Vancouver Mural Festival Winter Arts in February
byIn the spring of 2020, the Vancouver Mural Festival (“VMF”) brightened streets and inspired hope with over sixty murals on boarded up storefronts for #MakeArtWhileApart. Then in the summer, VMF expanded beyond Mount Pleasant again to reach nine neighbourhoods, connecting people through public art at a time we were all apart.
This season, VMF Winter Arts will blur the line between the real and virtual world. Public space across Vancouver’s core will be transformed into an interactive, open-air gallery art (via Augmented Reality) by local and international artists.
Vancouver Mural Festival Winter Arts
When: February 12 to 28, 2021
Where: Downtown Vancouver and East Van (View Map)
Winter Arts will feature international artists from Vienna, Tokyo, Ho Chi Minh, Dallas and 10 local artists from Vancouver, Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil Waututh. BIPOC artists and curators make up over 50% of the 2021 roster.
“More than ever, we’ve seen the positive impact that public art and public space brings to communities. This has driven us to harness technology in a way which demonstrates the transformative power of art in our cities. Until we can reconvene, we will continue creating live experiences in public. We really hope this experiment brings joy and inspiration to everyone downtown and beyond.” – Andrea Curtis, VMF Executive Director (Interim)
With the help of VMF’s mobile app (available to download for free from the App Store and Google Play), Vancouverites can safely explore the city and find all AR locations while following COVID protocol. Alternatively, downloadable maps can be found on the VMF Winter Arts website.
When you’re near a Winter Arts installation, open the camera on your phone and hold it over the unique QR code found at that location. Select Instagram or Facebook, and watch the magic happen!
