Celebrating Canadian Creativity Since 1981
Cornerstone Canadian Art & Craft - The Little Art Shop on the Corner
Our Motto: All Canadian All the Time
Over 40 years ago, Cornerstone began when a group of local artists banded together to create a showcase for their work. Independently owned now, Cornerstone Canadian Art & Craft believes in Canadian Artists and is proud to be able to tell patrons that "Everything in the shop is made by Canadian Artisans".
Visitors and locals alike are delighted by and depend on this when searching for that special gift for giving or receiving! All gifts are beautifully hand packaged and include information about the artist of the piece, ensuring that the lucky recipient knows that you have chosen a Canadian made gift. Cornerstone staff will go the extra mile and assist in shipping should the intended recipient live out of town.
Creating an All Canadian Retail Experience to Promote Canadian Artists & Support Canadian Creativity
The works that are displayed at Cornerstone represent local artisans as well as crafters from across this great country. Powerful energies and communities are formed when our patrons and Canada's richly talented artisans come together. Positive and inspiring dialogues are initiated, stories and histories are exchanged, lifestyles and communities are supported. Cornerstone Canadian Art & Craft is honoured to be a part of this.
We hope that you are inspired when you visit us. We believe that everyone is creative and the joy of expression comes in many different forms. We hope that you listen to that, "little inner voice" and whether it's through experimentation (you take a class) or appreciation ( you choose a piece of art to take home), you experience the joy that comes from participation.
"You will have to experiment and try things out for yourself and you will not be sure of what you are doing. That's all right, you are feeling your way into the thing." Emily Carr
Penny Knapp - Owner
I was born and raised in Oshawa, Ontario. I was always designing things to make (or have my parents make) from a very young age. I have been an orthodontic dental hygienist for over 34 years and when I was in my thirties, I went back to school and got my Interior Design certificate.
I personally enjoy photography and I have recently become a CZT (Certified Zentangle® Teacher). I once let someone tell me I wasn’t creative - someone who had no idea who I was or what I was capable of doing and I let that person’s judgment affect my life.
I want to encourage everyone who comes into Cornerstone that they are creative and that the joy comes not from being “famous” or “well known” but from the expression of self.
Lisa Scales - Manager
I have been with Cornerstone since 2005, first working in the back office and then as shop manager. I enjoy being part of an organization that strives to find beautiful, inspirational works from all over our amazing country. I have always considered it a job perk to be part of the team that gets to see the artists’ works before they go on display!
Art has always been an integral part of my life. As the Manager of Cornerstone – Canadian Art & Craft, I am able to combine my love of art and my knack for numbers/data organization.
Living and working in beautiful downtown Kingston, I thoroughly enjoy the community and the historic nature of the city. You may see me walking or cycling through the downtown core or along the waterfront to the historic Macaulay house (circa 1830), home to the Cornerstone family.
I look forward to seeing you at “the little art shop on the corner”.
Lynn Ede - Customer Service
For over 6 years now, I've had the privilege of working at the best little shop in town!
It's my dream retirement job: Wheeling downtown on my bike or on foot, waving to familiar faces, as the Wolfe Island ferry drifts past, I feel like I'm living in a movie.
And it gets better: I step into Cornerstone, a magical place with sparkling glass, glittering jewelry, cool stone carvings, and smooth, warm wood bowls and boards. But it's not just all the beauty. What's most important to me is the people.
The Cornerstone family is my family. There is care and kindness here. Please, come visit us!
Jane Mann - Customer Service
After living many places across the country as part of a military family, I moved to Kingston in 2005. I have spent much of the time since attending Queen’s University, where I completed a BA (Honours) in Art History, and then a Masters degree, with a specialty in seventeenth-century Dutch paintings. I was lucky enough to join the staff of Cornerstone, just as I was putting the final polish on my Masters thesis, in November of 2019.
It has been such a pleasure to get to know my coworkers, the shop’s loyal customers, and the artists we represent and their work.
Whether a first-time visitor finding the perfect card for a friend, or a collector investing in an important Inuit carving, it is truly rewarding to assist our customers in bringing Canadian art into their hearts and homes.
