Included in this curated collection are the works of some early settlers who painted, carved, and sketched as they raised families and tended to the land.

These painted recollections of Salt Spring Island history remind us why art is important: it is a language that speaks personally from soul to soul, a story told directly by the artist to the viewer, despite there being a century between them.

Here we can see the origins of the arts community that Salt Spring islanders have cultivated for generations and that continues to thrive today.

This project was based on the research of two largely unrecognized women who lived on Salt Spring Island in the 1900s.

These women were Sophie King and Maud Lilian Weaver-Bridgman, whose lifestyles portray two contrasting realities of one island, both of which are essential in understanding the history of early Salt Spring.

Maud and Sophie's lives were, in many ways, wildly different. Maud was an English settler from Victoria, whereas Sophie was a pioneer of mixed heritage. Though they were neighbours, there is no record of a relationship between them. This was a reality of early island life, when class and race unknowingly divided like-minded people. I believe they could have been friends, simply because of their dedication to the arts and the land.

Though they were introduced to art by different circumstances, their relationships with it were similar at the core. As women living in the 1900s, life was uncertain, isolated, and often out of their control, regardless of what conditions they were born into. Maud painted with watercolours all her life, but she was never acknowledged for her expertise in the medium. Sophie only had the time to make her sculptures in retirement, but received local fame and credit in that short time.

Ultimately, both of these women created art that expressed their love for the island’s wild beauty and the sea that surrounded it. In the history of Salt Spring, this to me is the most relevant impression that they could have left us: the influence of creativity, passion, and care that persevered to the present.

This project was possible with a grant from the Canadian Heritage sector of the Young Canada Works (YCW) program. We are grateful for their support.

Collection created by Inara Wallace