WINTER ARTS Festival RETURNS TO DOWNTOWN VANCOUVER THIS FEBRUARY
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.
Interactive Augmented Reality (AR) art and light installations will activate public plazas along the VMF Winter Arts route across Downtown Vancouver. Locations include: Canada Place, Bentall Centre, Park Place, Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver Public Library, Yaletown, plus BC Place and Science World.
At the centre of it all will be the Winter Arts Hub, located at šxʷƛ̓ ənəq Xwtl'e7énḵ Square on the north side of the Vancouver Art Gallery. The festival Hub will be an all-ages, licensed outdoor venue featuring art installations, a live performance stage (music, DJs, drag and more), plus a welcoming, heated and covered space with hot (and cold) drinks and food trucks.
Diversity and inclusivity are at the core of VMF’s values. VMF is committed to ensuring representation for underrepresented and marginalized communities. This is reflected in the strong BIPOC and LGBTQIA2S+ artists in both its live performance and AR curation.
VMF Winter Arts’ 2022 artist line-up spans a diverse range of international and local artists:
Chase Gray (Musqueam/Tsimshian) / Chrissy Brimmage (USA) / Debra Sparrow (Musqueam) / Doaa Magdy (Egypt) / Eliot White-Hill, Kwulasultun (Snuneymuxw) / Heather Dunaway Smith (USA) / Jaad Kuujus (Haida/Kwakwaka'wakw) / Jellyburger (Norway) / JQ Sirls (USA) / Katrina Iosia (NZ/Niuean) / Marjan Moghaddam (USA) / Ocean Hyland (Tsleil-Waututh) / ONESIAN (NZ/Maori/Samoan) / Tafui (JAM/CAN)
VMF presents Blanketing the City: Lighting the Way, the evolution of its on-going Blanketing the City series with acclaimed xʷməθkʷəy̓ əm (Musqueam) weaver and graphic designer Debra Sparrow. This project takes the series to the next level by illuminating iconic landmarks across the city with large-scale lighting displays featuring transformed Coast Salish weaving patterns, colours and stories. VMF is also partnering with IM4 Lab to curate 3 Indigenous artists to create AR and light installations for the festival.
Adding to VMF Winter Arts’ AR, light installations and live site entertainment will be special programming by our partners:
Guided Walking Tours by DeTours, presented by Herschel Supply.
Live/Online Talk Series at Vancouver Public Library presented by Electronic Arts.
Interactive AR mural by Pixel Moments in support of St. Paul’s Foundation to raise awareness and funds for mental health resources.
Sneak peek of Cirque du Soleil Alegría plus special live performances by CircusWest.
Winter Arts Pride closing night at the Hub presented by Vancouver Pride Society.
Public Disco party at the Hub every Saturday.
“VMF is committed to continually reimagining how we safely bring together art and people in public space. The past two years have highlighted the positive impact of public art and public space on community well-being—individually, collectively and economically.
The success of our inaugural VMF Winter Arts festival inspired us to create an even more ambitious event to bring joy and inspiration to everyone downtown and beyond.”
— Andrea Curtis, VMF Executive Director
Designed to counter the winter season’s shorter days and darker nights, VMF Winter Arts invites residents and visitors of all ages to rediscover downtown Vancouver and reimagine the city in a new light as it shines bright during one of the darkest months of the year!
VISIT WINTERARTSFEST.COM AND FOLLOW @WINTERARTFEST ON SOCIAL MEDIA (INSTAGRAM, FACEBOOK, TWITTER) FOR UPDATES AND DETAILS FOR VMF WINTER ARTS 2022 COMING SOON.
Presenting Sponsor: Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association
