sculpture, pictorial poems, and other texts. Jan. 10 to 23. Free. SPAO, 168 Dalhousie St., spao.ca

Night transforms (FREE!)
See how mundane, everyday activities — shopping, work, transportation — are transformed by night’s strange alchemy in Window Shopping, an exhibit by Ottawa artist Petra Halkes at Cube Gallery. Another exhibit, Reflections, has the viewer gaze through windows, combined with interior reflections, to see hints of what lies beyond. Until Jan. 26. Free. Cube Gallery, 1285 Wellington W., cubegallery.ca

Literary showcase
Pressed highlights new and established local authors’ works as part of In/Words Magazine‘s second such showcase. There will be works by Ali Alikhani, Kaleb Hikele, Marilyn Irwin, Jane Silcott, and Kaleigh Watts, as well as indie-folk jams. Jan. 10. 7 p.m. $10, students $7. Pressed, 750 Gladstone Ave., pressed-ottawa.com (more…)