Head to Strathcona This Saturday for a Special Group Artist Exhibition and Kick-Off Event

Poster image, “Chenille” (2023) courtesy of Colleen Brown.

Two Vancouver-based artists already deeply invested in the local arts community – Anna Kasko (Kasko Gallery) and Dan Siney (Doing&Doing Fine Art) – are upping the ante with their new collaborative project, launching at Kasko Frame Works on May 17th.

This Saturday between 4pm and 8pm, make your way to the framing-shop-slash-gallery-space at 560 Clark Drive, in Strathcona, for the kick-off group exhibition, Scorpion Tongue featuring works from more than a dozen artists: Tyler Brett, Colleen Brown, Robin Cameron, Lee Henderson, Paige Elton, Nick Lakowski, Deirdre McAdams, Jaret Penner, Jonathan Petersen, Simon Redekop, Kerri Reid, Meg Shaw, Lee Henderson, Dan Siney, and Eden Veaudry.

Going forward, each individual artist will take turns in the spotlight, with their works being shown in the gallery at the front of shop. Exhibitions will either be open to the public or online-only, on a case-by-case basis (stay tuned to Kasko Gallery’s Instagram page for more details on that as they become available). But regardless of the platform, one thing remains consistent: the artists are the priority. 65% of all art sales will go directly to their creators, while 20% will passed along to Siney to be put back into Doing&Doing’s mission “to promote creative expression as essential to cultural health”, with the remaining 15% going to Kasko, who will donate her share to other local causes. Right on. Find out more.

WHY WE CARE

Whether you can afford to walk away with something or not, this exhibition is your chance to show up for something that matters. Art brings so much to our local community, in ways beyond measure, and keeping our artists in Vancouver by giving them profitable opportunities to show here should be one of the city’s main priorities. Yes, art and the people who create it are “invaluable”, but you can’t pay the rent with “invaluable”; and the truth of the matter is that many talented folks simply can’t afford to sustain themselves and their creative practices in town. Without the valuable support of those, like Siney and Kasko (both artists in their own rights, so they know what’s up, and also bring empathy to the table), with the platform(s) and reach to promote them, and who put artists first, Vancouver would become a creative wasteland.