The City of St. Catharines owns approximately 500 works of art and cultural pieces, under the responsibility of our Cultural Services office, as part of its Civic Art Collection. The collection is made up of fine art, photos, outdoor art pieces, war memorials, significant plaques and historic wooden carvings. It plays an important role in providing access for residents to art and cultural pieces that honour our cultural identity as a community.
With over 100 years of acquiring items and more than 10 years that staff have dedicated to inventorying, cataloguing and managing this diverse and complex collection, the Civic Art Collection is a source of pride and creative expression for the City and its community.
The collection and its acquisitions are guided and supported by our Public Art Policy and the Public Art Advisory Committee.
For frequent updates about our Civic Art Collection, follow our St. Catharines Culture Facebook Page and St. Catharines Culture Twitter Account.
Collection locations
You can find works from our Civic Art Collection displayed throughout the city, including:
- The committee rooms, hallways and grounds of City Hall
- Centennial Gardens
- FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre
- Kiwanis Aquatics Centre
- St. Catharines Public Library
- St. Catharines Museum and Welland Canals Centre
- Jaycee Park
- Lakeside Park
- Memorial Park
- Montebello Park
- Rennie Park
- Victoria Lawn Cemetery
Acquisitions
Our Public Art Advisory Committee selects artwork and pieces from contemporary artists to be included in our Civic Art Collection every year, most notably from the Annual Juried Exhibit, which features local artists.
The committee works to formalize acquisition processes, review and engage with community-initiated projects, and develop new public art projects.
View our Art Exhibits Page for our most recent exhibits and acquisitions.
Collection goals
When recommending items for the City's collection the committee considers how a donated item responds to the five core goals of the collection:
- Provide access to art in public places for all of St. Catharines' citizens.
- Enhance St. Catharines' desirability as a community by creating appealing environments in which to live, work and play.
- Honour, preserve and encourage our cultural heritage and artistic diversity.
- Promote civic identity through awareness and preservation of the community's history, cultures and living arts.
- Support effective urban planning, economic development and cultural tourism opportunities.
The committee must also consider the City's management capacity and resources when accepting donations.
Art Collection Vision Statement
Visually beautiful cities stimulate a sense of pride and commitment. Through our Public Art Policy the City of St. Catharines strives to create vibrant public spaces that reflect the diversity of our community and engage our residents and visitors with quality works of public art.
Make a donation
Contact us if you would like to donate your work to our Civic Art Collection. To make a donation, you must be sponsored by a member of the community who is not a family member. Thank you for considering the City of St. Catharines' Civic Art Collection for your donation!
What you can expect as a donor
If we accept your offered work of art or cultural property into our collection, you can expect us to:
- Respect your gift with responsible care and maintenance
- Recognize your donation in all publications related to the art collection that year
- Display your gift as soon as possible for at least two years
- Notify you in the event of any change in status to the item you have donated
Your item's display
We welcome your input on where you would like to see your gift displayed, however we cannot guarantee it will be placed in your chosen location. The City owns many buildings and lands and we seek to ensure all neighbourhoods in St. Catharines have the opportunity to enjoy the collection.
Ownership
We undertake full ownership of any item donated to our collection. Full responsibility and authority over all items in the collection rests with the City and will be guided by the City's Public Art Policy and Public Art Advisory Committee.
Since the City is not an art gallery, we cannot guarantee that we will hold ownership of all items in our collection in perpetuity. Some items may be time sensitive, such as commemorative plaques, and may be removed from the collection at some time in the future.
Tax receipts
Tax receipts can be issued for donations of fine art and cultural property if you have a bill of sale or an appraisal from a certified member of the Art Dealers Association of Canada or the Certified Appraisers Guild of America. Contact us if you need help seeking an appraiser.