Permanent Collection:

Permanent Collection Statement of Purpose:

The St. Thomas-Elgin Public Art Centre Permanent Collection exists as an educational resource for the St. Thomas and Elgin County community and the general public towards the appreciation of the visual arts as an expression of our cultural history and identity. The St. Thomas-Elgin Public Art Centre serves to ensure the protection, conservation and preservation of works of art in its Permanent Collection.

It is imperative to preserve works of art in order secure our place culture and the life of every citizen. Early works of art are in fact the basis of the existence of modern art forms and are the life of human life. It is crucial in the understanding about a nation or a civilization and even a community.

The St. Thomas-Elgin Public Art Centre’s Permanent Collection is one of the largest and most significant in the St. Thomas and Elgin county region, made up of approximately 900 artworks of local, regional, national and international origin in a variety of media, with special emphasis on contemporary and historical Canadian art, - in particular Canadian - and on the artists associated with St. Thomas and Elgin County. The historical component of the Collection is based on approximately 400 works by local artists from the 19th and 20th century, with content that demonstrates our important history, which includes, oil paintings, prints, sculpture and watercolours. Several major gifts of artwork have been made to the Collection, including the St. Thomas-Smith and Clark McDougall works and through a purchase of the artwork from Alma College. The Art Centre is working on converting its Permanent Collection records, including black and white images, onto a database accessible through the Internet.

"Adopt a Painting" Program

The St. Thomas-Elgin Public Art Centre is the holder of our community's valuable resource "the permanent collection". Some of the works depict our visual history and document historic changes to our city and county. But, due to improperly conserving these artworks, we run the risk of losing them forever. For example, the acid in the card board backing and non-archival mats are eating through delicate watercolour paintings leaving them irreparable.
"ADOPT A PAINTING" for only 100.00 will save two wonderful works of art by providing acid free environment they deserve! For more information please contact Laura Woermke lwoermke@stepac.ca.