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vision

Craft Council of British Columbia is a charitable arts service organization. It supports all stages of artistic practice in the craft sector; and creates opportunities for artists to exhibit, sell, and produce art. It also provides a voice for artists and craft organizations and aids in the development of active communities around craft.

Since 1973 we have been making craft more significant in the cultural life of British Columbians and Canadians. Through our public gallery and social enterprise shop on Granville Island,  we exhibit and interpret contemporary objects in ceramic, glass, fiber, metal and wood that honor innovation in art, craft and design and celebrate materials and processes.

As a membership-based organization, CCBC welcomes all those who are interested in or curious about craft. Many individuals and institutions belong to CCBC – artists, teachers, scholars, collectors, gallery owners and professionals in related fields in British Columbia. This diversity is well represented in CCBC’s governance through its Board of Directors, which is elected annually by the members.

A key aspect of our vision is how to make CCBC a fully inclusive arts organization. We are making a concerted effort to ensure that our organization is a welcoming space for all material-based artists. To this end we use the following equity statement to guide us in all governance, programing, hiring and space decision making.

Equity Statement of Craft Council of BC 


The Craft Council of British Columbia wishes to acknowledge that we are located and operate on the ancestral, unceded territories of the Coast Salish peoples–Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Stó:lō and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations.

Given that we are indebted to the rightful landowners, we recognize a served lack of diversity in our member profiles that should undoubtedly be corrected. As it stands, the CCBC represents few artists from marginalized communities; this includes, but is not limited to, BIPOC and LGBTQ2+ artists.

We recognize and are acting on our privileged position in the arts by making an increased effort to champion unrepresented artists in British Columbia. Moving forward, any effort to procure consignment vendors, members, exhibiting artists and community relations will be guided by the inclusion of artists from marginalized groups.

As we move forward, we intend to act with care and compassion. We are thinking of ways that we can prioritize the needs of our community, measure our progress and maintain healthier member relations. These prioritizes are subject to constant renegotiation as the needs of our community change and we hope to continue to discuss and correct our faults.

This effort, as it should be stated, is not an attempt to fulfill a quota or promote sales but comes in response to a heightened awareness of the inequities that are present not only our institution but systemically embedded into institutions within and outside the Canadian Context. These efforts are only a small step in rectifying a western issue that deeply impacts marginalized artists. 

We encourage all artists to review the Canadian Crafts Federation  brief overview discussing the cultural appropriation Indigenous people of Canada continually experience.

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