The Toronto District School Board is storing a stash of valuable Canadian art in a secret vault, the Toronto Star reported May 15.
The art collection, which includes works by Tom Thomson and Emily Carr, is estimated to be worth $7 million.
The school board currently operates with a $28-million deficit despite cutting several jobs and considering closing school pools. Some parents have urged the board to sell the art collection for much-needed funds.
Despite the school board’s debt, it would be a knee-jerk reaction to sell the paintings without considering what a rare gift these pieces present for education.
In desperate economic times, school board officials shouldn’t necessarily feel pressured to take desperate measures.
There are alternate ways of repaying debt that don’t involve selling the art collection. Teachers can be re-hired and pools can be re-filled when the economic climate shifts, but selling of valuable pieces of Canadian art can’t be undone.
The school board should recognize the difference between the more noble cultural or educational value of art and the tangible value of extra change in their pockets.
Although selling pieces from the art collection to art galleries and museums would bring in cash while promoting education, the current art market wouldn’t likely be able to give the school board top dollar for their collection.
If sold to private buyers, pieces from the art collection would serve no purpose in educating public school students.
In a time when funding for the arts is facing debate, preserving valuable specimens of Canadian painting would indicate that ordinary people do care about the arts.
These integral pieces of Canadian history should be put on display and used in school curriculum. They would be a rare treat in public schools, giving students the opportunity to learn from primary sources rather than photocopies of art in a textbook.
Exposing young students to important pieces of Canadian art could go a long way towards educating those who may become the nation’s next generation of great artists.
The school board should let the paintings from the vault have the public appreciation they deserve and take this opportunity to open discussion about the value of art for art’s sake.
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