A sense of belonging anchored by design…
Early this spring, our members were treated to fascinating talk entitled A Modernist's Reflection: Why Canadian Graphic Design from the Mid-Century (1960-1985) Still Matters.
In case you missed it, here’s a snippet from the presentation by Canada Modern’s (@canadamodern ) own Blair Thomson (@blairthomson )
In this segment, we discover how Blair's upbringing in Canada sparked a passion for design from a young age and how these iconic symbols became integrated into daily life.
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Not yet a member of The Canadian Society of Decorative Arts/ Cercle canadien des arts décoratifs? Our annual individual rates start as low as $60 CAD.
See the link in our bio to learn about member benefits, which includes a subscription to Ornamentum magazine – the only magazine dedicated to design and decorative arts in Canada.
CSDA/CCAD members also have access to in-person events throughout the year and a wide variety of virtual presentations - all presented by makers, designers, historians and academics (up to 10 per year).
Become a member and support the only organization that promotes the broad spectrum of decorative arts, material arts, and design throughout Canada.
Ornamentum Lecture Series presents
Poisoned Pages and Persistent Residues: Hazards, Histories and Decisions in Natural History Collections with Erika Range (@conservatorrange )
Sunday, May 24, 2026 at 3 pm ET via Zoom
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This talk explores the oft-overlooked presence of hazardous materials in natural history collections, with a focus on recent research into toxic pigments in rare books. Building on work from the Poison Book Project (Winterthur Museum @winterthurmuse ), it examines how nineteenth-century bindings can contain arsenic, lead, and mercury, materials historically valued for their colour, but now understood as potential health risks.
Rather than focusing on books alone, the talk situates these findings within the broader context of natural history collections, where hazardous substances are not unusual but often inherent, whether from preservation practices, specimen preparation, or historical pest control.
☠️ Regiser at link in bio ☠️
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Image Details
- Hg contaminated Herbarium sheet. Image courtesy of Canadian Museum of Nature (@museumofnature )
- Arsenic on book spine. Image courtesy of Canadian Museum of Nature (@museumofnature )
- Three brightly coloured rare books. Image courtesy of Canadian Museum of Nature (@museumofnature )
Take a seat!
All of these striking chairs have been highlighted in past newsletters.
Our quarterly publication is the easiest way to keep in the loop on all things decorative arts and design in Canada and abroad.
📸 Rainbow Chair, Patrick Norguet (French, 1969– ), Cappellini (Italy, 1946– ). Rainbow Chair, 2000, acrylic, 31.5" x 15.125" x 19.5". Gift of Larry Brady. 2019.92.3. Photo: Brandon Scott @themintmuseum
📸 Unknown designer. Butaque armchair. 1780–1820.
Campeche, Mexico. Spanish cedar, leather, and metal. @themuseumofmodernart
📸 Non-Conformist Chair, Eileen Gray. @nationalmuseumofireland
📸 Paul Boulva (1946-2022), Lotus Chair, 1976, produced by Artena, Montreal, polypropylene, chrome plated tubular steel. MMFA, gift in memory of Aldée Archambault. Photo MMFA @mbamtl
📢 Call for Submissions: John Fleming Award in Decorative Arts Writing @ Canadian Society of Decorative Arts 📢
The John Fleming Award honours his lasting contribution to Canadian decorative arts scholarship and writing. This $1,000 annual juried award recognizes an exceptional example of magazine writing on decorative arts in Canada. Decorative arts are creative works, often of a practical or useful nature, produced by a designer, craftsperson, artist, or amateur, which have aesthetic, cultural, or historical value.
The Canadian Society of Decorative Arts/Cercle canadien des arts décoratifs (CSDA/CCAD) publishes the article in Ornamentum magazine and on ornamentum.ca. Ornamentum critically addresses the aesthetics, meanings, traditions, and innovations of Canadian material culture in the areas of decorative arts and design for a general audience.
Deadline: June 5, 2026
Interested in applying? Read the eligibility, submission requirements, or donate to the fund at the link in bio.
@csda_ccad
#EmergingWriter #DecorativeArts #CanadianArt #ArtsMagazine #WritingAward
📸 Cover Image: Glenn Carstens-Peters.
📹 Video: Canadian Society of Decorative Arts.
Cover Image & Video Description:
Cover Image) A photograph of a typewriter with hands typing along the keys, with printing upon the page.
Video) Dr. Sarah Alford, chair of Ornamentum Editorial Advisory Committee, shares the JFA 2026 call for applications.
Some exciting news 📣📣
We would like to congratulate Hmeen Fournier-Hasan @hmeen.f for being the winner of the CSDA/CCAD Award prize at the UTSC Annual Studio Art Student Exhibition held by @utsc_acm
“The work represents the hidden connections we have in our lives. It is inspired by the red string theory which suggests that everyone has a soul mate connected to them by an invisible red string and that they are destined to meet. Some people never meet their soul mate which is why some of the chords in the piece are cut or broken the artwork shows the different ways we are all connected to each other and how those bonds can stay intact or fall apart.” -Hmeen Fournier-Hasan
📷 Intertwined. Image Credit: the artist
You can never have too many art books on your tbr...
Here are a few from our spring newsletter that we think should go on your list.
Each season, we publish a new edition of the newsletter with things to read, watch, and listen to. Don't miss out!
Click the link in our bio to read and/or subscribe
✨The Spring/Summer 2026 issue of Ornamentum is out now!!
POISONS & INTOXICANTS explores some of the materials, objects, approaches, perspectives, and impacts of toxins and intemperance on Canada's decorative arts.
This issue opens with the 2025 John Fleming Award-winning article, "Threads of Resistance," by Alyssa Nolan, which examines quilt codes believed to have been used to communicate to those escaping slavery on the Underground Railroad.
The history of poison in production and practice inform articles by Erika Range, Isolda Gavidia, and Timothy Greening, all of whom work with national collections.
Readers will also learn about two material effects of sobriety and snuffing in articles by Ross Fox and Anthony Wu.
Closing out this issue's theme is Rashana Youtzy's exhibition review of We Have The Cure, a remarkable body of work by Nigerian-Canadian artist Kosisochukwu Nnebe (@kosisochukwunnebe )
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Become a member of CSDA/CCAD or subscribe to receive your copy of Ornamentum via the link in our bio
Calling all emerging writers! We are now accepting submissions for the 2026 John Fleming Award in Decorative Arts Writing. Submission deadline is June 6, 2026.
The $1,000 juried award recognizes an exceptional example of magazine writing on decorative arts in Canada. The winning article will be published in an upcoming issue of Ornamentum magazine and posted on ornamentum.ca.
The 2026 winner will also be recognized at our annual Marian Bradshaw Lecture.
Submissions are welcome in both French and English.
Read more about the submission requirements, eligibility, and the selection process at link in bio.
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John A. Fleming, Professor Emeritus of the French, Museum Studies, and Comparative Literature departments at the University of Toronto, passed away in April 2022. He studied at McMaster (BA), University of Toronto (MA), and Harvard University (PhD).
His academic research and publications have earned multiple awards, and his influence in the field of decorative arts in Canada is substantial.
His books include Ukrainian Pioneer Furniture, with Michael Rowan and Halya Kluchko (1992); Les meubles peints du Canada français 1700-1840 (1994); Folk Furniture of Canada’s Doukhobors, Hutterites, Mennonites and Ukrainians, with Michael Rowan (2004); and Canadian Folk Art to 1950, with Michael Rowan and James A. Chambers (2012).
John also played an important role in the Canadian Society of Decorative Arts/ Cercle canadien des arts décoratifs (CSDA/CCAD): he was the editor and publisher of Ornamentum magazine from its inauguration in 2006 to 2018 and a CSDA director from 1990 until his retirement in 2019.
ORNAMENTUM magazine will be at the 2026 Bowmanville Antiques and Folk Art Show!
Are you looking for a weekend of exploration and treasure hunting? Check out the selection of Canadiana including primitive furniture, carvings, folk art, toys, decoys, textiles and more. Join the fun and be sure to stop by our table to say hi.
When: Saturday, April 25 & Sunday, April 26
Where: GB Rickard Recreation Complex in Bowmanville, Ontario
Image courtesy of Bowmanville Antiques and Folk Art Show
Discover the works of Québec City artist Gigi Wenger --> mungibou
Below is a short excerpt from our artist interview with Wenger. Access the full Ornamentum web exclusive via link in our r bio. Want to see more of Gigi's work? Check out @meltstudiogallery , @j2gallerystudio & @galerielewis
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Ornamentum - You studied photography and illustration, as well as set and costume design. How do those mediums and fields influence your ceramic work, if at all?
Gigi Wenger - There are so many parallels between these mediums and ceramics. The thrill of discovery -- opening the kiln is like, in photography, seeing the image slowly appear in the chemical bath, the grain, the contrasts. Never knowing how it will turn out. Getting your hands dirty, full of paint and oil pastels, creating textures, smearing colours. Letting the body take over.
Theatre design, especially lighting design, is playing with shape and scale and colour, with intensity and shadow. Imagining the back story, asking what happened before/after, what did they whisper, why are they there….each oeuvre is just a captured moment, like a photo or a cinema still.
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Image 1 - Gigi Wenger, Minis, 2023. Photo by Guillaume D. Cyr
Image 2 - 'The Gritty, The Grunge & The Gorgeous," 2025. . Photo by Guillaume D. Cyr
Image 3 - Ceramic glazes in the studio, 2026. Photo by Gigi Wenger
