CARFAC

Infobox Union|
name= CARFAC
country= Canada
affiliation=
members= 4,000+
full_name= Canadian Artists’ Representation/Le Front des artistes canadiens
native_name=


founded= 1967
current=
head=
dissolved_date=
dissolved_state=
merged_into=
office= Ottawa, Ontario
people=
website= [http://www.carfac.ca/ www.carfac.ca]
footnotes=

Canadian Artists’ Representation/Le Front des artistes canadiens (CARFAC) is a non-profit corporation that serves as the national voice of Canada's professional visual artists.

The mandate of CARFAC is to promote the visual arts in Canada, to promote a socio-economic climate that is conducive to the production of visual arts in Canada, and to conduct research and engage in public education for these purposes.

The organization’s active involvement in advocacy, lobbying, research and public education on behalf of artists in Canada has defined CARFAC as an integral representative body for artists across the country.

CARFAC was established by artists in 1968 and has been certified by the federal Status of the Artist legislation. CARFAC is guided by an active Board, elected by the membership.

Jack Chambers and the Foundation of CARFAC

In the early fall of 1967, the National Gallery of Canada wrote to many Canadian artists regarding the compilation of 2000 slides for a documentation library for the gallery using slides of the exhibit “300 Years of Canadian Art”. The letters requested the artist’s permission to reproduce their artwork in slide images; however, the letters also indicated that if the artist’s permission was not received in time, the project would continue with their assumed support.

The letters implied that it was unnecessary for the artists to ask for royalty fees for the reproduction of their work because the project was educational in nature. This was a common claim used by galleries throughout the country in order to reproduce artists’ works without having to pay to do so.

Jack Chambers, a painter from London, Ontario, received one of these letters and replied to the National Gallery of Canada with a request for fair treatment for the artists. Jack Chambers advocated that it was absurd to exclude artists from payment for their work and the reproduction of it within an economic climate where it is socially acknowledged that payment is granted for services rendered. He pointed out that the gallery would make a profit from the reproduction of his work, even as an educational product, and thus asked to be compensated for his work. He sent his reply the National Gallery and forwarded his reply to 130 Canadian artists who also participated in the exhibit, encouraging them to reply in kind.

Because of the pressure from the artist’s letters, the slide project was cancelled. Also from the letters, the foundations of CARFAC began to emerge.

Jack Chambers remained heavily involved in CARFAC during its formative years. However, on April 13th 1978 Jack Chambers died from Leukemia. In tribute to the organization’s founder, the Jack Chambers Memorial Foundation for Research and Educational Development Projects to Benefit Canadian Visual Artists was formed.

The Origin of Canadian Artists’ Fees

In 1968 Canadian Artists’ Representation (CAR) was officially founded. Spearheaded by Jack Chambers as National Representative, the collective of artists began to demand the recognition of artists' copyright.

CAR began issuing minimum Copyright Fee Schedules which suggested how much artists should be paid when their art is exhibited or reproduced. The first suggested fee schedule was sent around to galleries in 1968. Previous to that, most galleries in Canada did not pay rental exhibition fees to the artists at all.

According to Jack Chambers in several interviews, the first fee schedule was met with great disbelief and hostility. Immediately, some galleries supported artists’ rights and began paying fees but there were many who refused to abide by the CAR fee schedule. However, as a result of CAR’s announcement in its newsletter in 1971 that its members would boycott all non-fee paying galleries, more galleries began paying fees to artists.

CARFAC’s Role in Amending Canadian Copyright Legislation

Canada can claim to be at the forefront on international trends in copyright and CARFAC was instrumental in the creation of artist-centered copyright legislation. Copyright is integral to the lives of professional Canadian artists because it serves as a necessary and major source of income.

The Canadian Copyright Act was first enacted in 1921. Much of the original text of the Act was similar to the British Copyright Act of 1911.

In 1988 CARFAC's lobbying with other similar arts organizations resulted in an amendment to the Canadian Copyright Act (R.S., 1985, c. C-42). The amendment recognized artists as the primary producers of culture, and gave artists legal entitlement to exhibition and other fees.

In 1990, once the amendments to the Copyright Act were approved, the Canadian Artists’ Representation Copyright Collective (CARCC) was established as a subsidiary organization of CARFAC. It serves as a copyright collective to license and administer copyright for visual and media artists in Canada.

Today, most galleries in Canada currently acknowledge the copyright fee schedules created and supported by CARFAC. Mainly because of CARFAC’s early efforts acting on legal and economic issues that affect professional artists, artists themselves are recognized as important stakeholders in the future of Canadian art

CARFAC and the Exhibition Right

CARFAC has worked hard to achieve the Exhibition Right for all visual artists in Canada. The Exhibition Right is the right for artists to present a work of visual art other than a map, chart, or plan at a public exhibition, for a purpose other than for sale or hire. CARFAC defends of the rights of artists to be paid to exhibit their works publicly rather than being forced to exhibit without pay if they desire exposure.

In 1968 the first suggested Rental Fees Schedule was sent around to galleries. In 1975 the Canada Council approved of the adoption of rental fees to galleries, stating that the payment of rental fees to living Canadian artists would be included as a requirement for eligibility to the Program Assistance to Art Galleries funding.

Canada’s success in the implementation of artist fees in Canada influenced international arts groups to create similar legislation. In 1979 Exhibition fees are introduced for professional artists exhibiting in British exhibitions organized by the Arts Council or the Regional Arts associations as a direct result of CARFAC’s influence.

Canada received new copyright law in May 1987 which includes recognition of exhibition rights and expansion of moral rights in terms of copyright. The Copyright Amendments Bill C-60 passed in 1988 which brought CARFAC-suggested exhibition fees into law.

CARFAC Membership

The CARFAC voting membership includes practicing professional artists. The non-voting associate members include students, museums and art galleries, educational institutions, and other individuals and institutions with an interest in the visual arts.

To define a professional artist, CARFAC employs the definition created by the International Artists Association (IAA) that defines a "professional artist" as one who fulfills at least one of the following criteria: earns a living through art makingpossesses a diploma in an area considered to be within the domain of the fine artsteaches art in a school of art or applied artwhose work is often seen by the public or is frequently or regularly exhibitedis recognized as an artist by consensus of opinion among professional artists.

Regional Affiliates

CARFAC National exists as an umbrella organization for its many regional affiliates, each with its own board of directors and office.

These affiliates currently include:
* [http://www.carfacbc.org CARFAC British Columbia]
* [http://www.carfac.sk.ca CARFAC Saskatchewan]
* [http://www.carfac.mb.ca CARFAC Manitoba]
* [http://www.carfacontario.ca CARFAC Ontario]
* [http://www.raav.org Le Regroupement des artistes en arts visuels du Québec] (RAAV)
* CARFAC Maritimes (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island)
* [http://www.vanl-carfac.com VANL-CARFAC (Visual Arts Newfoundland and Labrador)]

CARFAC is currently working on building affiliates in Alberta, Yukon, North West Territories, and Nunavut. All members residing in these regions are currently managed by the CARFAC National office.

References

Frutkin, Mark, ed. "The Power of Association: Twenty-years of Canadian Artists’ Representation." CARFAC: Ottawa, 1989

Links

* [http://www.carfac.ca CARFAC National]
[http://www.carfacbc.org CARFAC British Columbia]
[http://www.carfac.sk.ca CARFAC Saskatchewan]
[http://www.carfac.mb.ca CARFAC Manitoba]
[http://www.carfacontario.ca CARFAC Ontario]
[http://www.raav.org Le Regroupement des artistes en arts visuels du Québec (RAAV)]
[http://www.vanl-carfac.com VANL-CARFAC (Visual Artists Newfoundland & Labrador)]
[http://www.carcc.ca Canadian Artists’ Representation Copyright Collective (CARCC)] [http://www.sodart.org Societe de Droits D'Auteur en Arts Visuels (SODART)]