Federation of Canadian Artists

Federation of Canadian Artists

Formation	1941
Type	Crafts association
Legal status	Non-profit organization
Region	Canada
Official language	English, French
Website	artists.ca

The Federation of Canadian Artists (FCA) is an association of artists in Canada founded in Toronto in 1941. The FCA soon had chapters across the country, and was one of the main forces behind formation of the Canada Council in 1957. After this, the national organization withered, and only the British Columbia chapter remained active. A drive for expansion began in 1977, causing a renewal of activity that started in western Canada and then spread. The organization has about 2,500 members across Canada as of 2017.

André Charles Biéler organized the first conference of Canadian artists in 1941. This conference, held in Kingston, Ontario, led to the foundation of the Federation of Canadian Artists. At his opening address at the Kingston conference Bieler insisted that "we should not try to unify ourselves or to attempt to make a school that would cover the whole country. On the contrary, I believe we must keep that regional aspect." The Federation of Canadian Artists was founded in Toronto by a group of Canadian artists. Biéler was the first president.

The Federation was divided into regions, each with a regional organizer. Lawren Harris of the Group of Seven was head of the West Coast region. The other organizers were Gordon Sinclair (Western region), Ernest Lindner (Saskatchewan), Byllee Lang (Manitoba), A. Y. Jackson (Ontario) and Walter Abell (Maritimes).

Writing in Maritime Art (February–March 1943) Arthur Lismer proposed that the goals of the Federation were to improve understanding of the role of artists in society, to encourage youth while supporting established artists and to bring art to the community. The FCA became a powerful national lobby for public patronage of the arts, recognized as the legitimate representative of Canadian artists. J. Delisle Parker wrote in February 1945, "This is not just another art society, nor is it intended to replace any existing art society. It is an organization formed to unite all the artists in Canada, whether member of existing societies or not, in a federation which it is hoped will become a power in the country. The Federation hopes to bridge the isolation of artists in different parts of the country, discover talent and organize regional as well as country-wide activities and to publish an art magazine to serve the interests of art and artists in the country as a whole..."