Located on Granville Street, Atelier Gallery was first established in 1974. While the focus is on…read moreemerging Canadian artists, they also exhibit a diverse range of talent. They consistently show work done in a broad spectrum of media and subject matter. From the playful and whimsical to the more urban and abstract, two-dimensional work is generally given priority. Like all galleries, season after season, the nature of the gallery changes depending on what is available in the current artscape. In addition to showcasing the artwork of emerging artists, Atelier has a wide range of services to the budding collector. They offer a payment plan for those who love art but can't afford to pay $7000 in one go. In addition, private consultations are available to individuals or corporations who may wish to develop their art collection or need assistance with appraisals for tax purposes. For emerging artists, they have an ongoing submission process for those eager to find representation.

Great gallery with modern art love the textured art my favorite kind two stories to enjoy casual…read moreatmosphere

Either I will call Bau-Xi Gallery a pleasant surprise during a Shopping Walk on Granville Street or…read moremore accurately I call it and Explosion of Twisting perceptions in a quiet Westside Neighbourhood. Bau-Xi Gallery is hosting Mr. Anthony Redpath a Man that takes Landscapes, Objects and People and poses each item to confuse the viewers mind and cause your Perception of that very image you think you know to change in front of your eyes. Also Bau-Xi Gallery is a constant on a block of changing retailers and gentrification, just steps from the gallery VPD used Deadly force to subdue a Mentally Ill man that case (Paul Boyd) is still under review just as the images on Galleries walls for the public to see. Redpaths work will only be on display till Aug 25, images start @ $2500 and if your a collector this work is a steal in my opinion

This gallery, which is also the home of the North Vancouver Community Arts Council, features…read moreever-changing exhibitions of local and national artists, including photographers, painters, sculptors, potters, and metalsmiths. It's free to visit, but the art is for sale if you really like something. About twice annually, they hold an art rental exhibit where you can give some deserving art a temporary good home. The current exhibit features mannequins wearing elaborate dresses made out of newspapers. It's always something different down there. Check it out if you're in the neighbourhood (just three fitness-inducing blocks from Lonsdale Quay).

As a service to the community, this gallery does it with class. The exhibitions are perfectly on…read morethe edge of being challenging and accessible. They pay attention to the local issues and introduce new ways for the community to view itself; always with an eye for quality of work. Well worth a visit if you are on the 'shore. And they support local artists, so yes, big time kudos.

Centre A is the Vancouver International Centre for Contemporary Asian Art…read more My review of an exhibition at Centre A- a free public gallery: Mrs. Chang is a 96-year old elder who calls Vancouver's Chinatown her home. In a neighbourhood filled with poh-pohs (Chinese grandmothers), it can be frustrating to walk around Vancouver's rapidly changing Chinatown and see new restaurants, condominium projects, cafés, and art galleries that present foreign façades and possibly unwelcoming spaces for the elderly generation in Chinatown. Most elderly Chinese walk along the sidewalks a bit bewildered-looking at the changes and feeling like they can't enter these new developing spaces in Chinatown. Mrs. Chang, however, took it into her own hands to walk into Centre A on Georgia Street and reprimand those inside for not having adequate signage to welcome in the community. Tyler Russell, Centre A's newly appointed director of the only local public gallery dedicated to Asia-Pacific art, received Mrs. Chang's wrath and decided to make it central to his curatorial debut at Centre A. For the last month, Russell has successfully curated one of the most interactive exhibits this neighbourhood has received to date. "Mgoi/Do Jeh: Sites, Rites and Gratitude" is a community-based interactive exhibit highlighting two artist-poets: Lydia Kwa and Kathryn Gwun-Yeen Lennon. The exhibit engages themes of cross-cultural and intergenerational conviviality in the changing cultural landscape of Vancouver's Chinatown. Kwa's contribution included print-art and activities around the closure of Ho Sun Hing, Canada's first Chinese print shop. Lennon's work produced a Cantonese-language Saturday school-class, taught by Zoe Lam, which empowered community members to engage in Cantonese with local merchants and learn Chinese culture through language, a barrier some might have to interacting with the old Chinatown. Throughout the last month, Centre A has also hosted innovative non-profit and community organizations, which are playing key roles in re-energizing Chinatown. The Hua Foundation, benevolent associations like Yee Fung Toy and the Mah Society, and hosted film screenings by emerging film-makers at UBC and BCIT have been just a few of the participants at the exhibit. Since "Mgoi/Do Jeh: Sites, Rites and Gratitude", several other galleries and stores have introduced Chinese-language on their storefronts. Maybe Mrs. Chang and other Chinese elders will be able to enter these new spaces with more ease and hopefully the new businesses in Chinatown will welcome them. The "Mgoi/Do Jeh: Sites, Rites and Gratitude" closes on June 14. Everyone is welcome to come interact with the space. http://www.straight.com/blogra/661776/centre-fosters-intergenerational-and-intercultural-space-chinatown

I support the arts, and I love exploring museums and galleries, wherever I go. So I was thrilled to…read morepass this contemporary art gallery many times in my travels in Yaletown (my new neighborhood, as we moved here six months ago). I finally got the chance the other day to go in and check it out. I know this gallery has various "off-site" locations (such as at the Yaletown-Roundhouse station), but I am only reviewing this site on Nelson Street. It's very small. There are two exhibition rooms, with a small ante-room by the front door with published materials (books and flyers) and a few eclectic knick-knacks. The actual exhibition rooms contain artwork installations that rotate regularly, so every 3-5 months or so, the exhibits will change. When I visited, there was a screen projector in one room, projecting scenes of waterfalls and/or clouds and sunrises and sunsets on the walls. (I forget the artist's name). The other room contained an installation by Andrew Dadson highlighting plant forms and light. I really enjoyed the Dadson exhibit, and I read up on the exhibit and the artist off the complementary flyers provided. My kid and I liked how admission to the gallery was free, and we enjoyed checking out the two artists' works on display. But the site and exhibits are so small, it took us ten minutes to see it all. I think most people would spend between 5-15 minutes here, I say this so people reading this don't make this gallery an end destination and drive here specifically to check it out. Better to add it to your list with other things to do in Yaletown.

Came here with a group of friends to check out the Deanna Bowen's "A Harlem Nocturne" exhibit with…read moresome friends. It's a definitely a more intimate gallery, and while the architecture may not be anything to phone home about, I thought it was really nice. Very clean, well lit, and yes, you guessed it -- contemporary. While the Deanna Bowen exhibit was great, another really stand-out feature for me was the little "Resources" nook. I spent about 30 minutes there, waiting for my punctually-challenged friends, so I really got into things. Great selection of books, prints, and artwork, most available for purchase, about or relating to the various exhibits. The little TV playing the loop of five or six videos, again, relating to the various exhibits, was a great for either an introductory or deeper look into the displayed artists or their exhibits. It's a chic, little gallery. A great place to check out if you've got an hour to kill downtown. I'd absolutely go again!

This is the most wonderful bank lobby you will ever encounter! Filled with natural light, artwork,…read morea cute little cafe where the aroma of coffee permeates the open space, and the most amazing focal point: a 7-story high, massive, aluminum pendulum that swings from the ceiling. It's quite the engineering feat, and it is mesmerizing in its precision and constant, silent motion. Like any art gallery, it's hit or miss, whether or not you will find the pieces on display pleasing and inviting. I've had great luck here, in that, whenever I've popped in, they were hosting an exhibition of artwork that I love. Recently I visited and they were showing various examples of works by many artists from the upcoming Eastside Art Crawl next week. There were photos and paintings and mixed media works and sculptures, all by local artists. I love how Vancouver has such a vibrant art scene, and how this HSBC banking center supports the arts by displaying works throughout the year. It's free to visit and you needn't be a HSBC customer to stop in and check out the art and the fabulous pendulum!

It's a nice office building atrium to visit just for the pendulum. But unless you're aiming to get…read moreinto a trance, there's only so much pendulum you can follow. And so, art. Unlike the Vancouver Art Gallery, this is free when all you want is a little peek to escape the rain or kill some time before your happy hour rendez-vous. Programming includes both gallery initiated projects and collaborations as well as exhibitions from outside groups or individuals. The space can also be used for events and receptions. For example, the current preview exhibition of Arts Umbrella's annual Splash Art Auction & Gala has nearly a hundred pieces by local artists with a range of prices and styles. And if you need the cash, just head over to the HSBC teller.

This review is for the PoMo Arts Center, right in the heart of Port Moody (NOT for the entire city…read moreof Port Moody, as the earlier reviewer was somehow under the impression). And the POMOarts Center and organization in general is pretty darn fabulous. I was only recently introduced to PomoArts by an awesome friend of mine who is an artist and recently exhibited some of her artwork here (check out the PoMo "Art4Life" website for info about this awesome exhibition showcasing over 20 artists. The show is on for a month, admission is free, and it's super cool, with a diverse variety of local artists' works in many different mediums). This art organization is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year! The PoMo building here is beautiful, in an old "heritage building", reminiscent of some of the traditional, historic buildings in Fort Langley and elsewhere in the province. And I really liked the whole philosophy behind this arts-focused organization, how they aim to make art available to everyone. In that vein, admission to their art shows are open to the public, and they encourage all to come, to be involved, to participate. They offer a gazillion programs for everyone from toddlers to teenagers to adults of all ages, like a real community center with programs for all. I really like that. If I lived closer, I'd definitely enroll in some of these programs. This building not only has rooms for gallery art shows and classes, but they also have a super gift shop where you can purchase artsy items made by local artists and artisans (see my review for the Blackberry Gift Shop). Port Moody, you are so lucky to have such a fabulous art organization!

HAHAHA you can review the entire city of Port Moody now?!?…read more I grew up in this city for most of my formative years, and of the suburbs in the lower mainland I would say it's the most scenic. The entire city is based around the inlet, which stops at a beautiful and massive park in the center of the city. Most of the services and neighborhoods of this city are also based around this area, and it's the primary outdoor recreational spot here. There's been some huge developments in the central neighborhoods of Port Moody, with new condos springing up constantly. To the north of this neighborhood are the very rich, to the west the very poor. St Johns and the street behind are made up of mom and pop businesses that make up in authenticity what they lack in profit. Except for the pubs, which have always made a killing on college-aged locals. A lot of people I grew up with never left Port moody, instead opting to move several blocks away and keep in touch with their families. I personally thought it was a terrible place to grow up (bored suburban teenager) but would move back in a decade no problem. They really need a renewed focus on "the arts" The fact that I can review this city on Yelp is hilarious! Thanks Bridget S!

Parker Street Studios will surprise most people who enter the building. The exterior looks like a…read morestorage warehouse. Once you're inside, the hallways and corridors are even worse. Dimly lit like a dungeon. Everything bad goes away once you enter the individual studios. You'll see a lot of amazing coloured artwork and creative minds working away in their brightly lit rooms. I even saw a lady demonstrating her homemade robotic vehicle. In short, Parker Street Studios is almost like Vancouver's own version of Tate Modern. However, you can't buy the artwork at Tate Modern.

Such a completely unique and intriguing concentration of artists, designers and makers of all…read morekinds! An amazing concentration of the talent and culture of this city, and the largest of its kind in any one building. If you have a chance to attend an opening or one of the annual events that showcases the diversity of work being produced in this community, don't miss it!