Overview of the Collections

The collections the Tides Institute & Museum of Art (TIMA) are extensive and wide ranging – from historical to contemporary, from the 18th century to today. The collections have a particular focus on art, broadly conceived, but also have strong interests with architecture and history. The focuses of the collections are on the U.S./Canada northeast coast, including Wabanaki, with connections to the broader world. They represent a sort of modern day cabinets of curiosities. The collections include paintings, prints, photographs, and sculpture; Passamaquoddy and Mi’Kmaq basketry and other art and craft; architectural drawings, documentation and artifacts; ship models; maps; decorative arts (furniture, clocks, silver, glass, textiles); musical instruments; oral history recordings and graphic arts. The collections also include a related specialized reference and research library of books, pamphlets, manuscripts and ephemera. TIMA’s array of a dozen cultural properties, including nine with historic buildings ranging in date from 1819 to 1942, is also an extension of its collections. Cataloging and documentation of the collecitons is ongoing. To browse and search a portion of the collections available online through TidesNet (now consisting of over 6,000 online records in process of completion), click here: TidesNet: Online Collections. Search Hints: To search by phrase wrap your criteria in quotes. Example: “Find me” or “Grand Manan”. Below are images that show a range of selection of items from the collections. Click on the link with each image to learn more about the item.