The United States announced at the end of April that a 50 per cent tariff would be applied to a broad range of Canadian visual arts, crafts and natural-material products. The measure expands on an earlier 25 % levy introduced in March 2025 and follows a year-long deadlock in trade talks. Paintings, drawings, original prints, sculptures, jewellery, textiles and items made from furs, leather, bone or antler are now subject to the duty, putting a sudden cost barrier on the historic flow of Canadian culture south of the border.
For many creators, the change feels like a shock to a system that has long moved freely. “Art, it’s always traveled without tariffs, without tax. It’s because art is so complicated, like what is art and what’s original art,” says Michael Harrington, a narrative painter based in Ottawa for three decades. Harrington had been preparing for a November exhibition in Boston when he learned that the gallery would be on the hook for the tariff before any sale took place. “I wasn’t going to do that and I certainly wasn’t going to accept if [the gallery] were to do that,” he explains, refusing to let the new cost structure dictate his exposure to the U.S. market.
Ottawa painter refuses to be priced out
Harrington’s career has already survived the 2008 recession and the COVID-19 shutdown, but the latest duty threatens a crucial revenue stream. He continues to work with Canadian dealers who place his work in galleries across Canada and Europe, yet the loss of a barrier-free U.S. outlet hurts his financial outlook. “If you just sit around and let anxiety take over, it’s debilitating and causes creative paralysis,” he admits. To combat that feeling, he is focusing on motivation and hopes the situation will normalise once diplomatic talks resume.
Newfoundland potter turns tariff pressure into a market boost
In Portugal Cove, N.L., ceramicist Karyna Parsons adds a pinch of “snark” to her politically charged pottery. Since she began using her pieces to comment on Donald Trump’s presidency, 80 % of her orders have originated from the United States, even though 95 % of her social-media followers are women. Parsons says she adds a flat shipping fee plus a 10 % surcharge to cover the tariff, but some buyers still receive a customs bill after delivery. “There’s really this prevalent attitude of ‘we got ourselves into this mess, this is not your fault. We as Americans will pay for it,’” she notes, highlighting the unexpected solidarity from her northern customers.
Parsons also leverages the situation to share a slice of Canadian culture: each U.S. order is accompanied by a pack of Hawkins Cheezies, a locally owned snack brand, as a thank-you for handling the duty. “We can be pissed off and we can be defiant, but also we’re connecting,” she says, describing the emotional roller-coaster of navigating the trade conflict.
Institutions demand policy change
Academic leaders and industry groups are pressing the federal government for a strategic response. Ana Serrano, president and vice-chancellor of OCAD University, claims the tariff crisis is an “existential moment for Canada” that has spurred projects like the “Canada is not for sale” hat. She stresses that “there is an absolute correlation between the work of artists and the work of how a nation defines itself,” arguing that cultural output should be treated as intellectual property in export strategies.
The Visual Arts Alliance echoes that sentiment, stating that Canadian art is more than merchandise; it embodies historical knowledge, identity and community ties. Jenna Paye Powell, interim executive director of Canadian Artists’ Representation (CARFAC), warns that individual resilience cannot solve systemic barriers. She calls for targeted financial relief, a GST exemption for buyers of Canadian-made art, and clear customs rules for temporary exports, touring shows and loans.
Together, these voices illustrate a sector grappling with sudden cost spikes while refusing to let the tariff dim creative output. As artists innovate around the duty—whether by adjusting pricing, adding cultural tokens or lobbying for policy shifts—the Canadian art community demonstrates both defiance and a determination to keep its work moving across borders.
