A no messing around guide to the coolest things to eat, drink and do in Vancouver and beyond. Community. Not clickbait.

Look Out For Laura Bucci At The East Side Culture Crawl

LauraBucci-2w[1]The annual, three day East Side Culture Crawl (November 26, 27, 28) is our favourite thing  going down in Vancouver during November. We look forward to it big time. Why? Because it sees East Side artists of every stripe open their studios up to the public and the atmosphere in the neighbourhood abruptly rises from really cool to freakin’ awesome. The Crawl covers Terminal Avenue to Burrard Inlet between Main Street and Victoria Drive. We’re right in the middle, surrounded by homes with black crow signs (signifying a Crawl studio) above their doors and the crammed Parker Street Studios just a few kicks away. That might not be a lot of ground to cover, but it’s a lot of art, especially this year with over 370 artists taking part. And so, we figure it’s a good idea to meet a few of them in advance so as to better familiarise ourselves (and perhaps you) with what to expect. For starters, meet Laura Bucci

Three things about your Commercial Drive neighbourhood that make you want to live there: This is one of my favourite neighbourhoods because of the variety of people (from hippie to hip), the number of locally owned businesses, and the mix of cultures. Walking up ‘The Drive’ you can easily hear Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, and more.

How many years have you participated in the Eastside Culture Crawl? This is my first year!

Three words you would use to describe the ECC to someone who has never attended: Inspiring. Exhausting. Energizing.

A one sentence artist’s statement describing your work: Bold, textile-based accessories that add thoughtful meaning to the everyday.

Three places you like to take out of town guests to show off Vancouver`s art scene: South Granville gallery row, the little alley ways with artists’ studios on Granville Island, Portobello West fashion and art market.

What are you most excited to be working on right now? I am revisiting my travel photos of Italy and experimenting with screen printing. I am pretty excited about this as it gives me an opportunity to use my own imagery and pair it with Italian text. Italian is my mother tongue. I’ve already used French in my cup cozies (back of the cozies), so I’m ready for some Italian.

What inspires you? As you probably guessed from my current work I am currently inspired by vintage imagery and objects. I enjoy walking through vintage/retro antique shops and thrift stores. I also love browsing through other people’s work. One of my favourite venues for this is Uppercase Magazine — a Canadian magazine full of Canadian and international talent.

What sort of music do you listen to when you work?
I listen to a lot of Cuban music. I love Spanish.

Why is Vancouver a good city for art?
There are a lot of affordable resources if you want to try something new (like Blim) and there are some great buildings full of artists’ studios.

If you were going to recommend a Vancouver artist/designer/musician/personality for Scout to interview, who would it be? Heather Martin of mono clothing. Fashion designer.


Is there a local designer or artist that you admire above all others?
I admire Keri Smith (currently local). She is an illustrator and author on creativity. I haven’t read her books but I really enjoy her mixed media illustrations. I love the colour and the quirkiness of her compositions. I can see looking at her work to explore new directions in mine.

Best Vancouver place to be inspired by emerging artistic talent: The Emily Carr College Student Show is absolutely a great place to discover wonderful emerging artists. I am the proud owner of some wonderful paintings.

One thing you would like to change about the art scene in Vancouver:
I wish the Vancouver Art Gallery was free! Right now it’s $19.50 for an adult. Hardly accessible to all!

More

LauraBucci[1]

Laura Bucci Handmade
shop – www.laurabucci.com
blog – http://laurabucci.com/blog/

There are 6 comments

  1. Interesting piece, but I fail to to understand how you think a place like the Vancouver Art Gallery can build or install new shows every few months and not charge admission. Are you aware of the funding cuts this province has visited on cultural institutions the last several months? We work hard with limited resources to create a vibrant and relevant visitor experience and it does become galling to hear that we are too expensive. Thanks for the opportunity to rant.

  2. Very good points Rory. Unfortunately, I am aware of the recent funding cuts. When I was answering the question I was thinking about how public galleries are free in the UK and how I wish Canada could be the same. Our situation is totally different here and obviously we’re nowhere close to enabling free access to public art galleries. Regardless of the work that the VAG puts in their shows (and with limited resources as you point out) the fact remains that it is too expensive for many people — I haven’t been able to go myself in ages. This reflects badly on our government not the VAG. In any case, this was a wishful answer. Thinking about it rationally is really is just too depressing. But I do have to think about it though as I am involved in an Arts & Culture Committee at my local community centre.

  3. Congrats and Kudos Laura, on the article and on the upcoming ECC!! I am so excited for you! it should be a fantastic adventure.

    and agreed on the VAG…obv the fee is necessary, but also says so much about the arts community in BC. the govt is to blame not the organizations that suffer because of it. (and directly, the people!)

  4. Thank you Laura. I meant to point out in my previous missive that buying a membership to the V.A.G is the way to go. Unlimited admissions, invitations to special events and 10% off at the gallery store.

    Enjoy.

  5. I really wish the VAG had a “starving artist” membership price. I think I had more disposable income when I was a student than I do now!

    Sorry Rory, but for people who are struggling to make rent & buy art supplies, it’s a stretch to buy the yearly membership too.

  6. hey ya all…just a F.Y.I. …the VAG ‘is’ available to ‘way’ more people on TUESDAY evenings from 5pm to 9pm as it is ‘pay what you can’. Ideal to go right at 5pm or 8pm onward I have found as often there are groups from local schools and such that attend also on such evenings. Have gone and spent multiple hours there at times as there are two areas with large art books and chairs to sit and peruse…oh ‘and’ people watch. You get an automatic in/out option as well if need to zip out and get something to drink or eat. 🙂