“Almost every community has a Legion branch and I thought it was important to document what was going on there,” says photographer Tobi Asmoucha.

The result of her work over a couple of years will be the subject of a new exhibit at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa, running from Jan. 15 until Nov. 20.

Asmoucha, 42, who grew up in Vancouver, but has lived in Toronto for many years, said she had some exposure to Legion branches from going to weddings, but had never really studied them until she received an assignment to do so for Canadian Geographic magazine in 2007.

“I wanted to see what was going on inside a Legion when there wasn’t a wedding,” Asmoucha told Legion Magazine. “I found that whenever I left a Legion I was in a happier mood than when I went there,” she said.

The original assignment took her to branches in Vancouver, Quebec, Toronto and rural Ontario. Since then she has expanded her images to Eastern Canada and taken more photos in branches around Toronto. “I find the face of the Legion is changing because the face of the veteran is changing,” she noted.

The exhibit will include 25 images featuring tea socials, dances and remembrance services.