Celebrating Decorative Arts & Design!         Célébrons les arts décoratifs et du design !


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ABOUT CSDA/CCAD

The Canadian Society of Decorative Arts/ Cercle canadien des arts décoratifs (CSDA/CCAD) is a charitable organization in Canada founded in 1981 by the generous support of the McDonald Stewart Foundation. CSDA/CCAD provides the decorative arts community with opportunities to meet other enthusiasts, collectors, professionals and students who collectively delight in, and give visibility to, the diverse spectrum of material culture and design.

Share your artistic and intellectual passions while building professional connections or making new friends. We host and promote local and national events that include online and in-person presentations by makers, collectors and decorative arts experts, luncheons, panel discussions, symposiums, and tours of private collections.

Expand your knowledge of the decorative arts through the many essays and critical reviews we publish in our award-winning magazine, Ornamentum, and gain fascinating insights and revelations about the historical and contemporary decorative arts.

CSDA/CCAD is dedicated to a policy of diversity, equity, and inclusion.


Shell encrusted ostrich egg - inspired by Fabergé eggs by the late Judy Dinnick

What are the Decorative Arts?

The CSDA/CCAD defines decorative arts as designed objects, often of a practical or useful nature, which have cultural, aesthetic, and/or historical value. These arts can include furniture and furnishings, ceramics, glass, metalwork, graphics, textiles, interior design, aspects of architecture, industrial and landscape design, and so much more.

Learn from and be inspired by the ingenuity, and artistic grace of the diverse field of material culture. Engage with objects that range from the eccentric to the magnificent, as well as creations that have become elevated to cultural icons.

"How do we create objects and how do the objects we create shape us?"



CSDA/CCAD STRATEGIC PLANNING

CSDA/CCAD has evolved significantly in the past few years and more recently adapting new initiatives by delivering monthly programming online, offering more services to members, and representing diverse topics on the decorative arts and material arts from traditional and contemporary perspectives.

Utilizing this momentum, the board of directors is pursuing a three-year strategic plan about the future direction of the organization in the following areas:

  • Presenting topics that are representative of the decorative arts;
  • Supporting a broader mandate of diversity and inclusion in CSDA/CCAD activities and for the organization;
  • Introducing contemporary concepts, language and practices of material/pop culture;
  • Applying the above areas in all programming events, the annual symposium and  Ornamentum articles; and
  • Improving internal operations and systems.

Today, we have reached an important milestone at the Canadian Society of Decorative Arts’s history. As we move forward, the organization must prepare to sustain its vibrancy and vision for the future.

Download a copy of our 2022-2025 Strategic Plan.

As a member of CSDA/CCAD, your support is important to us.

If you have any comments or thoughts, please contact us.

The Canadian Society of Decorative Arts/Cercle canadien des arts décoratifs is a national non-profit organization (Registered Charitable Organization No. 886343391RR0001).




"The decorative arts help us understand history"

"The decorative arts - are not only pleasing to look at, but tell us much about the people who owned and used them. The decorative arts help us understand the development of style and taste, and at the same time provide important insights into social and economic history."

- Alexandra McCurdy, Past Honorary Council Member & Ceramic Artist

The CSDA and the Macdonald Stewart Foundation - A History:




The Canadian Society of Decorative Arts/ Cercle canadien des arts décoratifs was formed, with the generous support
of the Macdonald Stewart Foundation, to provide a forum for all those interested in the decorative arts.
© 1981 - 2024 Canadian Society of Decorative Arts / Cercle canadien des arts décoratifs