Why are there so many definitions of outsider art in Canada?
May 24, 2025

Artist:  Anick Langelier, Canada

I am often asked why the definition of outsider art varies so much, particularly on the west coast of Canada. One of the reasons is access to funding.

Opening an art gallery anywhere is a daunting prospect. The costs are staggering and the risk is high. In addition to rent, taxes, insurance, marketing and salaries, there is the possibility that the public will not want to buy the art you are offering. Particularly in Canada, where little is known about outsider art and tastes run to decorative art and landscapes, selling outsider art is a risky venture. However, funding from all levels of government (municipal, provincial, and federal) may be available if the art enterprise addresses current social issues. In other words, featuring the work of artists with mental illnesses, disabilities, housing challenges, and so on, may entitle the business owner to obtain supportive funding. In some cases, the art seems to take a back seat to the artist’s personal circumstances, a position that would be untenable anywhere else in the world. Tying the gallery’s entire identity with outsider art is a bold step and one that is taken only in British Columbia. Elsewhere in Canada, as in Quebec, an art gallery may include work by outsider artists but the work holds up without a label. It is powerful, remarkable art that deserves to hang alongside the work of professional artists.

As I’ve often stated, labelling artwork as outsider art is not always accurate. It is the artist’s intention and drive to create art that leads to application of the outsider art label, not their personal circumstances. Curators should lead with the ART, not the artist’s personal characteristics or social status.