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About cultural events

Community cultural events help bridge cultures and build strong communities through the arts, featuring visual and performing arts, and encouraging public engagement.

Art Beyond Walls

North Van Arts recognizes collaboration and community engagement as vital to the work of arts and culture. Engaging community has been the driving force of North Van Arts since its founding. Community events such as Wildlights (1998-2009), May is Art Month (2006-2016, in partnership with Cap Mall) and Music in the Park (2011-2017) have created hubs of art and life. Meanwhile, Art in the Garden (since 1999), Trolley Dances (2012-2016) and North Shore Art Crawl (in partnership with the NSAC since 2014) have reached across the North Shore with art, music and dance. In 2017, Art + Place recognized ‘Canada 150’ by bringing a place-based dance to Cathedral at Waterfront Park.

In cooperation with the Toronto International Film Festival and Cineplex Odeon Theatres, North Van Arts offers the North Shore community an International Film Series. Screened at the Cineplex Odeon Park & Tilford Cinemas, the series provides one-night-only viewings of TIFF’s current, curated festival selections. The film series acts as a platform for supporting the visibility and appreciation of Canadian, independent and foreign films, and the art and perspectives they explore. Short films from the Capilano University School of Motion Picture Art are featured throughout the series, allowing the community to view the work of emerging filmmakers, and at times hear from them directly in a pre-screening talk.

Responding to the continued need for art to be visible on the North Shore, North Van Arts worked with the three municipalities (the District of North Vancouver District, the City of North Vancouver and the District of West Vancouver) to form the North Shore Arts Commission in 1988. North Van Arts later contributed to Arts Access, an initiative led by the North Shore Arts Commission that brought attention to the arts through a community TV show and the magazine Arts Alive.

Beginning in 1972 and expanding to encompass nearly 500 works of art, the Art Rental programme is a vital platform for allowing the community to rent and experience art. Serving as a connecting point for local artists and the community, the programme allows the work of both emerging and established artists to be accessible. With a clientele that ranges from individuals looking to enrich home and office spaces to major film companies working to build a set, the Art Rental programme increases the visibility of local art. The Art Rental collection is hung on mobile panels at the back of the CityScape Community ArtSpace and is available through the North Van Arts website, where people are welcome to browse and enjoy the collection.