| The Women's Art Association of Canada was organized in 1887 to provide mutual help and encouragement to women artists in the face of exclusion from full participation in existing educational and professional art institutions. Formally incorporated as a national organization in 1892, the WAAC established a wide range of programs to meet the diverse needs of its membership. These included the art and handicraft clubs which provided instruction, studio facilities, equipment and employment opportunities. As well, the exhibition program broke new ground through its diversity and responsiveness to the demands of artists and the public. Given the breadth of its activity, it is astounding that there has been no serious documentation or assessment of the WAAC's contribution, and as such, it has been largely excluded from mainstream Canadian art history. An examination of the WAAC's activities during the past century clearly demonstrates that the Association had a far reaching impact on women artists and the Canadian public. |
