How Will Trump’s Tariffs Affect Art Supplies in the US?

Effective today, March 4, President Donald Trump imposed 25% tariffs on Mexican and Canadian imports and doubled last month’s tariff on Chinese goods to 20%. As all three nations begin to announce plans for retaliatory tariffs, artists, students, and art educators are left wondering how the erupting trade war might impact the steep prices of art materials and supplies in an already dicey economy.

Kirsten Borror, a painter and printmaker who is set to begin her Master of Fine Arts program this coming August, shared her concerns with Hyperallergic over a phone call.

“I’m going to be on a limited budget when I start school,” said Borror, who wondered whether she should have stockpiled her favored brands of etching ink (Charbonnel) and paper (Rives BFK by Arches) before Trump’s inauguration.

“I don’t want to feel limited in what I can explore because of that,” she continued. “ The fear is that the supplies we need would be that much more expensive if they’re coming from overseas, and obviously, most of us are not getting rich off of our art.”

Artists and educators aren’t alone in navigating the uncertainty of cost and inventory impacts — art supply retailers and manufacturers have also been considering the effects of tariffs. Blick Art Materials CEO Robert Buchsbaum told Hyperallergic that the company “hasn’t done a comprehensive study on tariffs,” but noted that Blick has purchased more inventory than normal for a few product lines to hedge against higher costs.

“Because many of the products purchased by professional artists are made either in the United States or Europe, the impact might not be as bad as some might think,” Buchsbaum said.

Utrecht painting supplies and Golden Artist Acrylics, for example, are made in New York, Buchsbaum noted, while Daniel Smith Watercolors are made in Seattle and Gamblin Oils are made in Portland. Other professional-grade products from the likes of Windsor & Newton, Sennelier, and other well-regarded manufacturers come from across Europe.

“Our more economical scholastic grades of paint (Blickcrylic and Blick Premium Tempera), marketed to K-12 art educators, are made in Wisconsin to minimize perceived safety risk, and most of our fine papers are also made in the US or Europe,” Buchsbaum explained. 

He did note that canvas and writing instruments might be impacted, especially for beginner-level lines.

However, a sticking point in determining the cost of supplies is not where the final products are made, but where individual components come from. 

“For example, certain pigments come from Asia and would be subjected to tariffs, as would paint tubes and other components,” Buchsbaum said.

Michaels, Hobby Lobby, Artist & Craftsman, and JoAnn Fabrics did not respond to Hyperallergic’s multiple requests for comment, though the latter cited “constrained inventory levels” among other issues in a public statement mid-January regarding its Chapter 11 bankruptcy and nationwide shutdown. 

Golden Artist Acrylics declined to comment for the time being, noting that it was too soon in Trump’s plan to make any statements. Liquitex, which manufactures primarily in France and China, also did not have an immediate response to the tariffs, but noted to Hyperallergic that a bulk of their production takes place in France. 

To Buchsbaum’s point, a majority of favored brands do manufacture their products in Europe and the US. Owned by the Italian arts and stationery supply company FILA Group, Arches (seller of the Rives BFK paper artists like Borror prefer) and Canson both produce their professional-quality paper in France, while Strathmore manufactures in Massachusetts. Also under FILA, Princeton Artist Brushes are made in Wisconsin, though their squirrel hair brushes are created in Germany. 

Separately, Caran d’Ache produces everything except for sharpeners and leather accessories in Geneva, Switzerland.

However, the origin of the pigments and other raw materials used to develop the above products remains hazy. 

“We’ve been getting asked this question from our customers since Trump got elected,” said Roger Danilo Carmona, general manager of Manhattan’s family-owned raw and prepared materials supplier Kremer Pigments, in an email to Hyperallergic. “With our lease ending this year, we are unsure how things will unfold. Ninety-five percent or more of our products are imported from Germany, as this is a German family-owned business. A majority of the historical minerals we sell for painting are sourced in Europe.”

Carmona noted that Kremer Pigments has discontinued supplying various colors due to anti-dumping laws, which prevent foreign producers from selling exported products at a lower value abroad than they would in their home countries. The business no longer sells any Gamboge, Paris blue, and multiple Quinacridone Magenta pigments; metal powders;  and a few unique brushes with hair derived from China.

“Yes, we expect prices to rise or severely limit the colors we can offer artists, violin-makers, museum conservators, and the decorative art industry,” Carmona lamented. “Our business is already tailored to a niche market and the city could very well lose another landmark art store.”

Classroom staples like Prismacolor colored pencils, Crayola crayons, and even the favored Ticonderoga No. 2 pencil all have production plants in Mexico (with the former having Chinese outposts as well), which might impact consumer prices down the line. The three companies did not respond to Hyperallergic‘s inquiries.