Exhibitions – Cape Breton Centre for Craft & Design
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Exhibitions

SHIFT Canada

Cape Breton Centre for Craft & Design is pleased to welcome SHIFT Canada to the Loft exhibition space, beginning February 5, 2026. The opening reception will take place on Thursday, February 5, 2026 at 5:30 p.m. in the Centre’s Loft.

SHIFT Canada began in October 2019 when five makers from Scotland travelled to meet five makers in Nova Scotia. During an initial ten-day period of meetings, creative exploration and critical review, four collaborative pairings emerged, plus an unexpected fifth pairing. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Canadian counterparts’ reciprocal visit to the Scottish Highlands in Spring 2020 was cancelled. However, makers embraced the challenge and moved their contact online to collaborate with very positive results.

Collaborating makers:

SHIFT Canada will be on display at the Centre from February 5 – March 28, 2026. 

For more information, contact 902-270-7491 or INFO@CAPEBRETONCRAFT.COM.

Counter Culture: Seeds of Resistance

Cape Breton Centre for Craft & Design is pleased to announce Counter Culture: Seeds of Resistance, a mixed media exhibition curated by Hailey Storm, through the Centre’s Elevate: The Emerging Curators Program. The opening reception will take place on Thursday, November 6, 2025 at 5PM.

Counter Culture: Seeds of Resistance explores the relentless corruption of one of our most sacred commodities: food. This show features works by Anne Morrell Robinson, Nelson A. White, Rhonda Ferguson, Adrienne Gasior, Cora Parago, Alana Wilson, and Kelsey Watson.

As part of the exhibition, there will be various workshops and events including:

  • We Grow Together: Collaborative Collage on November 15, 2025
  • At the Table: A Conversation on Food Equity and Resistance on November 22, 2025
  • Pot, Pattern, Place! Building and Imprinting on Ceramics with Local Materials on November 29, 2025
  • Closing Party: Zine Giveaway on January 9, 2026

Counter Culture: Seeds of Resistance will be on display until January 9, 2026.

Click here to view the Counter Culture Catalogue

For more information, contact 902-270-7491 or INFO@CAPEBRETONCRAFT.COM.

Navigating

We navigate our way through cities, towns, and country roads; through systems, the internet, and challenging life situations. Ships navigate rough waters. Animals perform extraordinary feats of navigation using the stars and magnetic fields. Since 1980 the use of the word navigate has increased exponentially. What do you navigate? How do you respond in the moment you realize you need to find a path? How do you steer your course? What stars, compasses, moral bearings, or waypoints do you use to find your way? This exhibition invites artists to explore the notion of way-finding, be it in nature, through travel, or personally.

This juried quilt exhibition features 14 art quilts created by 12 members of the Studio Art Quilt Associates, Atlantic Canada. This showcase offers a unique perspective on how we explore our paths through life – whether it’s in nature, through travel, or in personal journeys.

The opening reception will take place on Thursday, September 25. Navigating will be on display until October 18, 2025.

For more information, contact 902-270-7491 or INFO@CAPEBRETONCRAFT.COM.

Art of Living 2025

The Art of Living has been helping people diagnosed with cancer and their families for 13 years now. The participants make art one-on-one with a professional artist who they pick themselves. The pieces speak about the participant’s experience with cancer using visual art as their voice.

Thank you to all the brave souls who allow us to see what cancer is like in such a personal way.

The opening reception will take place on Saturday, July 12 from 1-3PM. The Art of Living will be on display until August 1, 2025.

For more information, contact 902-270-7491 or INFO@CAPEBRETONCRAFT.COM.

Past Exhibitions