52 JULY 17, 2019
uring a recent visit to the
Agnes Etherington Art
Centre at Queen’s University with a
group of Grade 7-8 Beyond Classroom
Kingston students, as we sat in Agnes’s
house, I was reminded once again of
the generosity of the gallery’s founder.
Agnes Etherington’s home on
University Avenue was left to Queen’s
University on her death and is the
largest object in the collection of the
art gallery named for her. The scale
of her gift of the house is much
greater, however, as it was
accompanied by pieces from Agnes
Etherington’s personal art collection,
as well as a legacy to maintain the
gallery, the house and the artworks.
Her family members continue to
contribute furnishings and support.
The house was originally built in
1879 by Agnes’s parents, George and
Agnes Richardson, a year before her
birth. The red brick Victorian structure
was a symbol of the success the
family had achieved with their grain
forwarding business. Agnes lived
in the house her entire life, sharing
it with her physician husband
Dr. Frederick Etherington and
transforming it into an elegant home,
more Georgian than Victorian, that
was a popular location for gatherings
of artists and musicians. Agnes and
her husband were well-known
patrons of the arts scene in Kingston,
so it’s entirely fitting that their
home still serves as a hub for arts
appreciation and learning.
Beyond Classrooms Kingston has
been taking elementary students to
the Agnes for a full week at a time
since 2014. We always spend time in
Agnes’s house, and the students often
comment on her remarkable gift;
when you’re 12 going on 13, the idea
of someone donating an entire house
boggles the mind. Who does that?
During our most recent visit, as we
toured the exhibitions In the Present:
The Zacks Gift of 1962, The Art of
African Ivory, and the Artists at Work:
Picturing Practice in the European
Tradition , all built on significant
donations of artworks by the Zacks,
Langs and Baders, I couldn’t help
wondering if generosity begets
generosity. Does a life enriched by
art inspire philanthropy?
We’re learning that the arts can
have a tangible effect on our well-
being. Recently, there’s been a lot
of buzz in the cultural sector about
social sciences research leading to
recommendations that general
practitioners prescribe visits to
galleries along with anti-depressants.
The Arts on Prescription movement
is producing evidence of a positiveimpact on levels of anxiety and
depression.
One of our 12-year-olds commented
that until his visit to the Agnes, he
hadn’t realized that he “could express
his feelings through his art.” Not a
bad take-away; I like to think that
Agnes, the Zacks, Langs and Baders
would be pleased.In your own backyard by Ann Blake
Ann Blake has spent over 20 years interpreting
museum collections for the visiting public.
Ann’s greatest joy is teasing out the stories
of the objects we collect and sharing them with
anyone who’s willing to listen.Painting: portrait of Agnes Etherington by Grant MacdonaldD