Canada Book Day, observed annually in April, is a celebration of Canadian stories. This year, as tariffs are increasingly impacting Canadian authors and publishers, it is more important than ever to read Canadian. This year, we’ve compiled a list of recently published books and museum catalogues that highlight Canadian craft, just in time for Book Day. Explore them below!
Craft Catalogues
Over the past two years, several major craft-based exhibitions have opened across Canada, many accompanied by stunning catalogues that offer insights into the works on display. Here are some of the catalogues we’ve been most excited to dive into:
Curve! Women Carvers on the Northwest Coast (2024)
Produced for the exhibition at the Audain Art Museum, this publication was edited by co-curators Dana Claxton and Dr. Curtis Collins. Spanning eighty years of wood and argillite carving by Indigenous women artists on the Northwest Coast, the catalogue features commentaries by Skeena Reece, Claxton, and Marika Swan, alongside interviews with artists Dale Campbell and Mary Anne Barkhouse. With over 100 artworks from public and private collections, including newly commissioned pieces, this catalogue is a tribute to the remarkable contributions of women carvers on the Northwest Coast.
Woven Histories: Textiles and Modern Abstraction (2024)
Available here (English version)
(French version)
This exhibition and catalogue, organized by the National Gallery of Art (Washington) in collaboration with the National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa), the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LA), and The Museum of Modern Art (New York), explores how textile techniques such as weaving, knitting, and felting have intersected with abstraction over the past century. Featuring striking images of textiles by artists ranging from Anni Albers to Jeffrey Gibson, it examines the ways fibre artists have shaped modern art.
Radical Stitch (2024)
Available here (English version)
(French version)
This landmark exhibition, which opened at the MacKenzie Art Gallery (Regina) in 2022, celebrates contemporary beadwork across Turtle Island. Curated by Sherry Farrell Racette, Michelle LaVallee, and Cathy Mattes, the accompanying 2024 catalogue presents 82 artworks from 56 artists, exploring themes of humour, testimony, and social commentary in vibrant colour.
Sarah Maloney’s Pleasure Ground: A Feminist Take on the Natural World (2024)
Available here (English version)
(French version)
This comprehensive survey of Sarah Maloney’s 30-year career highlights her feminist perspective on craft and sculpture. With works in embroidery, bronze, and more, Maloney challenges notions of “women’s work” while exploring themes of gender, power, and representation. The catalogue accompanies a touring exhibition that opened at Art Windsor-Essex in 2023.
Dorothy Grant: An Endless Thread (2024)
Part memoir, part history, this beautifully illustrated book celebrates Haida designer Dorothy Grant’s four-decade career in fashion. Featuring new photography, sketches, and essays by Lucy Bell, India Rael Young, and Kwiaahwah Jones, it situates Grant’s work within the continuum of Haida artistic traditions. An associated exhibition, Dorothy Grant: Raven Comes Full Circle, opened at the Haida Gwaii Museum (Skidegate) in July 2024.
Joyce Wieland: Heart-On (2025)
Available here (English version)
(French version)
This first comprehensive publication on Joyce Wieland’s multidisciplinary career examines her contributions to Canadian art as an artist, filmmaker, and cultural activist. With over 250 images of her paintings, textiles, films, and more, alongside texts from curators and artists, the book accompanies a major retrospective at the Art Gallery of Ontario and the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.
Timeless Forms: Dawn MacNutt (2025)
Chronicling more than 45 years of Dawn MacNutt’s sculptural practice, Timeless Forms explores her work with natural materials like willow and seagrass, as well as her evocative bronze pieces. Published by MSVU Art Gallery (Halifax) and Owens Art Gallery (Sackville) for an exhibition that opened in January 2025, this catalogue offers a deeply personal look at MacNutt’s journey as an artist.
Craft Books
Tim Whiten: Life & Work (2025)
Read for free online (English)
Read for free online (French)
Purchase a print copy (English only)
Tim Whiten is renowned for his innovative drawings, performance installations, and objects made from human skulls, wood, and glass. Engaging with ritual, myth, and alchemy, his work explores transformation and change. In Tim Whiten: Life & Work for the Art Canada Institute, author Carolyn Bell Farrell traces the artist’s journey from his early years in Inkster, Michigan, to his celebrated career in Canada.
From a Square to a Circle: Haida Basketry – Delores Churchill’s Memories of Learning to Weave (2024)
Available here (English only)
Haida weaver Delores Churchill shares stories of her life, culture, and the importance of passing knowledge from one generation to the next. Part memoir, part how-to guide, this book honours Churchill’s weaving teachers, including her strong-minded mother, Selina (Ilst’ayaa). Told with humility, humour, and deep respect, From a Square to a Circle is a testament to the values of her people and a technical guide to her masterful weaving skills.
Les artistes et le textile (2024)
Available here (French only)
This French-language book explores the evolution of textile art worldwide since the late 19th century, highlighting its subversive role in blurring the boundaries between fine art, applied art, and design. Works by Canadian artists such as Rebecca Belmore, Nadia Myre, and Joyce Wieland are featured.
Bodies of Art, Bodies of Labour (2025)
Available here (English only)
In this thought-provoking book, celebrated cartoonist and graphic novelist Kate Beaton examines the impact of class on the Canadian arts scene. Drawing on personal experiences and the realities of working-class life in Cape Breton, she highlights how economic barriers shape who gets to tell their stories and contribute to Canadian culture.
These books and catalogues offer a window into the world of Canadian craft today. This Canada Book Day, take the opportunity to explore these titles, support Canadian authors and artists, and deepen your appreciation for craft in all its forms.
What’s on your reading list for Canada Book Day? Let us know in the comments!
Interested in reading more craft publications? We’ve compiled multiple reading lists in the past:
Fall Reads: New Craft Books on Our Shelves (2024)
March is National Craft Month (2024)
Books About Craft (2023)
You can also visit our craft theory page here: https://canadiancraftsfederation.ca/theory/