16 things to do in Vancouver this week: March 8 to 15

Mar 8 2021, 4:00 pm

Please note: As recommended by BC’s provincial health officials, gatherings of any kind and unessential travel in the province is not recommended at this time. Please adhere to COVID-19 health and safety measures, including proper physical distancing and frequent hand washing, and wearing a mask or face-covering in public indoor and retail spaces. If you are sick, please stay home.


A new week means new things to do around Vancouver. From online events to physically distanced outdoor and activities, indoor exhibits and more, here are 16 things to keep you busy this week.

Visit Vancouver’s highly anticipated Imagine Van Gogh exhibit

Van Gogh Edmonton

Imagine Van Gogh 2020. (Imagine Van Gogh)

What: Imagine Van Gogh, the immersive digital art exhibition touring around the world, is coming to the Vancouver Convention Centre. And while the event technically doesn’t open until March 19, organizers recently announced expanded hours and additional tickets for the upcoming event.

The exhibition, which hails from Europe, features over 200 of the famed Dutch artist’s paintings projected onto surfaces, transporting visitors to the heart of his work — allowing the audience to “literally enter the artist’s world of dreams.”

When: Opening March 19, 2021. COVID-19 health safety protocols will be in place.
Where: Vancouver Convention Centre — 1055 Canada Place Way, Vancouver
Tickets: Available online

Enjoy live “dance bubbles” across downtown Vancouver

dance bubble vancouver

Jennifer Aoki/Tourism Vancouver

What: A stunning art and performance installation is taking over downtown Vancouver throughout the month of March. More than a dozen “dance bubbles” have been placed across the city’s downtown core as part of #lovevancouver.

The goal of the outdoor activity is to “bring some joy to the city” amidst a dark winter. The dance bubbles include light and dance performances projected at a distance and can be safely enjoyed by residents. Best of all, they’re free of charge.

The goal of the outdoor activity is to “bring some joy to the city” amidst a dark winter. The dance bubbles include light and dance performances projected at a distance and can be safely enjoyed by residents. Best of all, they’re free of charge.

When: Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays over the month of March
Time: 5 to 9 pm nightly
Where: Various locations in downtown Vancouver
Cost: Free of charge

See the stunning nightly projections at Fairmont Hotel Vancouver

bright downtown vancouver projection mapping

Artistic rendering of BRIGHT Downtown’s projection mapping installation on the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver’s east facade. (Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association)

What: Starting in March, BRIGHT Downtown will illuminate the eastern side of the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver. The light show will feature 3D animations that play with the hotel’s architectural elements, using the building’s structural outline as the foundation for bold and bright optical illusions.

The theme is “Tangled,” which will explore “how art is intrinsically interwoven into every step of the human experience,” using joyful imagery and soundscapes.

When: March 6 to 12
Time: Every night
Where: North Plaza of the Vancouver Art Gallery (viewing of the east facade of the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver)
Cost: Free

Pictures and Promises at the Vancouver Art Gallery

Vancouver Art Gallery

O Zhang, We are all the Future of the Earth, 2008, inkjet print, Collection of the Vancouver Art Gallery, Gift of the Artist.

What: Pictures and Promises, the feature exhibition for the Capture Photography Festival, is drawn from the Vancouver Art Gallery’s rich photographic holdings. Opening on February 20, Pictures and Promises focuses on lens-based works that employ the structures, conventions and formal qualities used in commercial culture, mass media, fashion and advertising.

When: Now until August 22, 2021
Where: Vancouver Art Gallery – 750 Hornby Street, Vancouver
Tickets: Online

Indigenous History in Colour Exhibit

 

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What: This solo exhibition by Luke Parnell is a powerful exploration of the relationship between Northwest Coast Indigenous oral histories, conceptual art, and traditional formline design. Indigenous History in Colour’s playful juxtapositions and bold commentary is inspired by history, pop culture, and Bill Reid. Parnell’s multidisciplinary analysis of the shifting perspectives of Northwest Coast art in modern history challenges contemporary discourse on notions of reconciliation, repatriation and representation today.

When: Exhibition until May 9
Where: Bill Reid Gallery – 639 Hornby Street, Vancouver
Tickets:
Online

North Van Arts Mother Tongue Exhibition

things to do

Mother Tongue exhibit

What: Artists Sara Khan, Laura Rosengren, and Katherine Duclos explore the complex range of emotion that transformation brings in this new exhibit.

When: February 26 to April 10
Where: North Van Arts – 335 Lonsdale Avenue, North Vancouver

Arctic Voices

Arctic Voices. Photo Submitted

What: Arctic Voices is an 8,000-square-foot exhibition that takes visitors on an immersive journey over the tundra and into the world’s northernmost biome. The experience will showcase the people, ecology, wildlife and way of life in the region.

When: On now
Where: TELUS World of Science – 1455 Quebec Street, Vancouver
Tickets: Available online

Gerontology Program Information Sessions

What: Over 16,000 jobs in the field of social services are expected to be in demand over the next decade. Langara will be hosting online information sessions where attendees can meet the program faculty, learn about career opportunities, and have all their questions answered.

When: March 10 (7 to 8 pm) and March 30 (12 to 1 pm)
Where: Online
Tickets: Free

A Future for Memory: Art and Life After the Great East Japan Earthquake

things to do

A Future for Memory

What: The exhibition commemorates the 10th anniversary of the 2011 triple disaster that saw a 9.0 magnitude earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdown hit the eastern region of Japan. The exhibition will be an important opportunity for those of us living in Canada to consider the impact of natural disasters — as the coast of BC is at risk of potentially major earthquakes and tsunamis.

When: Until September 5
Where: Museum of Anthropology – 6393 NW Marine Drive, Vancouver
Time: 10 am to 5 pm, Closed on Monday
Tickets: Available online

Learn about the history of Vancouver’s neon signs

neon vancouver

Museum of Vancouver

What: An exhibit at the Museum of Vancouver (MOV) will immerse you in the city’s bright past and delve into the divide that changed its urban landscape. On until Spring 2022, Neon Vancouver | Ugly Vancouver features a collection of flashy signs dating back to the 1950s, ’60s, and ’70s. Some are being lit for the first time since they were recovered from junkyards.

When: Until spring 2022
Where: Museum of Vancouver — 1100 Chestnut Street, Vancouver
Tickets: Online

Beaty Biodiversity Museum Online Collections Tour

What: The Beaty Biodiversity Museum on the UBC campus is offering online tours of its impressive exhibits for groups during the pandemic. Discover tetrapods, marine invertebrates, the herbarium, entomology, fish, fossils and their connection to BC with an interpreter. The tours can be catered to school groups, families, or community groups. There’s a maximum of 30 people per group.

When: Choose a date through the museum’s online booking form
Where: Online via Zoom
Time: Tours are available at 10:15 am and 12:15 pm
Admission/Tickets: $60 per group

Inaction Exhibit at the Richmond Art Gallery


What: Inaction is a new solo show by renowned Canadian contemporary artist Brendan Fernandes. The exhibition, co-produced with the Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery at Wesleyan University, is RAG’s first collaboration with a US-based institution. Inaction addresses violence against queer and POC bodies as well as the potential for change through collective action.

When: Until April 3
Where: Richmond Art Gallery – 7700 Minoru Gate, Richmond
Admission: By donation

Whose Chinatown? Examining Chinatown Gazes in Art, Archives and Collections

things to do

Morris Lum, Xam Yu Seafood Restaurant, Toronto, 2016

What: This exhibit at Griffin Art Projects in North Vancouver brings together an art history of Chinatowns and their communities by historical and contemporary Canadian artists.

When: Until May 1
Where: Griffen Art Projects – 1175 Welch Street North Vancouver
Time: The museum is open on Saturdays from 12 to 5 pm
Admission: Free

Check out the BC’s Black Pioneers online exhibit

BCBHAS exhibit

Beth Cruise, BCBHAS

What: This exhibit examines how 800 Black immigrants who were invited to settle in BC by Governor James Douglas helped establish and stabilize British colonial communities. The digital exhibit has been curated by the BC Black History Awareness Society.

Where: Online
When: Any time

Take an illuminated snowshoe trek on Cypress Mountain

snowshoe

jasondackphotographer/@travel.manian (Instagram)

What: Cypress Mountain is offering a magical snowshoe experience this winter with Lights to the Lodge, an LED lights-lit trail in the Old Growth Forest. The trail is a one-kilometre, self-guided, snowshoe trek lit with LED lights that lead to one of the most popular Cypress Mountain destinations, the Hollyburn Lodge.

When: Now until the snow melts
Where: Cypress is at 6000 Cypress Bowl Road, 6000 Cypress Bowl Road
Tickets: Various rates, check the website for details

Check out a new show

Disney Plus

Pavel Metluk/Shutterstock

What: There’s nothing but time these days, so it’s a perfect opportunity to catch up on your must-watch list. Binge away on Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Disney+ — don’t forget the popcorn.

When: Any day
Time: Any time
Where: Your phone, tablet, computer, or television
Cost: $10 to $12 or a free trial

DH Vancouver StaffDH Vancouver Staff

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