23rd Annual Eastside Culture Crawl Boasts Expanded Lineup

More than 500 visual artists will open their art studios, collaborative work spaces, garages, and homes — to engage with the public, showcase their remarkable work, and encourage fellowship — during the 23rd annual Eastside Culture Crawl, taking place across Vancouver’s Eastside community from November 14 to 17, 2019. Encompassing the region bounded by Columbia Street, 1st Avenue, Victoria Drive, and the Waterfront, the Eastside Arts District is home to the highest concentration of visual artists, designers, and craft makers in Canada. The Crawl eagerly welcomes arts patrons and collectors, community builders, and inquisitive tourists to immerse themselves in this enriching community of artists through on-site visits, and interactive installations. This year, the beloved arts festival is excited to offer an expanded lineup of events with the addition of the Displacement Exhibition and a series of free artist talks hosted at various studios throughout Vancouver’s Eastside.

“Each year, we welcome visitors to discover the creativity and richness of the Eastside Arts District. For our 23rd annual Crawl, we are also imparting an urgent message through our new Displacement Exhibition, that this vibrant community needs more support,” says Esther Rausenberg, Executive Director of the Eastside Culture Crawl. “As Vancouver’s artists continue to face immense hardships such as renovictions, rising rents, and dwindling studio availability, it’s imperative we come together to protect creative spaces and celebrate the integrity of this incredible, industrious community and recognize the positive impact artists have on our society.”

More people are responding to this dynamic visual arts community than ever before. While the Crawl has grown in size and attendance every yeaa since its inception in 1994, last year the festival saw record-breaking attendance with more than 45,000 people meeting artists, exploring studios, and participating in workshops over the course of four days. This represents a nearly 30 per cent increase over the previous year.

This season, the Crawl is encouraging a deeper connection with artists through a brand-new curated series of free artist talks and conversations taking place at various studios in advance of the Crawl, from November 4 to 9, 2019. Hosted by 14 Crawl participants in their own studios, these intimate and entertaining talks will further illuminate each host’s artistic vision and process within a studio setting, deepening the connection between artist and admirer.

A highlight of Vancouver’s arts and cultural calendar, the Eastside Culture Crawl attracts both long-time devotees and exuberant first-timers from across the Pacific Northwest and beyond each year to explore Vancouver’s Eastside Arts District. The Crawl provides visitors with a behind-the-scenes peek into life as an artist, allowing them to engage with different forms of art, including painting, sculpture, pottery, photography, jewelry, glass art, furniture, and much more.

Members of the public are invited to supplement their Eastside Culture Crawl experience through a number of feature presentations, workshops, demonstrations, and exhibitions, including:

DISPLACEMENT: EASTSIDE CULTURE CRAWL SPECIAL EXHIBIT
On at various venues from October 29–November 24, 2019
A juried exhibition of works by Metro Vancouver visual artists who have faced the challenges of eviction or have found ways to survive displacement.

ARTS FACTORY (281 Industrial Avenue)
November 2–10, 2019 | Opening Reception: November 2, 2019, 8:30-10pm

FIREHALL ARTS CENTRE (280 E. Cordova Street)
October 29–November 24, 2019 | Opening Reception: November 6, 2019, 5-7pm

THE CULTCH (1895 Venables Street)
October 29–November 24, 2019 | Opening Reception: November 6, 2019, 6-8pm

ALTERNATIVE CREATIONS GALLERY (1659 Venables Street)
October 29–November 17, 2019 | Opening Reception: November 6, 2019, 6-8pm

TAKE FLIGHT
3rd Annnual Benefit and Culture Crawl Festival Launch
November 2, 2019 | Arts Factory (281 Industrial Avenue)
6-8:30pm — Cocktails and Canapes
8:30-10pm — No Host Bar
Tickets: $75 | Art Roulette $375
Tickets at: culturecrawl.ca/takeflight2019

TALKING ART
November 4–8, 2019 at 7pm | November 9, 2019 at 2pm
A curated series of intimate and entertaining talks by 2019 Culture Crawl artists, designers, and craftspeople, at various studios.
Artist Schedule at: culturecrawl.ca/events/talking-art

MOVING ART: CULTURE CRAWL’S SIXTH ANNUAL PROJECTION OF FILM & VIDEO
November 14–17, 2019 | Noon to 11pm daily | Strange Fellows Brewing (1345 Clark Drive)
A showing of evocative, art-based, contemporary silent films.
Film & Video Schedule at: culturecrawl.ca/events/moving-art-2019

CLOSING FILM NIGHT WITH MARINA ROY
November 22, 2019 at 7pm | The Arts Factory (281 Industrial Avenue)
ECCS and Cineworks present an evening of films with cross-disciplinary artist and UBC Associate Professor Marina Roy.
For more information, visit: culturecrawl.ca/events/animism-animal-activism

Full listings for all Eastside Culture Crawl events, artists, talks, and locations can be found at culturecrawl.ca/events.

About the Eastside Culture Crawl (culturecrawl.ca)
The Eastside Culture Crawl is an annual four-day visual arts festival held in November that involves artists on Vancouver’s Eastside opening their studio to the public. The event is focused on the area bounded by Columbia Street, 1st Avenue, Victoria Drive, and the Waterfront and involves painters, jewellers, sculptors, furniture makers, weavers, potters, printmakers, photographers, glassblowers; from emerging artists to those internationally established.

The Eastside Culture Crawl officially began in 1997 with 45 visual artists in three Strathcona area studio buildings attended by a few hundred people. Since that time the event has grown to include more than 500 artists, craftspeople, and designers attracting more than 45,000 visitors. The organization itself has evolved to represent the heart of the East Van creative community.