New Winter newsletter is available here!

Andrés Villar
Reconnaissance
January 26 to March 26, 2022

“Memory and history inform how we conceive of times to come. We exist double-faced, imagining futures that can deliver us from the past, even–or especially if–the past acquires the burden of a deceptively golden glow. Discovery implies a certain amount of recollection or recognition. “What has been” channels the possibilities of “what will be.” Yet the past, as someone has said, is a foreign country, inaccessible and glimpsed only darkly in traces that time leaves in its wake. Many of these traces, which are in all that surrounds us, wherever we go, appear as ruins or debris. Like spring without birdsong, they attest to an irrevocable loss. Moving with hope into the future requires a careful reconnaissance of places and legacies so as to be aware of what is present and what is absent in the meshwork of our everyday lives.”  -Andrés Villar

The Cookbook is here!  COOKING 301

Cookbook fundraisers are a tradition at the St. Thomas-Elgin Public Art Centre that started with the Women's Committee in 1974.  Over the past several months, the Art Centre sought to honour this tradition and the host of women who belonged to the Women's Committee, and were fundamental to its beginnings and continued success.

Cooking 301 offers a great selection of recipes from all three original cookbooks (chosen by people who know and love them), along with stories, photos, and so much more! To get your copy for $25 please give us a call at 519 631-4040!

To enter settings that need proof of vaccination, individuals must show proof that they're fully vaccinated using their vaccination receipt. Individuals who received their vaccinations in Ontario can download their vaccination receipt. You must also show a piece of government-issued ID that matches the name and date of birth on the vaccination receipt.

Please note that our on-site  Art Programs for children have been cancelled for 2021.  Please check back often for updates to our on-site art programs for children.  In the meantime, please check out our online activities and resources under the Access to Art tab or visit here...

New Online Exhibitions

February is the month of LOVE around the Public Art Centre.  We have curated a selection of art work from the collection to celebrate.

To view the online exhibitions"

XOXO, Selections from the Permanent Collection

Flames of Love: From the Permanent Collection

here...

Inspire a Student 2021/22

The St. Thomas-Elgin Public Art Centre is a non-profit organization that encourages and facilitates the visual arts in St. Thomas and Elgin County.  It is our goal to “enrich the human creative spirit through nurturing and supporting the visual arts”.   We are dedicated to developing our young artists.  The delivery of our programs may have change but the quality has remained the same. To support these exciting programs please visit: Inspire a Student.

Why not join us on YouTube and check out the many online resources.  You will find surveys of our exhibitions, online instructional videos, art lessons and great content on our local artists. Visit our "Resources"  page for our current videos.  Subscribe today and never miss an update. 

Please be advised that a properly worn face covering is required for people over the are of two, when entering the Public Art Centre.

To ensure the well-being of both Public Art Centre staff and visitors, new safety protocols have been established:

• All visitors must self-assess before visiting the Public Art Centre. Please stay home if you are not feeling well.
• Please visit Ontario Health West  for their online assessment tool
  
• Visitors are required to wear self-provided masks.(additional masks are available at entry)
• Hand sanitizer is provided upon entry and throughout the public space.
• Please follow the directional signs when touring the exhibitions.
  
• The Public Art Centre will limit the building’s capacity and use signage to prevent congestion. (Current restrictions: 10 visitors at a time)
  
• All visitors and staff must maintain a two-metre distance from each other. Household groups may remain together. Children must stay with an adult at all times.
• No running in the facility.

The St. Thomas-Elgin Public Art Centre is pleased to announce that our Executive Director, Laura Woermke, will be coordinating the new “Art, Trees & Trails” project, a community-wide collaboration with partners including the Kettle Creek Conservation Authority, Catfish Creek Conservation Authority, and St. Thomas Elevated Park. This project will bring historic and contemporary artwork from the Art Centre permanent collection to our beautiful local trails and Elevated Park through the installation of attractive signs that feature high quality reproductions of many of our landmark paintings. The “Art, Trees & Trails” project has been generously funded with $115,000 by the Estate of Donna Vera Evans Bushell.

Art has an incredible ability to unify. Supporting the mission of the Public Art Centre, especially “encouraging the appreciation for and supporting the practice of the visual arts in St. Thomas and Elgin County”, the “Art, Trees & Trails” project will allow us to engage with the community outside the walls of the Public Art Centre, promote art education, and add to our visual environment in places where community members and visitors explore nature. Signs will be installed along the trails at Springwater Forest, Dalewood Conservation Area, and St. Thomas Elevated Park. In each case, the artwork selected will correspond to the precise physical location.