New operating hours!

Our new operating hours will begin in July! 

Please drop by:

Tuesday to Thursday 10am-4pm

Friday 10am-8pm

Saturday 12-4pm

For the summer session, all participates must wear a mask while attending the class.  We will be limiting class size and length to ensure distancing is achieved.

ADVANCE REGISTRATION AND PAYMENT ARE REQUIRED FOR ALL CLASSES.  SPACES ARE LIMITED.

We thank you for your patience and understanding as we begin to reintroduce all of the wonderful programs you have come to look forward to and enjoy! For more information visit here...

PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT social distancing and masks will STILL BE IN EFFECT AND WILL be mandatory when visiting .

On the Line

Gallery One and Two

June 18 to July 30, 2022

The inspiration for this exhibition comes from a 2016 episode of Revisionist History, by Malcolm Gladwell.  The episode, The Lady Vanishes, tells the story of the place of women artists (or lack thereof) throughout the history of art and art collecting.  The term, on the line, refers to the hanging of art.  A work of art displayed prominently in an exhibition and at eye level is considered on the line. For far too long, women artists were not located on the line or in many exhibitions and public collections.  The Public Art Centre has and continues to place importance on collecting and exhibiting the works of women artists, both contemporary and historical.  This permanent collection exhibition is focused entirely on local and regional women artists, their work, and heir extraordinary determination to create.

"And She Can Cook..."

Josepha van den Anker

Gallery Three

June 18 to July 30, 2022

Josepha van den Anker, throughout four decades of her career, describes herself as a "figurative artist", a painter and printmaker.  Influenced by media imagery, archaic iconography, quotations by writiers and philosophers, her art often reflects a personal narrative... engaging the viewer in the psychological drama of human emotions and questioning the confines of self in the Power Politics of Society.  Born in Holland, JvdA is a naturalized Canadian Citizen.  An honour's Graduate of the Ontario College of Art, 1976, she has continuously exhibited in Canada, and while living in Ireland and Holland for several years.

Illuminated Impressions

Tabitha Verbuyst

August 6 to September 23, 2022

Gallery Three

The St. Thomas-Elgin Public Art Centre is pleased to present, Illuminated Impressions, in gallery Three. Drawn to illumination and movement, Tabitha Verbuyst oil works focus on a fleeting moment in everyday life and landscape, the dreamlike memory of the otherwise past and forgotten.

Please be advised that the "IN VIEW OF THE ARTIST"  Annual Juried exhibition is postponed until 2023.  Thank you for your understanding. 

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. 

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.

It is with gratitude that we thank the Ontario Trillium Foundation for providing support through the Community Building Fund.  The funds provided, contributed to the operating and equipment costs, which has allowed us to continue to fulfill our mission "to encourage the appreciation and support the practice of the visual arts in St. Thomas and Elgin County."