Gallery: State of the art: Paintings in government collection making a move

Gallery: State of the art: Paintings in government collection making a move

If you’ve ever spent any time in the Manitoba Legislative Building in the weeks after a change in government, you may notice the buzz of activity taking place in the basement around the Provincial Art Collection office.

The office staff — visual arts consultant Amy Karlinsky and a couple of student employees — can be seen moving large paintings around the area outside their doors in preparation for an MLA or minister to drop by to select art to be displayed in their offices.

The provincial art collection, formalized in 1970, contains about 3,800 pieces; those works are installed in more 100 buildings with multiple offices across the province. It is a working collection and pieces are rotated for conservation reasons, to prevent physical harm and to showcase the diversity of the art and artists.

The collection grows every year via purchase, donation and sometimes by commissioned work.

The focus of the collection today is on diversity, the work of contemporary living artists from Manitoba and Indigenous artists. Highlights of the collection include the work of seven Indigenous-identified artists — Lita Fontaine, Dee Barsy, Jackie Traverse, Michel St. Hilaire, Len Fairchuk, Carly Morrisseau and Christine Kirouac — that were purchased during the 2022/2023 fiscal year, some of which can be seen hanging in department offices in locations including the Woodsworth Building, the Electric Chambers Building, 300 Carlton St. and the legislative building.