Established in 2012 by world-renowned Canadian artist and naturalist Robert Bateman, the Bateman Foundation was a national public charity created to inspire a lasting relationship with nature through the lens of art. Rooted in Bateman’s lifelong belief that people protect what they first learn to love, the Foundation used artwork, education, exhibitions, and community programming to help visitors — especially children — reconnect with the natural world.
In May 2013, the Foundation opened the Bateman Gallery of Nature in Victoria’s historic Steamship Terminal building overlooking the Inner Harbour. For nearly a decade, the Gallery served as a public cultural space dedicated to nature, art, and environmental education. It housed one of the most significant collections of original and rare works by Robert Bateman, alongside rotating exhibitions by other nature-inspired artists, public programs, and outdoor education initiatives.
The Foundation’s guiding principles were simple and enduring: nature is magic; all people deserve to be connected to it; art can be a bridge to wonder; and education can turn wonder into stewardship.
After ten years of public programming in downtown Victoria, the Bateman Gallery closed its doors on February 18, 2023, and the Bateman Foundation suspended operations. The closure followed a difficult post-pandemic period for many arts and culture organizations, with rising operating costs, reduced funding, donor challenges, and limited long-term support making the existing model unsustainable.
Although the Foundation and its Gallery of Nature are now closed, their legacy continues through the artworks, educational materials, conservation values, and public memory they helped preserve. The Foundation’s work remains an important chapter in Robert Bateman’s broader legacy: a reminder that art can deepen our relationship with nature, and that a generation invited to see the natural world with care may also be inspired to protect it.
