Ottawa artist cancels Boston exhibit after 50 per cent tariff hits Canadian art

Visual artist Michael Harrington cancelled an exhibition of his works in Boston because the latest round of Trump tariffs targets fine art. Photo by Spencer Colby /Postmedia

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An Ottawa artist was forced to cancel an upcoming exhibit in the United States after the latest escalation of the trade war expanded to include tariffs on Canadian artwork.

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Michael Harrington, an Ottawa-based visual artist, recently announced he had to cancel an upcoming exhibition in Boston after learning the American government implemented a 50 per cent tariff on Canadian art.

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Harrington, who has been a full-time artist for nearly 30 years, said the tariffs have effectively eliminated the ability for Canadian artists to exhibit or sell to American clients.

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“It’s disastrous to lose that market the way it’s being lost. It’s not good,” he said Sept. 1.

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On Aug. 22, the United States imposed additional tariffs of 50 per cent on almost $30 billion worth of Canadian products, about five per cent of Canada’s annual exports to that country.

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Included in the extensive list was original Canadian art, such as paintings, drawings, pastels and collages, original prints and lithographs, sculptures and jewelry.

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Historically, works of art could move across the border without being taxed, and selling to American clients was a relatively smooth process, Harrington said.

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He added it was hard to quantify exactly how the tariffs will impact his livelihood, because his art is sold through art dealers, international art fairs, and exhibitions and he doesn’t always know where his pieces land. But Americans are among his customer base, and losing access to one of the world’s biggest markets will only hurt him and other Canadian artists at a time when the industry is already struggling.

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Artists have been hard-hit in recent months as the U.S.-Iran conflict has caused a fear of inflation, he said, and many people have cut back on discretionary spending – with art being one of the first things to go.

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“The art market is very vulnerable,” he said.

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“This year has been one of my worst already, which was why I was hoping to expand in the United States just to have more customer opportunities.”

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The Canadian Artists’ Representation/Le Front des artistes canadiens (CARFAC), the national voice of Canada’s professional visual artists, said it was “deeply concerned” about the impact these new tariffs will have on Canadian art and artists.

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“Canadian artists are independent workers and entrepreneurs,” Jenna Faye Powell, Interim National Executive Director of CARFAC National, said in a statement.

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“Unlike large businesses and corporations, individual artists don’t have the financial resources to absorb new costs associated with these tariffs. There are tangible, immediate steps we are asking the federal government to take to ensure that artists are supported through this trade dispute. Artists cannot be an afterthought in Canada’s response.”