MacLaren Permanent Collection
The collection began in 1987 with the donation of the Spirit Catcher by Ron Baird; it was this important donation that got Barrie's first public art gallery off the ground. The collection didn't grow again until Maurice MacLaren bequeathed his property on Toronto Street and his collection of art in 1989. Over the next several years the collection grew with several modest donations. The growth of the collection exploded in 1997 in preparation for the new facility which has several areas dedicated to the collection including a Prints and Drawings Room and a Display Archive.
The majority of these acquisitions have been facilitated through generous donations by artists and private collectors. This collection is a reflection of the MacLarenArtCentre's aspiration to create a public collection which exemplifies the breadth, diversity and quality of the visual arts. Currently, the strength of the collection lies in works on paper as well as modern and contemporary Canadian art from artists in this region and from across the country. The MacLarenArtCentre holds the collection in public trust for this community for today and for future generations.
Highlights of the collection include:
- Over 2000 works on paper by Canadian artist, Michael Forster from the late 1940s until the early 1990s.
- 51 drawings and illustrations by Canadian artist, Bertram Brooker primarily from the 1930s.
- Numerous paintings and works on paper by local and regional artists paintings from the 1960s to the 1990s by prominent contemporary Canadian artists such as Tim Zuck, Walter Bachinski, Will Gorlitz, David Craven, Renee Van Halm, Allan MacKay, John Hartman, Tony Scherman, Ron Martin, William Ronald, Carl Beam, John Gould, Paul Fournier, Erik Gamble, Shirley Wiitasalo, Greg Murphy, Ted Fullerton, Harold Klunder, Stephen Hutchings, Takao Tanabe, Tom LaPierre, James Lahey, Cathy Daley, Jack Chambers, Jack Bush, Diana Dean, Tom Hodgson, Joyce Wieland, Brian Burnett, Fred Hagan, Ric Evans, and Jaan Poldaas.
- A growing collection of sculpture including artists Peter von Tiesenhausen, Clarissa Inglis, Marlene Hilton-Moore, Richard E. Prince, Ted Bieler, and Sorel Etrog.
- An education outreach collection of prints by Woodland First Peoples artist Norval Morrisseau.
- Several watercolours by Lucius O'Brien.
- Photographic works by Japanese artist Akira Komoto.
- Works on paper exploring the environment by internationally recognized German artist Nils-Udo and American artist Alan Sonfist.
- A woodblock print by one-time Barrie resident Graham Scholes.