Arts & Culture

BC Culture Days - Sept 24 - Oct 24 2021

BC Culture Days 2021 wants to remind you that hope and optimism still lie with community and artistic creation. The annual province-wide arts and culture festival returns with vibrant enthusiasm. Their 2021 theme, “RE:IMAGINE,” encourages everyone to “RE:CONNECT” with others during a festival that is safe, artistic, and above all, future-oriented.

Check out some event highlights via Inside Vancouver, or view and filter from all BC Culture Days events via the button below.

Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival Virtual World Tour

The 2020-21 World Tour features audience favourites from the 2020 Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival and special tour edits. So fluff up your couch cushions, grab some snacks, and enjoy the epic adventures from the comfort of your home!
 
All programs available online until October 24, 2021.
 
Each program is around 2 hours, and for the $15 [U.S.] you get access to between 3 and 9 films [depending on which of the 6 programs you choose].
 
The program has a 3-day rental period (time starts ticking once you start watching).
 
The rental period begins immediately upon viewing (as soon as you press play).
 
You will need to have an internet or wifi connection to view the films, as they are available only through online streaming (not download).

Eastside Culture Crawl

​Vancouver's Eastside Culture Crawl is an annual 4-day visual arts festival in November that involves 500+ artists on Vancouver's Eastside opening their studio to the public. The event is focused on the area bounded by Columbia Street, First Ave, Victoria Drive, and the Waterfront and involves painters, jewellers, sculptors, furniture makers, weavers, potters, printmakers, photographers, glassblowers, and more; from emerging artists to those internationally established.

Artists will be opening their studios for two weekends this year, in-person or online, or a combination of both.
 
NOVEMBER 12-14
In-person preview weekend by appointment only.
* Appointment bookings on website
 
NOVEMBER 18-21
Open studio festival weekend
All in-person visits will be operated under current public health guidelines. Studios may also be open online for 360 studio tours, live streaming, or live chat through our website during both weekends. You can search by platform (virtual or in-person) or search by artists/medium/building here to find out who is participating via which platforms and when.
 
Virtual Crawl
This year, in addition to in-person crawling, there is an option to participate in a Virtual Crawl. There are three main virtual ways to engage directly with our artists this year: virtual studio tours, live stream broadcasts, and live chats. These features are available through individual artist profile pages, which you can find via our Artists page. They are offering additional virtual programming from November 8-21, which includes artist demos, Talking Art series, and Moving Art film and video series.

Voxel Bridge Art Exhibition

Voxel Bridge, created by Columbian artist Jessica Angel, is a one-of-a-kind public art installation featuring augmented reality and blockchain technology underneath the south end of the Cambie Bridge. The exhibition is 19,000-square-feet in size and was created in association with the Vancouver Biennale. The artwork explores how public space can be constructed and used both physically and digitally. Voxel Bridge will remain in place and open to the public until 2023.

When: Now until 2023
Time: Anytime
Where: Underneath the south end of the Cambie Street Bridge
Cost: Free

Free Monthly Poetry Series

Lunch Poems at SFU is a unique opportunity to celebrate poetry and is held the third Wednesday of every month, from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.

The raison d'être of Lunch Poems is to invite and welcome everyone to enjoy poetry in a relaxed and casual atmosphere, whether you are new to poetry or have had a long romance with it. We invite you to join us to lunch on words and feed your soul—just bring your curiosity, open mind and love of words.

Sign up for the Lunch Poems @ SFU email list to receive news about upcoming events.

Virtual Trips

See, discover and learn through the eyes of a local. Join a live-streamed tour, from places around the world.

Book weeks ahead of time, or log on and see what tours are happening right now, and join in.

Free - tips encouraged.
A sample below.

Scenes of Isolation

Scenes of isolation profiles a range of Vancouver shows and artworks that best express this pandemic.
 
Here are a few of the most affecting works to explore the unique experience of 2020’s pandemic purgatory—or to find an uplifting way to transcend it. Together they form an unforgettable archive of a surreal time.

Theatre In Video

Online access to hundreds of the world’s most important plays, documentaries, interviews, and instructional materials in more than 800 hours of streaming video.

All you need is a Vancouver Public Library card!

MEC Free Documentary Series


​From riding across Canada from coast to coast to coast on a fixed gear bicycle, to ticking off a truly unique bucket list, watch three Canadian adventurers share their own lived experiences with wild spaces. Created by three of Canada’s leading documentary filmmakers, these raw, genuine portraits explore how the outdoors inspires and challenges us, dialing in to personal triumphs and incredible feats.

Covid 19 Call for Submissions: Kickstart Disability Arts & Culture
Kickstart Disability Arts and Culture gives artists with disabilities a voice. They are are committed to supporting and promoting artists in every discipline, with all disabilities.

In coronavirus times, they are looking for literary, visual or performative artistic submissions from disability identified artists in the community. These works will investigate the creative process in this time of isolation, economic and health precariousness, and social uncertainty.

To submit you need to be a member; memberships for those on a fixed income is $10; some 'by donation' memberships are available for those unable to pay.

Selected writers/artists will be paid $100 for one blog post.

We Live Here: West End Audio Tour for Covid 19 Times

Whether you'd like to walk this 1 1/2 hour audio tour or listen to the sections from home, these interesting stories about the West End told by various Vancouverites are worth your time.

Acorn TV

Do you have a Vancouver Public Library library card? Access Acorn TV - a streaming service that offers world-class mysteries, dramas, comedies, and documentaries from Britain, Ireland, Australia, Canada and beyond.
It includes hard-to-find gems, timeless classics, and newly discovered favorites.

Learn Languages for Free with Mango Languages

Access over 70 self-paced language learning courses and dialects, with your Vancouver library card.

​Learners are introduced to vocabulary, cultural insights, grammar and more. The courses are delivered by native speakers.
​
Sign up for a Mango profile so you can track your progress & continue where you left off.
Or use “Mango as a guest” to access the resource.

Read Magazines from Around the World


​If you have a Vancouver library card, you can access magazines from around the world - on your computer or on your phone.

Magazines on the Libby App
You can now read digital magazines on-the-go with the Libby app. Tip for power users: use the "read the articles" mode to easily view individual articles.

E-Books from the Library with No Waitlist

Some libraries have pick-ups available for holds on actual books. But if you'd like to read now and are open to e-books, the Vancouver Public Library has created a list with some of their most popular e-books that are available now with no waiting list.

Great Canadian Short Films

The National Film Board of Canada has a long history of award winning shorts.  These are a great source of our history and superb entertainment. 

Please click the links below to go directly to those films, or click the button to go to the NFB site and choose your own. 

  • The McGarrigle Sisters, “Log Driver’s Waltz”
  • “Remember Africville”, the little-known account of one of Nova Scotia’s independent black settlements
  • “Supreme Law”, an interactive story of Canada told from perspectives of those who have historically been underrepresented

CBC Canadian Videos

​National Arts Centre
​National Arts Centre (website/Facebook)
​Stream free theatre, dance, music, storytelling, talks and workshops as part of #CanadaPerforms.

Dancing  Alone, Together
Picture
​A CENTRAL RESOURCE FOR THE DIGITAL DANCE WORLD
DESIGNED FOR THIS UNPRECEDENTED TIME OF ISOLATION

These classes are free or by donation and the website includes videos on dance from around the world

Virtual Museum Tours

Stuck at Home? These 12 Famous Museums Offer Virtual Tours You Can Take on Your Couch (Video)
Be sure to also check out our Music & Movies events.
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