About Us

The StFX Art Gallery respectfully acknowledges that the Gallery and St. Francis Xavier University are located on Mi'kma'ki, the ancestral, unceded territory of the Mi'kmaq People.

The StFX Art Gallery showcases exhibitions and programs featuring local artists and organizations from Northeastern Nova Scotia. The gallery is open to the public and serves as a cultural resource for students, faculty, and community members.

Established in 1976, the art gallery was originally located on the fourth floor of Bloomfield Centre. In 1985, the Bloomfield Centre Board of Directors and university administration approved plans to move the gallery to room 103 on the first floor in Bloomfield Centre, formerly occupied by the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. This exhibition space opened in September 1987. Artist Vicki MacLean was hired as the gallery's first Director, and Jessie Kennedy took on the role of gallery staff person. In 1998, artist Bruce Campbell became Director, serving in this position until 2019. Currently, Dr. Andrea Terry works as Director/Curator.

In September 2020, the gallery opened its current purpose-built exhibition space in Mulroney Hall, a research complex that offers state-of-the-art teaching amenities in the heart of the StFX campus.

The Permanent Collection and Cataloguing Centre is currently located in Bloomfield Centre, room 103. There, gallery staff document and catalogue the permanent collection. In the 1980s, the StFX Art Gallery Board of Directors formed to support the gallery's long-term operations. Three subcommittees were established to help with exhibitions, fundraising, and acquisitions. These committees drew on the expertise and contributions of volunteers from the university and local communities. Accordingly, thanks to the many noteworthy donations from generous benefactors, as well as various provincial and federal grants, the StFX Art Gallery's permanent collection has grown in both size and scope, numbering approximately 3,500 artworks. The ongoing concentrated custodial stewardship aims to ensure the collection's preservation, conservation, and integrity for current and future generations. 

The StFX Art Gallery is a member of the Maple League Galleries, a group of four university art galleries that includes Acadia University Art Gallery  (Acadia University), Foreman Art Gallery  (Bishop's University), and Owens Art Gallery  (Mount Allison University).