Advocacy
Advocacy Every Day
Every day, our advocacy work involves:
- Negotiating, in concert with other artists' associations (e.g., ACTRA, Writers' Union of Canada) with the provincial government to establish Status of the Artist legislation;
- Providing summary legal advice through VALCO (The Visual Artists Legal Clinic of Ontario).
- Providing publications and seminars which educate artists on how to advocate for and protect themselves.
- Advising artists by phone, email and in person on how to deal with the many issues which artists face in their professional practices.
We all reap the benefits from so many artists' efforts!
If you have ever received an exhibition fee for a public gallery exhibition, you have already received the benefits of the work of CARFAC and its provincial affiliates! Your membership will help us to continue our work on behalf of artists both nationally and provincially. If you would like to support the work we do on behalf of all artists in Ontario, join today and get involved!
Our Advocacy Milestones
- 1968 - CARFAC issues the first Minimum Exhibition & Reproduction Fee Schedule outlining appropriate professional exhibition fees.
- Early ‘70s - Steady lobbying by CAR members results in Canada becoming the first country in the world to pay exhibition fees to artists.
- 1988 - Federal Copyright Act amended to recognize artists as the primary producers of culture, giving artists legal entitlement to exhibition and other fees.
Donate
Did you know that CARFAC National has a charitable tax number and can issue tax receipts for donations? For more information on how to donate visit our Canada Helps page.
Keeping you informed
Staff at CARFAC National manage an archive of current, arts-related news. You can stay informed by subscribing to this news feed, or check our website often to stay informed.
Appropriation Questionnaire
There has been much public discussion about issues surrounding appropriation art practices.
CARFAC Ontario has been involved in productive dialogue with both Appropriation Art, Canadian Artists' Representation Copyright Collective (CARCC) and CARFAC National.
CARFAC Minimum Recommended Fee Schedule 2010
Since 1968 and approximately every two years, CARCC (Canadian Artists Representation Collective) and CARFAC National have issued schedules of royalties or fees for the use of the copyrights of visual/media artists.
Status of Ontario's Artists - Advocacy Letter
Thank you for your interest to sign our letter to the Minister of Finance. The letter writing campaing is now closed. We will continue to advocate for Status of the Artist legislation that includes wording that addresses artist's socio-economic standing; makes a commitment to developing a labour relations mechanism; and requires periodic reviews of the legislation.
Collective Agenda for the Visual Arts
Visual Arts Summit, Ottawa, November 2007
Art is the face of Canada.

