Museum London
London, ON

When I announced that I would be retiring in March 2022, the Board of Directors asked if I would curate an exhibition of works that came into the permanent collection during my tenure. And although the Museum has both art and artefact collections, I chose to limit my choices to the art collection given my background as a painter and curator.

Rather than simply choosing my favourites (of which there would be far more than twenty) from the more than 1,700 pieces acquired in the past 23 years, I chose works that I hoped would illustrate the diversity of our collecting practice.

Our acquisitions are guided by a collections policy that outlines the rationales required when considering works for accession. Although we generally focus on our local and regional community of artists, we also look to build a national collection that gives context to the art produced in our community. As well, although our collecting is predominantly contemporary, we are also always searching to fill gaps in our historical collections.

And while we try to be as objective as possible as we build our collections, personal predilections can also play a role in our decision-making. I believe this exhibition is an expression of both approaches.

-Brian Meehan