TAG Art Gallery Collection

NIAGARA FALLS HISTORY MUSEUM RECEIVES UNPRECEDENTED DONATION FROM TAG ART GALLERY

NIAGARA FALLS MUSEUMS WILL RECEIVE 114 PIECES OF ORIGINAL ARTWORK, PRINTS, AND DRAWINGS

NIAGARA FALLS, ON - The City of Niagara Falls and TAG Art Gallery announced today that TAG Art Gallery has made a sizable donation of historically significant artwork to the Niagara Falls History Museum. 

The donation, which is comprised of 114 pieces of Niagara Falls-related artwork, including historical prints, watercolours, and pencil drawings, will be featured in the Museum’s 2025 exhibition schedule.

The collection features various scenes of Niagara Falls and ranges from the late 1600s to the mid-20th century. Brothers Tom and Frank Goldspink of TAG Art Gallery collected many of the original Niagara watercolours and pencil drawings from private individuals in England whose ancestors had served in the British military in Niagara. 

“We were thrilled and grateful when TAG Art Gallery reached out to ask if the History Museum would be interested in accepting this large donation,” said Suzanne Moase, Head of Museum & Curatorial Services with the City of Niagara Falls. “It is not often that we receive such a kind and generous offer of this scale, and we are proud to add it to the Museum’s permanent collection. We are excited to share the collection with our visitors in January 2025 when the OPG temporary gallery is next available”.

In addition to the Niagara Falls History Museum, TAG Art Gallery has also donated pieces to the St. Catharines Museum, Brock University, and the Niagara-on-the-Lake Museum. 

About TAG Art Gallery
TAG Art Gallery was opened in St. Catharines in 2006 by two brothers, Tom and Frank Goldspink, originally from Port Robinson, ON. The Gallery focused on promoting a number of contemporary artists, both in the Niagara Region and beyond. While continually supporting creative initiatives by various faculties in Niagara College and McMaster University, the Gallery owners also focused tirelessly on the future of Rodman Hall. Additionally, because one of their ancestors, John Coulter, was a contractor on the first Welland Canal (and one of the founders of the Village), their deep sense of the history of the Niagara Peninsula motivated them to build a large collection (almost 200 pieces) of Niagara-related historical prints, original watercolours and pencil drawings ranging from the late 1600s to modern day. Regrettably, after Frank suffered an extended illness in 2022, he and Tom concluded that it was best to close TAG Art Gallery. In the process, they returned the contemporary art to the artists and recently donated the historically significant collection to four institutions: Niagara Falls Museums, St. Catharines Museum, Brock University and Niagara-on-the-Lake Museum.