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Our History
Established in 2017, the organization was started to make art accessible to everyone, with the goal of promoting and developing Vancouver’s visual art community into a thriving international art scene.
Under the artistic leadership of professional artist Lisa Wolfin, VVAF has grown to become a women led organization with a community of passionate artists and volunteers, working together to provide exhibitions, education, and other various programs, that have helped artists get worldwide exposure.
VVAF's main annual event is Art Vancouver, a four-day event where artists and galleries around the world showcase their work on a prestigious platform while attendees enjoy exposure to a diverse collection of contemporary art. This event builds bridges between artists and audiences through panel talks, presentations, art tours, and more. Through Art Vancouver, VVAF has helped Canadian artists gain representation in Asia and participate in exhibitions in Seoul, South Korea, Singapore, and Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
For more information about Art Vancouver, please visit www.artvancouver.net.
Art Downtown began in 2020, as an outdoor summer art festival in the heart of downtown Vancouver in two locations and added 3 more locations in 2021. A space where artists have a chance to create and sell their work in the heart of their community, including live music, brought to you in partnership with the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association (DVBIA).
VVAF opened an art gallery in the fall of 2020, Art @Bentall, that exhibits BC artists' in the downtown core of Vancouver.
With this initiative, VVAF is able to empower artists in all stages of life and offers them a platform to display and sell their art in a manner that is collaborative and accessible in front of a live audience, including live music. This creates a space for artists to come together and inspire others with their work. Artists are able to interact with patrons, tourists, locals, and anyone passing by.
In response to the Covid-19 lockdown, VVAF started online art classes in 2020. Offering online courses for every skill level for everyone worldwide, with an extensive selection of comprehensive tutorials that help students learn basic to advanced techniques in drawing, painting, illustration, color theory, and more. Our instructors are professional artists. Classes have reached art lovers from across Canada, the USA, Australia, and Costa Rica in less than one year!
Vancouver Visual Art Foundation
Connect. Inspire. Educate.