News

PAARC cancels SWARM 2018

July 9, 2018

Please be advised that the Pacific Association of Artist Run Centres will not host SWARM for 2018.

From 1999 to 2017, members of PAARC took part in the SWARM festival of artist-run culture as a means to increase civic awareness of artist-run practices. While the festival continued to play a role networking and marketing for Vancouver-based artist-run centres, the PAARC membership chose not to continue with the event, instead seeking to address a growing list of new issues facing the sector.

We thank those who have participated over the last 18 years and expect that artists and non-profits will continue to coordinate autumn season openings and events. For more information please contact us at info@paarc.ca.

SWARM 18: Annual Festival of Artist-Run Culture

September 8, 2017

Dates: September 7 & 8, 2017 Time: 6 p.m. onward Web: www.swarm.paarc.ca Social Media: #ArtistRunBC SWARM is an annual 2-night festival that marks the launch of Vancouver’s artist-run centre programming season with exhibition openings, performances,…

Dates: September 7 & 8, 2017
Time: 6 p.m. onward
Web: www.swarm.paarc.ca
Social Media: #ArtistRunBC

SWARM is an annual 2-night festival that marks the launch of Vancouver’s artist-run centre programming season with exhibition openings, performances, screenings, and special events. On the evenings of Thursday, September 8^th and Friday, September 9^th, the public is invited to “gallery-hop” from venue to venue to experience the vibrancy of Vancouver’s artist-run centres and independent non-profit galleries.

All SWARM events are free and open to the public!

Thursday September 7^th: Mount Pleasant & Beyond

Participating venues include: grunt gallery, Malaspina Printmakers, VIVO Media Arts Centre, and more.

Friday September 8^th: Chinatown/DTES

Participating venues include: 221A, Access Gallery, Artspeak, Centre A, Cineworks, Dynamo, Gallery Gachet, Gam Gallery, Or Gallery, LIVE Biennale, UNIT/PITT Projects, Yactac, and more.

For detailed information about SWARM programming, events, and venue locations visit: www.swarm.paarc.ca

TPP and the Arts: Recommendation Against Ratification

October 31, 2016

A response to the Canadian Government’s public consultations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership from the Artist-Run, Media Arts and Arts Service Sectors, representing members of Independent Media Arts Alliance the Artist-Run Centres and Collectives Conference, National Indigenous…

Download the Brief

2017 Pre-Budget Consultation Brief

October 14, 2016

PAARC presented a brief to the Brief to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services as part of the province-wide 2017 pre-budget consultations. We presented the following recommendations…

We presented the following recommendations to the Committee aligned with those of the Professional Arts Alliance of the Greater Victoria and the Alliance for Arts and Culture.

SWARM 17: Annual Festival of Artist-Run Culture

August 31, 2016

Dates: September 8th & 9th, 2016 Time: 6 p.m. onward Access website SWARM is an annual 2-night event that marks the launch of Vancouver’s artist-run centre programming season with exhibition openings, performances, screenings, and special…

Dates: September 8th & 9th, 2016
Time: 6 p.m. onward
Access website

SWARM is an annual 2-night event that marks the launch of Vancouver’s artist-run centre programming season with exhibition openings, performances, screenings, and special events. On the evenings of Thursday, September 8th and Friday, September 9th, the public is invited to “gallery-hop” from venue to venue to experience the vibrancy of Vancouver’s artist-run centres and independent non-profit galleries.

Most SWARM events are free and open to the public!

For detailed information about SWARM programming, events, and venue locations visit: paarc.ca/swarm17

Join the conversation: #ArtistRun

About SWARM
Organized since 1999, SWARM is an annual festival put on by the Pacific Association of Artist-Run Centres (PAARC) to launch the programming season of Vancouver’s artist-run, non-profit, and independent galleries. This year, we celebrate the 17th edition of SWARM.