For the first time, VMF is hosting the Winter Arts Festival in two cities! We are thrilled to announce that Winter Arts Festival is expanding to Victoria, thanks to the City of Victoria. VMF is honoured to debut the Winter Arts Festival on the unceded territories of the lək̓wəŋən (Lekwungen) speaking Songhees and xʷsepsəm (Esquimalt) Nations.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR!
Victoria: February 16 - 19, 2024.
Vancouver: February 22 - 27, 2024.

At VMF Winter Arts 2022, Doaa Magdy presented “Dynamic Diasporas” , a two part project that narrated BC’s Black history through archival images and a live performance at VMF Winter Arts Hub, in partnership with BC Black History Awareness Society (BCBHAS).

The project focused around telling the story of roughly 800 educated and skilled Black pioneers who came to the Colony of British Columbia in 1858 at the invitation of its governor, Sir James Douglas, leaving behind an increasingly racist and divisive America, including Emma Stark, Grafton Tyler Brown and Rebecca Gibbs, William Allen Jones, and John Craven Jones.

One of the highlights of VMF Winter Arts 2023 is the exhibition PRESENT, curated by multimedia artist Tafui, featuring audio, visual, and spoken word artists exploring the ways in which language and music can be used to create and communicate meaning.

Out and about this holiday season and looking for free things to enjoy with the whole family in downtown Vancouver? Then… look no further.

Here are our top 5 FREE fun, holiday attractions in the heart of Vancouver, perfect for kids and families. Find the best spots for beautiful holiday pictures and to catch up on some quality family time this December, all between West Georgia, Burrard Street, and Canada Place.

Marjan Moghaddam is an award-winning and pioneering Digital Artist/Animator, known for her unique style of 3dCG figuration/animation and critical discourse.

She is the recipient of top awards/grants, exhibited at the Smithsonian and other museums.

Curated and created by Doaa Magdy, “Dynamic Diasporas” is presented by VMF Winter Arts and community partner BC Black History Awareness Society (BCBHAS).

The project tells the story of roughly 800 educated and skilled Black men and women who came to the Colony of British Columbia in 1858 at the invitation of its governor, Sir James Douglas, leaving behind an increasingly racist and divisive America.

During VMF Winter Arts (Feb 11-27, 2022), you can experience Pixel Moments’ AR mural in support of the St. Paul’s Foundation and mental health.

Pixel Moments is an initiative of the St. Paul’s Foundation with the goal of bringing more awareness to mental health and raising funds for mental health resources at St. Paul’s Hospital.

The IM4 Lab supports Indigenous artists and media professionals by providing immersive learning and production opportunities and building an Indigenized tech ecosystem.

Katrina Iosia is a Multidisciplinary Niuean artist born and raised in Auckland, New Zealand.

ONESIAN (Māori (Ngati Awa, Ngai Tuhoe), Samoan) is a multi disciplined artist from South Auckland, New Zealand, exploring the notions between digital space and real time through new technological mediums.

Chrissy Brimmage (she/they) is a self-taught, multidisciplinary artist living and working out of Brooklyn, NY.

Chrissy’s work utilizes the opportunities and constraints of digital space to research social phenomena of the material world. Her practice integrates digital and analog mediums to explore her personal perceptions, as well as the varying perceptions between social identities on futures beyond oppressive systems, the function of identity, and definitions of freedom.

Heather Dunaway Smith is an XR interactive artist, illustrator, animator, and musician, who blends storytelling, animation, sound design, interaction design, and the physical world into immersive art experiences.

January 20, 2022 (Vancouver, BC) - Discover a free outdoor celebration across Downtown Vancouver this winter. From February 11-27, 2022, VMF Winter Arts transforms the city’s downtown core into an interactive, open-air gallery and celebration of art and live entertainment.

Entering our second year, VMF Winter Arts once again transforms downtown Vancouver into an interactive open-air gallery featuring augmented reality, lights, and live entertainment.

In the new edition of the festival, the AR artists will explore the theme “Being MetaSelf”.

From February 11-27, 2022, public space across Vancouver’s core will be transformed into an interactive, open-air gallery featuring Augmented Reality (AR) art and light installations by local and international artists–including the UK, New Zealand, Egypt, and the US, plus local artists from Vancouver, Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil Waututh Nations.

December 1, 2021 (Vancouver, BC) - VMF Winter Arts returns February 11-27, 2022 to transform downtown Vancouver into a free, interactive, open-air gallery and celebration of public art and live entertainment.

Produced by the team behind Vancouver Mural Festival and presented by the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association, the second annual winter event combines the spirit of VMF’s summer celebration with digital art, light installations, and live entertainment to brighten the city and safely connect communities during one of the city’s darkest months of the year. 

Syrus Marcus Ware is an Assistant Professor at the School of the Arts, McMaster University. He is a Vanier scholar, visual artist, activist, curator, and educator.

Syrus uses drawing, installation and performance to explore social justice frameworks and black activist culture, and he’s shown widely in galleries and festivals across Canada.

iheartblob is an award-winning mixed reality architecture studio and research collective with a strong focus on the Architectural Object and the role of emerging technologies within architecture.