Carfac - Jack Chambers and The Foundation of CARFAC

Jack Chambers and The Foundation of CARFAC

In the early fall of 1967, the National Gallery of Canada wrote to many Canadian artists regarding the compilation of 2000 slides for a documentation library for the gallery using slides of the exhibit “300 Years of Canadian Art”. The letters requested the artist’s permission to reproduce their artwork in slide images; however, the letters also indicated that if the artist’s permission was not received in time, the project would continue with their assumed support.

The letters implied that it was unnecessary for the artists to ask for royalty fees for the reproduction of their work because the project was educational in nature. This was a common claim used by galleries throughout the country in order to reproduce artists’ works without having to pay to do so.

Jack Chambers, a painter from London, Ontario, received one of these letters and replied to the National Gallery of Canada with a request for fair treatment for the artists. Jack Chambers advocated that it was absurd to exclude artists from payment for their work and the reproduction of it within an economic climate where it is socially acknowledged that payment is granted for services rendered. He pointed out that the gallery would make a profit from the reproduction of his work, even as an educational product, and thus asked to be compensated for his work. He sent his reply the National Gallery and forwarded his reply to 130 Canadian artists who also participated in the exhibit, encouraging them to reply in kind.

Because of the pressure from the artist’s letters, the slide project was cancelled. Also from the letters, the foundations of CARFAC began to emerge.

Jack Chambers remained heavily involved in CARFAC during its formative years. However, on April 13 1978 Jack Chambers died from Leukemia. In tribute to the organization’s founder, the Jack Chambers Memorial Foundation for Research and Educational Development Projects to Benefit Canadian Visual Artists was formed.