An artist-run centre established in 1991 and situated in Vancouver’s historic Chinatown, Access Gallery is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting and presenting the work of emergent artists, curators and cultural practitioners, as well as those entering a new experimental phase of their practice. We enable critical conversations and risk taking through new configurations of audience, artists and community. With this mandate, Access occupies a uniquely important position in Vancouver’s cultural landscape. The gallery often provides the occasion for an artist’s first solo exhibition (and have provided important exhibition opportunities for some of Canada’s most successful contemporary artists at early stages in their careers). Access orients these artists to a wider dialogue and visibility within the community, while offering that community the opportunity to encounter new artists and artistic approaches through brave and engaging programming.
Access produces a dynamic and ambitious yearly program of exhibitions, publications, and our recently launched travelling artist residency Twenty-Three Days at Sea, as well as outreach program that includes local, national and international collaborations, talks, performances, screenings, readings, workshops, walking tours and symposia. Committed to reflecting a broad range of artistic disciplines as well as cultural and socio-political concerns relevant to our contemporary world, our programming is nationally and internationally recognized. Access Gallery compensates artists in accordance with CARFAC guidelines, and is a long-standing member of the Pacific Association of Artist Run Centres (PAARC).
Access Gallery acknowledges the generous support of the Canada Council for the Arts, the province of British Columbia through the BC Arts Council and BC Gaming Commission, the City of Vancouver, the Burrard Arts Foundation, the Koerner Foundation, the Audain Foundation for the Visual Arts, as well as our valuable donors, members and volunteers.