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Art Gallery of Greater Victoria presents Nurturing the Creative Spirit: The Sisters of St. Ann

Art Gallery of Greater Victoria presents Nurturing the Creative Spirit: The Sisters of St. Ann an exhibition on view through Dec. 8.

Sister Mary Seraphina (née Blanche Simard), (1892 – 1954) Canadian, Bringing in the Hay, 1930, oil on canvas, On Deposit at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria from the Collection of the Sisters of St. Ann, Victoria, B.C.
Sister Mary Seraphina (née Blanche Simard), (1892 – 1954) Canadian, Bringing in the Hay, 1930, oil on canvas, On Deposit at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria from the Collection of the Sisters of St. Ann, Victoria, B.C.

In 1858, a small group of Sisters – the Sisters of St. Ann – traveled from Quebec to establish a convent in Victoria. They also established institutions of education, notably St. Ann’s Academy, which is recognized as one of the first schools in BC to offer an art program. The Sisters recognized the potential of art education to ready students for both the spiritual and practical aspects of life, and from 1873 until the Academy closed in 1973, the Sisters offered classes to students and the broader community. In 2011, 18 paintings from the Sisters of St. Ann were transferred to the AGGV in celebration of their important legacy as artists and art educators. Nurturing the Creative Spirit is an intimate exhibition that features paintings, drawings and ceramics by the Sisters and their students.

Guest Curated by Carey Pallister, Archivist, Sisters of St. Ann Archives, with Michelle Jacques | Drury Gallery http://aggv.ca