Canadian Handicrafts Guild

The Canadian Handicrafts Guild was an association of Canadians involved in handicrafts that was founded in Montreal in 1906. At first the goal was to preserve and market traditional home crafts that were seen as being at risk of dying out. Demand for high quality products and a shift towards more "professional" craftspeople and modern designs placed stress on the organization. In 1967 the provincial branches became autonomous, and subsequently evolved separately. At the national level the Guild was merged with the Canadian Craftsman's Association in 1974 to form the Canadian Crafts Council, now the Canadian Crafts Federation.

The Montreal branch of the Women's Art Association of Canada (WAAC) was founded in 1894 by Mary Martha Phillips and Mary Alice Peck. The Montreal branch held major exhibits of applied arts in 1900 and 1902, and in June 1902 opened a store, Our Handicrafts Shop. The Montreal WAAC was a precursor of the Canadian Handicrafts Guild. The same women were involved in both organizations. The crafts committee of the Montreal branch broke away from the WAAC in 1905, becoming the Canadian Handicrafts Guild.

The Handicrafts Guild, led by Alice Peck and May Phillips, was incorporated in 1906. It was a federal non-profit organization, with the Governor General Albert Grey and Alice, Countess Grey as patrons. The objectives of the Guild were to support and encourage crafts in Canada. The Guild was modeled on an idealized view of the medieval guild, and was dedicated to preserving traditional ethnic crafts, seen to be at risk of dying out. It encouraged craftspeople to work together collectively to meet market needs, selling their goods anonymously.

The guild set up a reference library in 1909. That year Alice Peck proposed that the Guild should start a permanent collection holding some of the best handwork. The guild sold handicrafts at its shop and through agencies. It awarded prizes at annual competitions and ran educational programs, including classes for immigrant children and a weaving school. By 1911 the Guild was very active across Canada and abroad. From 1905 to 1935 the guild exhibited the work of the First Nations at what is now the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. In the 1930s the guild opened branch offices in each province. The Manitoba branch was formed in January 1928 by a group of over 30 women at a meeting in Winnipeg, led by Lady Constance Nanton. The organization became interested in education, and as the shop grew they also placed more emphasis on quality of design and workmanship.