Who We Are

 Muskoka Arts & Crafts is one of the oldest and most well established arts organizations in Ontario, having grown since its inception in 1963 to include a diverse membership of professional full-time artists, part-time artists, hobbyists, amateurs, patrons and art enthusiasts that creates an dynamic environment where everyone can learn from each other.

The organization is the true heart of visual arts in the province’s favourite cottage and vacation area and has become an innovative force in the community at large.

Muskoka Arts & Crafts supports artists directly through its programming and resources and is also a champion of arts and culture in Muskoka, always striving to make the community a vibrant and culturally engaged destination for visitors, local residents and summer residents alike. Membership in Muskoka Arts & Crafts is open to any person who lives, works, owns property or has a year-round gallery representation in Muskoka.

Muskoka Arts & Crafts is a non-profit organization that is financially self-supporting. It mounts several annual shows, including the popular Summer Show, which has been a centrepiece of Muskoka summers since 1963 and attracts hundreds of artists from across the country and more than 16,000 visitors every year. The Christmas Show & Sale and Spring Members’ Show feature the work of members and the Chapel Gallery in Bracebridge hosts an ongoing cycle of juried exhibitions by local and visiting artists.

The Gallery is also home to the organization’s Permanent Collection. Throughout the year, Muskoka Arts & Crafts organizes workshops for all levels of creative development. Each year, the organization also publishes the Muskoka Arts & Crafts’ Guidebook, a definitive full-colour guide to visual arts in the area.

Muskoka Arts & Crafts supports the next generation of artists by sponsoring the Elene J. Freer Art Scholarship that annually provides $1,200 for a graduating high school student from Muskoka who is pursuing a post-secondary education in the visual arts.

In April of 2008, an initiative launched by Muskoka Arts & Crafts culminated in the District Municipality of Muskoka declaring Muskoka a Designated Arts Community, a testament to the vitality of the area’s arts scene and its potential as a fundamental building block for year-round art tourism in Muskoka.