Fonds F505 - Federation of Canadian Artists' fonds

The Federation of Canadian Artists was formed as the result of a conference held at Queen's University, Kingston, in June, 1941. The conference was organized by Andre Bieler with the assistance of a grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York, and the support of Queen's University. A continuing committee was established which recommended the formation of the Federation which grew into a nation wide organization. Andre Bieler was the first president. The object of the Federation was to unite Canadians to further the function of art and to make creative life an inseparable part of the community and membership was made up of professional artists, amateurs, and interested laymen. To further their aims the Federation supported a petition to the Prime Minister in 1942 asking that the work of artists be an integral part of the war effort.

The membership of the Federation was organized on a regional basis, each province or branch had its regional executive with its chairman a member of the National Council. The National Council was the authority in matters of policy and finance. Andre Bieler was succeeded as president by Lawrence Harris.