The fourth annual Parker Art Salon, a unique salon-style exhibition of fine art and sculpture, runs May 25-27 at 1000 Parker Street Studios in Vancouver. Collector’s Night Soirée (tickets: $20 online/$25 at the door) on Friday, May 25 with free admission over the weekend. parkerartsalon.com.
The hallways are no ordinary transient space during Parker Art Salon inside a 100-year-old building in East Vancouver.
A creative hub and the largest artist-based workspace this side of the Rockies, 1000 Parker Street Studios houses 200 painters, sculptors, milliners, furniture builders and shoe makers over four storeys.
“It was an old mattress factory and it was built around 1914 so it’s got the huge big wooden beams and wooden floors,” explains Parker Art Salon director Niina Chebry.
Many art enthusiasts have been introduced to this airy space which seeps creative energy at all hours of the day, through the annual Eastside Culture Crawl. But the Parker Art Salon, now in its fourth year, presents a different view of the space.
The artists emerge from hibernation in their studios and step into the chandelier-lit hallway which has been transformed, along with the rugged warehouse, into an elegant fine art exhibition. Sixty artists illuminate three by three metres of wall space for which to curate their own mini exhibition within an exhibition.
“When you only have 10 by 10 (feet), you know you’re going to be choosing your best pieces,” says Chebry.
Having the artists front and centre gives visitors a taste of the work so they can decide if they want to see the artist’s studio. In Chebry’s experience, when people come through during the Eastside Cultural Crawl some of them seem fatigued from touring so many studios. The art salon is more like speed dating for art enthusiasts. One-hour guided studio tours are available from 2 to 4 p.m. on the Saturday and Sunday, with advanced online booking required.
A painter herself, Chebry says the salon is also a great opportunity for artist occupants of the building to get to know each other and interact. She’s been at Parker Street Studios for 18 years and spent much of that time in a creative silo.
“Being an artist is very much a solitary activity, for the most part. I can spend days and days not talking to anyone. When I’m going down the hallway to rinse my brushes ... and you see other people’s posters, you just feel the energy of the art going on all the time in the building,” says Chebry.
The Parker Art Salon opens with a grand entrance on the Friday night, called Collector’s Night. Guests walk through huge four- metre-high double doors and are greeted by a group painting done by the resident artists and inspired by Andy Warhol.
Inside there are projections and videos of artists in their studio as an introduction to the space. New this year is the silent art auction on the second floor.
“It’s just another interactive idea,” says Chebry.
Under the chandeliers, art lovers can enjoy the ambience and food and drink, while also meeting the artists. A handful of artists who live on the North Shore are participating in the art salon, including Miriam Aroeste and Andrea Taylor.
Small fine art will be for sale during the salon, featuring a range of mediums and all $200 each. This includes Chebry’s iceberg homage and conversation about climate change, which she painted.
Over the course of the May 25th weekend, Parker Art Salon will feature studio tours, live sculpting, demos and other activities.
Partial proceeds from the salon will benefit Anxiety B.C., a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting awareness about anxiety disorders and supporting access to evidence based resources and treatment.
“Every year we have worked with a charity because we though just being community minded we wanted to bring that aspect in,” explains Chebry.
