Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Arts & Culture
It's easy to think Vancouver's outdoorsy locals must be philistines when it
comes to arty pursuits - how can mountain bikers be interested in galler-
ies, dance and literature, you might ask? But in reality, this city by the sea
is a major Canadian cultural capital. With a little digging, visitors will be
able to tap into the primarily grassroots scene. Ask the locals for tips and
pick up a copy of the free, weekly
Georgia Straight
. You'll be fully rewar-
ded for your efforts.
Visual Arts
British Columbia (BC) is strongly identified with three main forms of visual arts, and
each is well represented in galleries and public spaces throughout Vancouver. Historic
and contemporary aboriginal works are displayed at unique institutions such as the UBC
Museum of Anthropology and downtown's Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art;
contemporary painting and photoconceptualism (often called the 'Vancouver School' of
photography) are exhibited at the Vancouver Art Gallery and the many spaces located in
the Flats, an emerging new gallery district just off Main St; finally, the city's neighbor-
hoods are studded with intriguing public art installations - see
www.vancouver.ca/publi-
cart
for locations and look out for the next Vancouver Biennale, a showcase of outdoor
public art staged every two years. For further information on the local art scene, visit
Look out for paintings by Emily Carr (1871-1945). Regarded as Canada's first major fe-
male artist, she painted swirling, nature-themed canvases depicting the West Coast
landscape. The Vancouver Art Gallery has a large collection. Other local art legends in-
clude painters Jack Shadbolt and EJ Hughes, and photographer Fred Herzog.
It's the outdoor public-art scene that captures the attention (and the cameras) of many
Vancouverites. The city has a fascination for dressing its streets with artworks, look out
for the series of smiling, oversized bronze figures near the shoreline of English Bay,
which form one of Canada's most-photographed public artworks; the towering neon
cross near East Vancouver's Commercial Dr; and let's not forget the poodle sculpture on
Main St, which even has its own Twitter account.
Public Art in Vancouver: Angels
