The Donovan Collection

The Collection is the result of the generosity and commitment of a single individual, Fr. Dan Donovan, a long-time professor who began teaching at St. Mike’s in 1971.  

Fr. Donovan, a priest of the Archdiocese of Toronto and a graduate of St. Mike’s, completed degrees in theology and Scripture at Laval University in Quebec City and the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome as well as a doctorate in theology at the University of Münster in Germany.  

Exposure to some of the great art of Europe during his post-graduate studies sparked his initial interest in the visual arts. The first two works in the collection, woodcuts by the German Jewish artist Jacob Steinhardt, were purchased in Münster in 1967 as souvenirs of his years in Europe. 

In the fall of 1980, he donated to the College a large stainless-steel sculpture by Kosso Eloul, entitled Zen West. Its installation in the small park at the corner of Bay and St Joseph Streets marked the beginning of Donovan’s serious commitment to Canadian art.  

The works are in a range of media and styles and represent a cross-section of art exhibited in Toronto from the early 1980s to the present. 

Fr. Donovan’s focus was initially on work that was religious or spiritual. The opening of the renovated Odette Hall in 1996 led to the donation of the collection, as it then existed, and to its installation in that building. The collection expanded considerably during the early years of the present century with works now installed throughout campus. 

An endowment generates funds for the care and maintenance of The Donovan Collection. To contribute, contact the Advancement Office at (416) 926-7281. 

Established by Fr. Donovan in 2023, the Committee ensures the care, development and accessibility of the Collection. It aims to keep the artworks meaningfully engaged with the campus community—especially students—to sustain the living dialogue between art, place, and education. 

The Committee includes three members: one representing St. Mike’s (James Roussain, Chief Librarian and Director of Special Collections at USMC, Chair); one from the Toronto arts community (Shelli Cassidy-McIntosh, Director and Partner at the Olga Korper Gallery in Toronto); and the Executive Director and Chief Curator of the Art Museum at the University of Toronto (Barbara Fischer).