Public art

Public Art Vancouver commissions artists and supports artistic practices that open spaces for encounters with art and the city. The program provides art opportunities of many kinds from single commissions to artist collaborations with design professionals and diverse communities.

Videos: Meet the artists

Examples of recent public art commissions include artists Tafui and Romane Bladou's works for Platforms: We Are Here, Live, and Paul de Guzman's socially engaged project which was produced through the Artist-Initiated Commissions program.

Watch the video to hear the artists speak about these works in their own words.

Platforms: We Are Here, Live

We’ve commissioned 23 emerging and established Vancouver, xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) Nations based artists to create pieces that reflect the complexities of the COVID-19 pandemic, which we will present on platforms across Vancouver until November 2022.

Learn more about the selected
artists and their work

Explore public art

Discover our featured public art. Go on self-guided walking tours. Find public art by neighbourhood, artwork, or artist.

Placing public art in public spaces

Create public art for civic and private development projects in the city.

Artist opportunities

Find opportunities for local artists including calls for public art, available studio space, and more.

Gassy Jack and Maple Tree Square updates

The Gassy Jack statue was donated to the City in 1974 when it became part of the public art collection. It was a tribute to John Deighton, a bar owner who was married to two Squamish women during his life, one of whom was 12 years old.

In February 2022, the statue came down in a community protest. It is currently in storage and will not be reinstalled in Gastown.

We continue to work with Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish Nation), to identify appropriate next steps in regards to Gassy Jack.

Current status of Maple Tree Square

We're consulting with xwməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam Indian Band), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish Nation), səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation), and community partners to plan the future of Maple Tree Square as part of Gastown Complete Streets to ensure that the public spaces prioritize equity and are Indigenous-centered.