Art = Work

About this exhibition

The Owens Art Gallery exists because of a desire to expand the teaching of Fine and Applied Arts for students at the Mount Allison Ladies’ College (1854-1937). Taking this history as a point of departure, Art = Work highlights the importance of art and art education in rural communities, especially for women and gender minorities. In this spirit, the exhibition’s title is borrowed from a protest slogan created by the late Mary MacDonald, BFA ’06 (1984-2017), a beloved artist, curator, former Owens intern, and community builder known for centring rural artists.

This exhibition complements Leaders in the Field: The History and Legacy of Art at Mount Allison (1 November 2025–15 February 2026), organized by the Marion McCain Institute for Atlantic Canadian Art at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery

Works by

Enid Alexander, Ellen Ayer, Gladys Allison Borden, Dianne Bos, Mary H. Cann, Melanie Colosimo, Paula Jean Cowan, Beth Mann Couillard, Mabel Killam Day, Jean Dixon, Marjory Rogers Donaldson, Annie Dunning, Alexandrya Eaton, Ruth Eisenhauer, Christianna Buffett Forsey, Winifred McGill Fox, Leah Garnett, Kris Gunn, Hazel Gunning, Margaret Harris Fraser, Childe Hassam, Sarah Hart, Emma Hassencahl-Perley, Eugenia May Hicks, Annie Inch, Margery Hayes Jamieson, Adriana Kuiper, Sophia McLean Wood Law, Wenda Lyons, Beth Mann Couillard, Harriet Campbell Meacher, Gwendolyn Meux, Patricia Pollett McClelland, Eunice Dixon McCormack, Christian McKiel, Elizabeth McLeod, Gwendolyn Meux, Alana Morouney, Ethel Ogden, Greta Ogden, Mary Pratt, Catherine Della Stanley, Karen Stentaford, Roberta Taylor, Laura K. Watson, D’Arcy Wilson, Faith Wood, Susan Wood, Janice Wright Cheney 

Accessibility

This exhibition is located on the main-floor. The stairs to the Owens from the entrance nearest the University Chapel have a handrail. There is also ramp access at this entrance, however, the ramp is steep. The stairs to the Owens entrance off York Street also have a handrail, but there is no ramp. The main floor of the Owens is wheelchair accessible. Our second-floor gallery is not wheelchair accessible. Two flights of stairs lead to the second floor. Find more information at owensartgallery.com/visit/accessibility/

Top Image: Mary Pratt, Supper Table, 1969, oil on canvas, 61 x 91.4 cm, Collection of the Beaverbrook Art Gallery, © Estate of Mary Pratt