Vancouver: Central and Downtown Neighbourhoods

Vancouver’s Central and Downtown Neighbourhoods are vibrant hubs for the arts, offering a rich tapestry of galleries, public art, performance spaces, and cultural festivals. This is a two or three-day self-directed tour. You can follow the route, start where you like or wander as time allows. Check venue hours and programming in advance. Venues are sometimes closed for exhibition installations or have specific screening times for media-based presentations. Use the toggle in the upper right-hand corner of the map for a ‘fullscreen view’, or tap here to open the map in a new window: Vancouver: Central and Downtown Neighbourhoods.

1. The Contemporary Art Gallery (CAG) is the longest-standing independent public gallery in Vancouver dedicated to contemporary art. The gallery’s mission is to be artist-driven and audience-centred, CAG champions art and ideas that invite us to transcend the familiar, reimagine the possible, and explore new ways of understanding ourselves, one another and the worlds around us.
2.   221A collaborates with artists and designers to research and develop social, cultural, and ecological infrastructure, envisioning an inclusive society where culture is accessible to all.
3.   Cineworks Independent Filmmakers Society (est. 1980) supports independent filmmakers and media artists.
4.   The Vancouver Art Book Fair (VABF) celebrates artists’ publishing with diverse programs and exhibitors, open to the public.
5.   The Vancouver Art Gallery is recognized as one of North America’s most respected and innovative visual arts institutions. The Gallery highlights historical and contemporary art from British Columbia, international centers, and First Nations artists.
6.   Pendulum Gallery evolved out of an agreement between the City of Vancouver and the original owner to provide a public cultural facility inside a private office building when it was constructed in 1986. At first envisioned as a performance venue, the gallery is now focused on the visual arts.
7.   The Bill Reid Gallery honors the diversity of Indigenous Northwest Coast Art and showcases contemporary Indigenous artists.
8.   Simon Fraser University Galleries: Teck Gallery is an active social and public space in downtown Vancouver defined by a large window offering commanding views of the North Shore mountains. The site, functioning since SFU opened at Harbour Centre in 1989, presents socially focused programs that engage local contexts. Distinct from a white cube gallery, Teck Gallery is a project space for artistic innovation within the university.
9.   Simon Fraser University Galleries: Audain Gallery showcases contemporary art and hosts events and exhibitions, including international projects, artist’s talks, public discussions, and screenings. The gallery offers a critical space for engagement with diverse and timely ideas of contemporary art in a dynamic and shifting manner.
10.   Art Vancouver, Western Canada’s most prestigious art fair brings the international art world together at the Vancouver Convention Centre East. Featuring reputable galleries and artists from across Canada and around the world. Art Vancouver is an International Art Fair held annually, where exhibitors can showcase their artwork on a prestigious platform to a global audience. Check website for dates and programmes.
Use the toggle in the upper right-hand corner of the map for a ‘fullscreen view’, or tap here to open the map in a new window: Vancouver: Central and Downtown Neighbourhoods.