Recent MA graduate appointed national executive director

by Nicole Findlay

Few students complete their studies only to take up the helm of a major organization on the heels of graduation. April Britski, a recent MA graduate of the School for Studies in Art and Culture’s Canadian Art History program, has done exactly that.

This July, Britski became the national executive director of the Canadian Artists’ Representation/Le front des artiste canadiens (CARFAC). CARFAC is a not-for-profit association that represents and defends the economic and legal rights of over 15,000 artists located across Canada.
Initially a CARFAC member, she became the membership and communications coordinator and then acting director all the while working on her Masters thesis.
A native of Saskatchewan, the dearth of opportunities for artists inspired both her thesis subject and commitment to advocacy.

Artists often have to devise their own methods for overcoming geographic isolation to increase their exposure to artistic influences. One such community, the Emma Lake Artists’ Workshops was the focus of Britski’s MA thesis. Initiated in Emma Lake, Saskatchewan in the 1950s, the workshops were developed for professional artists and were often led by world-renown New York Modernist artists and critics. At a time when Canadians endeavored to distinguish themselves from American culture, many of the province’s artists became internationally recognized for further developing Modernist techniques.

Through her work with CARFAC, Britski hopes to increase the opportunities available to artists at both regional and national levels. She is currently expanding CARFAC’s services into Canada’s northern territories in an effort to create opportunities for artists there.

On behalf of her members, Britski is involved in negotiations over exhibition fees on copyright-protected material with federal galleries and museums. She also advises individual artists on a myriad of issues ranging from planning their taxes to the intricacies of exporting artwork through customs.

CARFAC also works to educate the public and dispel common myths associated with artists.
“We counter that idea that artists have to starve and suffer in order to create. Artists have families and lives and bills to pay, and they deserve respect and fair compensation for the work they do, like any professional,” said Britski.