COVID-19 (Coronavirus) update
May 15, 2020: The City's Cultural Services group would like to reaffirm our commitment to supporting arts and culture in our city during this time of crisis. Our priority continues to be our relationships with artists and organizations in our community.
Get the latest updates about our response to COVID-19 impacts on the cultural sector:
Share how COVID-19 has impacted your organization, apply for financial assistance, and access other resources:
Go out and explore arts and culture in Vancouver.
Our city is alive with creativity. We have amazing: music, dance, new media, theatre, festivals, film, design, exhibitions, galleries, museums, and special events.
With arts and culture being of such importance to our city's livability, we have developed our Culture Plan with the core vision to:
- Develop, enliven, enhance, and promote arts, culture, and cultural diversity in Vancouver
- Benefit you, the creative community, cultural entrepreneurs, the business sector, and visitors
We are developing a new Creative City Strategy that will:
- Include previously under-represented voices and constituencies
- Build partnerships across communities and sectors
- Develop strategies that place arts and culture at the forefront
Culture|Shift
Our culture plan for 2020-2029 includes the priority actions, including Making Space for Arts and Culture and the Vancouver Music Strategy.
Theatres and performance spaces
Get to know Vancouver's cultural and performance spaces: The Orpheum, Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Vancouver Playhouse, and more.
Public art
Explore and find out how the City and Park Board support public art by emerging and established artists in Vancouver.
Arts and culture grants
Find out if your non-profit group is eligible for grants to develop arts programs, cultural activities, theatre rentals, or advertising.
Artist spaces and residencies
Find out how we support artists as well as create more artist spaces.
Art and cultural activities
Find art and cultural activities, including classes in dance, crafts, visual arts, writing, photography, woodworking, pottery, and more.
Environmental art
Learn about how the Park Board, in collaboration with community groups, offers programs in environmental art.
What's happening
Making Space for Arts and Culture: 2018 Cultural Infrastructure Plan
This plan focuses on spaces where artists and cultural workers can live, work, and share their work, and supports Vancouver’s cultural sector at a time when nearly two-thirds of artists in the city live below the poverty line.
City-wide targets for arts and cultural spaces will be developed to reflect the needs of the community. Policies, zoning, regulatory, and other tools, will also be explored to secure and develop such spaces and hubs.
Read the nine priority recommendations PDF file (6 MB)
Vancouver Music Strategy (interim report)
The $400,000 in approved one-time funding will support grants to Vancouver-based, music-focused projects in partnership with other agencies and funders, as well as a temporary full-time staff resource focused on the music community and completing final report recommendations.
View the report PDF file (9 MB)
City support for free outdoor public events
We have approved four recommendations to support a wide variety of small to large-scale outdoor events that reflect Vancouver’s diverse populations and contribute to the city’s vibrancy and quality of life.
Park Board Arts Policy
The Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation confirms its mandate in the arts and recognizes the arts as an essential element in a vital, creative, and balanced city.
Find artist opportunities
Artist opportunities
Find opportunities for local artists including calls for public art, available studio space, and more.