Full Breakdown
Penticton Art Gallery’s Discarded Donations End Up at Value Village
7/31/2026, 11:57:02 PM
Discarded Donations Reach Thrift Store
Local artist Norberto Rodriguez de la Vega discovered that a painting he had donated to the Penticton Art Gallery was being sold at the city’s Value Village thrift store for $11. He described the situation as “insulting” and noted that the price did not even cover material costs. Other works, including pieces by Helen May Duke, Sophie Atkinson and William Alexander, were also found on the store’s shelves. Former curator Paul Crawford, who is currently suing the gallery for wrongful dismissal, said the discarded items include works by “notable” artists from across British Columbia and Canada.
Gallery’s Explanation and Response
“We came across hundreds of works of art that we could not account for, and by that I mean they did not have any documentation with them and they were not stored in a way that meets museum standards,” — Penticton Art Gallery. She added that returning pieces to donors who had already received tax receipts would constitute tax fraud “You can’t give the art back to the person who has donated the art if you have given them a tax receipt because that is considered tax fraud,” — Leslie Whatmough. Whatmough, gallery board president. “When you take art in, it has to be done responsibly, you have to say I have the space and I have the resources to deal with this effectively, and the situation we inherited was not that,” — Leslie Whatmough. Whatmough, gallery board president. The institution said it is reviewing the remaining dozens of pieces and is open to community suggestions for handling the artwork, concluding, “We would love to do it better” “We would love to do it better,” — Leslie Whatmough. Whatmough, gallery board president.
Community Backlash
Artists and local arts groups have expressed anger over the gallery’s handling of donated works. Rodriguez de la Vega and other creators argue that the disposal undermines trust and devalues the cultural contributions of BC artists. “He was the guy that taught Bob Ross everything he knows and handed the brush over to him,” — Paul Crawford.
Verbatim Quotes
- “We came across hundreds of works of art that we could not account for, and by that I mean they did not have any documentation with them and they were not stored in a way that meets museum standards,” — Penticton Art Gallery
- “You can’t give the art back to the person who has donated the art if you have given them a tax receipt because that is considered tax fraud,” — Leslie Whatmough. Whatmough, gallery board president
- “He was the guy that taught Bob Ross everything he knows and handed the brush over to him,” — Paul Crawford
- “We would love to do it better,” — Leslie Whatmough. Whatmough, gallery board president
- “When you take art in, it has to be done responsibly, you have to say I have the space and I have the resources to deal with this effectively, and the situation we inherited was not that,” — Leslie Whatmough. Whatmough, gallery board president
