Fall has arrived in Vancouver, and the world is opening to more! More events, more exhibits, and more experiences that enrich our lives. While our lives now include enhanced cleaning and temporary mask protocols for indoor activities, there is no reason not to step out and take in this fall’s line up of cultural experiences at some of Vancouver’s top attractions.
Start with a visit to the Vancouver Art Gallery and experience leading national, international, and regional artists in the heart of downtown Vancouver. Opening this fall is GROWING FREEDOM: The instructions of Yoko Ono / The art of John and Yoko. This exhibition underscores the cornerstones of action, participation, and imagination in the work of Yoko Ono and examines the collaborative works she undertook with her late husband John Lennon. A visionary, pioneering artist with a career that now spans more than 50 years, Yoko Ono created a new kind of relationship with spectators and fellow artists, inviting them to play an active part in the creative process. This exhibit is being shown in two parts — her instruction works designed to have the visitor participate in the installation, as well as a timeline of art focused on her peace activism which she completed alongside Lennon with special attention on the BED-IN FOR PEACE demonstration that took place in Montreal. This is a must-see this season.
Next up on our fall calendar, is the Museum of Vancouver. An award-winning civic history museum, which is dedicated to encouraging a deeper understanding of Vancouver through stories, objects, and shared experiences. Beyond the permanent exhibitions that tell the story of these lands from first peoples through to the 70’s are the current feature exhibitions. A Seat at the Table, which opened last fall, explores the history of Chinese immigration in the development of British Columbia’s history using food and restaurant culture as an entry point to feature stories that reveal the great diversity of immigrant experience and of the communities’ immigrants develop.
This fall, MOV offers two now exhibitions, on now, Indigeneity Rising, featuring artworks from the 2020 YVR Art Foundation scholarship recipients, and on October 2, Boarder X – an exhibition of interdisciplinary contemporary art by Indigenous artists from across Canada, who surf, skate, and snowboard will open.
Then, head down the street to the Vancouver Maritime Museum, to take in their latest temporary exhibition, Canoe Cultures :: Ho’-ku-melh - War Canoes and the Gifts They Carry Forward Ho’-ku-melh is a Chinook Jargon word that means “to gather.” This exhibition is a gathering of Indigenous artists and knowledge holders. Twenty Indigenous artists share their gifts in this multi-sensory journey. Through the war canoe, the artists explore climate change, food security, displacement, and ongoing colonialism. Truly a unique opportunity to explore some of the most prescient issues of our time through a unique lens.
A trip out to UBC can include two outdoor cultural experiences. Before heading inside the Museum of Anthropology, recognized around the world for its permanent indigenous collection, explore the Welcome Plaza “Remember your teachings” featuring artworks from Musqueam artists, including Salish Footprint by Susan Point and Transformation by Joe Becker, as well as an Ancestor Figure also by Susan Point. Then take the path to the back of the museum to explore two massive house boards, also carved by Susan Point, in 1997 as well as a Haida House and a Mortuary House constructed by Haida artist Bill Reid and ‘Namgis artist Doug Cranmer, both are modeled on a 19th century Haida village. The buildings sit beside the Yosef Wosk Reflecting Pool, which provides a dynamic presence that animates the site and reflects the ever-changing sky. Around the pool are memorial and mortuary poles dating from 1951 to the present carved by Jim Hart (Haida), Chief Walter Harris (Gitxsan) and Mungo Martin (Kwakwaka’wakw).
Continue your outdoor cultural exploration with a visit to Nitobe Memorial Gardens, just across the street. This traditional Japanese garden features a stroll and tea garden designed in the memory of Dr. Inazo Nitobe whose wish was to foster global peace and create a bridge of cultural understanding between Japan and the rest of the World. Fall colours abound.
Head back downtown for two quite different experiences, at FlyOver Canada, it’s the spooky season, featuring their seasonal show HowlOver Canada, join Biker Mama and her band of sidekicks as they tour Canada in search of the ultimate music festival, enjoy a complete Halloween experience including a seasonal 8 minute flight ride, a themed preshow and decorations, come dressed in costume to enjoy the full experience. Available September 27 – October 31.
While Dr Sun Yat Sen Classical Chinese Garden, in the heart of Vancouver’s Chinatown, has launched, Look Towards the Sun (the second exhibition from the public art program SOLIDARITY) is an artistic exchange between Lam Wong, a Chinese Canadian diaspora artist from Hong Kong and Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun, an artist of Cowichan and Syilx First Nations ancestry. All living beings, creatures, and spirits are interconnected. “We all reside under the same sun”. Creating reflection and dialogue on environmental concerns and the interconnectedness of people, culture, and place is at the essence of this exhibition. More information here and included with your admission to the Scholar’s garden, designed for a full sensory experience, it is a pleasure to visit in all types of weather.
Book today and save as much as 35%, tickets are valid for a year so great for locals and BC residents too