Decorative Arts in Saint John, Bay of Fundy, Canada | Gallery

Welcome to Decorative Arts Collection Gallery, New Brunswick Museum, Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. The New Brunswick Museum's Decorative Arts collections are largely the manifestation of one woman's vision. Beginning in 1935, Dr. Alice Lusk Webster (1880 - 1953) gathered artifacts from around the world to illustrate major creative developments throughout history.
Through her efforts and financing, Dr. Webster created a cohesive collection from a disparate one. By giving it a unique character and international scope, she made an irreplaceable contribution to the cultural life of New Brunswick. Subsequent additions by many generous donors have increased both the scope and the significance of the collection.
Decorative art, as Dr. Webster stated, refers to objects that unite aesthetic expression with usefulness - in other words, it combines form and function. The Decorative Arts Gallery, Saint John interprets this in three sections: IN STYLE explores form, ON PURPOSE examines function, and OF EXCELLENCE investigates the successful synthesis of the two. By focusing on the various relationships between an object's design and its use, the gallery offers a tribute to the complexity of human ingenuity, imagination and aspiration.