'Remarkable' free Vancouver festival showcases 'outsider' art
Dozens of "outsider" artists are bringing their work to the Roundhouse Community Arts and Recreation Centre in Yaletown this weekend.
The Vancouver Outsider Arts Festival is a free event that aims to showcase "the work of visual artists and performers outside of mainstream art institutions."
Pierre Leichner – a board member for the Community Arts Council of Vancouver, which provides funding and logistical support for the festival – says the concept of "outsider art" is better known and supported in Europe than in North America.
"This is the eighth annual outsider art festival, and that is quite remarkable because we are the first – and only – festival with outsider artists in Canada," Leichner said.
To illustrate the distinction between "outsider" and "insider" artists, he cited two famous examples.
Vincent Van Gogh, whose art was not appreciated in his lifetime and died in poverty, is an example of an outsider artist, Leichner said. Michelangelo, who received funding and support from the Catholic Church and other patrons throughout his life, is an example of an insider artist.
"Obviously, the situation is different now, but there are still some divides," he said. "There are still insiders and outsiders. Today's insiders tend to be artists that get picked up early in their career and early in their career they start to have the support of galleries – both public and commercial galleries – art dealers, sometimes art councils, and even the schools sometimes. So, early on, they are able to have the funds to work full time at their art practice, develop it, and make a reasonable living at it."
Contemporary outsider artists generally face barriers to exhibiting and selling their work, whether those barriers are social, economic, political, or – in the case of artists with disabilities – physical or mental, Leichner said.
The artists featured in this weekend's festival are people from the Lower Mainland who face such barriers in their chosen medium.
Leichner said this year's festival includes roughly 40 visual artists and 16 performing artists, with workshops and performances scheduled throughout the weekend.
More information about the festival, including a schedule of events and a list of participating artists, can be found on the VOAF website.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Live U.S. election results: Canadian perspectives and analysis
CTVNews.ca is featuring live U.S. election results on an interactive map and a live blog that will be updated throughout the evening starting at 5 p.m. ET by CTV News journalists and Washington political analyst Eric Ham.
A sharply divided America decides between Trump and Harris
A divided America weighed a stark choice for the nation's future Tuesday as a presidential campaign marked by upheaval and rancor approached its finale.
These swing states will likely decide the U.S. presidential election
These swing states will most likely determine the path to the presidency, with candidates needing to win some combination of votes to get them across the 270 mark to secure a majority.
An hour-by-hour guide to election night poll closings
This is a guide to poll closing times and includes notable down ballot races – both competitive and not.
Abortion is on the ballot in nine states and motivating voters across the U.S.
Voters in nine states are deciding whether their state constitutions should guarantee a right to abortion, weighing ballot measures that are expected to spur turnout for a range of crucial races.
How exit polls work and what they will tell us on election night
Exit polls are a set of surveys that ask voters whom they voted for, as well as additional questions about their political opinions, the factors they considered in the election and their own backgrounds more broadly.
Trump campaign denies and revokes journalists' election night credentials after critical coverage
Journalists from multiple news organizations have been denied credentials to former U.S. President Donald Trump’s election night watch event in West Palm Beach, Florida, in retaliation for their coverage of Trump’s campaign.
Trump snaps at reporter when asked about abortion: 'Stop talking about that'
Donald Trump is refusing to say how he voted on Florida's abortion measure -- and getting testy about it.
Canada 'deeply concerned' after alleged Russian sabotage plot
The Canadian government says it has raised concerns directly with Russian officials after media reports this week revealed an alleged Russian sabotage operation. The alleged plot included plans to send parcels packed with incendiary devices aboard aircraft destined for Canada and the United States.