New partnerships with BC Culture Days and Helsinki Outsider Art Festival bring new opportunities for artists and audiences

From Oct. 12–17, 2023, the Community Arts Council of Vancouver (CACV) will present the 7th annual Vancouver Outsider Arts Festival (VOAF) at the Roundhouse Community Arts & Recreation Centre. This year’s festival will be bigger than ever, with new collaborations and a longer run that sees the festival expand to five days from one weekend. Canada’s first and only outsider arts festival promotes equity while amplifying artists and performers who live and work outside of the mainstream. 

“The Vancouver Outsider Arts Festival continues to strengthen its ties to the local and international art scenes, offering even more opportunities for participants and our audiences,” says Kristin Cheung, executive director of CACV. “We are honoured to be able to provide a positive and safe space for people of all backgrounds, and to help visitors connect to artists facing social, economic, and cultural barriers in showcasing their work. VOAF fosters inclusion and nurtures community within this artistic city.”

Vancouver Outsider Arts Festival 2023 will feature 56 artists from across Metro Vancouver’s diverse art scenes, including 40 visual artists, 13 performing artists, and three art groups. The festival’s visual art exhibition and performances will be complemented by a series of new workshops. Visitors will be able to learn from artisan Chantal Cardinal about the craft of handmade felt objects and from Vancouver Ikebana Association member Cecily Chang about the art of Japanese flower arranging. Additional workshops will be offered through a new partnership with BC Culture Days: independent dance artist and choreographer Fiana Kawane will teach Kathak Movement, or South Asian classical dance, and multimedia artist Bethany Pardoe will facilitate a collaborative character design session. 

A collaboration between Vancouver Outsider Arts Festival and Outsider Art Festival (OAF) from Helsinki, Finland, will culminate in a short film presentation at the Roundhouse Community Centre (Performance Centre) on Monday, Oct. 16, 2023. OAF’s inclusive artistic team has curated a collection of short films featuring Finnish outsider artists from the suburbs of Helsinki and the rural area of Karelia: Mika Ruohola, Kati Kallio, Anne Kalliola, and Miska Tuononen. The films highlight various artistic approaches and storytelling techniques, incorporating performance art, silent film, poetry, and dance. An online meet and greet with the artists will be hosted following the screening, and will be accessible online at OAF Online Stage.

Following the festival’s close, the VOAF exhibition will travel to the Port Moody Arts Centre from Jan. 11–March 4, 2024. 

VOAF 2023 Participating Visual Artists
Alini Garcia, Andrea Grey, Andrew Woods, Ania Salmina, Barbara-Lynn Pollard, Ben Roback, Brandy Mars, Cathy Watters, Colin Mitchell, Courtney Lee, Daniel Poggenpoel, Erin Audley, Federico Airaudo, Glenn Hesse, Hazel Yuhang Zhang, Jaclyn Lord-Purcell, Jasper Berehulke, Justine Clark, Kaela Ho, Katalina Guerrero, Komal Saxena, Lee Abbott, Leigh Press, LittleBenefit, Madison Gill, Mahdieh Pourghannad, Marianne Powley, Marko Hirny, Mason Meghji, Max Mueller-Langer, Nickole Lewis, Nicole Parekh, Rowan Wright, Sandra Yuen, Shamsah Mohamed, Sheila Letwiniuk, Tim Varro, Tom Moody, Trevor Buddin, Vee CR

VOAF 2023 Participating Performing Artists
Argel Monte de Ramos, Cèsar Contreras, Co-Creating Love, Eva Cho, Fairything, Farrah Vading, Hampton G, Jerry LaFaery & Leef Evans, Joe Joe Johnson, Kandy Roar, Mako Fujimoto, Niki Kennedy, Rocky & the Gems

VOAF 2023 Participating Art Groups
ART & Justice, The Art Studios, Gathering Place Community Centre

All performances will be available after the festival on CACV’s YouTube channel. Visit www.voaf.ca to find biographies, work samples, and links for all artists. 

VOAF 2023 is generously supported by the Canada Council for the Arts, BC Arts Council, City of Vancouver, Canadian Heritage, Modo, Roundhouse Community Arts & Recreation Centre, Jamie Poh, BC Culture Days, Disability Alliance BC, and Y.P. Heung Foundation.

Festival Dates & Times

• Thursday, Oct. 12: 12–8pm 

  • Featuring opening night performances by Bukola and Edzi’u 

• Friday, Oct. 13: 12-8 PM

• Saturday, Oct. 14: 12-8 PM

• Sunday, Oct. 15: 12-8 PM

• Monday, Oct. 16: 12-8 PM

• Tuesday, Oct. 17: 12-5 PM

Address

The Roundhouse Community Arts & Recreation Centre
181 Roundhouse Mews, Vancouver, BC V67 2W3