For Posterity: works from the Permanent Collection

Gathering works from our early acquisitions, this exhibition reflects important gifts from key supporters and past exhibitions. The Art Gallery of Peterborough was founded as a contemporary gallery and its collection reflects this. Built with support from donors, volunteers, and artists, the works from our early acquisitions chart the path of a nascent and savvy institution, driven primarily by women, dedicated to the creation of something strong and stable. It is a gift to future generations.

The Art Gallery of Peterborough was established as a collecting institution, holding acquisitions that predate the formal incorporation of the institution which took place on March 15, 1974. With the support and dedication of our earliest volunteers alongside Director Illi-Maria Tamplin, funds were raised, a provincial grant was secured, and an addition was made to the former Foster House. This modern wing opened in 1979 and includes our current gallery spaces and collection storage vault. By December 21 of 1981, the AGP was designated as a Category A Collecting Institution under the terms of the Cultural Property Export and Import Act for objects of Fine Art. This designation secured the AGP’s importance as a cultural steward of national importance.

A tree, with its primary root system nurtured and strengthened by its environment, feels like an appropriate metaphor to use. In nature, trees are places of refuge, rendezvous points, resourceful and generous. They respond to changing circumstances and chart their histories in rings and scars, each year letting go of what no longer serves in order to support new growth. The AGP’s Permanent Collection, like a tree, has grown slowly and surely, a legacy of tenacity and resilience.