Meet the Artists

This artist-initiated and community-engaged project, featuring art by Arabic- and Farsi-speaking newcomers to Richmond, was led by artist Jean Bradbury in collaboration with client members of the Richmond Multicultural Community Services. The project took place from August to October 2021 at the Richmond Caring Place, 7000 Minoru Blvd. Participants learned new skills in drawing and painting to create simple comic book style artwork. This exhibition aimed to share their stories of home and culture with the larger community of Richmond.

Reach to Teach is a free, multi-disciplinary arts program offered to vulnerable schools in the Downtown Eastside and connecting the students from these schools with students in Richmond. The art featured here was a collaborative piece by students from Westwind Elementary in Richmond and Admiral Seymour Elementary in Vancouver. The purpose of this project is to make the arts more accessible and allow children from different backgrounds to experience the joys of artistic expression and the creative process. The upstairs art space featured art from Arts Conservatory’s Open Art Studio programs.

PosAbilities’s Richmond Social Network Community Inclusion Program focuses on daily social, recreational, and skill development activities for adults with developmental disabilities. With in-person programming stopped during the height of COVID-19, many of PosAbilities’s community members turned to art as an outlet. Richmond Social Network Community Inclusion Program Connecting with the Richmond community through art, music and friendship. We have an endless curiosity to experience new things and bring people together to learn from each other.

May is celebrated provincially as Child Care Month, and in recognition of this daycare centres around Richmond put together an art display featured throughout the library. Visitors to the library can keep an eye out every May as the Child Care Month display returns to the Community Art Wall!

In celebration of Richmond Pride Week, Richmond Public Library collaborated with partners at AllWays, GLITTER, PAINT, and School District 38 to invite LGBTQ2S+ youth artists to showcase their artwork in a special Pride at the Library exhibit. The teens all selected a piece of their choosing for this display, and many featured themes of finding beauty in their identities and relationships. Pride Week in Richmond is a celebration of members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, Two-Spirit and gender diverse communities in our city, and RPL was honoured to be part of this celebration of talented LGBTQ2S+ youth artists in our community.

Richmond Public Library marked the International Day for Islamic Art (Nov 18) with its first-ever Islamic Art Experience, which combined an afternoon of Islamic performing arts and demonstrations with this juried art exhibition. The exhibition featured visual art by local Muslim artists or by artists inspired by Islamic art traditions and was coordinated with the library by the Community Arts Council of Richmond (CACR) in collaboration with Islamic Art of British Columbia (IABC) and Muslim Art House. In addition to the physical exhibit showcased at the library, visitors could also explore a virtual gallery from the comfort of their own homes.

Olena Krevenets, A Ukrainian artist based in Richmond, created this display of photographs to bring attention to the war in her home country. The models in the photos wore traditional Ukrainian clothing and aimed to demonstrate that Ukraine is more than its current experience of war.

Olena Krevenets, A Ukrainian artist based in Richmond, created this display of photographs to bring attention to the war in her home country. The models in the photos wore traditional Norman Brule is a digital artist who was born in Montreal. His art practice is self-taught solely through online resources and he has produced almost 180 pieces. Norm believes that all art has a message, and he strives to share messages of truth and beauty through his work.

Ryoshi is a non-binary youth artist whose art mediums include calligraphy, Chinese painting and digital art. They also create concept art and character design, and hope to someday do visual designs for animation.