The Vancouver Art Gallery has the feels where from the outside it looks like it can be as extensive…read moreas one of the large metropolitan museums you would expect from big cities. However, once you enter you see the exhibits are a bit more subdued and it isn't as large as it seems from the outside. Still, that shouldn't discourage you from having a good time and getting a big old "VAG" hand stamp on you to experience this art gallery. The exterior of this museum is all Victorian in the scope of its columns and use of concrete materials. It could be a museum perfectly placed in any other Commonwealth country. Entering inside you go through a long hallway with a gift shop at the very end with a good selection of art related and niche items to buy. On one side of the hallway are lockers and restrooms. On the other is a stairway up to their cafe/restaurant as well as the entrance to the actual galleries for the museum. It doesn't feel aged and instead quite modern and efficiently designed. As most museums, there is a rotation of different exhibits and featured artists. During my visit one of the most visually stunning pieces was an atrium area with curving staircases on both sides with a rainbow pattern of waves on the ground. It was a nice visual and interactive piece and definitely one meant for social media. Continuing on I enjoyed seeing lots of interactive art pieces. One was a prompt on the wall where you could put sticky notes on the wall to answer the question. Another similar piece was found but instead of sticky notes you could hang pieces of paper with words or artwork as your response to their prompt. One of my favorite parts of the Vancouver Art Gallery was their offerings of easy to carry foldable chairs. This meant if you really found something you wanted to spend more time on you had a chair to help sit for a while. I wish more museums had this amenity. First Fridays of each month means free admission, though it is first come first serve so you might be waiting a while. But a free admission to this museum felt worth it. However, if you have to pay to come in unless they have a specific piece of art or artist featured that you like it might feel a bit expensive for the price of admission. Either way, museums are a great insight into any city and if you want to experience the creative side of Vancouver, the Vancouver Art Gallery is a good place to visit while exploring the city.

Is that all there is??? (Cue Peggy Lee)…read more I feel strange giving an art museum a 2 star rating, but... I visited VAG last week - it had been over a decade. The admission fee (no senior discount) was $35. Was looking forward to the Emily Carr exhibit (4th floor) - but it was puzzlingly small. I'm aware that VAG has a large collection of Carr's work in their permanent collection - why isn't more of it being shown??? The second floor gallery was off limits - apparently while a new exhibit is created. OK, the first floor had a pottery and a photography exhibit. Where is the permanent exhibit?? The old masters? The Group of Seven?? I was left with a feeling of scarcity. Until the museum is built up I'd suggest lowering the admission fee to something more commensurate with what's being shown. Honestly, it's a stately building with not very much being offered for public viewing. In the meantime, I enjoyed a tasty well-presented appetizer at 1931 Gallery Bistro.

While exploring Granville Island recently, my family and I stumbled into this gallery where we…read moreseparated and happily wandered about for a while, each of us getting lost in our thoughts on the art pieces contained within, soaking up the creative atmosphere of this lovely place. This gallery is the perfect space to showcase art: there's much natural light from the window walls, and it feels quite large due to its open floor plan, light wooden floors and stark white walls.There's an upstairs loft as well (which I didn't check out. There appeared to be textiles up there, although I am not sure). Despite feeling large in scale, the gallery itself feels inviting, and it encourages wandering about - as any good gallery would! This place showcases artwork from Zimbabwe and there's an abundance of sculptures here made of natural stones. The works have both a primitive and a contemporary feel about them (quite the dichotomy, I know, but it's true). Personally, I am not a fan of African sculptures, but I definitely appreciate the workmanship and the art-form. That said, I am a big fan of modern, abstracted paintings, and this gallery had many, many gorgeous paintings by Zimbabwean artists that were stunning: some vibrant and bold, some with slightly more subtle palettes, all remotely impressionistic but not quite, reflecting an African influence in the way they portray their subject matter. The painted works were what drew us in to this gallery; many were show-stoppers. The lady who was behind the desk when we were here seemed wrapped up in some project on her computer. We were not greeted or engaged in any conversation. Which was fine with us as we preferred to wander and browse at our own individual pace(s). Still, we enjoyed our exploration of this gallery and we plan on returning when we next visit the Island.

This is a very cool Gallery that is located on Granville Island. I love the mixture of white space…read morewith color of both abstract and traditional art. Very well organized gallery. It is small, however, they make use of there space. Awesome host.

A small gallery, well worth a visit, both for the Art and objects for sale,…read moreand on display. ( check out the bathroom). A good and reliable place to go for appraisal, framing and their passion for the Arts. Thank you to Tarin Mead and Matt Petley Jones.

On another work related visit I stopped in at Petley- Jones today to discuss about getting some art…read morefor a project I am working on. Jennifer the gallery manager was there today and was funny and pleasant to deal with. I told her what I was looking for and and she pulled out her trusty laptop and ran through a bunch of artists that they represent and described each of the artists perspective to me. I found some pieces that I liked by David Tycho and dropped the bomb on Jennifer that I would need then on a Remembrance day which is a stat for most... with out even skipping a beat she offered to meet me on her day off to get me the art I needed.....wow! Extra special thing today I happened to be there at the right time because I had the chance to meet the gallery owner Mat Petley-jones nephew of the late Canadian and British artist Llewellyn Petley-Jones. three thumbs up from this yelper!

Two weeks ago, my husband and I celebrated our wedding at the Beaumont Studio, and we couldn't have…read morechosen a better venue. This magical space provided everything we needed--a spacious private outdoor area with ample room for dining tables, a buffet, and relaxation zones. The space was already so stunning - full of flowers and art- that we hardly needed additional decorations! Inside was equipped with washrooms, a well-stocked bar and a large hall which we used for the party. We are deeply grateful to Martyna, who assisted us with her friendly, responsible, and kind manner. She put in a lot of effort to ensure that our day unfolded exactly as we envisioned. Overall, we couldn't be more thankful and thrilled about our experience at the Beaumont Studio.

Pretty chill place for an event or gallery space. Not overly small but pretty small and intimate…read more There's a bar area and the staffs are nice and responsible. Washrooms are clean for the most part and a few cool wall paintings. Street parking around the area but there's also parking lots.

Believe it or not, I found this place by looking around our hotel on Google Maps. It turned out to…read morebe a bit more fun than I had expected, but TBH I did not have high expectations. We had some time to kill during our trip, so I booked a time for my group to come in. It is a pretty small spot, but it is well thought out "gallery" to take fun or silly photos with your group (or date). It's like different backdrops for you to take your own photos. Plan to spend at least 30-45 minutes, so that you are not in a rush. You'll want to try different poses and angles for each space/scene/exhibit. My fave was probably the anti-gravity room, the optical illusion space (the one where each side makes a person look super big/tall and the other side shrinks the person, like Alice in Wonderland). Don't miss the mirrored room towards the back. Reservations are a must, at least currently, they don't take walk ins.

Fantastic place! If you like taking photos while doinh silly poses and being part of 3d art, this…read moreis right up your alley. You will probably end up spending a good 45 minutes to an hour in the gallery. Definitely good for datenight or even a girls' night. Remember to take a lot of photos and get your posing/acting skills on!

A delightful gallery with many vibrant and colorful works! There is a friendly dog who will greet…read moreyou and take you through the story of the artists! I've never seen a dog docent before but now I've seen it all.

I saw this gallery on this years Art Walk. The piece that attracted me and is right up my ally was…read morethe huma(n)ature pieces by Jennifer Clark. I picked up a postcard of her piece. Her art is a combination of a Tool poster meets the pastel works of Tara McPherson. I just stood and looked at her work hypnotized and mesmerized for a good 20 minutes. The guy running the gallery was super awesome and friendly. The prices for the pieces for what they are are very reasonable.

Artspeak is an artist-run centre. Located on Carrall Street, it straddles the borders of both…read moreGastown and Chinatown. It was established in 1986 and is considered a charitable organization. The primary focus is in on visual art and publication, thus appealing to a broad spectrum of interdisciplinary arts. It's a small space but ergonomic in design. With its floor-to-ceiling front window, Artspeak is anything but cramped. Clean, sparse, all attention is dedicated to showcase contemporary art.

From the owner: Art, Publications, Talksread more

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

The Bill Reid Gallery is the only public Gallery in Canada dedicated to the Indigenous Northwest…read moreCoast Art. It's a gorgeous 2-floor monument to the legendary Haida master artist, Bill Reid (1920 - 1998), and other established and upcoming artists. Before our visit, Gayle and I had never seen a museum like this. Outstanding! The museum space is full of natural light, great viewing angles, and compact enough to see it all and comprehensively in a relatively short period of time. We were overwhelmed with the sculptures, paintings, jewelry, and more, but not in a huge museum sort of way. The folks here know their art were more than happy to explain anything we asked. Their well curated gift shop is an extension of that. If you want a manageable deep dive into Haida and related art, and find yourself saying "Oh Wow!) at lot, this is your place.

Nice place to learn about indigenous art. Kind of dull if you aren't interested in art or history…read more Nice gift shop at the end, and some beautiful totem poles and wood statues.

The content in this store is amazing. The material range is exceptionally wide. I would recommend…read morestepping in! On top of the great books, the gallery hold amazing work. Conceptual, abstract, and literal interpretations which address real content. I love that they didn't shy away from new works. So many galleries go for the cliché.

Big gallery with featured works, therefore, recommend to check semi frequently. Great friendly host.read more