In 2015, having only been in Vancouver for a couple of months, I missed the Eastside Culture Crawl altogether. However, it had piqued my interest and I vowed not to miss it again in 2016. Little did I know what I was committing myself to! Being temporarily without a car, I decided doing my research was my best bet of hitting as many studios as possible. After discovering that there were over 475 artists I could potentially visit, I was glad I had taken the time to narrow it down. Fortunately I recognized a few names and, targeting the buildings housing the most studios, I set out with a mutual art lover from Nigeria to conquer art in East Van.
We decided to hit the Mergatroid building first and see how far we got before dinner – and our other friend – started calling. The maze of hallways, rooms and different levels was dizzying. We turned corner after corner and discovered everything from potters to photographers to sculptors. Despite the chill in the building it was quite the adventure. As it turned out we only made it through part of the building before our mutual friend showed up in a taxi. We timed our exit perfectly as I watched the yellow cab pull to a stop just as we were turning the corner on the last hallway. We scurried out into the wet street and bailed into the warm cab, then headed off to Havana for supper. City lesson #89 was explained to me soon after as I learned you never get into a cab on the driver’s side.
That was Thursday’s adventure. Sunday brought me unexpectedly back into the city to meet a friend from Vancouver Island. So I thought I’d better check out Railtown Studios and visit an artist and stewardess I had met while giving an art tour at the Vancouver International Airport. The building was smaller but the adventure no less interesting. The artist I went to visit pointed us to all the right places in the building, including a view from the top of the roof overlooking the harbour just East of downtown Vancouver. What did I learn from checking out the Eastside Culture Crawl in 2016? That I didn’t have nearly enough time to explore. Next year I will book the entire weekend.
Here are just a few of the artists I came across at the crawl in 2016:
Russell Hackney Ceramics
www.russellhackneyceramics.com
Anyuta Gusakova
Emi Fujita
Sasamat Creative
Hitomi Mckenzie Porcelain Ceramics
Kurve – Enrico König
Jacqueline Robins Ceramics
Aurélia Bizouard
Brian C Cyr Photography
Suzy King
So until next year I will appreciate the few artists I did discover and the opportunity to hang with friends in East Van …
Little City Arts 
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