The Best Practice Standards for the Saskatchewan Visual Arts Sector is a visionary project for the province of Saskatchewan to provide professional, ethical, and practical industry standards. This project, facilitated by CARFAC Sask and developed the community of arts professionals, including visual, media and craft artists, curators, agents, patrons and dealers, will ultimately influence the direction of industry standards across Canada.  These standards provide practical guidelines and protocols to reference when engaging in professional relationships or endeavours involving the visual arts.  Industry standards ensure that agreements between creators and presenters will be entered into with mutual understanding and respect and will contribute to the strength and recognition of the visual arts sector in Saskatchewan.

*This page is in the process of being updated. Stay tuned for more information!

Saskatchewan Commercial Galleries & Artists

Saskatchewan Use of Artists’ Work for Fundraising Purposes

Saskatchewan Organization of Juried Group Exhibitions

Saskatchewan Public Galleries & Artists

Saskatchewan Public Art Commissions

Saskatchewan Indigenous Arts (Living Document)
Cree Translation
Dene Translation (unformatted)

  • This set of Industry Standards / Best Practices offers viable industry standards, developed in an atmosphere of mutual respect and agreement, for practical use in the Saskatchewan Visual Arts and Crafts Sector .

    These ethical and practical standards provide guidance in areas where regulation and agreements may not exist. This project ultimately hopes to enhance day to day best practices and to provide a basis for the future development of policy and legislation.

    This project made use of processes which encouraged respectful and healthy relationships between Saskatchewan's creators and producers of art and craft with their presenters and representation (galleries, dealers, curators, events and businesses) and to contribute to a sustainable Visual Arts and Craft Sector. Advisory Councils guided the development of Best Practice Standards.

    • Internationally, the development of "Best Practices" has taken place in the last 10 years, primarily in the UK and Australia. These practical documents are called "codes of practice", "codes of ethics", or "best practices". At the Visual Arts Summit in Ottawa, November of 2007, the Australian National Association for the Visual Arts, (NAVA) gave a comprehensive presentation on their sector processes, "Codes of Best Practice" and its applications. Recently, the International Federation of Arts Councils and Cultural Agencies (IFACCA) have also begun to document these developments. The project intends to build on this other work through consultation and research. A formal learning relationship has been developed, with NAVA serving as an advisor to this project.

    Developing guidelines such as these in Saskatchewan will inform later developments country-wide by the national Visual Arts Alliance and to build strong relationships and a common understanding regarding our mutual priorities.

  • Saskatchewan Arts Alliance

    Saskatchewan Arts Board

    Saskatchewan Professional Art Galleries Association

    Museums Association of Saskatchewan

    Saskatchewan Craft Council

    Organization of Saskatchewan Arts Councils

    Saskatchewan Cultural Industries Development Council

    CARFAC SASK

    CARFAC National

    SaskCulture

    National Association for the Visual Arts (Australia)

    *While this project has been initially funded by the Saskatchewan Arts Board through a Creative Industries Transition Project Grant to CARFAC SASK, the project looks for ownership and direction from the sector.

  • Leadership and consultation

    • to facilitate engagement of the Saskatchewan Visual Arts and Craft Sector

    • to document, recognize and discuss current issues and priorities regarding the relationship between presenters and creators.

    Sector capacity development

    • to encourage sustainable working partnerships, collaboration and relationship building between many diverse stakeholders of the Saskatchewan Visual Arts and Craft Sector.

    Education and advocacy

    • to share research with sector to support community in making informed and strategic decisions as well as distribution and engagement of developed resources.

    International research and networking

    • to build evidence and understanding of international best practices and issues, building relationships in the international community, learning from expert experience.

  • Industry Standards development : to research, develop, negotiate, and agree upon ethical standards for use in the Saskatchewan Visual Arts and Craft Sector.

    Best Practices application: to create several living documents that are in plain language, and are easily used and endorsed by all parties within the sector.

    Best Practices support: to develop and implement education strategies to ensure parties are supported to implement and distribute "Best Practices" and electronic dissemination.

    United Saskatchewan Visual Arts Sector: to develop healthy partnerships and relationships within the community that can move the sector forward.