From this Friday through Sunday, the artists of Vancouver's Eastside will be throwing open their doors for B.C.'s biggest and most dynamic visual arts event. The 15th annual Eastside Culture Crawl is a chance for art connoisseurs and novices to wander into the studios of Vancouver's creative community, speak to artists and observe their work in the space it was produced.
Organisers are expecting huge crowds over the three days of the Crawl, enticed, no doubt, by the small matter that the entire event is free to attend.
"We say 10,000 people," explains Jeffrey Boone, the Crawl's Executive Director, "but you can't really count accurately at an event with 72 different buildings, some of which have five different entrances. We ask artists to count the number of people who come into their studio space. Last year the average was 1,600 people visiting each studio. If you had to buy a ticket to go into each studio, we'd sell half a million tickets. Of course, we don't do that."
The Crawl started in Strathcona back in 1994. What was originally a group of friends and artists opening their studios over a weekend to raise money for various causes has grown into the essential event of the year for the hundreds of artists and craftspeople living between Main Street and Victoria Drive, north of 1st Avenue.
"The Crawl bypasses the gallery system," continues Boone. "There aren't that many galleries in Vancouver. How do you engage with the public when you don't have gallery representation?
"All the artists here are on a level playing field. Artists are expected to be in their space and willing to talk about it, whether it's someone like David Robinson who has an international reputation, or someone who does it as a retirement hobby."
Artist Lori Goldberg, who teaches at Emily Carr University when she's not in her studio at 1000 Parker Street, believes that the Crawl is hugely beneficial to both Vancouver's art community and the public.
"It's the highlight of the year for me," she confirms. "It draws a lot of people who wouldn't normally come to look at art and that's important. We can start talking and getting people interested in what we're doing. It's entertaining. It's intense. It's crazy making. It's time for recognition and great sales!"
Mia Weinberg, whose commissioned work has appeared outside Brighouse Skytrain Station in Richmond, agrees that it's the connection between the artists and the public that makes the Crawl so special.
"The Culture Crawl is an event where the public can meet the artists on a very personal basis," she says. "We're not on a pedestal. We're human too. We're sharing our workplace and trying to demystify what we as artists do. I get to share my passion with people. I want to inspire people to be curious."
Boone believes that it's this interactive element that fuels the event's continued growth.
"If people have heard of it, they love it," he insists. "In a studio situation you're speaking to the person who makes the art you're looking at in the space they make it. You don't have to get into art theory. A lot of people start collecting by doing the Crawl."
If you are planning on visiting, Boone's advice is to avoid driving (parking will be challenging) and, with around 400 artists opening their doors, not to worry about seeing everything.
"I encourage people to have some kind of strategy," he suggests. "Pick up or download the program guide and decide on a route."
"You can't do it all," agrees Lori Goldberg. "People only have a certain amount of time, focus and energy. I'd suggest deciding on one area and focussing on it. Or drink a lot of coffee, wear comfortable shoes and go for it!"
