LibGuides: Art: Associations & Conferences

Artist and Illustrator Associations

Canadian Society of Children's Authors, Illustrators and Performers
A national membership organization that promotes the professional development of creators for children and teens, through support for their creativity, craft, and business practice.
The Canadian Association of Professional Image Creators
An advocate for professional photographers, illustrators, and digital artists in Canada. CAPIC maintains industry standards, create a platform for a creator community, and fight for artists' copyright protections.
Society of Illustrators
A member association with the aim to promote the art of illustration, to appreciate its history and evolving nature through exhibitions, lectures and education, and to contribute the service of its members to the welfare of the community at large.
CARFAC - Canadian Artists Representation / Le Front des artistes canadiens
A national voice for Canadian visual artists, CARFAC's aim is to promote the visual arts in Canada, to promote a socio-economic climate that is conducive to the production of visual arts in Canada, and to conduct research and engage in public education for these purposes.
Copyright Visual Artists
A not-for-profit copyright management society providing Author’s Rights administration for professional Canadian and Québécois visual and media artists
Society of Canadian Artists
The Society of Canadian Artists (SCA) is a national, non-profit artists’ organization dedicated to expanding the visibility and stature of the visual arts. SCA has representation in all of the visual arts media.

Art and Illustration Conferences

International Conference on Illustration and Animation
Held in Portugal at the Polytechnic Institute of Cavado and Ave, organized by School of Design under the auspices of the Masters in Illustration and Animation.
The Illustration Conference
Held in New York, ICON is a 4-day event featuring paper presentations by top educators, workshops led by and for illustrators, a marketplace, an exhibition showing original works, a juried animation screening, 2-full days of mainstage presentations, opportunities to connect with others in the field, and more.
Pictoplasma Conference
A Berlin conference event dedicated to character design pioneers, creatives and enthusiasts in
celebration of the very best in contemporary character design and art.
OCADU Cultural Community Expo
This conference brings together the people and places that make up Toronto’s art and cultural sector to prepare students and recent alumni for building a career in the arts. Review past conference recordings, tools and resources, and archived material online.
ARCA - Artist-Run Centres and Collectives Conference
The Artist-Run Centres and Collectives Conference is a Canadian organization that represents – by way of the nine artist-run centres’ associations that form its membership – over 180 artist-run centres in the visual and media arts, contemporary craft and architecture and collectives in cities and towns across the country

Associations and Conferences

For new and seasoned artists and illustrators, conferences and associations can hep to connect you with fellow artists, resources, supports for copyright protections, and professional development opportunities. Explore the resources below to find Canadian and international affiliations and professional artist gatherings, and to view their archives of past conferences and resources.