Cuts at the Vancouver Art Gallery

John Goldsmith on our fragile arts ecosystem, at an inflection point

Vancouver’s art community has taken some licks this year. With the cancelation of the Vancouver Mural Festival and the ongoing saga at the Vancouver Art Gallery (VAG) it’s a tough time to be an art institution.

“We’re watching one of our most vital resources — creative culture — be allowed to erode,” says Owner and Director of Gallery 881, John Goldsmith.

John’s Gallery 881, is a lens-based art gallery located in East Vancouver. He also operates PrintMaker Studio, a fine art printing and custom picture framing studio that is open to the public and supports 881, as well as other local artists, galleries, institutions, and the general public. John shared some thoughts about the current situation and what it means for culture in our city.

While the Stick newsletter primarily covers non-institutional street art, this isn’t a story that revels in the decline of formal art institutions like the VAG. Instead, it’s about how all of these things link together. So, if you’re able, please go buy a ticket and check out the Otani Workshop, Riopelle, and Emily Carr exhibitions. If you’re a real “pot head,” you’ll love Written in Clay: From the John David Lawrence Collection. And remember to thank a staff member. Buy a postcard. And if you can, grab a membership. When our art institutions suffer, we all do.

The Vancouver Art Gallery has had a tough year. First the pause - then cancelation of the new building, the firing of their CEO, and now large scale cuts to staff and programming. What does all this mean to you, and local artists?

It’s hard not to feel the weight of the moment. What’s happening at the Vancouver Art Gallery is heartbreaking, and for many artists and arts workers, it’s also deeply personal because we understand what art means to our social landscape. The VAG is more than just a building or a program schedule — it’s a symbol of what this city could aspire to, and right now that symbol is faltering.

The recent news of the halted new building, stepping down of the CEO, and major cuts isn’t just administrative turbulence. It’s a shockwave. And while I don’t work inside the VAG, Gallery 881 works alongside it. I’ve seen firsthand how interconnected we really are. Just a few months ago, we hosted docent training for the VAG here at Gallery 881 — a small but meaningful example of how larger institutions and smaller organizations can support each other. It’s part of what we loosely call the art ecosystem. That ecosystem is fragile.

It’s not hyperbole to say we’re at an inflection point in Vancouver’s cultural life. Everything we do in the arts, from education, creation, curation, production, exhibition, and dialogue depends on community. Big institutions do not sit in isolation. We’re a vital component that everything a city has to offer.

Gallery 881 serves as a third space in Strathcona. We host free exhibitions, artist talks, workshops, book clubs, poetry readings, live music, and so much more. In just over two years, we’ve partnered with Emily Carr University to support emerging artists, raised funds for children’s programs like Studio 101 (run by Eastside Arts), and offered free workshops to students at every level.

We also contribute to the local economy. Our Membership Program, which supports and is supported by small businesses like Prototype Coffee, Strathcona Beer, and Retro Modern Designs, is evidence that commercial businesses understand that we are drivers of the economy. Our own PrintMaker Studio, an in-house print lab and framer, produces work for some of the most respected institutions in the city. Furthermore, Gallery 881 operates without any public funding. We survive because our community recognizes that we fill a critical gap — especially for photographers and artists in Vancouver.

So yes, when the VAG stumbles, it affects all of us. It means fewer opportunities, fewer resources, and the erosion of a cultural infrastructure that was already stretched thin. The VAG has the power to lift local artists offering visibility and legitimacy that smaller organizations alone can’t always provide. The new announcement has forced programming changes and this, too, impacts how arts in Vancouver will (and won’t) be seen.

I understand that some of the recent decisions are being made in the name of long-term sustainability. But cuts to staff and programming come with a cost. We don’t just lose roles. We lose expertise, mentorship, access, and memory. Some of that is irreplaceable. And that’s what’s hardest to reckon with.

It seems the cuts are being tied to an announcement of the gallery earning the lowest revenue in 15 years. Is that really the issue and what can be done?

Without a full inspection of the VAG’s finances, it’s hard to say definitively. But the financial narrative doesn’t tell the whole story.

As Marsha Lederman reported in The Globe and Mail, attendance and revenue are at a 15-year low. We have to ask: why? This didn’t happen overnight. In fact, in an open letter last October, the Director and CEO of the Canada Council for the Arts issued a dire warning to the entire cultural sector. That was 2024. Hello, 2025.

We’re seeing the long-term effects of austerity, affordability, and inattention to what matters to our identity. Artists are tapped out. The public doesn’t have much left to give financially. Many are also turning inwards because it takes great effort and courage to show as an artist. Historically, governments and private donors supported the arts, but we’re just not seeing that anymore, and there’s no clear plan to fix it.

This is a systemic issue. We’re watching one of our most vital resources — creative culture — be allowed to erode. Is “No-Fun Vancouver” back? We worked so hard to turn this city into something dynamic, joyful, and expressive — but gentrification was prioritized over culture.

Furthermore, this isn’t just a local issue. The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) just announced major cuts. This past week, BLUM Gallery (formerly Blum & Poe) announced it’s closing its brick-and-mortar locations in Los Angeles and Tokyo after decades of success. Of course, loocally, SFU shuttered its Cultural Programs in 2024, followed by the closure of the Vancity Office of Community Engagement at Woodward’s. In January, it announced major changes to the Goldcorp Centre for the Arts. These actions are all related and also debilitating what we do as creatives.

I wish I had a clearer answer for you about what can be done. I would suggest a complete overhaul that addresses a community-minded approach that doesn’t rely on GoFundMe campaigns and/or a liquor licence to survive. These are the trends I’m seeing. But if public institutions like the VAG can no longer rely on public funding, we need to ask: what kind of culture are we choosing to build?

You run Gallery 881 and the printmaker space. How will this impact your work?

Gallery 881 primarily survives by our in-house print lab and framing shop, PrintMaker Studio, to help generate revenue to support our exhibitions and local artists. We build collaborative partnerships with artists, other galleries, and cultural institutions. We sell art, too. Although, in many ways we are some kind of hybrid of commercial gallery, artist run centre, and even a museum. But this isn’t to say we are financially sustainable. We are in the same situation as the VAG or any of the other smaller galleries.

To the question of how is our work affected? We can only diversify so much. Because we primarily rely upon printing and framing to pay our bills, the short answer is that we need a healthy art ecosystem that allows artists (and the general public) to produce work and have venues to display it. If the network itself crumbles, with less opportunities and less financial resources, due to either issues of liability or grants, then we won’t last. Thus, this question about our work lies in the issue of affordability. I think this also is what’s impacting the VAG. When attendance and revenue are at a 15 year low, it seems obvious to me that people just don't have the money to pay to attend, or visit the gift shop, have lunch at the bistro, or even buy a membership. The city, province and federal government need to step in and do their part. If we are going to heavily promote tourism, but we don’t have art as a component of that, then we must really examine what’s happening. What do we expect to offer to not only our visitors, but of course, those who live, work and create here.

To put it bluntly, there is a slowdown. We will continue to try and find new avenues. Later this year, we will be collaborating with The Polygon to offer our latest installment of SlideNight. We will continue to find new partners for our Membership Program. For $99, members receive discounts at PrintMaker Studio and with our community partners. It’s a small but meaningful step toward shared sustainability. Members help support artists and the gallery, and their support flows back into the local economy. This is a circular, community-driven model we believe in. We are grateful to our local partners like Prototype Coffee, Strathcona Beer, Retro Modern Designs, the Strathcona Business Improvement Association, and our many partners. Our landlord, Low Tide Properties, has also provided some support. We also can’t thank enough our individual customers, donors, and members. We simply would not be here without a diverse and varied business model.

But the reality is this: if venues like the VAG continue to close, and if artists can’t afford to stay here, and if making art becomes economically impossible — then the VAG’s crisis won’t be the exception.

Vancouver is full of local art that comes from limited resources. Either in the streets, or other creative venues. Is there an opportunity for the Vancouver Art Gallery to get creative and enable local artists in a meaningful way?

The creativity is here. It’s really a lack of commitment by our politicians that is the problem.

Gallery 881 provides so much. Our customers and patrons understand this. But our offerings don't necessarily translate to earnings. We need our leaders to recognize that creativity is a kind of currency that doesn’t appear on our own books – it appears on the books of our next door neighbours and in the minds of our visitors in the form of inspiration.

Small galleries, both public and private, are under intense pressure: financially, structurally, and emotionally. Rents are too high. Fewer people can afford to buy art. And this isn’t unique to Vancouver. Just last week, I sat down with a group of fellow gallerists and we’re all feeling the same pressure.

Our civic leaders, from government to private industry, need to recognize that artists are part of the city’s lifeblood. We don’t just create culture. We create community. We generate tourism, commerce, identity, and memory. The work we do in galleries, in studios, on streets, in temporary spaces and artist-run centres is often done with very little. But it’s what keeps Vancouver feeling human, vibrant, reflective, and alive. What’s needed now is not charity, but investment. Not lip service, but commitment. We need policies, funding, and long-term planning that centre the arts as essential infrastructure.

Supporting artists is supporting the soul of the city. It’s how you build a place that people want to stay in, not just pass through. A city that’s livable, creative — and yes, fun — for everyone.