Dalhousie Art Gallery

The Dalhousie Art Galleryis located in the Arts Centre of Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Established in 1953 in a one-room area of the Arts and Administration Building on the university campus, it is the oldest public art gallery in Halifax. The gallery moved to its current home in the Dalhousie Arts Centre in 1971, and since 1972 it has been served by full-time professional staff (director/curator, registrar/preparator and office manager/communications officer) assisted by part-time staff and a body of volunteers. It is guided by an advisory committee made up of members of the university and general community.

The mandate of the Dalhousie Art Gallery is to collect, preserve, interpret and display works of art, both historical and contemporary. Its program of exhibitions, lectures, films and artists' presentations are offered free of charge to the university and to the general community. In its role as an academic support unit, the gallery is intended to provide a locus where aesthetic appreciation and criticism may develop and where related cultural issues may be examined.

The gallery is an active area of research and regularly publishes scholarly catalogues and brochures to accompany exhibitions; as well, it maintains an extensive library of arts journals and publications that are available for reference or study.

The Dalhousie Art Gallery collection encompasses contemporary and historical works and artifacts, both Canadian and international in origin, with an emphasis on art from the Atlantic region of Canada. Specialty acquisition areas include Inuit Sculpture and, particularly within the last 15 years, contemporary and historical Canadian works on paper. Of singular note are the Richard and Jocelyn Raymond Graphic Art Collection (1910-50) and the Carnegie Collection of Historic Prints.