The Eastside Culture Crawl and South Granville art walk, annual events that open art studios and galleries to the public within their respective neighbourhoods, are well known in Vancouver.
But now, filling the void in the middle of the city, is ROVE – a recurring art night in the heart of Mount Pleasant.
For co-founder Jamie Smith, an artist and former art teacher, ROVE was a chance to start something in an area that was arts rich, but open-studio poor.
“[Mount Pleasant] needed something simplistic, accessible, and condensed into a really nice walkable area,” says Smith.
Inspired by the gallery hops in Portland, Oregon, which take place on the first Thursday of every month, there have now been three ROVE nights since the event started last summer.
Not one to shy away from the boldness of Main (previous walks have featured the likes of Will Aballe’s art gallery apartment (which has since moved out of ROVE range), and Hot Art Wet City), Smith says ROVE aims to lessen the intimidation factor that comes with the arts, and get people talking about what they’ve seen.
“I like hearing, when people get to my venue, the conversations about where they have just left,” says Smith. “It brings a certain energy from venue to venue, rather than visiting one stop and it’s just about that work. It becomes this layering of art experiences throughout.”
This ROVE, taking place Friday, May 22, is your chance to wander into the long-running Grunt Gallery (350 East 2nd), Make creative agency (257 East 7th), the shared studio space of Coast Salish artist Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun and painter/sculptor Graeme Berglund (next door to Make), the art studios above Gene Café (2414 Main), Kafka’s Coffee and Tea (2525 Main), the Burrard Arts Foundation (108 East Broadway), and the Field Gallery (17 West Broadway).
There are also ample opportunities to stop and rest your weary bones at local breweries like Brassneck, Main Street, and 33 Acres along the way.
“There’s very loose parameters on this. Get the map, go to the venue, make it a night out,” says Smith with a smile. “The goal is that people will come back on their own, and know that the space exists and talk about it, so that it way outlasts a one-night event.”
And while art will be available for purchase, Smith says ROVE is less about making a sale and more about building community.
“It’s looking at galleries as social spaces,” says Smith. “It’s really shifting into an event and having art be around us. Not just, you walk in and have to think about how you’re going to pay for it.”
All of the venues will be open from 6pm to 10pm, and maps of the art walk are available at all locations on the tour. Afterwards, ROVE will migrate to an after party at the Projection Room, the recently-opened cocktail and snack space above the Fox Theatre at 2321 Main. Show your map for a ROVE drink special.
• For more information and to print out a map, head to ROVEYVR.com.
