Who We Are
The Power of Art & Culture
The Caetani Centre is the former home of renowned artist, writer, mentor and teacher Sveva Caetani.
Sveva Caetani was a visionary figure in the North Okanagan community with a deep belief in the power of art, culture, and the pursuit of knowledge to enrich and change lives and cultivate community.
Sveva left her 1.3 acres of gardens and historic home to the community of Greater Vernon in 1994 with the express wish that it serve as a community cultural facility for artistic and critical exploration.
An Intriguing Family History
Now open to the public, the Caetani Centre is available for both guided and self-guided heritage tours. Visitors can learn about the fascinating royal Italian Caetani family history and story and see select displays of treasured family artifacts in the heritage home.
The mysterious and heartbreaking story behind the history of the house and its inhabitants provides a gateway to understanding our recent past, and opens a window to a much different world, shedding light on the many artworks and writings created by our benefactor Sveva Caetani.
A Unique Okanagan Art Gallery & Residence
In the art gallery, for part of each year selections of Sveva Caetani’s heralded and stunning Recapitulation painting series, are on exhibit, having recently returned permanently to the Caetani Centre after 35 years of being held by the Alberta Foundation for the Arts.
Sveva’s vision for her home has become reality and is now being carried out through creative and thought-provoking programming. The Caetani Centre also provides a venue for visual artists from around Canada and the world to explore a diverse range of arts practices, theories and experiences through our Self-Directed Artist-in-Residency Program for visual artists, writers, curators, and creative individuals.
The facility is operated by the Caetani Cultural Centre Society as a registered not-for-profit organization and registered charitable organization. The house and grounds are owned by the City of Vernon, and operated by the Caetani Cultural Centre Society.