Discover craft handmade by over 120 Unama'ki Cape Breton artists ✨
Visit our Gallery Shop in Downtown Sydney today!
Your membership not only keeps you informed about what is happening in the field of craft and design in Cape Breton, but it also provides you with preferential rates for classes and workshops as well as advanced registration. Go
What better way to learn about Cape Breton than through the lives and work of its artisans. Our Artisan Trail Map will set you on a trail of discovery and beauty with good measures of culture, history, adventure and charm. Go
This suite of online courses assists Makers in the development of their craft businesses. These courses are all self-paced, meaning you can learn on your own schedule!
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Cape Breton Centre for Craft & Design is pleased to welcome A Shared Pulse, curated by Kelsey Watson, beginning August 4, 2026. The closing reception will take place on Thursday, September 24 at 5:00 p.m. in the Centre’s Loft✨🌀
A Shared Pulse brings together artists working in textiles, paper, sculpture, ceramics, film and video to explore the relationship between tidal cycles and human experience. The exhibition considers water as both a physical force and powerful metaphor. The ebb and flow of the tide offers a framework for thinking about the rhythms that shape our lives: inhale and exhale, abundance and absence, certainty and vulnerability. Together, the artists consider how these natural cycles are reflected in our lives and how living in coastal communities continues to guide the ways we create and connect.
Artists include:
Coleen Davidson
Kristi Farrier
Corey Katz
Shauna MacLeod
Nancy Oakley
Jody Racicot
Sarah Sears
Anna Sprague
A Shared Pulse will be on display at the Centre from August 4 – September 26, 2026.
▫`Between the Tide` by Coleen Davidson
Happy Natal Day! The Gallery Shop is open 10AM-4PM today ✨
Stop by to browse handmade gifts, local art and new arrivals from your favourite Unama`ki Cape Breton Island makers 🫶
For more than 54 years, the Centre has been a place where creativity, culture, and community come together 🫶
From preserving traditional skills to supporting emerging and professional makers, we are proud to champion the artists who help shape the identity of Unama’ki Cape Breton 🩵
Every handmade piece tells a story. Every class, workshop, and exhibition creates connections. Thank you to our members, artists, volunteers, partners, supporters, and visitors for being part of this journey. Together, we are preserving traditions and building a brighter future for craft in Unama’ki Cape Breton 🌊
▫fused glass handmade by Brent Harding
Hello August! ☀ A new month of sunshine, we`re here for it 🥰✨
We’re celebrating summer in the Gallery Shop with lots of colourful and bright pieces. Stop by next time you`re in @downtownsydney 💖
A little mermaid magic has washed ashore at the Gallery Shop 🧜♀️✨
▫ felted mermaid dress handmade by Lois Gallant
For the candle lovers 🚨 These coco apricot creme candles are nothing short of amazing! They are slow burning and smell divine 😍
Our favourites by CEDAR & CLOVE right now are:
▫Champange Pop 🍾
▫London Fog ☕
▫Coconut Sugar 🥥
Drop by the shop and grab one today – we`re here until 6PM 🩷
Before that sweater keeps you warm, dozens of hands already worked to get it there.
Wool is a regenerative, biodegradable, and durable material, but it also happens to be one of the most labor-intensive materials on earth. Here are all the things that happen to a wool sweater before it reaches you:
✂️ Shearing: Skilled shearers’ work is fast and physically demanding. Shearing requires real expertise to do safely and with care for the animals` wellbeing.
🧹 Sorting and Skirting: Every fleece has to be sorted by hand, this means separating usable fiber from dirt and debris. This detailed work determines the value of everything downstream.
🧼 Cleaning: Raw wool is ‘greasy’, meaning that it is full of lanolin, dirt, and plant matter. Cleaning it takes time, water, and careful handling to avoid damaging the fiber.
🌀 Carding: Fibers get aligned and untangled through a mechanical process, but one that still needs skilled oversight to produce consistent, spinnable wool.
🧵 Spinning: Turning raw fiber into yarn is a craft in itself. Hand-spinners and small mill operators bring years of skill to get tension, thickness, and twist right.
🧶 Knitting: The final transformation into cloth occurs in the hands of craftspeople, artisans and textile workers.
When wool is sold cheaply, it`s usually because someone along that chain is being underpaid for their labor, not because the process got easier. Through our Wool Sweater Project, we’re ensuring each person that touches your sweater between the sheep`s back and your closet is paid fairly. Wool isn`t just a material; it`s the sum of a lot of skilled human effort. We are immensely grateful to the Unama’ki Cape Breton team of farmers, shearers, spinners, and knitters for working the wool of this Island into beautiful garments.
Put a pep in your step this Monday morning with Night Owl`s Costa Rican blend ☕️🔥
Hand roasted in Ingonish, you can find a variety of Night Owl Coffee Roasters delicious beans in the Gallery Shop 🩵
