Truro School of Art

Truro School of Art was a public institution located in Union Place, Truro. It opened as part of the Central Technical Schools in 1899 and now houses the Truro Library. In the 1930's, the building transitioned into a secondary school for boys. The "Tech" finally wound down and closed in the late 1950's when students were moved to newer comprehensive schools.

From 1976 to 2005, David Heseltine served as Head of Art at Truro. He is credited with transforming the department into a major regional artistic hub and founded what is now referred to as the Truro School of Art Collection. It arose because the school could not borrow from council collections, and Heseltine was adamant that the presence of 'contemporary' Cornish art was essential as a valuable learning resource for his students. Heseltine had worked at Falmouth School of Art in the late 1960's when it was in its heyday. Principals there included Michael Finn and Tom Cross, and visiting lecturers boasted St. Ives legends such as Terry Frost, Barbara Hepworth and Patrick Heron. David Heseltine was thus able to build on those connections to garner artworks from across the region. In fact, he often collected work through studio visits, and artist friends were generous, as many pieces of artwork were gifted or sold at a discount. As he travelled from studio to studio, he would collect stories about these artworks and leave with not only a piece for the collection but often a suggestion of who else he could visit next. This special Heseltine Collection, believed to now number over 300 items, is housed in the 'Heseltine Gallery' within the school. Some of the artists included are mentioned below.