DTES Arts Demonstration

The DTES Arts Demonstration project enlivens public spaces and engages professional and non-professional local artists and community participants, including Chinese, Japanese, European and First Nations communities. The principles of creativity, capacity, collaboration and coordination guided the choice of projects.

Initiatives supported under this project included:

• Dancing in the Streets - promoted and presented 42 performances featuring over 100 artists and 25 dance companies in nine venues. The Dancing on the Edge Festival Society expanded its annual festival programming in 2010 to work with a number of dance companies and artists to bring community dance workshops, site-specific performances, and performances to DTES venues.
• Artwalk Vancouver 2010 – 250 artists exhibited their work in 24 DTES galleries and studios. Approximately 300 people visited the space and more than 22 art pieces were sold. Artwalk Vancouver 2010  was held in February 2010 to assist artists in the DTES, Chinatown,and Gastown by encouraging 2010 Winter Games visitors to go to see art in those neighbourhoods.
• Spring Performing Arts Fair - showcased work from theatre, dance, music and interdisciplinary artists. 110 artists from 37 arts organizations presented work in four DTES venues. The 6th Annual BC Buds Spring Performing Arts Fair returned to the Firehall Arts Centre in 2010. Performances took place not just at the Firehall Arts Centre, but also other neighbourhood venues. More information: Fire Hall Arts Centre .
• StoryBox -This multi-phased, storytelling and new mediaproject broughttogether80 writersandparticipants from the DTES to develop personalandhistorical story ideas through facilitated workshops that were presentedat the annual VancouverStorytelling Festival.These stories were then developed into new media installations through a collaborative process hosted by urban ink, an interdisciplinary theatre company. Curated by urban ink and W2 Community Media Arts, five video and sound installations were exhibited as part of the Surge Festival held at the Storyeum, July 30 - August 28, 2010

[top]