Craft Ontario

Attention all Craft Ontario Members: Please join us online for Craft Ontario's 46th Annual General Meeting on Wednesday, June 22, 6:00 pm EST.

During the Annual General Meeting, we will review 2021, confirm continuation of Board of Director service, celebrate next steps in 2022, and take the opportunity to connect with each other as members invested in the success of craft across the province.

Please register in advance

CRAFT ONTARIO PARTNERS WITH TORONTO OUTDOOR ART FAIR, JULY 2-11, 2021

The Toronto Outdoor Art Fair (TOAF) is Canada’s largest and longest-running annual contemporary art fair, and this year they are celebrating their 60th anniversary!

Craft Ontario is proud to partner with TOAF60 in the capacity of curator for the 2021 celebration, and we’re looking forward to showcasing the work of 15 members participating in the event. See the curated collection here: https://torontooutdoor.art/curated-by-craft-ontario

On Tuesday, July 6, we’ll also host an instagram live artist discussion with Thomas Aitken, Kate Hyde, Stephanie Singh, and Yaw Tony, and share a tour of Alex Kinsley Vey’s ‘Iron Identity’ exhibition.

See here for more details, and can’t wait to see you there! https://torontooutdoor.art/toaf60-programming-schedule

Reopening Friday, June 11, 2021

As per the provincial government's announcement to begin Phase 1 of reopening, Craft Ontario will open to limited visitors beginning Friday, June 11, 2021. 

We are accepting appointment bookings for up to two visitors onsite at a time during our operating hours, Tues - Sat, 12 noon - 6:00 pm. Please book your date and time here: https://bit.ly/Craft-Ontario-Book-Appointment

While visiting, remember to always wear a mask and follow social distancing rules to stay six feet away from others - let's all take care of each other and stop the spread!

You can find out more about reopening in Phase 1 here: www.ontario.ca/page/reopening-ontario

Pluralism and Organizational Change

Craft Ontario is proud to be a part of CPAMO's third cohort of the Pluralism and Organizational Change program. As a two-year commitment, we will work with CPAMO and our fellow cohort organizations to:

• Increase personal and organizational cultural competencies, and develop an understanding of the opportunities and challenges that they represent and how that presents opportunities/challenges to pluralism;
• Assess barriers to participation and leadership by Indigenous, racialized and other historically marginalized artists and communities, and how to remove them;
• Develop a community of practice to learn from each other and share;
• Develop resources/strategies to sustain this work; and
• Connect with Canada’s rapidly growing Indigenous and racialized communities to engage them as creative and interpretive artists, board members, managers, volunteers, audiences.
  
  

Find out more

Stay-at-Home Orders, April 8, 2021

As of Thursday, April 8, the Craft Ontario Shop and Gallery are temporarily closed to the public due to provincial stay-at-home orders. 

You can still shop local with us online, and we offer shipping and curbside pickup - please visit us at www.craftontarioshop.com! If you don't see what you are looking for online, please get in touch with us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. We can line up a video call with you and share onsite work for you to consider. 

Connect with us on social media, @craftontario, or sign up to our newsletter to find out more about events and opportunities. 

Staff are available to assist with any questions or concerns. Please use email as the fastest way to get in touch, and visit the Staff Directory to find contact details.

Take care everyone, and be safe - we look forward to seeing you again on the other side!

CRAFT ONTARIO BOARD OF DIRECTORS: CALL FOR NOMINATIONS

DEADLINE: MARCH 30, 2021

Join a creative community and champion craft!

Craft Ontario invites nominations from the membership for up to four (4) vacant positions on the Board of Directors.

Craft Ontario is currently seeking candidates who are passionate about its mandate and future vision. Selected candidates will be required to serve as ambassadors for the organization, and offer leadership, insight and financial support as members of the Board of Directors.

Craft Ontario is seeking candidates that have experience and background in the craft sector, and/or can bring skills, expertise and resources to the areas of Governance, Accounting & Finance, Risk Management, Legal, IT & Security, Craft as a Business, and/or Retail.

To nominate someone, or yourself, please complete the nomination form below, and include a brief letter stating their/your willingness and eligibility to serve, as well as a copy of their/your biography and current CV, no later than Tuesday, March 30, 2021.

Directors will be elected at the 2021 Annual General Meeting, taking place on Thursday, June 24, 2021, 5:30 – 7:30 pm. The meeting will be held online, with a possible location to be determined. Positions are for a two-year term and commence following the Annual General Meeting.

Nominees must hold a current Craft Ontario membership in good standing.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS – REQUIREMENTS OF SERVICE:

The Board of Directors provides strategic leadership and ensures effective governance of the organization by developing and overseeing the vision, mission, strategic direction, and values of Craft Ontario; ensuring the development of, and adherence to, policies that guide staff in organizational operations; fundraising; and exercising fiduciary responsibility to ensure financial viability and sustainability.

Director Roles and Responsibilities:

• Serve as charitable trustees
• Serve in a voluntary capacity with no remuneration or profit
• Be knowledgeable about the values, mission, programs and performance of the organization and act as ambassadors, promoting the work of the organization
• Evaluate strategic and business plan development, progress and effectiveness
• Attend board meetings, one strategic planning session and the Annual General Meeting per-year, as active participants
• Oversee and participate in fund development activities: work with staff to identify and recruit new funders, be aware of and acknowledge the organization’s key donors, participate in donor recognition and stewardship activities
• Donate to the organization in accordance to one’s means

NOMINATION FORM

Doors are Open! -July 7

As of Tuesday, July 7, 2020, we are excited to announce that we’re gradually opening up the Craft Ontario Shop and Gallery. Our new public hours are 2:00 – 6:00 pm, Tuesday – Saturday.

The health and safety of our staff and visitors remains top priority, and we are continuing to monitor government announcements and information to ensure that our safety plan is up to date.

In order to provide a safe and enjoyable experience, we have put in place new practices and policies:

• All visitors are required to wear a mask according to the City of Toronto’s new Bylaw. If you don’t have a mask, we’ll give you one!
• We’re limiting the number of guests onsite at a time to four in order to implement physical distancing (keeping guests 6 ft apart), and for our staff to be able to provide dedicated customer service. If you would like to plan your visit ahead of time, please call or email the shop (416-921-1721 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).
• We’re also continuing to offer online sales and contactless curb side pick-up.
• Sanitization stations are located throughout the space and gloves are available to use.
• We have an extensive new cleaning schedule and are cleaning high touch surfaces and traffic areas multiple times a day.
• Please remember not to visit if you are feeling unwell or experiencing any symptoms of illness – we’ll still be here when you’re feeling better.

Remember to stay safe, and we can’t wait to see you back at Craft Ontario soon!

A Message from the Executive Director. -June 11

We have work to do. We have been listening, learning and re-examining our responsibilities in response to the ongoing crisis of anti-Black racism. As a cultural organization that is mandated to support professional craft – to elevate the work and livelihoods of craft artists, we condemn anti-Black racism and choose to stand with racialized and marginalized communities in the arts.

We know that we hold power in resources, space and access to audiences, and that we are not neutral in the way that we operate – we are embedded in social, cultural and economic structures of systemic racism, and the choices that we make have impact.

Moving forward we commit to:

• Better understand craft practice in Ontario through collaboration and to connect with craft artists through the communities that they belong to, and at the same time, learn what is needed to support their work.
• Work to align with, and reflect craft communities across Ontario in our programs and services.
• Analyze and simplify our membership structure in order to address socio-economic and cultural barriers, and ensure equality of participation.
• Review and implement anti-racism policies and procedures in relation to positions of authority and processes of participation to ensure equitable outcomes.
• Work with community leaders and organizations, including CPAMO and OOAG, to learn about the difference between equity and diversity, and work to enact change accordingly.
• Fundraise to establish a financial award for BIPOC craft artists.
• Put concrete strategies, timelines and measurable results in place, to ensure the ongoing work of holding Craft Ontario accountable.

We will continue to update you on our work. We stand in solidarity against systemic and institutional racism, and we ask you to do the same. Choose to learn, listen and be otherwise.

Janna Hiemstra, Executive Director

Craft Ontario's Response to COVID-19. -May 19

As Stage One of Ontario’s “Framework for Reopening our Province” begins today on May 19, 2020, the Craft Ontario Shop will continue to offer online sales, contactless pick-up, and schedule shopping inquiries or appointments by phone or email (416-921-1721, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

Before opening to walk-in traffic, we’re working on making sure that we have all of the safety precautions in place that are needed for both staff and customers. Please feel free to get in touch with any questions in the meantime – we will be announcing our new operating hours shortly. 

In a recent Globe and Mail article, titled ‘Why we need the arts, now more than ever’, Kate Taylor states that: “The arts provide the reassurance of narrative, the peace of contemplation and, most of all, the power of community, experiences that can be hard to define but which the current crisis is laying bare.”

While the context of our work has shifted in the last month due to the impact of COVID-19, our ultimate goal to champion craft has not changed.

We know that craft artists are key contributors to our shared culture – not only through the creation of meaningful objects, but also through teaching skills, providing experiences to build emotional health, and developing social and economic relationships that strengthen community wellbeing. Now, more than ever, we need to ensure that craft artists are supported. Alongside providing support and guidance, promoting work, and advocating to government, we are actively working on new ways to champion craft within our changed context. We'd love to collaborate, partner and work with you, so please get in touch! Janna Hiemstra, Executive Director, is happy to receive an email from you at any time: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

As we begin to open our space, we're very pleased to announce that the Art of the Book 2018 exhibition will be available for the public to visit until July 4, and that we have rescheduled the Mass Wasting exhibition to take place in the fall. We look forward to sharing the upcoming summer CO Space programming with you, and are excited to announce the opening of the 2020 Awards Program, and a call for proposals for 2021 exhibitions. 

Our staff are continuing to work remotely in support of our members and clients, and you are more than welcome to reach out and connect. Member services are not interrupted, online and custom orders are being taken in the Shop, and we are happy to work with members and supporters on a one-on-one basis to help meet your needs.

Message from the Craft Ontario Board Chair, Cliff Ledwos: 

"These are unusual times. COVID-19 is changing the way we think, feel and interact. Its effects are both global and local. I am acutely aware of the COVID-19 effect in the cultural sector. Shows have closed, artists are reeling - there is a void. The Board and staff of Craft Ontario are committed to you - the artists and supporters of craft. We will work diligently to reduce the impact of COVID-19, support your creativity and bring attention to your needs wherever and whenever possible. Stay safe (wash your hands), create, inspire us. With your strength, we remain a champion of craft!"

As this situation develops, we also want to thank all those who are following good personal health habits and finding ways to support local businesses and artists.

Thank you for your confidence in the work that we do, and we look forward to seeing you again soon!

- The Craft Ontario Team