The Agnes Etherington Art Centre: The Formation and Growth of a University Collection Through Specific Donations and Endowments - The Early Years

Abstract

The Agnes Etherington Art Centre is a public museum affiliated with Queen's University. Familiarly known as the Agnes, the museum holds collections comprising more than 17,000 works of art and material culture. This thesis aims to document the formation of the collection and the effect of key donations on the direction of its development during the first fifty years of the museum's history. Additionally, it provides background information on the donors themselves and the circumstances surrounding their donations. Research questions included how and why the Agnes and its collections were established, the implementation of its original mission statement, how and why early donations were made, how they affected the museum's direction over time and how Queen’s University participated in the collection’s development. The data for this project was collected through documentation, correspondence, and donor files, both at Queen’s University Archives and the Agnes Etherington Art Centre Archives, as well as scholarly articles and books on the topics of museum development, collecting and donating. The history of museums is discussed, starting with the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford and highlighting how the Agnes collection followed established patterns. The characteristics of collectors, the type of collections they worked within and the personal reasons they chose to donate were considered. The research findings led to the conclusion that, like all donations and bequests, those made to the Agnes added to the collection while moving it in different directions. Donors were found to be associated through friendships that were connected by the common goal of establishing a thriving arts community in Kingston. As friends, Agnes Etherington and André Biéler shared a common goal that was applied to the growth of the collection and the establishment of a permanent home that drew later prestigious donations. This research comes at an opportune time: the Agnes is currently undergoing the redesign and rebuilding that is “Agnes Reimagined”. By documenting the early history of the collection and the effects of donations, this thesis will allow future scholars an opportunity to continue the story by researching more recent events, renovations, and donors, such as the Baders, the Langs and Guardian Capital.