Carole Sabiston Donation Invites Contemplation

Vic High alumni, staff, students and invited guests gathered November 17, 2025 in the school’s library to pay tribute to renowned Canadian fiber artist, Carole Sabiston, VHS 1957, and to thank her for her generous donation to Vic High. Everything Below  All of the Above now welcomes all into the Vic High Library, setting the tone for the unique blend of books, art, and workstations that inspire students there.

Left, Local columnist, Grania Litwin, photographs long-time visual arts advocate and former senator, Pat Bovey, and Carole in front of Carole’s extraordinary donation.

Carole’s work hangs in theatres, universities, and public spaces across Canada, and earned her international recognition. Locally Victoria City Hall, the Crystal Gardens, and the University of Victoria showcase her work. She has won the Saidye Bronfman Award presented by the Canada Arts Council, one of the largest individual visual arts prizes in Canada. She is also a member of the Order of B.C. and has served on numerous boards. She was married to local bookstore owner, Jim Munro, for many years, where her work was also on display. Appraised at $38,000, the work is one of the most valuable items ever donated to Vic High.

By age 19, Carole was teaching art in local schools, including a brief stint at Oak Bay Junior High School. Her photo and bio hang in the foyer of Oak Bay Secondary in tribute to her long career as a respected artist. But Vic High is where her heart is. “I knew this piece should hang in a school, ” said Carole. “And I thought about donating it to Oak Bay. But as soon as I heard Vic High was going to be saved, I knew it belonged here, where my interest in art was encouraged and supported.” Carole is one 24 Illustrious Alumni inducted since 2014 into the Vic High Black and Gold Honour Roll. Click here for the 5-minute video made for her induction.

Bovey, a former director of the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, curated the 2014 retrospective of Carole’s work  at the Gallery, where Everything Below All of the Above was the signature exhibit. Bovey’s advocacy for the visual arts over the decades, including during her stint as a Canadian senator, is reflected in her many books about art in Western Canada, her time as curator and/or director of the Winnipeg Art Gallery the Victoria’s AGGV, her service on numerous arts-related boards. She travels to Victoria often, and was very happy the reception coincided with her recent visit so she could be part of honouring Carole.

 

Annie Boldt, VHS 1967, shares stories of her dad Peter Boldt, with Carole. Peter was Principal at Oak Bay Junior High when Carole taught art there in the 1960s.