History of the Saint John Art Club

We are going to go back in time to 1896 when a Saint John Branch of the "Women's Art Association of Canada" was formed. From this group came the nucleus of the Saint John Art Club that included both men and women.

The Club set out its objectives very clearly. It was to advance the general knowledge of fine art. Promoting and facilitating a greater knowledge and love of art by the members of the community. The meetings were very formal and formal attire was worn. Once the Club was incorporated, a School of Art was formed which trained and launched many young artists. M.V. Paddock was its first art director; Miss Alice Hagarty guided the work of the advanced classes, while Miss E.R. Holt devoted 22 years to the instruction of junior students. Such notable artists as Ted Campbell and Miller Britain's first paintings were under Miss Holt's supervision. This school flourished until 1934. In addition to the School of Art, the club had three other main activities: the presentation of lectures; the showing of traveling exhibitions; and the acquisition of important paintings. There were no art galleries in Saint John and the New Brunswick Museum was a natural history museum, with no art department. The Club, therefore, raised funds for the purchase of paintings, with the objective of forming a collection of representative art of North America.

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