Today marks a painful milestone for the downtown Vancouver arts community.
It’s the opening of the final art exhibit at the seminal North Bank Artists Gallery, a cooperative venue that lasted 14 years before rising rents forced its closure.
“North Bank Artists Gallery has been a fixture on Main Street in Vancouver for 14 years, and it saddens us to announce we will not be renewing our lease,” says a recent statement from North Bank’s board of directors. “North Bank will close its doors on May 31. We want to thank all our supporters for years of patronage. Without an audience, there is no arts community, and we deeply appreciate your support these many years.”
Thanks to its central location, ample floor space and big picture windows that showed off what was inside, North Bank became a focal point for art lovers as well as artists. It was a hub for people enjoying monthly First Friday Art Walks and hosted numerous artist talks and other events. But now, North Bank’s members and directors are feeling like victims of their own success — having helped invigorate downtown Vancouver to the point where a nonprofit art gallery can’t afford Main Street real estate anymore.
The gallery’s retrospective, farewell exhibit opens today. It’s called “Impact: North Bank’s 14 Year Journey,” and it features favorite works by current and past North Bank members, affiliates, studio renters and student interns.
