EXHIBITIONS
Terrains of Access Opening Reception Apr 30
The exhibition is Canadian artist and Disability activist Sharona Franklin’s first solo show at a Canadian institution. Curated by Ellinee Nelson, Terrains of Access: Civic Ecologies and Pre-Histories of 2050 bridges the worlds of public policy and contemporary art with Disability discourse. The gallery becomes an immersive, experiential reading room where viewers engage with sculpture, poetry, access design, and policy documents.
(Liu Institute for Global Issues, 6476 NW Marine Drive, Vancouver, BC, Apr. 30, 2026)
The Reach Gallery Museum presents Parallax(e): Perspectives on the Canada–U.S. Border / Perspectives sur la frontière Canada–É.-U.
The Reach Gallery Museum presents the blockbuster exhibition Parallax(e): Perspectives on the Canada–U.S. Border / Perspectives sur la frontière Canada–É.-U., on view now through May 30, 2026. The exhibition brings together rare archival materials from the historic Northwest Boundary Survey (1858–62) with new commissions from Indigenous contemporary artists to explore the countless impacts of the 49th parallel on First Nations communities. In conversation with the international boundary at Abbotsford’s southern edge, this exhibition considers the border from more than two sides, recognizing persisting impacts of colonialism and celebrating the many ways Indigenous contemporary artists explore traditional knowledge systems, share histories, and offer empowering visions of the past, present, and future.
(The Reach Gallery Museum, 32388 Veterans Way, Abbotsford, BC, V2T 0B3, now through May 30, 2026)
Embodied Conversations: The Lillian and Billy Mauer Collection
This exhibition features 40 works from the Lillian and Billy Mauer Collection, including photography, painting, and sculpture by international artists such as Lorraine O’Grady, John Baldessari, Huma Bhabha, Frank Bowling, Annette Messager, and Cindy Sherman. Often drawn to politically and socially engaged art, the exhibition presents a selection that reflects the breadth and focus of the collection.
(Griffin Art Projects, 1174 Welch St., Jan. 31—May 10)
North Van Arts | Date Nights
Our monthly CityScape Date Night Series has become a familiar part of the arts and cultural scene in Lower Lonsdale. Held inside an active gallery, these evenings are about discovering something new—new connections, new creative habits, and fresh ways of seeing the world around you. Each month, we invite a different local artist, emerging and professional, to share their artistic stories, techniques, and inspirations as together we explore a wide range of mediums. Whether you’re looking to explore a new creative practice, start a hobby, meet others, or simply enjoy an evening out, each Date Night brings a fresh artistic experience with a different artist every month. February 12: Papier-Mâché Bowl; March 12: Flipbook Animation; April 23: Palimpsest Photography; May 7: Scanography
(CityScape Gallery, 335 Lonsdale Avenue, Feb. 12–May 7, 2026)
Blossoming
Blossoming is a solo exhibition by Kwakwaka’wakw artist Jamie Gentry, curated by Aliya Boubard. After 12 years of creating moccasins by commission, this exhibition marks a shift toward work guided by personal inspiration, self-discovery, and joy. The exhibition features handcrafted moccasins adorned with realistic floral beadwork, alongside photographs placing the works within the natural environments that inspired each pair. A workshop with the artist will take place during the exhibition run, with details to be announced.
(Bill Reid Gallery, 639 Hornby St, Feb. 28–May 24)
Connective Tissue
Connective Tissue is a solo exhibition by Malina Sintnicolaas at the Amelia Douglas Gallery, showcasing a series of handmade sculptural works made out of various traditional craft techniques like ceramics, crocheted yarn, and needle-felted wool. Sintnicolaas considers her work to be manifestations, transmutations, or ‘petrifications’ of emotions into a physical form. She is drawn to ceramics and textiles as her central materials because of their contrast in properties, that they can be so strong yet so fragile at the same time, which correlates to the subject matter of her work, because like the materials, human emotions are fragile, unpredictable, and at times, difficult to maintain. Connective Tissue showcases sculptural work that is exploring the idea of ‘bodily memory’ and how emotions like trauma and anxiety can become imbedded in our cellular structure. Sintnicolaas depicts work that appears organic and biological, yet is unrecognizable, to create an energy that is both ominous and seductive at the same time. Using repetitive processes akin to ceramics, and a technique called hyperbolic crochet in her textiles, she uses her materials to emulate the bodily feeling of emotional turmoil and is questioning with her sculptures, in what ways can one induce empathy for an object even if the form is alien or abstract. She pulls from her own experience as a queer person who experiences C-PTSD and experiences an autoimmune disorder, and explores what ways can she use material to broaden discussions and representation around mental health. Working with texture, surface, material properties, and form, her sculptures drive to evoke feeling from the viewer to create an empathic landscape that will urge an understanding for states of being which are difficult to be described verbally.
(Amelia Douglas Gallery, Mar. 5-May 5)
Karen Zalamea: Every Surface Is a Shrine
The Art Gallery at Evergreen is pleased to present Every Surface Is a Shrine, bringing together a selection of photo-based works by Karen Zalamea that trace the shifting boundaries between material, memory, and place. Rooted in a critical exploration of photography’s expanded possibilities, Zalamea’s practice reimagines the medium not only as an image-making tool but as a methodology of care, labour, and cultural inquiry.
(Evergreen Cultural Centre, Mar. 7–May 24)
The Museum of Anthropology at UBC presents Tupananchiskama: Ancient Andean Cosmovision
The Museum of Anthropology at UBC presents the world premiere of Tupananchiskama: Ancient Andean Cosmovision, on display from March 19, 2026–January 3, 2027. Guest curated by Luis Manuel González, Adjunct Professor in UBC’s Department of Anthropology, this bilingual (English and Spanish) exhibition explores Andean cosmovision—a holistic spiritual framework explaining the universe—through nearly 100 ancient artifacts crafted from ceramic, textile, bone, shell, and wood. The exhibition reflects ancestral understandings of a world where life and death coexist in a continuous cycle, or “Tupananchiskama,” meaning “until life brings us together again.”
(Museum of Anthropology, 6393 NW Marine Drive, Mar. 19—Jan. 3, 2027)
PoMoArts presents Resonant Chambers || Multimedia Art Exploring the Meaning of Home
Resonant Chambers brings together three distinct exhibitions by Sonya Iwasiuk, Jenny Hawkinson, and Golriz Rezvani. Using multimedia approaches, each artist explores the home as a site of layered meaning unfolding through performance, memory, ritual, and connection. Across different gallery spaces, encounter mixed media, painting, sound art, sculpture, and site-specific installations that consider how public and private spheres function as sites of influence.
(PoMoArts, 2425 St Johns Street, Port Moody, Mar. 19 - May. 3)
As In a Body.
As In a Body brings together work by Urban Indigenous artists Whess Harman, Kwiigay iiwaans, Sydney Pascal, and Eliot White-Hill, Kwulasultun, exploring community, land, sustenance, and embodied experience through sound, drawing, sculpture, film, and installation. The exhibition reflects on contemporary lived experience through themes of language, grief, cultural knowledge, and collective joy, including works that range from repurposed materials to immersive sound and installation. Opening April 23, 2026, the exhibition runs through May 30, 2026.
(grunt gallery, 116–350 E 2nd Ave., Vancouver, BC, Apr. 23–May. 30)
Ali Shariq Jamali – Fragment Index
Fragment Index by Ali Shariq Jamali considers what remains when an object’s meaning cannot be recovered. Floor-to-ceiling chroma green fragments suspend meaning in flux, with each form acting as a placeholder open to projection, identity, and reinterpretation. The installation explores ambiguity through material and space. Opening reception takes place May 2, 12–4 pm. Exhibition runs May 1–10.
(THIS Gallery, 108 East Broadway (alley entrance), Vancouver, May 1–10)
The Earring Show| The 2026 Edition
Get ready to explore a dazzling range of styles and unique designs at The Earring Show, back for 2026. This in person event brings together earring lovers and trendsetters under one roof. Whether you are searching for bold statement pieces or subtle everyday styles, you are sure to find something you love. Arrive early for the best selection, as many of the most popular earrings sell out quickly. Opening night is a great chance to see the full selection first. If you cannot attend, the earrings will still be available to view and purchase in person at the Craft Council of BC from May 7 to May 28, and online until August 31.
(Craft Council of BC 1386 Cartwright St, Vancouver, BC V6H 3T5, May. 7)
Museum of Anthropology at UBC presents I Use My Haida Eyes: The History Robes of Jut-ke-Nay–Hazel Wilson
The Museum of Anthropology at UBC presents the world premiere of an exhibition featuring 51 “history robes” by Haida artist Jut-ke-Nay–Hazel Wilson. The works reinterpret traditional Northwest Coast button blanket forms to document Haida history from an Indigenous perspective, presenting the full series together for the first time and highlighting the evolution of cultural expression through contemporary Indigenous art. (Museum of Anthropology, 6393 NW Marine Drive, Vancouver BC, May 14–Oct. 12, 2026)
Art Vancouver
Art Vancouver is an international contemporary art fair bringing together artists, galleries, and collectors from around the world at the Vancouver Convention Centre. The event features painting, sculpture, photography, and mixed media exhibitions alongside live demonstrations, panel discussions, workshops, and a painting competition. Visitors can engage directly with artists and explore emerging contemporary practices in an interactive setting.
(Vancouver Convention Centre, Vancouver, May 28–31, 2026)
West of Main Art Walk
Explore Vancouver’s vibrant arts community during the West of Main Art Walk, a free, self-guided tour of artists’ studios and exhibition spaces and community hubs. Visitors are invited to step inside working studios, meet local artists, and experience a wide range of creative practices including painting, sculpture, ceramics, textiles, photography, and mixed media. The West of Main Art Walk offers a rare opportunity to connect directly with 70+ artists, learn about their process, and discover original artwork.
Location: Various studios across Vancouver’s West Side
(2305 West 7th Ave Vancouver, BC V6K 1Y4, May. 30-31)
XUUYA: Raven Brings the Light 2026
XUUYA: Raven Brings the Light returns for another year, and early bird tickets are now live! A unique fundraising evening of Indigenous art, music, food, and performance in a lively, after-hours celebration in the heart of Downtown Vancouver. Find Out More and Get Your Tickets Here: https://xuuya-2026.raiselysite.com/
(Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art. 639 Hornby Street, Vancouver BC, Jun. 4)
WORKSHOPS
Weekend Acrylic Painting Workshop – Water Lilies
Explore the magic of fluid acrylics in this playful, technique-rich workshop focused on creative exploration. Participants will learn colour mixing, luminous glazes, layering approaches, image transfer methods, and the effects of white glazes. The workshop emphasizes building depth and creating dynamic colour combinations. No drawing experience is required, making it accessible to beginners while offering new approaches for experienced artists. Participants will leave with a completed 16 x 20 painting.
(Sonya Iwasiuk Art Studio, May. 9–10)
Life Drawing Classes - North Van Arts
Practice your drawing skills in a friendly, non-competitive environment. Each session features professional nude models, with a focus on diversity in age, gender, and body shape. This group welcomes both beginner and experienced artists. Cost: $175 (5 weeks). Each 3-hour session includes; Short warm-up poses (1–2 minutes), Longer poses (5–25 minutes), Light background music, This is a facilitated, not instructed class. Skills you’ll develop; Confidence working with a nude model, Gesture and quick-capture drawing, Stamina and form-building, Ability to draw a wide range of body types. Who should attend; Students who can work independently, Artists who enjoy practicing for extended periods, Anyone looking to connect with the local life drawing community
(Maplewood House, 399 Seymour River Pl, North Vancouver BC, Mar. 29-Jun. 7, and Apr. 19-Jun 14)
Handmade for Mother’s Day: Botanical Art Cards
Hosted by Vancouver-based artist Linnea Solomon, this workshop covers the basics of pencil sketching and coloured pencil colouring, with a focus on botanical subjects. Participants will leave with a better understanding of sketching and colouring, along with a handmade appreciation card. Linnea breaks down how to analyze subjects, linework techniques, stylization, and how to use coloured pencils with confidence. Once complete, participants are encouraged to write a heartfelt message inside their card. Best suited for beginner and intermediate artists; not recommended for those under 11.
(Museum of Vancouver, 1100 Chestnut Street, Vancouver, BC V6J 3J9, May. 10)
Light and Shadow w/David Aldrich
The workshop will begin with an introduction into the role of light in creating form, and how we incorporate these actions to perceive the visual world around us. From this new appreciation of light and shadow as the determinant of form, we will create a set of basic geometric shapes. Participants will be asked to complete any unfinished drawings over the intervening week as well as taking a directed series of digital photographs. These finished exercises and the series of photographs will be discussed in detail the following Saturday. From discussions as a group and by learning from each other’s observations, the actions of light in the creation form will be more fully absorbed into your artistic practice, as well as how you see the world around us.
(West Vancouver Seniors Activity Centre, Arts Studio 695 21st St, West Vancouver, BC V7V 4A7, May. 23 and May. 30)
Gel-Plate Printing – Mono Printing Magic!
Gel plate mono-printing is a playful, low-mess method for creating layered prints using acrylics and everyday materials. In this workshop, participants explore GOLDEN OPEN and Fluid Acrylics alongside textures like paper, leaves, and found objects, while learning image transfer techniques. Prints can function as standalone artworks or elements for collage and painting. Instruction covers layering, mark-making, and material care. Participants leave with a collection of prints and their own gel plate.
(Sonya Iwasiuk Art Studio, 208-1000 Parker Street, Vancouver, May. 30)
Natural Dyes from the Land Workshop
Learn how to develop natural dyes with local plants in this interactive session covering traditional textile dyeing practices. Instructed by Musqueam Coast Salish artists Rita Kompst and Zoe Kompst, participants will leave with a skein of yarn and a dye chart with samples. Supplies included. Indigenous (First Nations, Métis, and Inuit) persons are welcome to register for free; call 604-247-8324 to register.
(Richmond Cultural Centre, June 20)
