Celebrating Decorative Arts & Design!         Célébrons les arts décoratifs et du design !


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     Our members enjoy access to past and upcoming presentations, receive our award-winning magazine, Ornamentum, and so much more.

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WHAT'S NEW


Fall 2026 Newsletter

Read all about it!


Checked your inbox lately? Our Fall 2026 Newsletter is here and it is packed full of decorative arts intel! From exhibitions across the country, or the globe, we have you covered with captivating recommendations of what to watch, visit, and listen.


Read about the loan of the Bayeux Tapestry back to England, an exhibition celebrating three artists' grandmothers' legacies, a decorative arts enthusiast's guide to Halloween, and more!


Interest in reading previous issues of our newsletter? Read them here.


Image: Marilyn Levine, small glazed stoneware bowl. 7.5cm diameter x 5.5cm height. Image Courtesy: Manitoba Crafts Museum and Library,



2026 Fundraising Auction 

Your support matters!


The Art of the Staycation: Discovering Canada's Hidden Gems is set to offer a wide variety of arts-based experiences in Canada!

Auction lots will include curator-led tours, wine tastings, workshops, private access to wardrobe departments and props departments at some of Canada's performing arts organizations, private studio tours, and more. 

The virtual auction launches in November--perfect for holiday gift giving! Keep an eye on your inbox and follow us on social media to stay in the know. *Full auction details will be posted in October.*

Every bid placed and every dollar raised directly supports independent voices shaping Canadian culture.






Ornamentum Online

Feature Article


Poisonous pigments in period papers are spotlighted in Ornamentum's most recent feature, Timothy Greening's McKay's Choice? Investigating Arsenic in 19th-Century Canadian Wallpaper.

Greening examines the decorative backdrops from the Victorian era and how artifacts are identified as hazardous. Read about how these pigments came to be manufactured for wallpaper and where else they may have been applied.

Visit ornamentum.ca to access the feature article and the Spring/Summer 2026 issue, POISONS & INTOXICANTS.



Image: Colin McArthur & Co. wallpaper roll (detail), c. 1906, Canada. Courtesy of Heritage New Zealand Puhere Taonga.

ORNAMENTUM: CSDA/CCAD's AWARD-WINNING MAGAZINE

Ornamentum is Canada’s preeminent publication dedicated to exploring and cultivating the aesthetics of the everyday. Written for a broad readership, this award-winning magazine highlights creative design and craftsmanship in both historical and contemporary work. 


Fall/Winter 2026
 

On newsstands across Canada

until May 2027

COLLECTIONS, CONNECTIONS, AND DESIGN HISTORY

The Fall/Winter 2026 issue of Ornamentum is guest-edited by Jan Hadlaw and Michael Windover, who proposed a focus on the inter-institutional ‘xDX project’ as a way of bringing attention to the role of collections in building networks of researchers for the creation of design history in Canada. This issue highlights the history of the Design Exchange’s collection, from its inception through its fragmentation and its reintegration as a linked data research tool. The issue also considers the range and role of design collections in Canada more broadly.

Learn More  Digital Issue  Print Issue  Subscription




AT-A-GLANCE

ABOUT CSDA/CCAD

The Canadian Society of Decorative Arts/Cercle canadien des arts décoratifs is a national nonprofit that promotes decorative art and design in Canada, through guest lectures, special events, and publications. We're a diverse community, ranging from artists and makers, to experts and enthusiasts.

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BECOME A MEMBER

Take advantage of benefits including special member discounts, artist’s talks, opportunities for exposure through our newsletter and social media, and behind-the-scenes access to institutional and private collections that are not available to the general public. All are welcome!


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The Canadian Society of Decorative Arts / Cercle canadien des arts décoratifs primarily operates out of Tkaronto/Toronto, Ontario. We recognize that the city is situated on the traditional territory and unceded lands of the Anishnaabe, Haudenosaunee, Huron-Wendat, and Mississaugas of the Credit.

The Canadian Society of Decorative Arts / Cercle canadien des arts décoratifs was formed with the generous support of the Macdonald Stewart Foundation, to provide a forum for all those interested in the decorative arts.


© 1981 - 2026 Canadian Society of Decorative Arts / Cercle canadien des arts décoratifs

(Reg. Charitable # 886343391RR0001) 

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