Review of Art Downtown 2020

Art Downtown has brought life into a small private park in Vancouver at a time of ever-growing uncertainty and social distancing. From July to September 2020, artists gathered to display and sell their magnificent work while live music gently swayed the mood in the background as members of the community walked past and gazed at the local artwork.

Laura Noonan

At a small park (Lot 19), artists congregated in a socially distant way to display their work and tell their stories through expression and words. The artists themselves encompassed a vast array of backgrounds and life experiences that brought culture and diversity into a tiny corner of a much larger city. For the artists, it was a great way to display their work and communicate with other artists to draw inspiration. For the community, it was a fantastic way to learn about the arts and become more familiar with the artists and their work. For everyone, it was a return to some semblance of normalcy while practicing safe social distancing.

Soda Leavy

Art Downtown not only gave Vancouver a splash of color and a more European ambiance, but it also provided artists with further opportunities. Artist Andrea Ludwig stated “[I] was invited to work with friends of tomorrow, to do art classes with at risk youth.” Another artist, Sascha Westendorp, said “I found connections that lead to more display of my art and potential commissions.”

The Vancouver Visual Art Foundation team is already planning the 2021 edition. Next year's events will bring a new location, more public special events and will present a large number of artists BC. To stay up to date with our programming, sign up for our newsletter here.

Watch a short video of Art Downtown!

By Mark Cantu