Since the start of the pandemic, One Of A Kind has been closely following the advice of public health authorities. As an event, we will continue to abide to the latest guidance from local authorities, while making every effort to ensure your time at One Of A Kind is enjoyable, fun, and, above all, safe.

At the time of writing, there are no COVID restrictions at this year’s event. One Of A Kind will operate at 100% capacity. There is no proof of vaccination requirements. Exhibitors, visitors and staff members are welcome to wear masks but are not required to do so, in accordance with local public health mandate. If you feel sick or unwell or have symptoms of COVID-19, please do not attend the One Of A Kind Show.

Please note all health and safety restrictions and requirements are subject to change at any time in accordance with government guidelines and legal allowances. For the latest information, please check the Health and Safety page on our website.

VIEW 2023 SPRING PRICING

We are so grateful to our loyal maker community, who partner with us each year to tell the story of Canadian craft. Your creative voices make us the flagship destination to shop Canadian-made, and we'd love to have you join our chorus again!

If you've done the in-person One Of A Kind Show before, we're making it easier to apply! Just fill out your contact info, booth choices and any changes to your company since we saw you last. We'll pull your on-file application materials, follow up if we need any additional info, and submit everything for jurying. If your application is accepted we will try and match you with available booth space.

Unsure if you should fill out the VIP or New application, use this guide linked below:

Should I Submit a New or VIP Application?

FOR REBOOK and VIP APPLICATIONS ONLY: In order to sign up using our Spring Rebooking Form, you agree to participate with the same business and product as you did when you last exhibited at your last show. This means that your Spring Show contract will include only those items which you have already been approved to sell.

If you would like to add new products to your contract for The Spring Show, you can do so through our New Products Form, which will be available to registered exhibitors early in the new year. Please be advised that new product submissions are reviewed based on a number of criteria and are not guaranteed to be accepted. Before you fill out your rebooking form, please ensure you are prepared to participate with your current contracted products.

If you would rather wait and reapply with your new business or new product line(s), you can submit a full application when it is released.

Applications received by the October 14, 2022 deadline can expect to hear back about the status of their application by Mid-November.

Applications received by December 7, 2022 can expect to hear back about the status of their application by Mid-January.

Applications will remain open until the show has sold out. Typically applicants who submit an application after the deadline will hear about the status of their application within 4-6 weeks.

Please note that Marketplace and Québec créatif applications, deadlines, and responses will follow the timelines and dates set out in the Marketplace or Québec créatif Application.

In recognition of the extraordinary circumstances of the past few years, for both our maker and event community, we will be waiving our exclusivity philosophy in our 2023 Spring Show contract.

A NOTE ON CULTURAL APPROPRIATION

In our ongoing attempt to make One Of A Kind a more diverse and inclusive event for everyone, we want to make sure everyone can contribute, be heard and succeed at the Show. One of the areas we want to make sure our community is aware of is the harmful impacts of cultural appropriation.

DEFINITIONS

Before we delve further into this, let’s take some time to define what we mean when it comes to the following terminologies:

• Diverse/Diversity: When we talk about diverse or diversity, we mean what makes everyone involved at OOAK (staff, exhibitors, visitors, sponsors, partners and vendors) different in terms of characteristics including age, ethnicity, religion, disability, sexual orientation, education and national origin.
• Inclusive/Inclusivity: When we talk about inclusive or inclusivity, we mean behaviours and efforts we all take to make everyone involved at the OOAK Show feel welcome.
• Cultural Appreciation: When someone seeks to understand and learn about another culture in an effort to broaden their perspective and connect with others cross-culturally.
• Cultural Appropriation: “It can be described as the act by a member of a relatively dominant culture of taking a traditional cultural expression and repurposing it in a different context without authorization, acknowledgement and/or compensation, in a way that causes harm to the traditional cultural expression holder(s).” (Source)

OBJECTIVES

The intention of this document is NOT to shame or call out on anyone.

Instead, One Of A Kind acknowledges that all of us are not perfect, but we are all working on making diversity and inclusivity a norm in the multifaceted world we live in. We all have the capacity to learn, grow and change.

Through our own research so far, one of the best strategies to understand and avoid cultural appropriation is to put awareness and education at the forefront. For this reason, we have prepared this document so that you can become informed about the topic and reflect critically about your own creative practices. We also included some additional resources below if you wish to learn more.

As an event that celebrates craft, we understand that inspiration can take many guises and can be derived from many different sources. The creative spirit amongst our community is what makes One Of A Kind so exciting! That said, we want to make sure what we create is empowering and not further marginalizing other cultures and groups.

If you create work that uses something from a culture or group other than your own, please consider the following:

• What is the source of the material? It is important to pay homage to artistry and to acknowledge its origin.
• What does this mean to that culture or group?
• Does it hold religious or cultural significance to that culture or group?
• When you are using an artefact from another culture, or you are naming products using words and expressions from another culture, are you aware of their meaning and significance?
  This is by no means an exhaustive list, however, many of the following carry symbolic meanings in their own culture: Inukshuks, teepees, dream catchers, totem poles, igloos, bison skulls, smudges, head wraps, kimonos
• How may someone from that culture or group feel about your use?
• Are you using this because you have genuine interest in that culture or group, or do you simply like the way it looks? Or you are following a trend?
• Do you benefit from doing this? How?
• Have you consider collaborating, sharing credits and profits with people in this culture or group?

Here are 5 things you can also do to avoid cultural appropriation (From How to Avoid Cultural Appropriation & Promote Cultural Awareness Instead, see link in Resources)

1. Research the Culture
2. Avoid the Sacred
3. Don’t Stereotype
4. Promote Diversity
5. Engage, Promote & Share Benefits

YOUR HERITAGE & YOUR CRAFT

Building upon this discussion, if your work is inspired by your heritage and culture, we would love for you to share this loudly and proudly with other exhibitors and visitors at One Of A Kind. Please make sure you also let us know so that we can better share your story!

WHAT’S NEXT

It is our hope that we can all work together to build best practice and encourage creative expressions that are authentic, so that our community can continue to thrive and flourish. We want to support one another, share valuable feedback, engage in meaningful discussions, refine their work--all without resorting to shaming and hostility.

We also want to make clear that cultural appropriation is a complex and rapidly changing subject. As One of A Kind, we are committed to doing continuous work on this topic. We do not have all the answers, but internally we have done a lot of research and have involved experts in the field so that we can start the conversation. Since the summer of 2020, our parent company has also established various employee resource groups, as well as a divisional Diversity & Inclusion committee so that we can share and gain insights and work on building events where everyone can feel a sense of belonging. Lastly, we are also working on getting external resources and expertise to provide guidance.

As we look forward to our return to face-to-face events, we expect everyone to take some time to educate themselves about cultural appropriation, and to review and understand this information. As always, we value your feedback, so if you have any questions or other suggestions, please feel free to let us know at apply@oneofakindshow.com.

EXTRA READING

• Think Before You Appropriate: A Guide for Creators and Designers
• Considering Cultural Appropriation: Canadian Crafts Federation
  

SOURCES

• How to Avoid Cultural Appropriation and Promote Cultural Awareness Instead
• In the Heart of the Beast Theatre Cultural Appropriation Policy
• Curbing Cultural Appropriation in the Fashion Industry with Intellectual Property