Submitted article--The Village of Masset received an early gift to celebrate Harbour Days with the donation of 23 pieces of art. The artworks were the property of the late David Philips, long-time Masset resident and proprietor of the Copper Beech House B&B, a fixture in Masset for more than four decades.They cover a variety of mediums from photographs, to screen prints, mixed-media collages and original paintings. Some are limited edition prints or artists proofs but the collection also contains more than a dozen original pieces from many different artists.Some well known local artists are in the collection including original works by artists April White and Jaalen Edenshaw, but also from Sri Lankan artist Jacata Weerasinghe and Vancouver Island artist Edward Epp. Many of the paintings are unsigned or are signed by artists with little additional information.It was a very generous and visionary gift from Mr. Philips, said Masset Mayor Andrew Merilees, "David, had a tremendous spirit of community and appreciated adding flair to the everyday, his donation is representative of that."When Mr. Philips died in 2010 he entrusted his collection to a close group of friends with his dream that it be the start of a community art collection to support local art, develop the culture of the Islands and to showcase the community. The group approached the Village of Masset to care take the collection and is assisting with arrangements to display the collection in the community."There is no space to display the collection to the standard envisioned by Mr. Philips currently in Masset but plans are underway to make accommodations", said Mr. Merilees. "The long-term plan for the community is to build a new office for the village in combination with other services. The development of a space within that complex may be a good option to explore further to house a community art collection."The collection is currently being archived and recorded but select pieces will be on display in the lobby of the office of the Village of Masset over the Harbour Days weekend and throughout the summer.