Over one hundred and eighty-five works of art are preserved in the Temiskaming Art Gallery’s permanent collection. And it is continually growing. The acquisition and care of this material has been a work of love and dedication. Almost every item came because of someone’s donation. Often it was the artist’s – and anyone who knows the labour and emotion that goes into any piece of art, will know what a valuable gift each was. Other acquisitions have come from generous owners or left as bequests. The result is an unparalleled collection of northeastern Ontario art as well as some excellent examples from artists across Canada and abroad.

Many of the works are about environment. They have an energy and spirit that embraces the power of this region’s landscape. This is at the core of the wood masks carved by artists from Six Nations Reserve. We also see the headframes, the sentinels of our local history as well as the houses hugging the rock, the lakes and sweeping skies that frame our local world. In others we are given only the essence, as colour and shape and form blend and collide to catch and interpret the imagination of the artist. The collection also contains some extraordinary works from across Canada often given by artists who came and fell in love with the region and left these gifts behind. Others are from even further afield.

The collection preserves stories and images of moments and places in time. It has become a treasure of art and history.

It is also a visual record of some extraordinary artists and northerners.We don’t know all the artists’ names, but what strikes one when reading the artists’ biographies we do have, is how much the generosity of the region has soaked into the art community. The stories are full of artistic camaraderie; of people sharing their skills and ideas; of encouragement and mentoring; they tell of artists inspiring artists, artists teaching artists, and artists just having a whale of a good time with artists. It is possible that this generosity is reflected in the art itself. Certainly there is more joy, exhilaration, reflection and peace than rage and dark foreboding in this collection of works.